Bandai - 1/350 scale "The Tokusatsu Collection" Godzilla

[Les]

The Rising Sun Group Build Entry:

Bandai - 1/350 scale "The Tokusatsu Collection" Godzilla

Hello everyone. For my first foray onto the ISM boards, I plan to submit the following model kit as my entry into this group build:



I look forward to sharing with you my destruction of this kit!

[DBMiller]

Oh, man! You automatically win this one! I can't believe anyone even thought of this!

[Twokidsnosleep]

Awesome topic, what a great choice

[Les]

DBMiller and Twokidsnosleep: Thank you for your encouragement; hopefully the project will turn out decently.



Subject Background

While it is probably safe to assume that almost everyone reading this has heard of Godzilla; in an attempt at build log completeness I would like to take a moment to write a little bit about this Japanese movie screen legend and international star!

Inspiration for Godzilla

The Design

It has been mentioned that the concept of Godzilla was inspired by “the Beast,” a monster created by legendary visual effects master Ray Harryhausen for the 1953 science fiction monster film “The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms” (this film taking its name from the 1951 story by Ray Bradbury). “The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms” is considered one of the first monster movies that helped inspire and usher in a wave of giant creature features in the 1950’s and 1960’s (not only the Godzilla franchise but also classics such as “Them!” (1954); “Behemoth, the Sea Monster” (1959); and “Gorgo” (1961), just to name a few). “The Beast” is a fictional dinosaur called a Rhedosaurus; and it is interesting to note that the story is about a hibernating dinosaur which is released by atomic bomb testing, and the resulting chaos it unleashes upon New York.



While “The Beast” was a source of inspiration, Godzilla’s design went through many stages, including: The idea of making the monster a giant octopus; and a hideous looking ape-like creature with a mushroom shaped head! In the end, the filmmakers eventually settled on a dinosaur-like monster that was a cross between a Tyrannosaurus Rex, an Iguanodon, a Stegosaurus, and a fire-breathing dragon.

The Theme

Since the film's initial release, Godzilla has been culturally identified as a strong metaphor for nuclear weapons. In the film, Godzilla's attack mirrors the same horrors the Japanese experienced near the end of World War II with the Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Producer Tomoyuki Tanaka stated that, "The theme of the film, from the beginning, was the terror of the bomb. Mankind had created the bomb, and now nature was going to take revenge on mankind." Director Ishirō Honda filmed Godzilla's rampage on Tokyo with the mentality that the monster's onslaught was a parallel to, and a physical manifestation of, an Atom bomb attack. He stated, "If Godzilla had been a dinosaur or some other animal, he would have been killed by just one cannonball. But if he were equal to an atomic bomb, we wouldn't know what to do. So, I took the characteristics of an atomic bomb and applied them to Godzilla."

From the opening scene of the Eiko Maru being attacked (inspired by the Bikini Atoll testing of Castle Bravo and the fallout that affected the crew of the Lucky Dragon 5) to the climatic attack on Tokyo by Godzilla (meant to exemplify a rolling nuclear attack, only more slowly), this theme plays a central part in Godzilla’s identity. It even plays a role in Godzilla’s look. To emphasize the monster's relationship with the atomic bomb, its skin texture was inspired by the keloid scars seen on Hiroshima's survivors. In the charcoal grey coloring of the monster, the cold grey of nuclear fallout can be seen (the green often associated with Godzilla in posters, cartoons, and comics wasn’t really seen in the movie suits until "Godzilla 2000").



The birth of the Kaiju Sensation

The 1954 release of the movie “Godzilla” by Toho Co., Ltd. marked the beginning of a long line of science fiction kaiju films, many of which featured the title monster. The word “kaiju” translates to “strange creature” and is used to refer to a genre of tokusatsu entertainment (“tokusatsu” translates to “special filming” and itself is used as a moniker for live action films and television dramas that use considerable amounts of special effects). It should be noted here that there were earlier attempts at giant monster movies in Japan during the 1930’s, but these films are lost to us through either neglect or destruction during the bombing of Japan during World War II.

While Godzilla has been Toho’s favorite kaiju subject, there have been many others who have also become popular through the years, including: Gamera; Mothra; Rodan; King Ghidorah; Mechagodzilla and Daimajin. Even though Toho has been associated with a variety of Kaiju films over the years, other Japanese studios contributed to expanding the genre in Japan by producing Kaiju films and shows of their own, including Daiei Film Co., Ltd., Kadokawa Pictures, Tsuburaya Productions, Shochiku, and Nikkatsu studios.



