Monday, March 5, 2012

Bandai: Sea God (Kaishin Muba) Figure Review


Even though most of my figure collections are based from monsters that have starred in the Godzilla movie franchise, there are other creatures I find equally fascinating. This kaiju is usually called the Sea God in Japan, but is sometimes known as Kaishin Muba in other places so forgive me when I refer to this monster under one name.

Profile:  The Sea God only made one appearance in the movie Yamato Takeru, which was renamed Orochi the Eight-Headed Dragon in the U.S. This demigod lives deep beneath the surface of the ocean near Japan. Many sailors are constantly nagged by fear as they're aware of this creature's presence. However, the Sea God normally does not harm mortals because they are so petty and weak. That is until one day the antagonist of this movie, a dark wizard named Sukinowa, summoned it to attack protagonists Oto and Osu.  The Sea God has never fought another Kaiju.

Powers:
  • An energy beam that fires from the jewel on the Sea God's head.
  • Constricting tentacles.
The Figure:  First of all, I gotta say that this figure is a lot bigger than it looks in the pictures! Because of the Sea God's massive size, there is a wide variety of details to appreciate.


This figure was created by Bandai in 1994. The Sea God's body is made from hard vinyl, but the tentacles are more like soft, rubbery plastic. This figure is green with gold/bronze, silver, and purple highlights. The coolest part of this figure is the Sea God's overall appeal. This creature has various parts from different marine life forms such as a tail similar to mermaids (or merman), about four sets of fins, multiple tentacles, and a face that slightly resembles a piranha or another carnivorous creature of some kind.


I especially love the blend of fish scales and fin wrinkles on this figure.


Of course, there are a few complaints about this toy. Unlike the actual monster, the fins around the shoulder have tips that aren't extended, they are rather dulled. My guess is Bandai had to reduce the fins for safetly precautions. I also see some faults with the Sea God's head, neck, and torso ratio. The torso should be wider, the neck should be thinner and longer, and the head looks slightly enlarged. To give you an idea of what the Sea God actually looks like, click HERE and HERE.

Figure Specs:
  • Height:  6 inches (from head to bottom).
  • Length:  13 3/4 inches (from the front tentacles to the tail).
Articulation:
  • Side tentacles can somewhat rotate all the way, but the shoulder fins get in the way.
  • Head can rotate 360 degrees.
Size Comparison:  Because the Sea God has never fought another Kaiju, there's no monster he could accurately be paired with. However, I still want to give you an idea just how huge he is, so I paired him up with a 6 inch S.H. MonsterArts Godzilla figure (Heisei version).



This line up seems like an interesting match to me. Of course, you can also pose this figure with a mortal small enough to fit on the tentacles.


Final Thoughts: I find a fair share of issues with the sculpt, but not enough to consider this figure terrible. The colors look great and the quality is something to be admired. If you'd like to acquire a monster that never appeared in any Godzilla film, this figure is something I'd recommend, but only for the right price. This figure originally came with a tag attached to the neck and sealed inside of a plastic back with a header card. A figure in those conditions would be somewhere between $70 - $100. However, if you'd prefer one that is loose like mine, a reasonable price range from $30 - $40.

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