# Could Polar Lights do the 98 Godzilla?



## SUNGOD (Jan 20, 2006)

I know it's early days with the return of PL but I'd love to see that Godzilla kit that they never released. It was one of the best and most dramatic sculpts I've ever seen and I think the 98 Godzilla is a great looking creature too. The 98 film seems to be more popular now than ever and it would be a great companion piece to their other Godzilla kits.


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## jbond (Aug 29, 2002)

The 98 film is more popular now than ever? That's news to me... 

It might help if enough development had been done on that kit...I had an interesting talk with a marketing guy from Revell who said something that's been said before, which is that major model companies are very reluctant now to do kits based on movies because of their short shelf life--kits have to be developed almost a year before the movies hit theaters, when there's very little idea whether the movie will be a hit or not. He said they would stick with Star Wars which has been very good to them and maintains a high profile as an ongoing franchise in many venues.

A company like Moebius is more likely to take on cult movie subjects than Polar Lights will be I think--I will bet PL will come up with some interesting new subjects but they're still going to have to stick with major franchises like Star Trek to sell to a mass audience. The '98 Godzilla is only part of a franchise inasmuch as it had a cameo appearance in Godzilla Final Wars. But never say never...


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## John P (Sep 1, 1999)

I'm sure I recall Dave saying they gave up doing current-film tie-ins when the Titan AE Alien died on the shelves.

Of course, I'm of the opinion kits of the ships from Titan AE would have been a better choice, but that may just be 'cause I'm more into ships than figures.


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## Duck Fink (May 2, 2005)

I recall Dave saying that the kit was simply going to cost too much to produce so it canned for that reason. I got the skinny on that kit when I got my hands on one of the casts. I am sure Dave will tell us exactly why if he sees this.


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## THRUSH Central (Feb 20, 2003)

How about the unproduced Godzilla kit that AURORA was going to do but it never made it. I believe it was a redo of the their original Godzilla kit but had him tearing up Tokyo and had, If I remember correctly, a moveable "biting jaw". Thrush.


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## Auroranut (Jan 12, 2008)

He was chomping on Tokyo Tower. I never thought of that! Good suggestion!

Chris.


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## Night-Owl (Mar 17, 2000)

The new Aurora Godzilla was going to be an addition to their Monsters of the Movies line.


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## razorwyre1 (Jan 28, 2004)

many years selling character items to the public have taught me the sort of blinders that ones own personal taste can blind one to a particular characters actual level of popularity among the general public. ive put my foot in a few times because i liked something, only to regret it. 
sungod, go to the major websites selling licensed monster merchandise, and see how many godzilla 98 items you see offered there (not counting the left-over promotional stuff from the original release which they cant give away because nobody wants it). that should tell you how "popular" it is, and what the sales of such a kit would be.


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## portland182 (Jul 19, 2003)

I'd like a reissue of the Big Godzilla that Polar Lights made.
They seem to be impossible to find.
If the do turn up on the bay they go for silly money...

Jim


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## SUNGOD (Jan 20, 2006)

razorwyre1 said:


> many years selling character items to the public have taught me the sort of blinders that ones own personal taste can blind one to a particular characters actual level of popularity among the general public. ive put my foot in a few times because i liked something, only to regret it.
> sungod, go to the major websites selling licensed monster merchandise, and see how many godzilla 98 items you see offered there (not counting the left-over promotional stuff from the original release which they cant give away because nobody wants it). that should tell you how "popular" it is, and what the sales of such a kit would be.



Just because there's not many 98 Godzilla items for sale on certain websites doesn't mean that it's not popular (this is 10 years later) and as for the leftovers, well films like G and the Phantom Menace had too much tacky merchandise made for them and a lot of it didn't sell. That doesn't mean that there won't be a market for an extremely well sculpted and dynamic plastic kit though. 

When the film first came out some Godzilla fans attacked it because it wasn't exactly like the original G (man in a rubber suit) but I've noticed over the years after visiting many film sites that more and more people are coming to the conclusion that it wasn't that bad after all and I've seen many people saying they prefer the 98 Godzilla to the original and that the creature looks really cool.