Mothra vs. Godzilla

"Mothra vs. Godzilla" is a 1964 Japanese science fiction kaiju film produced by Toho. The fourth film in the Godzilla series; it was the first in which Toho began bringing in monsters from other productions, having Godzilla cross paths with Mothra. In the movie, villagers discover a giant egg on the shore which is later bought by an entrepreneur who intends on using it as a tourist attraction. Two tiny twin girls appear explaining that the egg belongs to a kaiju named Mothra and that should the egg hatch, the larva within will cause great destruction. Soon, Godzilla appears and begins its all too familiar rampage. Eventually, the twins and the villagers are convinced to send Mothra to defeat Godzilla. Mothra shows up and engages Godzilla but is defeated. The egg hatches and two larvae emerge and follow Godzilla to an island where they trap it with their silk spray until it retreats to the sea.



This concludes our look into the background of Godzilla, and the Bandai 1/350 scale model kit inspired by the "Mothra vs. Godzilla" movie. The next installment will look more closely at “The Tokusatsu Collection” model kit itself, as I prepare to begin construction. Thank you for stopping in!



To be continued...

[Twokidsnosleep]

Great intro write up
I learned something the first day of the New Year

[Brasko]

Always a pleasure to read some history! Have fun with this kit!

[EagleOnyx]

son of a..... This group build is gonna be sweet!

[Paul]

Interesting entry

[Hillbilly]

Nice outside of the box build choice,love it

[Les]

Twokidsnosleep: Thank you; it did take me a while to write that up!

Brasko: Thank you! I hope to have fun come rain or shine with the build up.

EagleOnyx: Hehe, thank you. I agree, there are some fantastic models being built in this group build!

Paul : Thanks for the thumbs up! I agree; it was interesting enough of a choice that I sent a message to Lee before I entered it to make sure it didn't fall outside of the rules, haha!

Hillbilly: Thank you; I guess I have managed to go off the grid, so to speak, with this one!

[Les]

Out of Box Review – Bandai 1/350 scale Godzilla “The Tokusatsu Collection”

The Model Company

The next step in the build process will be to take a look at the kit itself. As stated in the last entry, “Tokusatsu” translates to “special filming,” and the Tokusatsu Collection are a series of model kits released by Bandai representing many of the giant monsters in the “Kaiju” (“Strange Creature”) genre. Bandai Company, Limited is the leading toy company in Japan, and the third-largest producer of toys in the world (after Mattel and Hasbro). The company was formed in 1950; with the Bandai Models division being established in 1971. Many modelers will recognize Bandai as the makers of many of today’s Gundam model kits. This particular model kit is the third release of the series, with the original production run of the kit coming in 1983. There have been multiple re-releases since then, with this particular kit being made sometime during the 1990’s (I do not read Japanese, so I am unsure of the exact year; I found 1992 printed on the bottom of the fourth page of the instructions but I cannot verify that this is the year of this re-release).



The Packaging

The model kit comes in a traditional two piece box with both a top and bottom section. While the bottom section is void of any markings; the top section is covered with images from the movie “Mothra vs. Godzilla” (1964), images of the completed model kit, as well as a cover illustration by artist Yuji-Kaida. For those who may be interested in having the model kit shipped to them, the entire package weighs in at a little over 3 oz. (86 grams). The dimensions of the box are approximately 10 ½” tall (just under 27 cm) x approximately 6 5/8” wide (just under 17 cm) x just under 2 ½” deep (6cm).



The Contents

Inside the box there is a small fold out booklet containing background information, reference photos, an image of the parts sprues, as well as two pages of building instructions (see image below). There are also two bags containing three parts sprues as well as decals for the eyes (see the second image in the first post of this thread). The parts are cast in a hard plastic that is dark green in color (the color choice is interesting; as noted in the previous post, Godzilla was a dark grey in the movies up until Godzilla 2000, but many comics and toys depicted him as green!).



IMPORTANT! Building step #1

This is where the building of the kit begins. Many models are shipped in clear baggies, and this gives model makers a chance to compare the parts on the sprues within the baggies with the parts map within the instructions. One should take the time to examine the sprues and compare them with the parts map to verify that everything is there BEFORE opening the bags. Any missing and/or severely damaged parts could prove too great of a challenge for the model maker to overcome; and it will be easier to return or exchange the kit at this stage, before the bags are opened. Old, and previously opened kits that are purchased from a third party (such as Ebay sellers) may prove a bit more difficult to return or exchange, so it is always a good idea to understand what the seller’s policy is in regards to returns and exchanges before you purchase the model kit in the first place!

