X-Plus Varan 1958 (25 cm) Figure Review

A lot of buzz swarmed amongst figure collectors when X-Plus officially announced the release of Varan 1958 in the 30 cm line. Anticipations ran high, and in the end their wait was worth it. Varan (30 cm edition) stood on it's own two feet, a pose that is probably favored by most. Continuing the positive sales results, X-Plus released another version of Varan in the 25 cm edition. Except this time, Varan is in his crawling position.

The Figure:  As a figure, Varan's crawling pose is just as appeasing as him standing up. For this stance, the monster slightly glances at his right instead of straight forward while his tail sticks up in the air. The fixed pose makes this figure truly unique on it's own. Besides the pose, X-Plus continues to amaze with yet another great sculpt with lots of striking features.

Varan has so many levels of detail on his body, it's hard to choose which area is the best. To summarize everything, Varan's open mouth has individually sculpted teeth; the horns, spikes, and claws are molded separately also.

The top half of Varan has a bumpy, armored plate, while the lower half shows a softer texture with multiple wrinkles and a grainy looking surface. There are also visible remnants of Varan's wing membrane on all fours.

Perhaps the most interesting detail just has to be those holes molded on Varan's neck. Those holes allowed famous suit actor Haruo Nakajima to see through the costume while filming Varan's various scenes in Varan the Unbelievable. X-Plus has also provided a fabulous paint job on this figure.

Varan is painted in two shades of brown, while the claws come in tan. The spikes are clear, but have a hint of brown at the base to blend the pieces together. Despite the flawless design, details, and colors, there is one tiny problem with this figure. Somehow, a little paint behind one of the horns chipped off during packaging, but it's not a big deal at all.

Another problem for some collectors may be the figure's lack of articulation. However, the superb design and natural fixed pose somehow makes up for that and then some!

Figure Specs:

Final Thoughts:  Overall, I definitely feel like I got my money's worth with this figure. X-Plus lives up to their reputation by continuously producing figures with solid craftsmanship and wonderful paint job. Even though Varan in 30 cm may be popular out of the two, I still recommend this version to anyone. This figure displays Varan's alternate form perfectly, and he'll look good with your other Destroy All Monsters cast!

I also want to take the time to wish everyone a Happy New Year! A big thanks to all returning views and those who visited for their first time. For the new year there will be some improvements to the blog, while cranking out more reviews, recaps, video shares, and more!  Until then, see you real soon!