NECA Godzilla Discussion Thread - 2nd Edition

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DrPhilizSick@sHell98
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Re: NECA Godzilla Discussion Thread - 2nd Edition

Post by DrPhilizSick@sHell98 »

A very interesting thing to note. During pixel Dan's interview with super 7's Brian Flynn, he notes that he wrote back to Toho a big list of characters that they would like to make, which Toho was like, "Okay. No one ever asked us that before." The only exception is kong and mechani-kong. Just goes to show you that neca had the ability/opportunity to do other kaiju besides Godzilla but chose not to. Probably because they didn't think they would be able to reuse a gigan or megalon or anguirus mold over and over again like their pennywise, aliens, predators and tmnt figures.
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Re: NECA Godzilla Discussion Thread - 2nd Edition

Post by Major sssspielberg! »

DrPhilizSick@sHell98 wrote: Thu Jun 03, 2021 6:51 pm A very interesting thing to note. During pixel Dan's interview with super 7's Brian Flynn, he notes that he wrote back to Toho a big list of characters that they would like to make, which Toho was like, "Okay. No one ever asked us that before." The only exception is kong and mechani-kong. Just goes to show you that neca had the ability/opportunity to do other kaiju besides Godzilla but chose not to. Probably because they didn't think they would be able to reuse a gigan or megalon or anguirus mold over and over again like their pennywise, aliens, predators and tmnt figures.
Realistically, from a business standpoint, Neca figures make for a viable competition to SHMA just based on their pricepoint and ease of access. I've always wondered if it was less a Toho issue and more of a Bandai issue. Super7 will likely put out a product that fills a particular unique niche, whereas Neca was releasing 6 inch scale, poseable figures which are Bandai's bread and butter.
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Re: NECA Godzilla Discussion Thread - 2nd Edition

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Major sssspielberg! wrote: Fri Jun 04, 2021 6:31 am
DrPhilizSick@sHell98 wrote: Thu Jun 03, 2021 6:51 pm A very interesting thing to note. During pixel Dan's interview with super 7's Brian Flynn, he notes that he wrote back to Toho a big list of characters that they would like to make, which Toho was like, "Okay. No one ever asked us that before." The only exception is kong and mechani-kong. Just goes to show you that neca had the ability/opportunity to do other kaiju besides Godzilla but chose not to. Probably because they didn't think they would be able to reuse a gigan or megalon or anguirus mold over and over again like their pennywise, aliens, predators and tmnt figures.
Realistically, from a business standpoint, Neca figures make for a viable competition to SHMA just based on their pricepoint and ease of access. I've always wondered if it was less a Toho issue and more of a Bandai issue. Super7 will likely put out a product that fills a particular unique niche, whereas Neca was releasing 6 inch scale, poseable figures which are Bandai's bread and butter.
You can't tell me a flimsy vinyl that you have to import would outsell a poseable badass action figure in the west
I really am proud of my bandai vinyl collection, but if neca made figures of the other monsters they'd beat the vinyls for sure
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Re: NECA Godzilla Discussion Thread - 2nd Edition

Post by DrPhilizSick@sHell98 »

I don't think it had to do with bandai not wanting competition. It was probably more so randy not caring that much for the license and not seeing it as profitable as some of their other lines, so they lost interest in doing anymore. It also didn't help when he would hint at a character being made then acted like he never said it. Every other company seems to have some sort of interest and has no problems in making godzilla merchandise besides versions that owned by different parties. The super 7 ultimate godzilla figures are gonna be similar in style to what neca did but will come with more detail and a slew of accessories and at a MSRP closer to what shma's are. If bandai didn't want competition, than There's no way we would've saw super 7 getting the rights to make figures. Neca and shma has always been different enough in my book to buy both lines, with the exception of choosing to buy one version of the same design over another. I was happy with the neca burning g19 so I never had any interest in picking up the shma version But it has always been that shma are typically more akin to the actual suit designs and neca's were mostly more stylized than what was actually on screen. The outlier would be g14.
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Re: NECA Godzilla Discussion Thread - 2nd Edition

