Bandai: 9" Theater Edition Kiryu Figure Review

Starting the countdown for best Kaiju figure of 2011 as #10 is Bandai's Theater Exclusive Kiryu 9" figure with battle pack!

Theater Edition Kiryu

I'm usually not a Kiryu (Mechagodzilla III), Mechagodzilla II, or Mechagodzilla fan because they are enemies of my favorite monster Godzilla. But man this toy is cool! This figure has the colors reversed meaning the silver parts are now black and black parts are now silver. The color of Kiryu's battle pack on the shoulders are original. The toy was created in 2003, but released in 2004 in conjunction to "Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S." This figure is considered an exclusive because you could only buy this version inside a movie theater that had a special screening/movie premiere event of "Tokyo S.O.S." And now a short intro....

When another Godzilla showed up in 1999, the Anti-Megalosaurus Force (AMF/Dino-haters) division of the Japanese Xenomorph Self Defense Force (JXSDF) decided to erect the skeleton of the original Godzilla that died in 1954 to fabricate Kiryu (MechaGodzilla III) around his skeletal framework. In other words, they propped up the original Godzilla's skeleton, stuck a lot of mechanical and electrical features inside and around that skeleton, then covered the internal structure with armor. Oh...they also armed Kiryu with multiple advanced military weaponry and had the DNA from the bones inserted into separate biological controls so he could automatically control itself when the pilots can't dodge on time.

Kiryu's ability/weapons includes: *TAKES A DEEP BREATH* Twin Type 90 maser cannons in the mouth (they go pew pew pew), twin laser cannons on each arm (they also go pew pew pew), a large blade on right arm that conducts electricity, rocket launchers on shoulders, an effective grapple, ability to charge up with energy, rocket boosters/thrusters on sides and back that allow him to hover/fly for a short period of time, Absolute Zero Cannon, & the Triple Maser Cannon.

I love the stealthy look of this guy. If only this version was in the movie instead of the original. What I like the most about Kiryu is the detail in his armor and weaponry. His model number is painted on the right pectoral plate, you can see the hydraulics and silver internal cables running down from the neck to the tail and legs, and there's little nuts and bolts etched in the vinyl. Of course the best parts of the figure are the jet pack/missile launcher combo on the back and shoulders, and the laser cannons on the arms. Hands down, a great representation of Kiryu. I personally like this version a little more than the original (Showa version), but a lot more than the Heisei version.

For articulation: The head rotates 360 degrees, the waist rotates 360 degrees, and the tail rotates 360 degrees at 2 points. The arms cannot rotate all the way because the battle/jet pack is in the way. Looks like Japan's elite team of scientists and engineers overlooked that part of the design. Japan's greatest defense against Godzilla is obsolete because it is unable to touch his head! Oh well back to the drawing board. But still, I say buy this guy before the original versions. In fact don't buy the original....stick with this one!