# Japanese Godzilla kits - pro and con



## ERVysther (May 2, 2009)

Hey all -

Gotta bring this up - recently went shopping for some really well done Big G's, and, while the details on some of these babys are staggering - SO ARE THE PRICE TAGS!

To be fair, the detail on these are *truly spectacular*, _but_, when I started doing Yen to Dollar conversion, I nearly had a heart attack - and these prices were PRE-shipping! *Arrrrgh!* :drunk::freak:

I have to ask, what gives? Some of these are not all that big - under one fot tall - and, as I said, beautifully detailed, but c'mon....can we be just a bit more reasonable, eh?

I miss the days when Billiken and Kayaido (sp?) did vinyl Godzillas - more in my price range...

BTW, I went to EBay to see a if I could hunt a few down - my reaction in a nutshell to what I saw: 

*SOME OF YOU PEOPLE ARE CRAZY!* :jest: 

$800? For one kit?  Pfffffffffft! :woohoo:

...my wife would kill me...


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## tracy.net (Aug 30, 2009)

Yea they have been way too high for quite some time now and only going to get worse once the new movie comes out! I agree there are a few that are flat out fantastic sculpts ( i perfer 1954 G myself by a large margin) but come on man not in this life time....or the next one:tongue: My advise is just forget about it and move on to something other than G and let them keep there mega high priced stuff .:thumbsup:


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## Chinxy (May 23, 2003)

And that's why I'm glade I bought them way back then!!!!!!!!!!!


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## TAY666 (Jan 8, 2000)

Yeah, the price keeps me away from most of them.
I do love some of the kits, but they aren't worth the price tag to me.

I can understand why they cost so much, but just don't have that kind of money to throw around.
All these kits are licensed. So the producers pay TOHO a fee for the privilege to produce them, which jacks the cost up. Especially since many are really limited as well.

I prefer to look for cheaper vinyl kits. They are out there. Just have to wait for them to turn up on ebay.
That, or I go for the really small ones that slip through the cracks on ebay. Sometimes they can be had very cheaply.


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## Facto2 (Nov 16, 2010)

Tracy, Well, you’re looking at possibly the worst time ever to do a Yen to Dollar conversion. The dollar is the weakest it’s been in a very long time. So that’s going to have a huge effect on the conversion.

I do have to correct you on one thing, the Billiken Godzilla kits are for the most part still available (I have them in stock). The only one that isn’t available is the 1992 version. The prices range from $75 to $100, which is still pretty cheap for an imported twelve inch vinyl kit. I do miss Kaiyodo and their kits.

The resin kits have always been expensive, even in Japan. It’s just now made worse because of how bad the dollar is doing.


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## Ian Anderson (Jan 24, 2011)

If I was you my friend, I Think I would wait tell the Half Dolphin and Half Wale version come out now after the incubation period of this lasted nuke dose takes effect that is, then it has to crawl our of the ocean and all I think before they can make it in to a action figure and sell it like all the other things they kill from nature and the ocean.... Then we can all go get the ALL NEW, " Flipper/willy" Action figure when the new version is released in no time now,.......
AND PAY THROUGH THE NOSE AS WELL, Like always.


Ian


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## djnick66 (May 2, 2008)

Some just aren't cheap. I think I paid $300 for a big Paradise Godzilla 20 years ago. And more for a huge Kaiyodo crouching Godzilla. But I have not seen those kits again either. The little kaiyodo kits were in the $100 range last time I saw them. I bought one of those about 10 years ago from Rainbow 10 in japan.


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## robiwon (Oct 20, 2006)

I have always been a Godzilla fan. Yaers ago I met a collector at ToysRUs. He had a massive collection of kits, figures, magazines, etc. He never built any of the kits because he didn't think he could do them justice. I showed him pics of my work and he asked if I would be interested in building some of them for him. I jumped at the offer. I built the large Kong swinging Big G by the tail, a fully lighted Super X with a custom machined clear laser thing, the clear Biliken Godzilla from Destroyer that was lighted and few other resins. He gave me as payment another clear Biliken G. Sadly, this was before I had a camera or new of model building websites. I have one Biliken G left. I don't know what happened to my clear one.

His name was Jerome and was a doctor in Michigan. If your out there, give me a shout.


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## Facto2 (Nov 16, 2010)

I think you must mean the Kaiyodo clear Godzilla 1995 (8 inch tall kit). Kayodo made two clear versions. One in clear red vinyl and another in just clear vinyl. Billiken never did a version of Godzilla 1995. Just to clarify.


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## getter weevil (May 20, 2010)

The japanese godzilla kits are very cool as noted they are pricey and always have been.

