Bandai Takkong Figure Review

I recently noticed a pattern in my collection lately. Since the day I ordered Takara's Fuurin-Idom (Wind Chime Idiom) online, my preference took a slight turn into other figures that were once perceived as bizarre before. Takkong was one of those kaiju I never thought would make it's way in my collection at all. However, my bargain hunting side just couldn't pass up a super sweet deal for under $10 total on ebay. Here's my review.

The Figure:  One of the things that Tsuburaya productions always provided for the earlier Ultraman series was a fair amount of strange monsters attacking Earth. Takkong debuted in the TV series, "The Return of Ultraman." For a complete background info, you may click HERE. Takkong is an aquatic monster that is strong and resilient. Appearance wise, there is much confusion as to what animal this monster resembles the most. According to Ultraman Wiki, Takkong's design was mostly inspired by an octopus, which explains the suction cups that cover the enormous, bloated body.

The fingers and toes looks like something you see from an amphibious creature, and Takkong's head resembles some kind of snapping turtle.

All these elements combined would make anyone glance at this kaiju with a confused look on his or her face. With that said, Bandai has done a pretty good job on this figure. The sculpted suction cups looks amazing in detail and they certainly feel weird also. This figure looks quite appealing in brown with copper and red highlights, but Takkong's actual color is nothing like this. Bandai has been producing Takkong figures since 1989, and this particular model has been re-issued around seven times with different colors. This version was released in the Ultra Monster (2000) Series release. Despite the drastic change in color, this production came out rather pleasing.

Figure Specs:

Articulation:

Size Comparison:  To give you an idea to how small Takkong is, I placed him next to Bandai's six inch Godzilla (Showa) figure. Takkong is only 3/4 of Godzilla's size, and if these two monsters were to fight based on this height comparison, Godzilla would be the clear winner.

Final Thoughts:  If you're a collector, who is interested in gathering the same figure in various colors, or is looking to own his or her very first Takkong figure, this version will likely satisfy you. The sculpt is nicely done and this monster looks good for a re-issue.