Godzilla Action Figures

If you love Godzilla and other Japanese monster movies, you probably have an action figure or two lying around. Godzilla action figures have been popular with collectors since the giant lizard first stomped on to the silver screen, and many people collect Kaiju (monster, in Japanese) models and toys. If you're interested in starting a collection yourself, here's a brief history of Japanese Godzilla action figures.

The first Godzilla action figures were made by a company called Marusan in the early to mid 1960's. These are hard to find now, and if you do come across any you should count yourself very lucky! They are colorful and some say crude looking. They come in sizes ranging from three to nine inches tall. Many of these original figures have been reproduced, most recently as a 50th anniversary set by Iwakura. This set has three inch figures in header carded bags.

Another hard to find set are the Popy figures. Popy Japan made Godzilla, Mechagodzilla, Rodan, Mothra and Gigan figures between 1974 and 1978. All except Godzilla were only available in Japan. Each monster has it's own footprint, so they are often referred to as the 'footprint monsters'. You can find Mattel versions of this Godzilla, circa 1978.

In the 80's, the Yamakatsu company made vinyl and rubber Godzillas of various sizes. You can tell a genuine version because it will have a silver Godzilla label on its foot. They also made Mechagodzilla, Mothra, Baragon and other kaiju figures.

Now, there are literally millions of action figures floating around. The most popular are the ones made by Bandai Japan. The first issue was the Godzilla 91 (made after the 1991 film 'Godzilla vs king Ghidorah') and it is still one of the most popular and sought after vinyl versions. There is a Korean version also, but you can tell the difference between it and the Bandai one. The Korean version has yellowish eyes, and the Bandai has orange eyes. Also, the Korean version is smaller and looks glossier. If in doubt, check the bottom of the feet for 'Bandai'.

A very popular set from them is the Godzilla Ultimate Collection released in 2007. The set has six figures, all from the movie 'Gozdilla Final Wars'.

If you want to start your own collection, decide whether or not you want to focus on Japanese Godzillas or include all makes and models. Depending on where you live, it will be easier to include all sorts, but you can find Japanese figures in many places online and even at sci-fi and comic shows.

You can build a collection in many ways. You can choose to focus on one era of Godzilla, such as 1960's or 1970's versions. You can collect vinyl toys only, or die-cast figures, or even plush toys. You can collect Gozdilla only, or include his many enemies like Mothra and Rodan, even King Kong. Many people start out with just Godzilla, but then come to want the many other Kaiju as well.

Now that you know the history of Japanese Godzilla action figures, the only thing left to do is go out and find some!

Godzilla Action Figures

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