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## razorwyre1 (Jan 28, 2004)

SUNGOD said:


> Just because there's not many 98 Godzilla items for sale on certain websites doesn't mean that it's not popular (this is 10 years later) and as for the leftovers, well films like G and the Phantom Menace had too much tacky merchandise made for them and a lot of it didn't sell. That doesn't mean that there won't be a market for an extremely well sculpted and dynamic plastic kit though.


not all of the stuff that came out in 98 was junky. it just didnt sell. as far as i can tell, for the greater part, the value of those items that are still available hasnt risen very much. that is telling right there. 
actually the films lack of popularity (at least not enough to justify the cost of a mass produced and marketed licensed kit) is proved by the fact that there arent many 89 godzilla items for sale on most of the character item websites. 
these companies, all of them, are desperate for new and different materiel. mcfarlane will often reach deep into the past for a figure subject. many other companies do likewise. if there was a glimmer of interest in the character, there's have been at least a couple of items between the initial batch at the time of the films release and now. 

it might be a cool looking monster, but for a license mass marketed styrene kit you need huge numbers, and they simply arent there for that character.


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## TAY666 (Jan 8, 2000)

You want a good indicator of the demand for that abomination they called Godzilla.
This is what has been produced in the GK world so far.
http://www.kaijukits.com/database/godzilla1998.htm
8 kits.
And one of those is of it getting it's butt kicked by the real Godzilla.

Compair that with the 47 offerings for the next movie version
http://www.kaijukits.com/database/godzilla2000.htm

Now, tell me again how popular that thing is with modelers.


Besides, even back then the way it was designed it was too expensive to run the molds.


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## robiwon (Oct 20, 2006)

In the '98 section I will take kits 1-3 and 6, 7, and 8! The others, meh! I must track these down. I didn't realize they existed. Oh, are those all Japanese companies making kits of the Americanized Godzilla?


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## otto (Jan 1, 1970)

I think hes very, very popular in Japan, hence the vast number of Japanese kits. In the US hes not quite so hot. I do think a reissue of the PL Godzilla would do pretty well, but as far as the Movie Godzilla Pl was considering, I think it was a good idea to scrap the project before it went to far. I could be wrong...I often am LOL.


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## otto (Jan 1, 1970)

Heck, The Big G kits are doing pretty good now, but I recall them being on clearance at TRU for $20 If I recall correctly. The original price was $40 if I recall correctly...


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## The Batman (Mar 21, 2000)

otto said:


> Heck, The Big G kits are doing pretty good now, but I recall them being on clearance at TRU for $20 If I recall correctly. The original price was $40 if I recall correctly...


I bought mine for about $21.95 at TRU when they were on clearance.

- GJS


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## starmanmm (Mar 19, 2000)

I don't think putting out the 98 version is a bad idea. They did think about it and went as far as putting in a catalog... so why now go forward with it.

It is part of the G family and would be a nice a kit to have as any of the other ones.


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## iamweasel (Aug 14, 2000)

I enjoyed the 98 version, I just didnt get all anal over it being a "Godzilla" thing. I looked at it as a name, put no connect on it to the real G, made it a fun popcorn movie for me.
So I would have loved to get my hands on the PL kit that never came to be.


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## kit-junkie (Apr 8, 2005)

I like the 98 version better than that "hokey" looking Japanese version. I just never cared for the whole Godzilla--guy in a suit--thing so I have no fond memories of the old version.


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## Roland (Feb 4, 1999)

I can't reember where I bought my Godzilla kit nor can I remember how much I paid for it. $40 seems about right. I haven't built it yet.


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## razorwyre1 (Jan 28, 2004)

starmanmm said:


> I don't think putting out the 98 version is a bad idea. They did think about it and went as far as putting in a catalog... so why now go forward with it.
> 
> It is part of the G family and would be a nice a kit to have as any of the other ones.


as a garage kit, theres probably a market for it. the manufacturing costs are less, and you dont have to sell as many to make back your costs. as a styrene kit however, its simply not a commercially viable product.


