Seagorath is an Ultra Kaiju, meaning he is a Giant Monster featured in the Ultraman Franchise. Specifically, Seagorath comes from episodes 13, 14 and 37 of "The Return of Ultraman" from 1971.

Seagorath is an Ultra Kaiju, meaning he is a Giant Monster featured in the Ultraman Franchise. Specifically, Seagorath comes from episodes 13, 14 and 37 of "The Return of Ultraman" from 1971.

The Kaiju fights with Ultraman Jack until he is defeated and driven back into the ocean.

However, his face mysteriously reappears on the Kaiju Tyrant, who is an amalgam of many previous Ultra Kaiju.

This vinyl toy is a kids toy at heart. Produced in 1992, before Bandai had the collectors market in mind, Seagorath is a solid sturdy vinyl figure. Articulation is limited to the arms and legs.

This figure was bought at a flea market in Tokyo on my 2009 trip for 100 yen. A Bargain.

Happy Halloween! My contribution to this fine holiday is a review of a decidedly creepy pair of designer vinyls...

Okay, I know it's not usual for us to review two toys at once, but in the world of designer kaiju, exceptions ARE the rule!

On this fine Halloween, I present two toys I've been dying to talk about for a while now: Velocitron's Bechigon and Larvagon in the "Emperor" colorway. These are two genuine Japanese slush-molded vinyl figures. These designer (non-character) toys are clearly horror-inspired--more specifically, a bit of a refinement on H.R. Giger's designs from the Alien films.

First up, we have Bechigon, Ricky "Velocitron" Wilson's first toy sculpt. They run around $35 each, and while each colorway is pretty short in terms of run size, there are lots of 'em and they ALL look great! Just check out the various pics in Velocitron's flickr.

Header card.

Bechigon is very reminiscent of the face-hugger pods from Alien, but it seems more like closed fangs at the top rather than an opening for something to hatch. Also, the added tentacles are fantastic. I picked up this particular colorway of Bechigon when it first came out because it was one of the first shot in glow vinyl and because it just looks so cool. The black spray and the spiral masking on the tentacles is brilliantly executed. Also, the gloss red handpaints are a striking accent. This thing looks sick!

I mean, just check out how cool the tentacles look when they're glowing!

Bechigon's tagline was "Egg of the Apocalypse". So what gives? Why would a budding designer vinyl maker start off with an egg...rather than a full-size (ostensibly adult) monster?? Well, Ricky has said that he wanted to create a sort of progression with this toy line. So, start with an egg...then move on to a larva (hint, hint)...and then...

I sorta compare it to the different vinyl makers who release Hedorah toys depicting his different life-cycle forms (larva/tadpole, crawling, flying, adult, etc.). Anyway, clearly, these toys are designed to complement each other when displayed on a shelf. So, I assume that the next in the series will be an adolescent or young adult monster...but I'm getting ahead of myself...

After Bechigon, Ricky released the much-anticipated Larvagon. They retail for around $55. I think of Larvagon as a cross between Giger's face-hugger and the chest-burster designs. Only giant! Well, they're Japanese, so I imagine them being giant! :P

Header card.

Now this damn thing is metal as all hell! I mean, it's grotesquely detailed and monstrous...but it's still just a silly glow kaiju toy. For some reason, I feel like blasting Dethklok while playing with it! ;)

I love how Ricky carried over the Emperor theme into Larvagon. The striped black look has been preserved, and the black paint rub over much of the body accentuates the detail of the sculpt perfectly. [By the way, I have no idea what "Emperor" is supposed to indicate. That's just the name of this colorway. Maybe there is a whole race of these monsters...and this is their leader!]

There are a few neat things about this sculpt. Well, first, it features a whopping two points of articulation! Yep, just those red-clawed tentacles can move. Hey, works for me! Also, there's a sweet removable carapace shot in clear vinyl that fits on top of the head. This is TOTALLY reminiscent of some notable Alien xenomorph toys like the classic 18" Kenner Alien, which had a glow skull underneath a smoky clear cap. Larvagon's carapace has two tusks with a groovy black chain connecting them.