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Thegarbagemonster wrote: Fri Jun 04, 2021 7:24 am
Major sssspielberg! wrote: Fri Jun 04, 2021 6:31 am
DrPhilizSick@sHell98 wrote: Thu Jun 03, 2021 6:51 pm A very interesting thing to note. During pixel Dan's interview with super 7's Brian Flynn, he notes that he wrote back to Toho a big list of characters that they would like to make, which Toho was like, "Okay. No one ever asked us that before." The only exception is kong and mechani-kong. Just goes to show you that neca had the ability/opportunity to do other kaiju besides Godzilla but chose not to. Probably because they didn't think they would be able to reuse a gigan or megalon or anguirus mold over and over again like their pennywise, aliens, predators and tmnt figures.
Realistically, from a business standpoint, Neca figures make for a viable competition to SHMA just based on their pricepoint and ease of access. I've always wondered if it was less a Toho issue and more of a Bandai issue. Super7 will likely put out a product that fills a particular unique niche, whereas Neca was releasing 6 inch scale, poseable figures which are Bandai's bread and butter.
You can't tell me a flimsy vinyl that you have to import would outsell a poseable badass action figure in the west
I really am proud of my bandai vinyl collection, but if neca made figures of the other monsters they'd beat the vinyls for sure
You realize he's not talking about the vinyls, right? He's referring to the MonsterArts line.

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Re: NECA Godzilla Discussion Thread - 2nd Edition

Post by _JNavs_ »

Randy was too busy focusing on that Universal license acquisition, knew that was an untapped license in the 7 inch scale (outside of DS' old line), to even bother asking about C list Godzilla figures. He knew that the Godzilla fandom was starved for affordable content that could be bought on shelves, so he took advantage of that by releasing 4 Godzilla figures a year, 2 new sculpts and 2 repaints of those same 2 sculpts. It's always been an odd practice to me, but he knew they'd sell like hot cakes.
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Re: NECA Godzilla Discussion Thread - 2nd Edition

Post by Major sssspielberg! »

Thegarbagemonster wrote: Fri Jun 04, 2021 7:24 am You can't tell me a flimsy vinyl that you have to import would outsell a poseable badass action figure in the west
I really am proud of my bandai vinyl collection, but if neca made figures of the other monsters they'd beat the vinyls for sure
I was thinking more of SHMA, isn't that a Bandai product?
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Re: NECA Godzilla Discussion Thread - 2nd Edition

Post by ROMG4 »

About this debate, Imma be frank and say I don't really care. I'm happy we got the figures we did we could debate till the end of time about "He said, randy said, Toho said" but at the end of the day it doesn't really matter as Neca no longer has the license and never blocked anyone from getting ahold of the license. I remember both Neca and Tamashii saying they had issues releasing stuff because of WB back during KOTM, we have tweets from Neca and Randy that said they asked multiple times and were denied, and we have Super7 getting in immediately it could be a different person was incharge of management or whatever. I don't really have the information to say otherwise

I could care less about what Randy yabbers on about at Twitter my interest in Neca extends to only what they put out. Considering how long it took them to release stuff in the first place (even in their other lines) I really, really, don't see how anyone thinks it would have mattered much in the grand scheme of things if they acquired the license for other Toho monsters

Their stay in the franchise would have ended in 2021 with playmates gaining the master license even in the most idealic alternate timeline
Last edited by ROMG4 on Fri Jun 04, 2021 3:42 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: NECA Godzilla Discussion Thread - 2nd Edition

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Yeah, NECA was having issues getting the ability to make Shin until the issues what were plaguing Bluefin from releasing either SHMA Shin in the US got cleared up, licensing issues also forbid them from doing the anime trilogy Goji apparently from a tweet I remember. I find the fact that it was Toho going through WB to be the most likely culprit of why NECA was working so limited until the very end when it was a direct line to Toho.
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Re: NECA Godzilla Discussion Thread - 2nd Edition

Post by Mr. Yellow »

Could reports of Toho's fininickiness have been somewhat, exaggerated?
"Monsters are tragic beings. They are born too tall, too strong, too heavy. They are not evil by choice. That is their tragedy. They do not attack people because they want to, but because of their size and strength, mankind has no other choice but to defend himself. After several stories such as this, people end up having a kind of affection for the monsters. They end up caring about them." - Ishiro Honda