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## robiwon (Oct 20, 2006)

Since there are already several resin kits out there, the market may exist for a plastic version. I would buy several if someone did one.

On a side note-
I just picked up "Godzilla Final War" last night from the video store. Kinda boring until the end. To say Toho was infatuated with The Matrix would be an understatement. There were so many scenes copied and one from Empire Strikes Back with the Falcon blowing up the Death Stars power generator. They did a good job with the '98 Godzilla in there. Wish we would have seen more of it though.


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## starmanmm (Mar 19, 2000)

Just toget a little off track.... I got Finals Wars also and had hoped it would be as good as G _*against*_ Mechagodzilla. No such luck. 

That was one of the better ones I thought. That one I watch alot more than most of the others that I have.


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## SUNGOD (Jan 20, 2006)

razorwyre1 said:


> not all of the stuff that came out in 98 was junky. it just didnt sell. as far as i can tell, for the greater part, the value of those items that are still available hasnt risen very much. that is telling right there.
> actually the films lack of popularity (at least not enough to justify the cost of a mass produced and marketed licensed kit) is proved by the fact that there arent many 89 godzilla items for sale on most of the character item websites.
> these companies, all of them, are desperate for new and different materiel. mcfarlane will often reach deep into the past for a figure subject. many other companies do likewise. if there was a glimmer of interest in the character, there's have been at least a couple of items between the initial batch at the time of the films release and now.
> 
> it might be a cool looking monster, but for a license mass marketed styrene kit you need huge numbers, and they simply arent there for that character.



I didn't say it was all junk! I seem to remember reading somewhere that some of the merchandise did sell well. If I find the article/s I'll post it here.


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## SUNGOD (Jan 20, 2006)

TAY666 said:


> You want a good indicator of the demand for that abomination they called Godzilla.
> This is what has been produced in the GK world so far.
> http://www.kaijukits.com/database/godzilla1998.htm
> 8 kits.
> ...




I might be wrong but I don't think that's any indicator at all! The original Godzilla has been around for a lot longer than the 98 version and there's been loads and loads of films which have led to loads of merchandise (no doubt some of that hasn't sold that well, especially outside of Japan too). Also, I think there's many people around who were never fans of the original Godzilla films (I like them to watch for a bit of fun but most of them are cheesy as hell) but they like the 98 version. Again, I think because some very vocal fans attacked the 98 film (which wasn't half as bad as some made out especially when you consider that the originals are pretty silly B movies with guys in rubber suits trashing model cities) that's led some to believe that there aren't lots of people around who liked the 98 film.


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## SUNGOD (Jan 20, 2006)

razorwyre1 said:


> as a garage kit, theres probably a market for it. the manufacturing costs are less, and you dont have to sell as many to make back your costs. as a styrene kit however, its simply not a commercially viable product.




Do you really know that for certain? I bet there's many people around who would buy a plastic kit (especially one which looked as good as the one PL were going to do) who wouldn't buy a garage kit. I never really paid much attention to the 1922 Nosferatu film as I've never seen it (only pictures) but as soon as I saw Monarch's kit which was in plastic I knew I had to have one. There's been a few garage kits of Nosferatu around for years but it's only when Monarch announced theirs that I wanted to buy one.


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## SUNGOD (Jan 20, 2006)

kit-junkie said:


> I like the 98 version better than that "hokey" looking Japanese version. I just never cared for the whole Godzilla--guy in a suit--thing so I have no fond memories of the old version.




I think there's many who would agree with that! The original Godzilla films might be popular in Japan and with Godzilla geeks (again I like them to watch for a bit of cheesy old fun) but they are hokey as hell. Although the 98 film didn't do as well as expected it still made more money than some recent blockbusters like Batman Begins and is hovering around the top 100 grossing films. I think what put a lot of people off was that it was a bit too overhyped just before it came out and I seem to remember people being a bit fed up with the hype. The film itself although not perfect is not as bad as some Godzilla fans made out and I think there's more fans of the film about than some people realise.