I would focus on looking for one particular kit. There are many pictures out there of the godzilla kits so look around.

There was mention of an $800.00 kit at the beginning of this thread, I am guessing that is a godzilla kit that is the size of a large child. I did see a godzilla kit that was maybe 4.5 feet tall or so at a show built up (which I am guessing was around the $800 range). Spectacular build and it had a base made to look like the big g was walking onto a beach. I am guessing the person that built this amazing kit is perpetually single and lives in mom's basement with this godzilla model 

Back when Kaiyodo reissued many of their kits (this was years ago) I picked one up for a retail through hobbylink japan. At the time the original issues were around $150 or so and the reissue was around $70.00 or so (not including shipping). It is all a matter of opportunity and focus.


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## DarthForge (Feb 5, 2009)

Actually, if it is the same one I'm thinking of it went for 13 hundred bucks
and HLJ i believe stated the tail on it was something like 6 ft long.
Was a nice sculpt but waaay out of my price range.


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## robiwon (Oct 20, 2006)

Facto2 said:


> I think you must mean the Kaiyodo clear Godzilla 1995 (8 inch tall kit). Kayodo made two clear versions. One in clear red vinyl and another in just clear vinyl. Billiken never did a version of Godzilla 1995. Just to clarify.


Ah, you are right. The clear was a Kaiyodo, this is the Kaiyodo I still have.


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## Facto2 (Nov 16, 2010)

DarthForge said:


> Actually, if it is the same one I'm thinking of it went for 13 hundred bucks and HLJ i believe stated the tail on it was something like 6 ft long. Was a nice sculpt but waaay out of my price range.


I think this is the one you mean...
http://monsterjones.com/Godzi/BigGuy.html
Built and painted by Bill Jones. Great kit if you have room for it and money for it. Three feet tall and six feet long with the tail.


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## Facto2 (Nov 16, 2010)

robiwon said:


> Ah, you are right. The clear was a Kaiyodo, this is the Kaiyodo I still have.


Hey, beautiful paint work, robiwon. Well done. :thumbsup:


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## Chrisisall (May 12, 2011)

robiwon said:


>


I *LOVE* that!! Excellent!!! Beautiful work on it!


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## starmanmm (Mar 19, 2000)

I might be wrong on this... but isn't there some restriction on selling these kits outside of the country... which adds to the price?


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## HabuHunter32 (Aug 22, 2009)

Outside of several Aurora kits I have a X-Plus Godzilla that I bought from Frank's Doll and Hobby shop in Deland Fl. And a very nice one that I got from Facto2 several years back that I think I paid arround $60.00 for. Quite reasonable. Not sure what version it was but it has big back fins like the 80's Big G. I wanted an early style and later version to display together and they are quite a pair! Facto2's prices are quite reasonable IMO.


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## boomboomjr (Jul 4, 2011)

*the biggest godzilla kit ever*

If you can reference Kit builders and glue sniffers magazine issue #6 some where around december of 1992 you will find an article i wrote about the 1 meter 20 centimeter biolante godzilla that was around ho scale about 1/80 actual size. I think i got it for around 900 dollars but my friend had to put it into 4 boxes and he listed the cost 4 times so i got hit with customs 4 times. A few years after the article came out, a company in NY named monstrocities, that sold dynosaur stuff licensed kaiyodo here and they sold it for 1350.00. Besides my original, ive seen 3 others at various model contests in california . For the godzilla hardcore collector this is the greatest kit ever. And if you can find that issue u can read all about its construction. In the late 80s and early 90s I had friends in japan that could access this stuff but times change and we all grow up. Ill look and see if ican find pictures of these old kaiyodo kits. Monstrocities had a catalog printed with all the kits available in the usa. From 55 dollars to round 200 with the big guy being 1350. Now you have to pay what someone wants because of demand and scarcity


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## TAY666 (Jan 8, 2000)

That big boy is being reissued.
http://tomopop.com/kaiyodo-s-1-80-godzilla-has-come-to-destroy-your-wallet-and-be-petted-19568.phtml

You can preorder it for about $1350.


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## boomboomjr (Jul 4, 2011)

i read one of the blogs on that site and i agree with the cost of the paint. I was lucky enough at the time to be friends with a guy who owned a hobby shop and he ordered me 2 or 3 cases of testors euro gray (my choice) for gozi and at the time i think they were like 1.29 a bottle retail. Back in 92 you really didnt care about cost that much, until you started to have to buy more than 10 bottles. Ive uploaded pictures in my gallery of the big godzilla if you would like to see it in the flesh so to speak


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