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Re: NECA Godzilla Discussion Thread - 2nd Edition

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Moth wrote: Sat Jun 05, 2021 12:38 amI find the fact that it was Toho going through WB to be the most likely culprit of why NECA was working so limited until the very end when it was a direct line to Toho.
This is my understanding as well.
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Re: NECA Godzilla Discussion Thread - 2nd Edition

Post by DrPhilizSick@sHell98 »

Mr. Yellow wrote: Sat Jun 05, 2021 4:21 am Could reports of Toho's fininickiness have been somewhat, exaggerated?
Yes and no.

I think Toho's strict rules for companies to abide by when producing merchandise and material has given them a image of being difficult to work with but it's understandable when considering things like Godzilla 98, which was so disappointing, it made them rename that version to Zilla and had him get obliterated by Final Wars goji. They want to have their flagship character maintain a certain image.

I think Neca exacerbated the idea of Toho being hard to work with because they were unable to get a few figures made, which was mostly due to multiple parties rights to a specific version. For example, they wasn't approved of doing Marvel's Godzilla. To get that made, it would take everyone of ownership in that particular version to all come to an agreement and to come up with who gets what amount of money and so forth. It's always hard for companies to collab on making certain projects. It's why Neca was forced to make those DC vs Dark Horse two packs exclusive to conventions because all parties involved couldn't come to an agreement on the matter. It also didn't help that they didn't hold the master license as well.
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Re: NECA Godzilla Discussion Thread - 2nd Edition

Post by Anguirus »

I wonder why Neca never made a 18 inch Godzilla, why did they choose to make a 12 inch instead of 18 like they did with Pacific Rim?

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Re: NECA Godzilla Discussion Thread - 2nd Edition

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Mr. Yellow wrote: Sat Jun 05, 2021 4:21 am Could reports of Toho's fininickiness have been somewhat, exaggerated?
I think it's mixed. As some other comments pointed out, they're protective of their IP (with good reason, as they've been burned a LOT in the previous decades), so it's doubtful we'll ever get a full line of action figures without receiving some push back.

But it's also obvious that most of the US companies that acquired the Godzilla license in the past two decades have had little to no interest in it. Speaking from a business standpoint, having a genuine interest in the IP and seeing its potential can go a long way in negotiating further access to certain characters. I'm sure that Toho is strict and difficult to please, but I also have no doubt that many of the brand managers on the American side look at things from a short-sighted scope and not a long one. It is very likely that they see it as a moneymaker while the Monsterverse films are prominent, but disregard the Japanese franchise and characters and not believing them to have as wide a reach. The only American company to have seen the real potential of the Godzilla series was Trendmasters, and that was almost 30 years ago.

Not sure how Super7 is going to take it but considering that they're actually interested in the IP they receive (look at what they did for Masters of the Universe- they literally produced unreleased figures in the original packaging), I think the chances are good that they showed more positive energy and interest in working with Toho, and as a result Toho probably has more interest working with them. The fact that other companies "never asked" about additional licenses really speaks a thousand words.

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Re: NECA Godzilla Discussion Thread - 2nd Edition

Post by Moth »

Super7 got their roots as a Tokuatsu magazine I recall.
Also Playmates ran out the gate with a Jet Jaguar, so they have some interest in pleasing fans....
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Major sssspielberg! wrote: Mon Feb 27, 2023 11:24 am Yeah, I saw The Room thinking it would be fun and got stuck behind a guy yelling "EAT HIS ASS" the entire movie. It was awful.
Jomei wrote: Wed Nov 29, 2023 6:13 pm It sounds like Yamazaki has delivered the Extra Large KINO Pie with extra Gojironi.


:Mothra61: sticking out your gyatt for the rizzler :Mothra61:

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Re: NECA Godzilla Discussion Thread - 2nd Edition

Post by Shenanigans »

Kidrobot (a subsidiary of NECA, IIRC) has annoucned some little Ultraman figures.

https://www.kaijubattle.net/ultra-unive ... yl-figures

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They're kinda cute. I like the Pigmon and Baltan plush. :lol:

Between Mezco, Funko, and now Kidrobot, its great seeing more American Ultraman merch.

