As a longtime fan of Bandai’s ultra-poseable S.H. Monsterarts line, it’s like a little slice of Christmas when a new one is released.  So far, the majority of the line has focused on the Heisei (modern) Godzilla films, and you’ll find no complaint here.  This time, Bandai took a fork in the road, and has given us the first Gamera entry, and he does not fail to deliver!  For years, fans have dreamed of a matchup between Godzilla and Gamera.  Rumor has it that a film was close to production, but the idea was eventually scrapped.  Now we can imagine this battle between these two behemoths, thanks to Bandai and Bluefin/Tamashii Nations!  Lately, I’ve been getting my S.H. Monsterarts figures (and Transformers, for that matter) from Toy Arena.  Their fast service, excellent shipping, and superior customer service has made collecting these toys absolutley painless.

In full disclosure, I own all of the figures released in this line.  I’ve purchased every single one myself, and when it comes to these figures, I’m all in.  The articulation, sculpt (most are sculpted by reknowned kaiju sculptor Yuji Sakai), and paint are second to none.  Gamera may just be the best entry in the line to date, he’s that good.  One complaint sometimes levied at these figures are the lack of accessories and extras lately.  Not so here.  Gamera includes his signature firey blast and base, optional lower torso and wings for flying mode, flight stand, and opening chest plates with simulated mana beam blast.  If there’s a pose or scene from the film G2: Advent of Legion that you want to recreate, rest assured Gamera is capable of achieving it.  When it comes to the super-articulation, even his tongue is hinged.

I’ve used and extra hinge stand and building  for these pictures; they are included in the accessory sets sold separately.  We can only hope that this is but the first entry in a line of Gamera figures and enemies for him to fight.  If it ends up that he’s just a one-off, we’ll have to be satisfied having imaginary tussles with Godzilla.  And if that’s the case, the 10 year old in me couldn’t be happier. 

Gamera was purchased by the reviewer for this review.  All pictures are copyright www.actionfigureinsider.com, and may not be used without permission