ULTRAMAN TARO: GREAT MONSTER THE 30 (Bandai, 1991)

 

Here is an item that took me by surprise.  You may recall that we reviewed both the ULTRAMAN and ULTRASEVEN "Great Monster the 30" figure sets, a while back, but I didn't know this existed!

So these are 30-figure sets that are basically "keshi," a category of soft rubber, gashapon-type Japanese figures (sometimes even including erasers). Each set includes the hero Ultra, and 29 kaiju from his series.

To American eyes, these are highly reminiscent of the awesome M.U.S.C.L.E. 28-packs that we had over here (and hey, those were connected to Bandai too, so there you go):

Back to our set at hand, here is the back of the box:

While the previous two sets included a die and a colorful game board, enabling you to play a board game with the figures (because Japan), this one does not, and instead gives you a heavy sheet of die-cut labels:

Interestingly, there isn't very much "Taro" content in the stickers...in fact, all of the kaiju pictured are from other shows.  There is good reason for this, because by this point in the lineage, the shows were beginning to show some fatigue, and the enemy designs were starting to suffer.  There were still some high points, but some were just forgettable. Lots of feathers and dangly things.

Here are the contents of the set.  How many can you name? The answer for me is, "precious few." And I will admit it!

After puzzling over these, I went to the booklet for the blu-rays, and then realized lots of the spellings are pretty knackered up, so I resorted to correcting as many of these as I could via online sources...so here are the names:

So my main take-away from this is:  does this mean there is a RETURN OF ULTRAMAN set (Jack, that is) that exists somewhere? If so, sign me up.  The first three shows were the best. It makes me wonder how many of the classic shows had sets in this line.  It's extremely hard to find any information online about these, but I am digging away.

As you can probably tell, I have sort of a love-hate relationship with the last few classic Ultra shows.  They tend to be hit-and-miss sometimes.  With Taro, it seems like he is always having to be rescued by his mama. I was still very happy to discover this one, though.  I will always take more classic Ultra!

Godzilla DOOM ISLAND Spacegodzilla (and carded figures) Trendmasters, 1997

 

I recently added this beauty to my collection, completing my set of carded DOOM ISLAND action figures (which is what Trendmasters referred to as "6-inch action figures," even though they are really closer to 5).  

If you don't know the story, DOOM ISLAND was the third and final Godzilla line made by Trendmasters, which unfortunately was cancelled before it could be completely realized. What was finished was never officially sold in the United States, as retailers like Wal-Mart simply passed on the line, signaling that the Trendmasters Godzilla line had run its course.  It's too bad, because the premise of the line was incredible: Godzilla and friends fighting dinosaurs!

Six carded figures were produced and packaged, which was good and bad--on the one hand, they were the sculpts we had seen previously,  in the KING OF THE MONSTERS and GODZILLA WARS lines...and now with no option for sound...but on the other, all of them were now improved with different paint, and accentuated by a dark wash, which made them look super-cool. (The two Godzillas still retained their battery-powered "Atomic Plasma Eyes," though.)

Here is a high-resolution scan of the backing card, which shows lots of amazing entries in this line, both made and unmade (some of these exist only as prototypes):

We have taken in-depth looks at the four "Battle Armor" figures on this site before, which you can view here:

Battle Armor Godzilla

Battle Armor Kumonga

Battle Armor Mecha King Ghidorah

Battle Armor Anguirus

Back to the six carded figures, they were: Godzilla, Supercharged Godzilla, Baragon, Megalon, Varan, and Spacegodzilla.  For some reason, you will see an occasional Doom Island Godzilla appear for sale, but the others are very hard to come by--especially Varan and SpaceG!

I had custom acrylic cases built for mine, so I could hang them on the wall:

If you want to know lots more about the DOOM ISLAND line, check out our Guide to Trendmasters Godzilla Products 1994-97, where you can see concept art, prototypes, and much more!

Movie Monsters Figures (Palmer, c.1964)

 

Let's start October off right, by taking a look at some classic, vintage monster toys! These awesome figures were made by Palmer Plastics around 1964 (some sources say the date is unknown, while some state 1964 as the year they were made--there are no markings or years on any of them), and they stand about 3 inches tall.  These are what some people call "dimestore" toys, but they were also sold in packs of 10, which we will see in a moment.  They were available in red, yellow, green, and even a rare blue color, which is the hardest to find.  Somehow, all of mine are the red and yellow varieties (red on yellow, kill a fellow), but I'm planning to acquire some examples of the other colors next.

