Happy New Year! To kick off year 2015, the first review will be none other than one of the most anticipated collectible piece of 2014. For the first time, X-Plus has released a King Ghidorah figure! What's more exciting is this version is from the Showa era, one of the most popular periods in Godzilla film history. King Ghidorah is designed to fit with the 25 cm scale figures.
Assembly
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Assembling King Ghidorah had a rocky start. The merchant did not ship my figure in a separate mailing box, rather the official X-Plus box itself. The feeling is like taking a mint figure that is sealed in a plastic bubble and card board backing, then slapping a shipping label on that.
Because the box was shipped overseas with no extra padding, the plastic bubble inside was mangled. When King Ghidorah was removed, I noticed the left leg and head was pressed down by additional weight, causing a bit of warping. Ghidorah's head was fine, but the feet, on the other hand, aren't evenly planted on the ground. Ghidorah's body is very thick in material, so the hair dryer solution didn't work this time. However, the legs are still sturdy, and the chances of King Ghidorah toppling are very slim.
King Ghidorah was packaged in a tall, but slim box. Only his wings were detached, leaving the rest of the figure already assembled.
Putting the wings together is very straight forward. Each wing has two long pegs sticking out of the base. Simply, peg the wings into two slots located inside King Ghidorah's body. However be extremely careful, as the pegs do not slip on very snugly, so the wings may easily slip off, if not fitted correctly at the base. The wings are not vinyl, rather a solid, but thin piece of plastic. Some collectors speculate the material could be resin. Any drastic fall can break those wings.
King Ghidorah
For starters, observe the three individual heads, as they bend and curl in different directions. Not one of those heads carries the same expression, as if three different minds seldom thought alike. In addition, is the amazing sculpted hair around each dragon's head, individually sculpted teeth, horns, and snake-like tongue.
King Ghidorah has some really good bulk on him, and what's more admirable is how X-Plus reinterpreted Ghidorah's body expression. Though the figure remains static, every crafted part on King Ghidorah shows some signs of life and movement, just like the three heads.
The body shows flaps and wrinkles that appeared every time King Ghidorah stepped forward, as the two tails sway in different waves. Each tail has that nice layered, feathery carving also. Ghidorah's wings expand with sheer beauty, as the membrane show wrinkles and ripples as they often appeared in the movie.
Although King Ghidorah looks quite glossy in any photo, turns out the opposite is true. King Ghidorah is flat gold with greyish shadowing scattered on his body. The eyes are red with black irises and red pupils, and his hair is colored dark grey.
Dimensions
Size Comparison
King Ghidorah was paired with a miniature Mothra (mini) 1964 figure that was included as a Ric exclusive with Large Monster Series Rodan 1964. Mothra is a little out of scale.
A 30 cm Mothra Larva (1961) was also thrown in for a comparison. Though this one is bigger than the 25 cm Ric version, Mothra is also out of scale.
King Ghidorah does stand about the same height as a 30 cm Varan. Of course, the crawling version of Varan from the 25 cm series is better suited for scale accuracy.
Conclusion
Overall, I do recommend this figure, but with a discretion. The condition of my figure is far from being a perfect score, but my case is definitely unique from others. Not considering the warping issue probably sustained during shipment, X-Plus succeeded in creating an accurate figure with superb attention to detail and tasteful paint job. Be very careful when pegging the wings in, or else risking a costly damage to Ghidorah's wings.
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