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## TAY666 (Jan 8, 2000)

SUNGOD said:


> I might be wrong but I don't think that's any indicator at all! The original Godzilla has been around for a lot longer than the 98 version and there's been loads and loads of films which have led to loads of merchandise (no doubt some of that hasn't sold that well, especially outside of Japan too). Also, I think there's many people around who were never fans of the original Godzilla films (I like them to watch for a bit of fun but most of them are cheesy as hell) but they like the 98 version. Again, I think because some very vocal fans attacked the 98 film (which wasn't half as bad as some made out especially when you consider that the originals are pretty silly B movies with guys in rubber suits trashing model cities) that's led some to believe that there aren't lots of people around who liked the 98 film.



I said when it came out (and I was in the theater for the first showing opening day)
That it was a decent giant monster movie.
But as a Godzilla movie, it sucked.
All those things you say you don't like about G movies are the exact reasons there are G fans out there. The man-in-the-suit effects, cheesy plots, and the whole 9 yards. That is what makes them so good. That is what sells the DVDs, toys, and model kits.

Also, you get confusing when you lump all other G movies as the original godzilla.
He has been through many transforations over the years.
The godzilla of the 70's is not the same beast as in the 90's, or even in the 2000's.


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## robiwon (Oct 20, 2006)

Would the Godzilla '98 movie had been recieved better if it was a man in a rubber suit, knocking over cardboard buildings, and with an even cheesier plot line?


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## TAY666 (Jan 8, 2000)

I think it would have been better received if Gidzilla would have been the hero fighting some other monster or space aliens.


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## Roy Kirchoff (Jan 1, 1970)

I would like to see PL issue this kit. 

The photos in the catalog were stunning and I was very disappointed that it wasn't cost effective.
If it's true then it's too bad that the fate of this cool model was tied to the success of the Drej Alien. Maybe it should have been the other way around.

2 cents....

RK


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## razorwyre1 (Jan 28, 2004)

well look at it this way: godzilla 98 just barely beat batman begins in its worldwide take (although it was far below batman in the domestic box office) however no one did a kit of that batman, despite the fact that batman is always near the top of the list of the top marketable characters, far higher than either version of godzilla. the only reason no company did a batman kit, despite a huge marketing push by warner bros, is that no model kit company thought they could make money with it. 

dont forget that a comparison to nosferatu isnt really valid because nosferatu is far simpler to manufacture, and also is in public domain. that licensing fee adds dramatically to the number of kits that need to be sold to reach the break even point.


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## SUNGOD (Jan 20, 2006)

razorwyre1 said:


> well look at it this way: godzilla 98 just barely beat batman begins in its worldwide take (although it was far below batman in the domestic box office) however no one did a kit of that batman, despite the fact that batman is always near the top of the list of the top marketable characters, far higher than either version of godzilla. the only reason no company did a batman kit, despite a huge marketing push by warner bros, is that no model kit company thought they could make money with it.
> 
> dont forget that a comparison to nosferatu isnt really valid because nosferatu is far simpler to manufacture, and also is in public domain. that licensing fee adds dramatically to the number of kits that need to be sold to reach the break even point.




Nobody did a figure kit of Batman from BB but they did do one of the Batmobile (Bandai) and as far as I'm aware it sold quite well (plus I think Hot Wheels did one in 1/18 and although it wasn't a kit there would be labour costs in assembling it). Also, surely making a kit of the Batmobile is far more expensive than doing a figure kit. The parts have to be precision machine tooled and have a precise fit whereas a figure kit has to be sculpted and then made into a mould into which the plastic is injected.

And yes I know Nosferatu is in the public domain and Godzilla isn't....of course that's a big issue but if that can be sorted, does that Godzilla really look much more complicated to make than Nosferatu? 

I'm not a manufacturer and I might be wrong but it doesn't look any more complicated than a lot of kits that are around. The spikes on the back could be moulded separately and then what are you left with? A few buildings and a figure which looks no more complicated than the original Godzilla's PL or Aurora has already released.


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## starmanmm (Mar 19, 2000)

Maybe the reason (now) that they will not make this kit is that Toho will not give a license? I mention that for of all the G films that have been released they have not released Godzilla 85 because of issues with Toho.