 

Here is a look at each figure; there are some surprising choices in this set!

Dracula - This one works pretty well, and you know right away who it is. He kind of has a Count Chocula stance!

Cyclops - This one is a curve ball--this is actually Ray Harryhausen's Cyclops from 1958's THE SEVENTH VOYAGE OF SINBAD! I didn't see that coming.  Of course, there is rather a scale problem here, but the coolness makes up for it.

Frankenstein('s Monster) - This one works very well, and is a lot of fun.  Imagine a world where the first Universal movie was titled FRANKENSTEIN'S MONSTER, and maybe everyone would be referring to the creature by the correct name, all these years later.

King Kong - Here is one of my very favorites.  This is such a well-done figure.  Lots of people don't know this, but this figure actually came with a tiny Fay Wray, who was attached by a sprue when you purchased Kong. You can actually put her in his hand! But, as you would imagine, she was very easily lost....and as a result, a complete figure can be several hundred dollars.  Still, though, I gotta get me one of those someday:

Werewolf - To me, this is one of the least-effectively-executed sculpts in this line, because it's not super easy to tell what's going on.  At first glance it looks like an old-fashioned zombie.  It also reminds me of Bela's Ygor with the broken neck in GHOST OF FRANKENSTEIN! However, the name given on the multi-pack is "Werewolf," so that is the final answer.  

It! The Terror From Beyond Space - On the header card for the 10-pack of figures, this figure is called "It Came From Outer Space," which is the wrong movie (which was 3-D and from 1953).  This is actually the alien from IT! THE TERROR FROM BEYOND SPACE (which I believe is a Martian?), from 1958, which lots of people cite as the blueprint for ALIEN, etc.  Another unusual choice for this line!

Gorgo - YES! Freaking GORGO! Well, let's be fair, this could also be an Ogra figure (his mama)....but the package says Gorgo.  Somehow, the title monster from this 1961 British attempt at a kaiju film was included in this great line.  This is my favorite figure in this set.  I am a gargantuan GORGO fan and even own the original one-sheet poster.  (I will also be the first to admit to you that, in the interest of fairness, the movie has too much reliance on military stock footage, which does bog it down...but otherwise it is a damn fine movie, and I will cut a man who says otherwise.) Sorry, I got a little carried away, there...come to think of it, I need to get this figure in green.

Creature From The Black Lagoon - This is another one that is hard to see, at a glance...it almost looks skeletal, but when you zoom in, it dawns on you what's going on (this one would also work better in green).  

This is a spectacular set of figures, with loads of personality and charm...and oddly enough, NO Mummy to be seen anywhere!  I do wish there could have been a second series.  That would've been fun.

Lastly, here is the photo of an unopened 10-pack that goes around (I think it came from Pinterest, but I do not know the origin of this photo, or I would give the appropriate credit--it's not mine):

One thing to point out is that technically, the proper name of these figures should probably be "Unbreakable Movie Monsters"...? 

Also, check out the artwork on the header card, showing a groovy Frankenstein's monster leading Gorgo around on a chain! 

One last thing that jumps out at me.....is that you could buy 10 of these for 98 cents! What a deal!

SHOGUN WARRIORS GODZILLA Instruction Sheet Variations (Mattel, 1978- )

 

Quite simply the greatest toy ever made--or very close to it--Mattel's giant Shogun Warriors Godzilla enjoyed a few years on store shelves and in Christmas catalogs, alongside the rest of the Shogun Warriors line.  Because of this, there are at least three variations to the included (and very rare) instruction sheet!

Let's look at these in the order I have put them in, and I will explain why as we go:

Version 1 (front)  Measures 7.25 by 5.5 inches, and has artwork of Godzilla from the waist up, facing the left.  You will notice there is no blurb for the Godzilla Game, which tells me it wasn't quite released yet.

Version 1 (back)  On the reverse, we have Raydeen, Great Mazinga, and Dragun. Fine print says "PRINTED IN JAPAN," which tracks, because the first version of the Shogun Warriors Godzilla was produced in Japan for Mattel.

Version 2 (front)  For some reason, the next instruction sheet is a full-sized page, at 8.5 x 11 inches.  Now Godzilla's artwork has been changed to a full-body image (adding tail instructions), with him facing the right.  There is also now a box promoting the awesome Godzilla Game, so the Warranty information has been moved to the left side.