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Re: NECA Godzilla Discussion Thread - 2nd Edition

Post by GodzillaXGomoraFight »

Been thinking over which figure I like most between the 62 and 64 Goji after having the 62 for about 6 months now, and I have arrived at the conclusion that the 62 is probably my favorite NECA that I own. The figure is more appealing to look at from different angles and as such, a lot more fun to pose and display on the shelf. The paint job also helps to distinguish it from the other Godzillas I have in my collection..

While I love the 64 too, I realize that I usually try to display it at an angle and potentially from the side as well to hide the imperfections with the head sculpt. Still an excellent figure to own.

If I had to now rank my NECAS from favorite to least, here is how I would rank:

1. 1962 Godzilla
2. 1964 Godzilla
3. 1989 Godzilla
4. Shin Godzilla
5. 1984 Godzilla (Reissue)
6. Poster Mothra
7. Rodan
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Re: NECA Godzilla Discussion Thread - 2nd Edition

Post by DoubleDam21 »

GodzillaXGomoraFight wrote: Wed Sep 01, 2021 2:54 pm Been thinking over which figure I like most between the 62 and 64 Goji after having the 62 for about 6 months now, and I have arrived at the conclusion that the 62 is probably my favorite NECA that I own. The figure is more appealing to look at from different angles and as such, a lot more fun to pose and display on the shelf. The paint job also helps to distinguish it from the other Godzillas I have in my collection..

While I love the 64 too, I realize that I usually try to display it at an angle and potentially from the side as well to hide the imperfections with the head sculpt. Still an excellent figure to own.

If I had to now rank my NECAS from favorite to least, here is how I would rank:

1. 1962 Godzilla
2. 1964 Godzilla
3. 1989 Godzilla
4. Shin Godzilla
5. 1984 Godzilla (Reissue)
6. Poster Mothra
7. Rodan
I'm really surprised that 54 is not on that list unless you don't have him in which case you should get him.

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Re: NECA Godzilla Discussion Thread - 2nd Edition

Post by GodzillaXGomoraFight »

DoubleDam21 wrote: Thu Sep 02, 2021 7:41 am
GodzillaXGomoraFight wrote: Wed Sep 01, 2021 2:54 pm Been thinking over which figure I like most between the 62 and 64 Goji after having the 62 for about 6 months now, and I have arrived at the conclusion that the 62 is probably my favorite NECA that I own. The figure is more appealing to look at from different angles and as such, a lot more fun to pose and display on the shelf. The paint job also helps to distinguish it from the other Godzillas I have in my collection..

While I love the 64 too, I realize that I usually try to display it at an angle and potentially from the side as well to hide the imperfections with the head sculpt. Still an excellent figure to own.

If I had to now rank my NECAS from favorite to least, here is how I would rank:

1. 1962 Godzilla
2. 1964 Godzilla
3. 1989 Godzilla
4. Shin Godzilla
5. 1984 Godzilla (Reissue)
6. Poster Mothra
7. Rodan
I'm really surprised that 54 is not on that list unless you don't have him in which case you should get him.
I have only heard great things about the 54. Never got it because I own the MonstseArts 54; however, poster version has intrigued me at times.

I also occasionally think about the 2003 Godzilla and have seen several people say it is the best one in the line. Neck piece has always put me off a little though
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Re: NECA Godzilla Discussion Thread - 2nd Edition

Post by Platypus Prime »

My favorite NECA Godzillas are Reactor Glow and Poster 54, both for the sheer weirdness that counterpoint my more 'regular' music -box 89 and SVC G2000. For me NECA gave me two silly ones and MonsterArts gave me two serious ones. It's a good balance in my comparatively small collection.

I did have their Mothra and Rodan, I liked them but sold them to help me get surgery. I now have an inexpensive vinyl Mothra and larva, and they actually look a bit better in the display, at least how I have it set up.
Last edited by Platypus Prime on Fri Sep 03, 2021 4:21 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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