Maybe that is the reason now for not releasing the kit?

And in response to the kit being complicated.... no more complicated than a dinosaur kit that you can buy now.


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## razorwyre1 (Jan 28, 2004)

sorry been out of town a couple of days.
let me say this: i'd personally love to have the kit and would buy it in a heartbeat if it were issued.
having said that, i think we are just going to have to agree to disagree on this one. you say it would make money, i dont think so, nor do i think its nearly as popular as you claim it to be.
as an aside, starmanmm is quite right. toho owns the american godzilla (which they call "zilla"), and hates it. big time. emmerech and devlin violated almost all of the terms toho laid down for use of the character, and did not take too kindly to the betrayal of trust. (which is why they included it in "final wars"..... just so the real big G could kick its butt quite easily and, by putting both in the same film, to state that this creature was not godzilla.)


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## robiwon (Oct 20, 2006)

razorwyre1 said:


> emmerech and devlin violated almost all of the terms toho laid down for use of the character, and did not take too kindly to the betrayal of trust.


I didn't here about this. I know it's OT, but would like to know more.

I'm not a big fan of the movie, but I like the design. I would love to have a '98G for my collection. I have built my share of resin G kits for a collector friend of mine several years ago. (Shout out to Jerome). I'm a casual fan of Toho's Big G and would welcome kits from any of the movies.


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## TAY666 (Jan 8, 2000)

If you like the movie design, have you seen the Mar VanTine interpretation?
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y39/saul62/RFMFullSide423-1.jpg
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y39/saul62/RFMmediumView0417-2.jpg
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y39/saul62/RFMCloseUp0420.jpg

Called Radioactive Fire Monster.


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## starmanmm (Mar 19, 2000)

> I didn't here about this. I know it's OT, but would like to know more.


Just look up the various godzilla sites (or just google it) and when you check the history... you'll find the all you need to know about how much distaste there is from Toho.

Maybe it was a good thing they did final wars before it really got bad... for back then... if I recall correctly... there was talk of a second flick.


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## SUNGOD (Jan 20, 2006)

razorwyre1 said:


> sorry been out of town a couple of days.
> let me say this: i'd personally love to have the kit and would buy it in a heartbeat if it were issued.
> having said that, i think we are just going to have to agree to disagree on this one. you say it would make money, i dont think so, nor do i think its nearly as popular as you claim it to be.
> as an aside, starmanmm is quite right. toho owns the american godzilla (which they call "zilla"), and hates it. big time. emmerech and devlin violated almost all of the terms toho laid down for use of the character, and did not take too kindly to the betrayal of trust. (which is why they included it in "final wars"..... just so the real big G could kick its butt quite easily and, by putting both in the same film, to state that this creature was not godzilla.)




Well it wasn't the man in the rubber suit (thankfully) that Toho wanted I suppose. Even if the film isn't that popular (I'm not saying it's up there with certain other blockbusters but I still think it has a more than healthy following) I think there's enough monster fans around who "wouldn't" buy a resin kit, but would want to add this cool design next to their plastic monster kit collection. I think even Godzilla fans who weren't that fussed on the movie would buy it because it is such a good looking sculpt (and they could put it next to the original Godzilla). At least this Godzilla looked like a real creature and not a guy in latex trashing models and trying to look menacing. I think it's also got that aspect in it's favour.


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## razorwyre1 (Jan 28, 2004)

toho wasnt upset about not using "suitmation". (um you do know that a man in a suit was used for some scenes in the 98 film, right?). they assumed that was going to happen. they were upset about certain other aspects of the character... it had to do more with plot than design. (one major thing that they were really cheesed about that his thermonuclear breath blast was turned into the "power breath" which only 1. ignited when there was an outside spark source and 2. it wasnt included until test audiences complained that unless the creature breathed some sort of fire, it wasnt godzilla at all.)

by the way, you need to look at matsumura sculpture that turned the classic godzilla into a real dinosaur. the basic design of the classic godzilla can look real and menacing, its just that toho's fx department isnt up to the task of building it to do so. 

speaking of mythical beasts, these monster plastic model kit collectors who dont own resin of whom you speak.... i assume they meet in the same building as the godzilla 98 fan club.