Yo, what's up with the red wad that looks like a mashed strawberry on the left side of his head!? :P

Anyway, not much else to say about these guys. Their beauty--or lack thereof!--speaks for itself. While I think these toys are absolutely great, I can definitely see how your mileage may vary. Designer vinyl, in and of itself, is an acquired taste. I, for one, am looking forward to future releases in this line and completing an Emperor set!

If you're interested in picking some of these toys up, go to skullbrain.org and do search for "Bechigon" or "Larvagon"...you'll find info on how to get in touch with Ricky, get on his mailing list, and see what's in stock...not to mention finding TONS of great pics of other colorways of these toys!

Bigger....better....blow molded..

So maybe the standard size Marusan Godzilla is not your thing. Maybe you preferred the big Bullmark toy seen in Godzilla vs. Hedorah. Well, not to worry, there is a big blow molded bootleg of that one too.

I got this toy at around the same time I got the other one and it's discovery (to me, at least) happened in nearly the same way; it was in the Super7 issue, not noted as being blow molded and I just happened to see it by accident, while searching for more information about the Marusan one, actually. In fact, I found a completed auction for this very toy that ended with no bids and I thought I had missed out. But fortunately, it was re-listed shortly afterwards and I bought it.

This guy is 12.5" tall and articulated at the hips and shoulders only. The legs are a little loose, but not as bad as my Marusan one and the arms hold their positions perfectly. The only problem with the condition of this one is that a lot of paint has chipped off over the years. The eyes in particular are completely missing. I briefly thought about repainting them, but quickly decided against it.

This version is made out of light orange poly for the main body with a darker orange for the arms and legs, but there exists another version that is all dark orange. Interestingly, this guy differs from the original scuplt (check out JoshB's review of the B-Club re-issue here) in that the fins on the back have been shortened and rounded off.

I've done plenty of reviews in the past about cheap blow molded robots so it may surprise you to read that I never really thought about actually seeking out just toys that were blow molded, regardless of genre. I never really gave much thought to blow molded kaiju or monsters or hero characters and vehicles. But there's a lot more out there than I had ever realized. I've already added Red King and a couple of Ultramen to my collection of Japanese blow molded knockoffs and I've heard that there is even a Baragon as well. And of course, the very rare Supersol kaiju toys from Argentina, a country where nearly every toy is blow molded, are on my shopping list as well. Hopefully these guys are just the beginning!

What better way to honor a classic than to buy its cheap knockoffs?

The very first Godzilla vinyl was produced in 1966 by Marusan and was inspired at least in part by the earlier Aurora model kit. After Marusan released this toy, it would later be re-released by Bullmark, Bandai, M1, Super7 (giant sized version) and Marusan again, naturally with many mold and color variations.

But somewhere along the way, I'm not sure when, a bootleg version was made that was not vinyl at all, but in fact, good old fashioned blow molded plastic. So you know I needed one.

When I first saw this toy, I had no idea that it was blow molded. It was listed (along with nearly every other Godzilla toy out there) in the October 2004 issue of Super7 magazine celebrating the big Gs 50th birthday. This toy, and two color variations (red and tan) were simply listed at "bootlegs". Since nearly all of the other toys in the lineups were vinyl, I had always just assumed they were too.

I only found out that it was blow molded when I saw it while doing a general search for blow molded toys. Seeing as how I didn't own the original vinyl (only the giant sized Super7 version), I decided I had to have it. I mean, not only would it be much cheaper than trying to get an original, but it would actually fit in better with all the rest of my cheap knockoff crap.

As I said, I don't own the original, so I can't really make a side by side comparison, but I'd imagine that this one is slightly shorter. This version stands 8.5 inches tall. Cast in light blue with dark blue and green spray, along with with silver and black for the eyes.

There are four points of articulation (hips and shoulders) but unfortunately mine is VERY loose at the joints. Holding it by the head and slowly swinging it like a pendulum will actually cause the limbs to slide back and forth as gravity pulls them down and the arms cannot be properly positioned outwards while in a regular standing pose. They will simply fall to the side.