Version 2 (back)  The back of the sheet looks unchanged, except for the fine print, which now says "PRINTED IN U.S.A."

Version 3 (front)  Now the size of the sheet has reverted back to 7.25 x 5.5 inches.  The front looks identical to Version 2.

Version 3 (back)  The reverse side is where we see new information:  Daimos has been added to the line-up, in place of Dragun.  This figure was the last addition to the line in America, and was added in 1979, so it makes sense that this version would come last, chronologically.

Now, is it possible there is a fourth iteration out there, somewhere? One thing I have learned over years of collecting is, anything is possible...so if something turns up, it will be included here, and added to our Godzilla Guide as well!

CLASH OF THE MOVIE MONSTERS (Imperial Toys, 1987)

 

In a sense, this landed in exactly the right month of the year, but like I repeat on this blog all the time--and like I tell people all the time: monsters are for every day.

Here we have a mega-rare boxed set of action figures made by Imperial Toys, where they cleverly took four of their existing products and combined them into a new one.  Obviously, the biggest rarity here is the box itself, so let's look at that first...and it does NOT disappoint.  There's a lot to unpack here:

First, let's enjoy the front of the box, where Frankenstein's monster grapples with Count Dracula, while in the background, Godzilla and King Kong rampage.  Don't miss the middle, however, where a damsel in distress is tied to a phone booth.  Yes, the outside of the phone booth.  It's amazing.

"Right away," you are thinking, "we have a scale problem." And they do their best to hide it in the photo here, but we will return to that in a moment.  Of course, if we are being fair, these figures were meant for kids to bury in the sandbox and take on all kinds of rough and tumble adventures, rather than to be displayed as works of art. S.H. Monsterarts they aren't.

I'll get emotional if we dwell on this price tag too long...but you got all four for NINE BUCKS?!?!

One more photo before we dive in.  Are you noticing any discrepancies?

Before we go any further, I'm not looking at the Godzilla alone because we have covered this figure thoroughly.  To see everything you wanted to know about the 6-inch Imperial Godzilla figure, go to this post!

Frankenstein('s monster) is a big lug, nearly 8 inches tall, with arms that can reach his kneecaps, ending in huge, red-veined hands.  

He, like everyone else, is solid and has a chunky, substantial feel.  Also, he just wants to be loved.

King Kong is, really, perfectly done.  He has a real presence about him and looks a lot like the original in the face.  I know later, in the 1990's, Imperial made a version of this figure with a red button on his chest, allowing for roaring and snorting, and the green eyes lighting up! It was cool.

Dracula is, oddly, the biggest of the lot, at a full 8 inches tall (remember, these guys were originally made separately from each other), and is also the heaviest, because the cape is solidly and thickly molded contiguous with the body as one piece.  This can make standing very difficult.  The main problem with him (besides the likeness, but nobody could legally use Lugosi's face back then) is his arms.  They move up--in a permanent "I'm playing the Toccata and Fugue in D Minor" pose--but not down, again because of the cape.  It's frustrating.

Okay, now we are back to the interesting size problem...which bothered no kid ever, of course. The Godzilla figure was first made in 1985 (I think the others figures are dated 1986, but Kong has no date at all I believe), so they were obviously never meant to really go together.  All of these figures were sold loose as well as carded versions--for the Godzilla, the carded version came later, in 1992 to be precise, so maybe that's true for the others, too. Here they are all together:

When everyone's in a line-up, it's pretty telling, but like I said, this would've stopped no kid ever from playing with these, and that's because these guys are nothing short of awesome.  Their chunkiness gives them charm to us, now, but held up to rugged play, back then. 

You may also be thinking: "How in the world do all of those guys fit into that small box?"  And the answer is....just barely!

Trendmasters 1996 Catalog, Price List & Sales Letter!

 

Today we will look at a motherlode of history from the once-mighty Trendmasters, who holds such a large and important place in Godzilla history, they get their own volume in our series of Godzilla guides.

First off, we will look at the Trendmasters dealer catalog for 1996. This hefty book is printed on very thick, glossy paper, and looks like a million bucks.  It's squarebound and glued, and will not allow me to scan the pages without destroying the book, so I'll do my best to get decent photos as we go through it.

Upon opening it, you can see all of the different product lines that Trendmasters was making that year, including Independence Day, Tarzan, and Gumby!