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## starmanmm (Mar 19, 2000)

> speaking of mythical beasts, these monster plastic model kit collectors who dont own resin of whom you speak.... i assume they meet in the same building as the godzilla 98 fan club.


:lol: Way too funny.

But, I have to say that I have heard that also... meaning they would rather buy the vynal than resin (and this was at WF).

Hey, to each their own.


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## SUNGOD (Jan 20, 2006)

razorwyre1 said:


> toho wasnt upset about not using "suitmation". (um you do know that a man in a suit was used for some scenes in the 98 film, right?). they assumed that was going to happen. they were upset about certain other aspects of the character... it had to do more with plot than design. (one major thing that they were really cheesed about that his thermonuclear breath blast was turned into the "power breath" which only 1. ignited when there was an outside spark source and 2. it wasnt included until test audiences complained that unless the creature breathed some sort of fire, it wasnt godzilla at all.)
> 
> by the way, you need to look at matsumura sculpture that turned the classic godzilla into a real dinosaur. the basic design of the classic godzilla can look real and menacing, its just that toho's fx department isnt up to the task of building it to do so.
> 
> speaking of mythical beasts, these monster plastic model kit collectors who dont own resin of whom you speak.... i assume they meet in the same building as the godzilla 98 fan club.





I'm sure I remember reading that some people at Toho wanted a man in a suit with no cgi but I know that they complained about other things too. Anyway, I do recall reading that a few scenes in the 98 film had a guy in a suit, but that was mainly for close ups where the creature was fairly static, and also the suit was convincing as it had animatronics. When the monster is seen walking and leaping they thankfully used cgi.

I agree with you that the basic Godzilla design can look real and menacing if designed like a real creature would look but even in the later Godzilla films such as Final Wars, the creature still just looks like a man in a fairly unconvincing rubber suit with ridiculously fat legs. 

And let's not forget some of the many Godzilla films where Godzilla is even using his arms to goad another creature into a fight, as if he's saying - "come and have a go if you think you're hard enough" (a British expression). Some of those Godzilla films are cheesy as hell!

As for the other mythical beasts, well I think it's fair to say that there are people out there who wouldn't touch resin kits but they would buy a plastic kit.


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## SUNGOD (Jan 20, 2006)

TAY666 said:


> If you like the movie design, have you seen the Mar VanTine interpretation?
> http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y39/saul62/RFMFullSide423-1.jpg
> http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y39/saul62/RFMmediumView0417-2.jpg
> http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y39/saul62/RFMCloseUp0420.jpg
> ...




Nice, but not a patch on the sculpture which was for Polar Lights before they withdrew it!


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## razorwyre1 (Jan 28, 2004)

SUNGOD said:


> I'm sure I remember reading that some people at Toho wanted a man in a suit with no cgi but I know that they complained about other things too. Anyway, I do recall reading that a few scenes in the 98 film had a guy in a suit, but that was mainly for close ups where the creature was fairly static, and also the suit was convincing as it had animatronics. When the monster is seen walking and leaping they thankfully used cgi.


read the cinefex article on the making of the film, and the commentary on the recent issue of the dvd. the closeups were done with a huge head. the suit was originally used for much of the film, but replaced for greater continuity with the running/leaping shots. 
again it wasnt the way that the fx were accomplished that bothered toho. they arent stupid. they knew that anything that made their character seem more real would serve them. what bothered them is that the monster was so changed in its actions and appearance that they felt that it wasnt their character anymore. what bothered them even more than that was that the films creative team had sat down and agreed to their guidelines, signed the contract, and then proceeded to ignore and violate those guidelines. in essence, the creative team lied to toho and betrayed their trust, and toho did not take kindly to that at all. 



