S.H. MonsterArts Fire Rodan Review

Rodan has always been one of Godzilla's most dependable allies, when they're not fighting each other. Fire Rodan was introduced in Godzilla vs MechaGodzilla II. Rodan's role was in this movie the sole protector of Baby Godzilla, whose egg was in the same nest that Rodan hatched in. Godzilla confronted Rodan, and the two fought each other, which Rodan lost. Eventually, Rodan fully recovered and the radiation absorbed from Godzilla's energy evolved the pteranodon into Fire Rodan. Fire Rodan was the 5th monster released by S.H. MonsterArts (6th including web exclusive Little Godzilla).

The Figure:  Tamashii Nations has done a fantastic job on Fire Rodan's sculpt because this figure comes a lot of great looking detail.

This mutated dinosaur comes with well detailed armored plates, skin wrinkles, and some bumpy texture on something so small. One of the best details are the spikes on Rodan's chest and back, which feels very pointy and sharp, so handle with care. Fire Rodan's head also sports fabulous appeal. The three horns on Rodan's head is gorgeous, while it's facial expression conveys some serious presence.

This figure is colored red with some shades of red orange and cream, while the beak is teal. There are also faint markings of veins that can be seen on those wing membranes. Fire Rodan is mostly made of solid plastic, but the wing membrane, toes, and beak feels softer. Also, because of Rodan's tiny size, the joints in most of it's body are small too. This make Rodan seem and feel more fragile compared to other figures from this line, but he holds together quite well. Handle this toy with great care or risk snapping some thin joints.

There is one defect with this toy and that is the joint for one of the wing membranes wasn't glued properly, if not at all. Some adhesive should fix this issue quickly.

Accessories:  If the figure alone didn't grab anyone's attention, Fire Rodan comes a bunch of accessories. There are three action base stands, three arms, two support pieces, Rodan's beam effect, Godzilla's fiery red breath attach, and an alternate head for MechaGodzilla II.

This is the most accessories included with an S.H. MonsterArts toy so far. Unfortunately, I do not have my very own MechaGodzilla figure for the alternative head piece, so I'll have to skip that part of the review.

The first support piece simply props Fire Rodan up with a small clearance from the ground. If the true purpose of this tool is to make Rodan stand with more stability, then this device did not do its job because his feet doesn't touch the floor at all. Rodan sometimes look awkward just sitting on that thing, unless someone found a good use in terms of posing ideas.

The second support piece secures Fire Rodan's body as he flies in the air. This accessory is very effective and fun to play around with.


Fire Rodan's beam effect is pretty cool and it fits quite nicely when used. The effect can be supported by a clear display arm and base at multiple levels and angles within a certain limit.


The best accessory from this set is definitely Godzilla's fiery red atomic beam effect. This piece just goes perfectly with Godzilla 1995.

Figure Specs:

Articulation:

Size Comparison:

Final Thoughts:  Overall, S.H. MonsterArts Rodan is not a bad set at all. The figure is splendid with lots of fine detail all over and the accessories certainly added more value.The biggest payout was finally pairing the fiery red atomic breath with Godzilla 1995. This boxed set is highly recommended!

If you want to buy your very own Rodan, he is sold in Ami Ami, HLJ, ebay, and Amazon. Supplies are limited so grab yours before they sell out.