6/10/14

Godzilla vs Dogora: E-bay Ephemera (part one)

I spend an inordinate amount of time on Ebay, and I learn a lot by doing so about Godzilla items.  It occurred to me that there are tons of unique collectibles that will not otherwise be seen, and, as I save photos anyhow when something catches my fancy, I figured the subject would make a good post. 
These photos will be in no particular order, and will run the gamut from cool to absurd...
First up, a very amazing Japanese model kit of Godzilla defeating Hedorah.  Not only is the likeness excellent, but I really like how this kit shows (much clearer than the film) that the mysterious "orbs" Godzilla is holding are Hedorah's eyes.  I recently read an interview with the director of the film, and he stated it was his intention all along that they were indeed the Smog Monster's eyes.  If you listen closely to the (superior) AIP dub of the film, when the scientist first discovers and names the element "Hedronium," he mentions that it somehow is concentrated in the eyes of the creature.  Not an exact quote, but it cleared up a long-standing mystery for me.
From a digest-sized kaiju book that included both Godzilla and Gamera, two neat illustrations--note the second, that shows us in a pictograph how the Japanese word "Gojira" came from "gorilla" plus "whale."
I don 't know anything about the card game "Ascension," but supposedly, in 2013, a promo card was produced for the game featuring Godzilla.  The auction said that only 10 were made, and since I don't see the word "Toho" anywhere, it doesn't look like they were licensed.  I saw one sell for $200, even.
A couple of years ago, I saw an artist (from Japan, I believe) who was selling this beautiful Mothra sculpture, made of a certain kind of wood and stone.  I have no idea how you would ship it around the world without destroying it, but he was asking $5,000 anyway.
Have you ever seen Godzilla fighting Dogora, the Space Monster? I'd bet you haven't, until now.  This is a DVD from Thailand, which is usually synonymous with the word "bootleg."  At first I thought it was a two-pack, but apparently it is only the DOGORA film.  Well, points for creativity, anyway!

Hey, it's Mechagodzilla! No, it's just "Robot King."  In the 90's, a line of knock-off vinyls was sold under the less-than-creative name of "Super Dinosaurs" by a company called Manley.  Look closely and you will see several familiar faces from Ultraman, too.

That's all for now.  In Part Two, we will continue our journey through Godzilla's Ebay ephemera.

1 comment:

Z said...

I would say that in the Godzillaland "Pencil Board" photo, the two eyes in the cave are Kumonga. He is on Monster Island and not shown here.