In this instance, the instruction booklet shows three sprues with 38 parts total. A look through both bags shows that all parts are accounted for and that there is no apparent damage. Step 1 is complete! (I actually did this before the group build started, on the day I received the kit in the mail a couple of months back)



A Closer Look at the Contents of the First Bag

The Decals

The kit comes with a rather small decal sheet (1 ¾” or 3.5 cm long x just over ¾” or just over 2 cm high) consisting of three decals; two for the eyes and one that has the Bandai logo on it as well as a small decal with Godzilla’s name in Japanese and the Bandai logo. The decals themselves are rather thick, and the eyes are a bit cartoon like.

In the case of this model these decals are showing a bit of age, with some yellowing on the film. Between this yellowing and the cartoonish look, I will probably end up avoiding using them on the build and instead attempt to paint the eyes. I am unsure if I will make use of the Godzilla name/Bandai logo decal.



The First Sprue

This first sprue contains parts #1 - #7. While most of the parts appear to be fine, there is one part that has obvious issues that may need to be addressed. Part #3 (lower jaw) has a slight injector pin mark located on the outside of the jaw, which will be exposed in final assembly. It may require a bit of work but I will not know for sure until I have at least made a dry run with assembly to see if it is visible.





A Closer Look at the Contents of the Second Bag

The Second Sprue

The second sprue contains parts #8 - #23. All of the parts on this sprue appear fine at first glance, except for part #22 (left arm exterior) and part #23 (right arm exterior). The hands on both of these pieces will need to be filled quite a bit as there are divots in the palms of both hands that will be visible after final construction.





The Third Sprue

The final sprue of the kit contains parts #24 - #38. The parts on this sprue appear acceptable except the final five pieces (#34 - #38). All of these parts are fins that go on the back of Godzilla, and each one has light injector pin marks that will have to be worked so that they will not be visible after final assembly.





This concludes the Out of Box review for the Bandai 1/350 scale Godzilla, The Tokusatsu Collection #3 model kit. Below is a link to a video review of the kit that I have made to complement this entry of my thread.

[youtube]PqhlKapF9Uk[/youtube]



To be continued...

[trekfanj]

Great choice, Les, and a very well-written and detailed build log, too!
I'll keep an eye on this one!

[rodrant]

Nice entry Les ...well guess it is somehow military stuff , considering the quantity of tanks and helicopters downed by Godzilla in the movies

I can imagine a 1/35 scale Godzilla with some nice JGSDF tanks diorama ...something real BIG !!!!!

Very Nice subject and nice thread , enjoyed a lot reading the history

Good luck with your build mate !

[George]

Very interesting build. Nice start. Going to watch this progress.

[gosselin2112]

Outstanding! Godzilla is awesome! Many memories of watching him on TV Saturday afternoons. Really looking forward to seeing how it all comes together, Les.

[Les]

rubegoldberg: Thank you very much!

trekfanj: Thank you; I have found documenting and writing out things for this thread to be a construction project all its own!

rodrant: Thank you; I would wish you success on your builds, but they are already finished! So congratulations is in order instead!

George: Thanks! After the next update, things are going to get really interesting as I attempt to modify the surface of this thing!

gosselin2112: I hear ya Russell; I can remember those weekends as well, when the old shows would play on an independent station out here in the Denver Metro area. When I stumbled across this kit, it took me back to those times for sure.

[Les]

Build Log 1 – Bandai 1/350 scale Godzilla “The Tokusatsu Collection”

Step 2: Washing Parts

Hello everyone, and welcome back to the Bandai Godzilla thread! The next step in this project is to begin construction of the kit itself. But before that construction can begin, I will take the time to wash the parts. The necessity of this particular step in the build process is often debated within the model making community. While a vast majority of builders agree that this step is critical when building resin or vinyl kits due to the mold release agent that is almost guaranteed to be on the surface of the parts, as well as the inherent difficulty that paints and glues have with these materials; the model making community seems to be split on the necessity of this step when working with the hard plastics that most model kits are made of. Many modelers have built kits for years without washing parts and report no problems. Others have claimed to have experienced problems with paint and/or gluing due to skipping this step. While I never did this when I built kits as a child, I have taken the time to add this step to each build I do since returning to the hobby. The way I see it is; if I am taking the time to scrape, sand, putty, primer and paint the models that I build why not take the extra few minutes required to wash and dry the parts as an extra precaution?

