Godzilla (1998) DefoReal Review

When it’s come to collecting Godzilla figures anymore, I’ve become more selective in what I purchase. A lot of it has come as a result of changing tastes as I’ve gotten older; being more content with such things as the movies themselves and their respective soundtracks. Not to mention having limited space plays a role as well (although many of my kaiju figures still spend most of their time in storage containers and I rotate them out every so often). Also certain types/variations of figures catch my eye more than simply nabbing everything I see that I hadn’t owned before. A habit that was incredibly expensive, but also a space-waster as well.

One of the types I look out for is anything involving the 1998 Godzilla. As a fan of the movie and Godzilla design, I’m almost willing to buy something involved with that movie. When I saw X-Plus was releasing this DefoReal figure in April 2019, I had to have it–so I preordered it.

A note on the following review: This is my first X-Plus purchase. As a result, I have no history, or any idea, of the quality of previous super deformed/DefoReal figures they’ve done prior to this Godzilla. Therefore, some of my complaints may seem odd/out of place to those who have a larger collection (or are more experienced) at collecting this line from X-Plus than I.

For starters, I purchased this figure from Big Bad Toy Store (BBTS). They sold the figure for $85 plus shipping. I paid for a more expedited shipping method, so my overall total was just over $98 for this figure. According to BBTS’s description, the figure was over five inches tall. I assumed it was longer than it actually is, also, considering how it looked in the stock photos and the fact I was paying a handsome price for the figure. Instead, it’s just a bit longer than it is tall. Not only that, there is no weight to it either. Already, I’m pretty upset at my purchase. For the money I put down, I was expecting something more than what I got.

Then there’s the matter of the paint job. Again, considering how much I paid for it, and going by the stock photos taken by X-Plus, and used by BBTS (along with other retailers), I thought I’d be getting top-notch quality there. But as I examined the figure more closely, I thought the paint job looked more amateurish. I checked out the stock photos and quickly realized the paint job was, indeed, nowhere near as good as the stock photos showed. They fast-fooded (?) the Godzilla figure!

Well, shit! *Sigh*

I honestly considered returning it. Despite the mold of the figure being well-detailed, I was not pleased with any other aspect of the figure. Again, not having purchased any other X-Plus DefoReal figure, or any other X-Plus figure for that matter, in the past, I had no reference to compare the figure to. Nevertheless, I still didn’t need one other than the stock photos; and they showed me I was supposed to receive a figure that was superior than the one I actually bought. I could, to some degree, forgive the size and heft of the figure if the paint job was what they advertised, but it’s not.

Here are some of the stock photos alongside photos I took of my own figure for comparison (Click photos for enlargement.):

And a closer shot of the shoddy paint job:

That’s a lot of brown/unpainted areas!

Again, like your fast-food commercials, the product advertised is better than the product you actually receive. I wouldn’t be so upset about this if the stock photos were more accurate to what I was buying rather than the opposite. I would also have thought twice about my purchase had BBTS been more specific about the overall size. For people, such as myself, who never have purchased an X-Plus figure before, more information is better. I put some of the blame on BBTS.

To say the least, I’m pretty disappointed in my purchase. While the sculpt is very detailed, everything else about the figure is a considerable letdown. Strangely enough, though, I still like the figure given that it’s of one of my favorite Godzillas from one of my favorite Godzilla movies. So I’m of two minds about; but overall, I’d say I’m more disappointed than anything given what the stock photos showed and what I paid for it. (NEARLY $100, EFFING, DOLLARS!)

To conclude, I can’t recommend this figure unless you’re a completist or you’re a fan of this Godzilla. Even if you’re purchasing this for the latter reason, I would highly suggest you give pause and think about this potential purchase given the actual size of the figure and its mediocre paint job. Is this something you really want to shell out $85 for, plus shipping? Honestly, I don’t think this figure is worth more than $40, box included. Problem is, you’re not going to find someone selling the figure at that level unless you’re willing to wait a number of years and purchase it off of someone on eBay, because they’re looking to clear out some space in their collection. Even then, the odds seem low considering what most people will probably try to get some of their original purchase money back.

X-Plus may make some great figures in other sizes (from what I’ve read), but I’m not happy here. This purchase left a bad taste in my mouth and I have no intentions of buying anything from X-Plus again given the quality I received here. I also am upset at BBTS for not being more upfront about the figure, as well. Again, X-Plus may make some fine products for the most part, but this is bad; and I refuse to buy anything of theirs in the future.