Moguera
Moguera first appeared in the 1957 Toho Sci-Fi flick The Mysterians (Chikyū Bōeigun). In the original movie, Mogura is a robot used by the aliens in their attempt to conquer earth. The name Moguera comes from the Japanese name “Mogera” – the Japanese word for Mole.
A different version of Moguera would later appear in 1994’s Godzilla VS Space Godzilla. In this iteration, Moguera is a robot designed by the UN to fight Godzilla. While in the movie Moguera is actually the combination of two vehicles, the toy is only of the robot form and does not separate.
This sample arrives courtesy of Bluefin Tamashii, and is available at BigBadToyStore.com
As with all the other Bandai S.H.Monsterarts, the box is dead sexy. Gorgeous imagery and metallic lettering surrounds the transparent window that gives you a glimpse of the toy. Inside, a flimsy plastic tray which is the norm these days.
Moguera has a significant heft to him, much like the earlier Mechagodzilla. These robot figures in the Monsterarts line allows for the use of diecast and Bandai takes advantage of the opportunities. In this case the metal is in the lower legs and in the drill on the nose. First impression is that it’s nice and solid.
Being a bulky robot, articulation isn’t great but Bandai did the best with what they had.
The arms are fully articulated with a few interesting choices. The shoulder pads are on a separate joint so they move with the shoulders. This is good, but be mindful when posing as you may forget to put them back in their proper position. Also, the biceps are extraordinarily tight. I almost felt as if I was going to break them if I applied any more force.
The head is on a ball joint, and the metal drill nose can rotate.
The waist rotates, and the hips are on ball joints. The knees bend, but the range of movement is limited due to the large plastic skirt. The skirt can move out a little, but don’t force it.
The ankles are on ball joints, and the ankle covers also are free to move about.
Moguera has a bunch of great accessories and gimmicks.
First is the chest cannon. To replace the part, lift up the panel on the back and push in the button to pop out the center piece. Replace with the cannon assembly.
A beam effect part is included that fits neatly over the cannon, and is held up by a Tamashii Stage arm attached to a cool base that looks like a street scene.
The drill hands can be replaced with a set of alternate hands that can open up and reveal missiles inside. These missiles are removable.
Moguera comes with one of the coolest effect parts I have ever seen – long missile trails. These things are enormous.
Each trail comes in two sections and is held up by Tamashii Stage arms. Again, these attach to a great street scene base. I would kill for a whole miniature city done up like this. The tips of the missiles detach and fit on the end of the effect parts. The result is awesome, although difficult to display!
Finally, Moguera has a flight mode, and the set includes the parts to transform it. The neck, tail section and side panels need to be replaced. No stand is included but if you have a Flightpose stand that works just fine.
This is a nicer figure than a secondary character like Moguera deserves. Unlike Godzilla, I can’t think of anyone who collects Moguera figures, or really cares that much about the character. However, the quality of this toy and the gimmicks makes you want this. They’ve taken a second-tier character and made him cool and desirable by engineering a great toy. He’s well worth picking up.