Oh, and the incredible GODZILLA WARS line as well (sequel to their extensive KING OF THE MONSTERS line).  Each section of the catalog begins with a really cool vellum page, which has its own artwork on it, combining transparently with the page below, to produce a very lavish and downright swanky effect.  Like this:

Here, the awesome GODZILLA WARS logo artwork of Godzilla & Spacegodzilla shows through to the page below, which is a close-up of the Power-Up Mechagodzilla's Gun Arm (below). Kudos to the art designer for this book. What could've been boring squares on the page, showing product, is instead a joy to look at.

You'll notice there are crystals everywhere, further developing the Spacegodzilla theme--and the film was a complete unknown in the USA at the time!

And now, on to the 10-inch giant action figures.  One thing of interest about this catalog is that it lists several items that never ended up being produced.  For example, there were only 6 giant action figures sold in the GODZILLA WARS packaging, and Mothra, King Ghidorah, and Rodan were never sold that way!

The next two pages show off the new Power-Up figures, which were super-cool kaiju with added armor and firing missiles.....Godzilla wearing armor? Sign me up.

Next we have the "6-inch" action figures, either boxed with sound, or carded without.  There are lots of discrepancies here, too.  There were 13 boxed figures with sound produced, and 11 carded without sound. I always love seeing the paint job on the prototype Biollante, which is awesome. Former Trendmasters designer Jeff Bergeron told me that he thought Toho would be mad that he added feet to Biollante, but they didn't say anything! Which is awesome, because they are RAD.

The "Godzilla 2-Pack"s (or as the figures' card ended up saying, "2 in 1 Battle Collectors Edition 2-Packs") are a difficult subject, because the later ones in this group ended up being farmed out to discount stores, which were a pretty new concept at the time, and most people couldn't find them.  All in all, there were a whopping 11 produced, and some contained unique Godzilla sculpts--and therefore unique trading cards--which are the very rarest of the Godzilla Trendmasters trading cards. The unique sculpts are shown here on these pages.

The next two pages show us even more rarities.  The "Micro Mountain Figures" were similar to the "Hatched" series, and instead of an egg, a "Mountain Case" was included (a similar thing was done in the Tarzan line at the time).  I haven't yet solved the mystery of why these figures are uber-rare, but they certainly are.  Six were made, and the catalog lists some that weren't:  Mothra, King Ghidorah, and Rodan. The Godzilla Bendables line was brought forward from KING OF THE MONSTERS, and are also very hard to find.  The catalog also lists 9 figures being made, and there are 6 by my count.

One of the crown jewels of a line full of treasures are the Micro Battle Playsets.  New for 1996 were the Biollante in Washington, D.C., Mecha-King Ghidorah Central Command, Mecha-Godzilla Defense Base, and the infamously rare Spacegodzilla in Tokyo. If you want to see in-depth reviews of loose examples, there is such a series of  articles on this very blog!

Another masterpiece is the "Godzilla Destroys N.Y. Giant Playset," which is also reviewed on this site in great detail. Strangely, it wasn't sold in GODZILLA WARS packaging that I have ever seen.  Likewise, there was no Spacegodzilla in the line of Giant Walking figures (although Bandai made one in Japan).

The back page of the GODZILLA WARS section shows some examples of packaging for the line.

But, we aren't quite done yet! Inside of the catalog was a sheaf of papers, which turned out to be a sales letter, as well as a price list for all of the toy lines in the catalog! 

And here you have it, a genuine sales letter, on real Trendmasters stationery! I guess lots of folks wouldn't think papers like this were too exciting, but they are pure gold to me! (Come to think of it, I guess we even know who owned this material before me, since we have a letter made out to them!) So what did GODZILLA WARS items cost the retailer in 1996?

Like the catalog, I am only featuring the Godzilla-related pages here.  This first page is for foreign-shipped orders (note the "FOB Hong Kong") in the letter, meaning the buyer had to be responsible for shipping from there.  The "L/C" means "Letter of Credit," which is commonly needed in placing overseas orders.  

And here is the page for what was available in the United States--note that the "Novelties" section is the main difference here.  Also note that there is a "PLUSH" category, for even more items that did not end up being produced: a series of animated plushes (which, interestingly enough, are not featured in the 1996 catalog):

I hope you have enjoyed examining this piece of Godzilla history with me.  I am currently updating the Trendmasters Volume of our Godzilla Guides, so keep an eye out for that in the near future (the link will be the same)!