Company: Takara
Size: 4" scale
Price: $20 at xxxxxxx
Packaging: Slip-bubble carded (similar to many Japanese toys)
Pics from MicroForever.com: The Microman Godzilla line; inserting Microman into the suit (as usual, Tortle-specific pics to come later tonight)
Looks: 5 out of 5
The amount of detail in Godzilla is amazing. Not only is the sculpt well-done, with great Godzilla-esque textures, but the paint apps are incredible. Godzilla's mouth, in particular, has some wonderful paint detailing.
Microman looks like... well, Microman. He has a very basic color scheme, and comes with a few decals to accentuate his design.
Articulation: 5 out of 5
Microman figures are well known for their articulation. The differences in articulation between Microman and a real human skeleton are negligible.
Microman also moves well in the Godzilla suit. The suit allows for movement, but the rubber restricts posing. Even though you can move him around while in the suit, don't expect him to stay in a specific pose.
Accessories: 5 out of 5
The Godzilla suit is the coolest accessory in the history of toy making. But in addition, the figure comes with extra hands and a base for posing.
Value: 3 out of 5
$20 for this set is more than a bit expensive. Rokk said he managed to get it for only $10, which is a perfect price.
Coolness: 3 out of 5
So, given the concept of a small Microman figure with a Godzilla suit... "can Takara pull it off?" The answer, unfortunately, is "no". The suit cannot stand on its own. The suit's rubber is too thin to properly support it, and Microman's wrist and ankle-holes are required to support Godzilla's hands and feet.
Second, putting Microman in the suit is virtually impossible. I had to literally take Microman's arms and legs off, insert them and the torso into the suit separately, and reattach them inside the suit. And the suit's rubber does not seem capable of withstanding too much abuse from inserting and removing the Microman figure. Therefore, my Microman will forever be entombed within the Godzilla body.
However, Microman Godzilla maintains much of its coolness factor because the figure is an incredible incarnation of Godzilla in the Star Wars scale. Also, the suit's "skin" has a great rubbery flesh-like feel to it.
Overall: 4 out of 5
Microman Godzilla is an amazing figure, both in looks and articulation. I would definitely buy another figure in the line, but I realize that the "man in suit" concept is not designed for play. Still, the concept is interesting, since its "man in suit" movements do mimic the motions of Godzilla in the movies well.
Edited by Tortle, 20 January 2005 - 08:40 AM.