Still, it has all the ugly but charming attributes you would expect from a blow molded knockoff... atrocious seam lines, excessive flash and no weight at all. I have no packaging for it nor have I ever seen any, but I assume it probably came in a bag with a cheap, generic header card. Now I just need to get the other versions. Which is strange because I do not collect color variations of vinyl. So why do I want color variations of blow molds based on vinyls? As usual, I think it's best to think too much about it and just go with the flow.

An unusual, but appealing vinyl from M1.

This figure is another one of those toys that when I first saw it, I thought it was stupid. "A shirtless guy with Godzilla legs? What's the point?" But a few years in the hobby and I've come to understand the appeal of the more unusual things like this. And fortunately, unlike when I fell into this trap with other toys, I didn't have to pay a premium to correct my mistake. In fact, I think I got this and two other vinyls for about $50 a couple months back.

As you might guess, this toy depicts legendary actor Haruo Nakajima as he may have appeared half suited up on the set of the original Godzilla movie in 1954. At 9" tall and 6 points of articulation (waist, tail, hips and shoulders), the figure, like most vinyls, is basically a display piece. Especially considering the subject matter. I can't imagine anyone really playing with this. I mean, what are you gonna do, re-enact the coffee break the guy took? And in case you're wondering, the watch on his wrist appears to be set to five o'clock. I'm not sure if that means he's just beginning or just ending a day's worth of shooting.

As we've come to expect from M1, the sculpt, paint apps and vinyl thickness on this toy are all top notch. There are at least a couple different versions of this sculpt. This blue "Irasawa" version, and brown and green event exclusives. For the initial release, Mr. Nakajima was available to sign autographs. (Thanks as usual to Club Tokyo for the info.) In fact, one of the reasons I finally broke down and bought mine was because he was supposed to be making an appearance at a Godzilla festival in San Francisco around August, I think. So I was thinking of getting mine signed, too. But unfortunately, the event had to be canceled. Ah, well. I'm not a big autograph collector anyway. It just seemed like a good opportunity to enhance a toy I was already planning on buying anyway.

For me, this is the last nail in the coffin of Chinese vinyl.

I'll cut right to the chase. When dealing with a glow in the dark soft vinyl toy, there's really only 3 things to be concerned with. Sculpt, paint and glow power. And while some may say 2 out of 3 ain't bad, 1 out of 3 is. And unfortunately, that's the case here.

Excellent sculpt.

If you're a fan of Hedorah, there's a good chance you would really like the sculpt of this toy, unless you want articulation. This is simply a 7" vinyl, static posed statue, but it looks pretty nice, especially if you like the base with the name on it.

Sloppy paintjob.

Unfortunately, the paint job on it leaves something to be desired. In some places (like the eyes and the buildings), it's pretty good, but in other spots, it's like they just stopped trying entirely. The back (pictured above) looks atrocious to me. And much like the I Was A Teenage Werewolf 12" figure from B.F.F.F. International last year, there are spots where they tried to add depth, but shouldn't have even bothered because it just looks worse than if they'd just left it alone. Which brings me to the worst part of the toy...

Dismal glow!

Look at that. Isn't that pathetic? The picture above shows this toy getting completely pwned by a glow Namegon from B-Club. I know that Chinese vinyl has a bad reputation in terms of glow power compared to the more superior Japanese vinyl, but c'mon! Especially when you consider the promotional photos that got me interested in this thing in the first place. I mean, there must have been some serious adjustments made to those pictures to make it look like it glows that bright. NOT EVEN CLOSE.

This was one of the more disappointing toys I've gotten in a while. Especially when you consider that it comes in an unnecessary box that serves only to increase the shipping cost. This toy retails for about $50, but with shipping it ended up being closer to $85. A good old fashioned bag and header would have been just fine, thank you.

The back of the box shows some other figures from the line. I have the Mothra, which I like despite it's weak glow because it just has such an awesome sculpt, but rest assured, I will not be getting any more of these. In fact, I have every intention of selling this one before too long. Hopefully I can at least break even.

Melba (or Meruba) is an Ultra Kaiju from Ultraman Tiga. It's the calm before the storm of comicon coverage.

