Released
in 1995, Anguirus joined the ranks of the Trendmasters
Godzilla line of figures after the first line proved
to be a success. The second series of figures, dubbed
Godzilla Wars, saw the inclusion of famous
kaiju like Biollante, Gigan, SpaceGodzilla, Moguera,
Battra, and Anguirus along with the very rare figures
of Megalon, Varan, and Baragon. Like the later three,
Anguirus' figure is easily the most 'upgraded' of the
entire line. Gone is this famous brute's quadrupedal
stance and in its place, a bipedal, hulking, and very
muscular Anguirus. Sporting muscles that would make
any pro-wrestler blush, Anguirus' new design, interestingly,
still fits the kaiju nicely.
While some revamps, such as Baragon's, looked nothing
like the original, Anguirus retains his original design
while being pulled fourth into the 1990's. The design
alone, much like the Trendmasters release of Gigan
and Megalon, look as if they'd fit in perfectly with
the powerful Heisei era kaiju. Being roughly three
inches in height, this American Anguirus toy sports
a rather nice detail. Eerie green eyes stare ahead
from a crocodile-like snout that is crowned with the
kaiju's famous crest of horns. The skin of Anguirus
is smooth, but this seems to have been done on purpose.
There's small details within the body of the beast,
making it seem as if the monster would have an elephant-type
hide if it actually existed. Even the insides of Anguirus'
maw are heavily detailed. A flat tongue lays on its
bottom jaw while the top is laced with ridges like
a dog's.
As said before, this Anguirus is extremely muscular,
one of the most muscular kaiju I've ever seen. The
beast's tail stretches to the side and curls at
the end, giving it enough power for a kid's imagination
to have it trip up other kaiju and toys. Its back
features the trademark carapace laced with dagger-like
spikes. If there is one complaint I really can make
about this figure, it is that the carapace doesn't
cover the entire back and ends just a little ways
past the halfway mark. Some fans may complain about
the chest and stomach, as well as parts of Anguirus'
legs, being colored purple. However, I do argue
that this design scheme makes this version of Anguirus
even sweeter. It gives the muscular kaiju some color
other than black, but isn't as much of a change
as if it suddenly switched to white or gray. It
blends in nicely with the toy.
Unfortunately, like all Trendmasters toys of this
size (three inches), not one part of Anguirus is movable,
meaning he's always stuck in the pose shown. Thankfully,
however, Anguirus' pose itself is rather good and easily
manipulated by a child's imagination. The open hands
allow him to grip other kaiju and objects while its
open mouth also allows it to bite.
In the end, while Anguirus was given a heavy redesign
for the Godzilla Wars line of Trendmasters toys,
it still retains the basic needs that make Anguirus...
Anguirus. Its new bipedal stance allows it to throw its
foes, such as SpaceGodzilla and Mechagodzilla, around
as if rag dolls while it maintains the fighting look
the armored kaiju has always had.
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