Bandai: Standard 8" Baragon Review

#9 on my top 10 countdown for 2011 is Bandai standard 8" Baragon figure!

Bandai: Baragon

Actually Baragon is 6 1/2". tall. He was released in a series with other 8" toys which is why we say Baragon came from the standard 8" line. With that intro out the way I'll talk about the monster...

Baragon debuted in Toho's "Frankenstein Conquers the World" in 1965.

*WARNING! THE FOLLOWING PARAGRAPH CONTAINS SPOILERS AND ANNOYING, NERDY RANTS!*

Baragon is a dinosaur that lived in the underground world of Earth to escape extinction. One day Baragon resurfaced from the ground to eat livestock from farms. Villagers and authorities thought Frankenstein's monster did it because he ate live bunnies and dogs before. I think the misunderstanding is a little silly. How could anyone miss a huge monster coming in and out of the ground? I mean Baragon does not move quietly.....he stomps, roars, and everything! Okay they say that all the people who sighted the monster were trampled or buried under rubble, but I still think that there could've been at least 1 survivor from the attack or a passerby to testify. Anyways over time Frankenstein's monster slowly grows to Baragon's height of around 82-98 feet and have one big battle.

Baragon has the ability to burrow underground, take far leaps in the air, and blast heat rays from his mouth. That heatwave has the ability to roast 10,000 marshmallows at once....mmmmm.....s'mores!

The figure seems to be based on "Frankenstein Conquers the World," but the tag (if attached to his neck) shows a picture from "Destroy All Monsters," another movie that starred Baragon. Actually, Baragon only had a cameo in that film so which version is the figure based on is anyone's guess. I choose "Frankenstein Conquers the World." But still Bandai made a great decision to make that version of Baragon. This is instantly a hit among old and new collectors because of the great detail and it is made out of hard vinyl. Hard vinyl hasn't been used since 1994 or 1995 because of safety concerns.

The figure stands on 2 legs, but Baragon also crawls on all fours. Actually, Baragon usually crawls but has the ability to stand as well. This toy can't do that but there are other Baragon figures that can.

Almost everything on this figure is perfect. When Baragon stands on 2 legs, he naturally slouches forward so this pose is spot on. I love the combination of brown with gold and metallic aqua green highlights. The best part of the toy is the head; the sculpt is near perfect. One minor complaint is Baragon's horn; it should stick upward and out a little more, but it's no big deal. He still looks cool regardless.

For articulation the arms, legs and head can rotate 360 degrees, but because the toy is made of hard vinyl, the joints are stiff.

For size comparison, he just doesn't size up with Kiryu. If both them fought in a battle, Kiryu would definitely win by a landslide. I'm sorry Baragon, but you're still cool to me.