Kaiju Week: Day 6 Shaky Cam

Welcome back to Kaiju Week here on the blog! Today we have striking, awesome, horrifying, powerful, disturbing images to show you. All caught on camera by an amateur photographer. Those with small children should probably leave the room. The following images may shock you...

Simply humbling...

Now that opening joke is out of the way. What is today's topic you ask? Well it is none other than...

Cloverfield!

Yes, Cloverfield! The last big kaiju film to try and take North America. Also the first kaiju film to use the "found footage" angle. Hell it basically brought the found footage genre back. Cloverfield was a 2008 giant monster movie by J.J. Abrams (of Lost and the recent Star Trek reboot). The film took the idea of a giant monster movie and switched it to the perspective of a small group of people simply trying to survive the tragedy. All and all I enjoyed the film, as well as the sort of alien design of the creature (hold your horses I'm getting to pictures). Much like 1998's Godzilla, they kept the monster's design a secret until release. Of course this didn't stop thousands of people from brainstorming what the creature would look like. You will likely see a ton of  fan "concept art" for the creature online still. As much as I liked the film and would love to see a sequel I seriously doubt it will ever happen. Abrams can talk all he wants about how he wants to do one, but it doesn't amount to anything until you at least sit down and pen a basic outline or a full script. Hell, actually talk to Paramount about a sequel or something. It would be alot more effective than just telling random news outlets now and then you want to do it. Anyhow, onto the monster.

Well hello there Mr. Mysterious

Here the figure is, in all it's giant glory. This figure was the only one of the monster (none of the cast were made into toys either, this is it) made for the film. A limited run by Hasbro for this large, and quite expensive figure. The top of the box slides off to show a really nice diorama of a New York. This figure has at least 50 something points of articulation. Needless to say there are a TON of joints. Though the clicking on the larger joints makes me nervous. If you spent around $200 on a toy like this you would be fucking nervous too (I have a problem).

Details, details!

Here is several shots of some really nice details that wen't into this figure. So much of the detail is molded rather than just painted. Look at the beautiful gloss on those eyes! You can see all the nice joints, despite my nervousness (yes I know they are supposed to click) its easy to pose this provided you don't get your skin caught in the larger ones while moving. I did that while taking these photos, and my thumb actually bled for a little. This thing means business. You can see a nice brown wash in his limbs and other parts to show off the details better. The tail is also bendy, nice and flexible for your city destroying needs. One of the middle images is actually one of his two extra "flipper hands". Fun fact! They are not used for swimming according to the designs, they are actually esophagi. There was to be a scene in the movie where the creature sucked up and ate some horses (or people) for nutrition. I think that would of been a creepy scene to have it walk over a crowd of people and watch them get sucked up like ants in a vacuum cleaner, freaky. This figure also makes sound via a button on his back. When you press it, it plays only one sound clip, that being the roar from the movie (I actually have it as an MP3 still). Cleverly the speaker is hidden under one of the arm pits and look alot like the... I want to say gill like structures on the other side.

RAWR! 

We'll come back to Clover soon. But first lets talk a short bit about the box this thing comes in.

                                           

Our beautiful cardboard city

Now the box this dude comes in is amazing. Lots of color, "3D" buildings, movie stills and title, lots of detail and even a cool picture of the toy on the back! Really you can put any kaiju in here and they would look great. As you saw, the outside is no slouch either. Having the poster art wrapping around the box was a nice touch. Though I can't think of what else would really fit out there. Cardboard seems durable enough though I'm not going to try destroying it to prove it. Again, very cool box. More kaiju should come in things like this!

Let me hear you scream!

Also included in the package is a second head. Alot more menacing than the first, close mouth head (which kinda looks like hes smiling to me for some reason). Lot of great detail on this head. I REALLY appreciate the translucent breathing sacs. Also cool, the tongue is another button! When plugged into the body, this head can activate the roar just be pressing the tongue down. Still as much as I love this, an articulated jaw would of been cooler. Monster toys that can eat other toys are always a plus.

Feeling itchy yet?

Within the closed mouth head, there is a small panel on the back that opens up to reveal 10 parasites from the film. Supposedly in scale with the rest of the monster (I don't doubt that) they are really tiny. I wouldn't hesitate to say these are the smallest toys I own. All the parasite's mouths are closed so they look more like fleas than this. But at this scale I can see why they didn't try to vary the mold. Needless to say I am really careful with these.

You idiots! You blew it all up! Damn you all to Hell!

The last accessory that came with this toy, is the head of the Statue of Liberty. I can't quite tell if this is supposed to be in scale with the over-sized movie version or the real life one. Given how small it is I want to say real life, but when compared to the parasite, I just don't know. Either way it's still neat. Good paint and not a bad sculpt. Plus it will work with other kaiju figures just fine.

Certified Insanity

And here is the instructions. Not alot here other than basic info. It is a single sheet with stuff on both sides. The back just includes the certificate of authenticity and basic FCC stuff and the like. 

Quite an image heavy post today. Stay tuned, couple more days left! Be sure to enjoy the best use of this toy ever:

Catch you tomorrow!