SUNGOD said:


> I agree with you that the basic Godzilla design can look real and menacing if designed like a real creature would look but even in the later Godzilla films such as Final Wars, the creature still just looks like a man in a fairly unconvincing rubber suit with ridiculously fat legs.
> 
> And let's not forget some of the many Godzilla films where Godzilla is even using his arms to goad another creature into a fight, as if he's saying - "come and have a go if you think you're hard enough" (a British expression). Some of those Godzilla films are cheesy as hell!


ok toho has never ever made a really good godzilla suit. the thing is, i am not debating whether the 98 godzilla is more realistic looking than the toho versions. it is, end of story. however, whether you like it or not, the toho version is far more popular as a character and as films than the american one will ever be. 



SUNGOD said:


> As for the other mythical beasts, well I think it's fair to say that there are people out there who wouldn't touch resin kits but they would buy a plastic kit.


again no question, but you werent talking about the general public. you werent even talking about your average model kit builder. you were talking about people that own a monster model kit collection. people that start collecting styrene and vinyl monster models soon step up to resin, because the characters they want are only available in that medium. 

sungod, here are the 2 things you arent taking into account: polar thought that the kit of the 98 godzilla would be a losing proposition back then. the film might be gaining in popularity, but it isnt regarded as a classic, not does it have any sort of major cult status, so they dont have a real solid fanbase to sell it to. all they have is us die-hard monster model kit collectors, and theyre arent enough of us to make producing any given styrene kit worthwhile without a huge chunk of the general public joining in.

the other thing is this: it doesnt matter whether or not the 98 american version is a lot more realistic than the japanese one. what matters is what the public perceives a gigantic city stomping dinosaur to be. 
a case in point: the very day that the 98 film came out, i was in a taco bell grabbing some lunch. the standee featuring a big picture of the monster had been unveiled. i was standing in line behind a pair of construction workers, your standard joe lunchpails, who were looking at the standee. one turned to the other and said "its a cool lookin' lizard, but it aint godzilla."
let me compare this to frankenstein. there have been many versions of frankenstiens monster that have hit the screen, many of which look better and more plausable than jack pierce's makeup on boris karloff. (lets face it, universal's version is pretty hokey.) but that doesnt matter. what matters is that when you say the word "frankenstein" the ONLY image that pops into peoples heads is the classic version with the flat top cranium, heavy brows, and neck electrodes. for that reason, it is the only version that is worth any manufacturers time and money to license and sell to the public. ive sold a lot of halloween and monster products to a lot of people over the past 30 years (cripes pass the geritol!) as well as helping them turn themselves into their favorite characters when an off the rack version wasnt available, and that matter of the publics perception of what these characters are is everything. even when its wrong, its just too strong to fight.


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## robiwon (Oct 20, 2006)

I have built my fair share of resin G kits. I have also built a good deal of vinyl as well. I built the clear vinyl Kaiyodo '95 with added LEDs. I would much rather build plastic or vinyl over resin. But to each their own. That's what makes this a great hobby, something for everyone. I just wish there was more '98 G kits!

Oh, the main seen in the '98 G with a suit was when G comes up out of the street under the manhole cover. As he his pulling himself up that, is a man in a suit.


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## SUNGOD (Jan 20, 2006)

razorwyre1 said:


> read the cinefex article on the making of the film, and the commentary on the recent issue of the dvd. the closeups were done with a huge head. the suit was originally used for much of the film, but replaced for greater continuity with the running/leaping shots.
> again it wasnt the way that the fx were accomplished that bothered toho. they arent stupid. they knew that anything that made their character seem more real would serve them. what bothered them is that the monster was so changed in its actions and appearance that they felt that it wasnt their character anymore. what bothered them even more than that was that the films creative team had sat down and agreed to their guidelines, signed the contract, and then proceeded to ignore and violate those guidelines. in essence, the creative team lied to toho and betrayed their trust, and toho did not take kindly to that at all.
> 
> 
> ...




Anyway razor, I think we'll have to agree to disagree. We could go on forever saying it will or won't sell.......he fact is we don't know. I personally think it will as I think this film has a healthy following now, plus people who like cool monsters would buy one. You've said yourself you'd buy one so if they ever do bring it out in plastic, you can add it to your collection. 

And if some original Godzilla fans don't like it then they don't have to buy it. They can buy the original Polar Lights models or the Bandai ones.


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