Melba (or Meruba) is an Ultra Kaiju from Ultraman Tiga who appears in episode 1 alongside Golza. This kaiju has a sleek flight-based design for powerful air attacks.

This is actually a pretty tall kaiju, and he takes up a lot of space on the shelf.

Articulation is limited to the wings, arms and legs. But with these toys, articulation is not really a huge concern. Collectors will leave them on the shelves, or kids will beat the crap out of them, bury them in the sandbox, to eventually be eaten by a puppy who really should have had his training by now.

Melba comes with the standard swing tag and Data Cardass card to be used with arcade machines across Japan.

If you need a Kanegon for your kaiju shelf, you could do worse than this Yamanaya vinyl. But you could also do better...

I recently picked up a couple of lots of 3 vinyls each and in one of them was this 9" Kanegon (カネゴン,) from Yamanaya. I already had a Kanegon from Bandai and a miniature glowie of the Bullmark sculpt, but this was my first vintage style standard size Kanegon.

It's an ok sculpt, neither great nor terrible. And the color scheme is similarly average. The vinyl is thick and solid, but otherwise, it's just another kaiju to blend into the crowd. Nothing too special.

But just before I went to put him away I noticed something that I hadn't before in any pictures. Kanegon has 5 very obvious points of articulation (hips, shoulders and neck) but can you tell where the 6th is?

One of the small "rings" on the top of it's head can actually rotate, allowing you to turn the eyes in whatever direction you choose! It's a small detail, but one that I found to be pretty cool.

One thing that I just now noticed well typing (and long after I've taken the pictures) is that underneath it's chin is a bunch of small indentations that are not on the rest of the neck. So I think these are probably meant to represent where the actor was likely breathing through the suit! Not a big deal by any means, but a neat little attention to detail.

According to Club Tokyo, this Kanegon was the 13th figure in this line by Yamanaya. It shares the same header card as others in the line.

This is a decent figure and if you like Kanegon, I don't think you'd be disappointed in it.

Neronga is the next in our ongoing reviews of Ultra Kaiju Sofubi

Neronga appears in the classic Ultraman series from 1965. He has since reappeared in the series "Ultra Galaxy Daikaijyu Battle" and a playable character in the Data Cardass game "Mega Monster Battle: ULTRA MONSTERS"

This kaiju is unremarkable in appearance, looking something like a poor man's Baragon mixed with Anguillas.

Articulation is limited to arms and legs, paint detail is effective. This is definitely a kids toy, not a collectors item.

The toy features a swing tag and bonus playing card for the "Data Cardass" system. The card is bar-coded and can be swiped in any of the multitude of arcade machines in Japan featuring compatible games.

At only about $9 US, you can't go wrong with these toys. The value gets even greater if you have access to an arcade machine that uses the cards, but odds of seeing one in the US is slim.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!

This monster is SCARY. Like one of those monsters that you dream about thats sitting on your chest stealing the air out of your lungs while you sleep. It hits all the right phobias, scary legs, upside down head, and the classic snail shell phobia.

My kids just can't seem to wrap their head around this one.

"What is it?"

I don't know.

"Why is its face upside-down?"

I don't know.

"Is it a snail?"

I don't know.

"What does it do?"

I don't know.

"They why did you buy it?"

I don't know.

So of course, I had to do research on it, and this is what I found. Gatanozoa appears in two episodes of Ultraman Tiga entitled "Ultraman Tiga: Ruler of Darkness" and "Ultraman Tiga: To Those Who Can Shine". Gatanozoa is an old god who once plagued the earth and ushered in an age of darkness, only to be awakened in modern times to do battle with Tiga.

Check out the final battle!

The vinyl figure of Gatanozoa is just so outlandish that I had to have him. I got him purely as a conversation piece, and that he was just so odd looking.

The only points of articulation are the two giant claws up front and the two front legs.

Paint and detail are spectacular. For those who feel all Bandai ultra vinyl are "cheap" and the paint lacks attention to detail, take a gander at this. It's awesome.

The figure comes on a swing tag with a DataCardass card for use in arcade machines across Japan.

A warning to you all. Don't play with Gatanozoa before you go to bed, he will haunt your dreams!