The process used is fairly simple. I take a cheap plastic tub and add a small amount of dish soap (in this instance I used Dawn brand soap… if it is good enough to take oil off of wildlife after oil spills, it should be good enough to take any residue off of plastic parts) and add enough warm water to submerge the parts once they are placed in the tub. Then, a cheap toothbrush is used to give the parts a quick scrub. This is followed by rinsing the parts off under cool water from the tap (use caution to make sure that smaller parts do not fall down the drain!). Then, I wipe the excess water off and lay them on a towel to dry while moving on to the next step in the build!





Step 3: Building the Kit

Instructions Step 1



Feet Assembly (Parts #: 30, 31, 32, and 33)

The feet come in two pieces, a top and bottom. While the parts appear to be identical for each foot, it should be noted here that the builder should follow instructions and keep parts 30 + 32 and parts 31 + 33 together. If the parts are switched, there are some fit issues that leave the edges overhanging at the seam. Even with the parts matched as described in the instructions there will still be a small seam left after assembly. A small bit of cleanup will allow the parts to fit together with minor filling required. The issue with this assembly stage is with the toes on the feet. The toes are part of the top piece, and there is a large gap on each toe of the foot where the two pieces come together. Even though this large gap is located on the bottom of the foot, it is large enough to be noticed while viewing the model and will need to be filled before painting.



Leg/Leg and Feet Assembly (Parts #: 16, 17, 26, 27, and assembled feet)

Each leg is made with two pieces. Due to the bend in the legs, each pair of parts is unique and the builder will not have issues with mixing them up. By taking some time to clean up the surfaces that mate together, these parts should glue together snugly, creating a seam that needs little to no clean up and/or filler.

Each leg has a shallow nub that sticks out from the bottom of the assembly; this nub is what is inserted into the feet to secure them in place. While there seems to be no visual differences between the assembled feet, I did find at this stage that each foot seemed to fit more securely to a particular leg. A builder of the kit may find it worthwhile to dry fit each foot to each leg to find the most secure fit. After gluing the pieces together, there was a very slight gap between the feet and legs that required a small amount of putty.



Arm and Hand Assembly (Parts #: 20, 21, 22, and 23)

Each arm consists of two pieces, with the hands being attached to the outside half of each arm. Each pair is unique, so the builder will not be able to confuse which parts match together. With a small bit of cleaning, the halves will fit together well. This means that there will be little if any seam work to be done once they are glued together. Even the seams along the wrist where the hands and the ends of the inside arm meet up are matched up well. One of the only issues with this construction step is the large sink holes, or divots, located on the inside palm of each hand. They are fairly deep and detract from the overall look of the hands. I ended up having to fill in these divots (while keeping in mind the curve of the hand) and later sand and shape the putty. For this step, I used a product called Liquitex Professional Modeling Paste. I decided on this product as I wanted to test it on the plastic, as it may be something I use later for work on Godzilla’s skin texture. It is opaque (drying white) in color; dried hard, and was easy to sand. The fingers had flash on them, and I found it to be a bit of a chore to clean this up (especially in between the fingers).



Instructions Step 2



Back Assembly (Parts #: 6 and 7)

This step consists of gluing together the back and the back support. It should be noted that the back support (part # 6) does not need to be oriented in a specific way. I dry fitted this piece in both directions and found no fit issues in either orientation. The back support is also hidden within the body, and therefore required no clean-up. There were no flash or surface issues that needed to be addressed on the back (part # 7) as well.



Body Assembly (Parts #: 1, 4, and the back sub-assembly)

This step consists of the two body halves as well as the back assembly. With minor cleanup on the surfaces where the halves meet up, the parts fit together with some gaps between them. On the back, there are small gaps between the back sub-assembly and each half. The gaps were small enough that I was able to fill them with a quick application of Tamiya extra thin cement! On the head of the model some minor filling and sanding was needed to clean up the seam that runs down the middle. The major work for this step was in the front along the seam in the chest. There was a small alignment issue that could not be corrected during assembly. This caused one side of the seam to be higher than the other over nearly half of the chest. There was a lot of sanding that needed to be done in this area to even out both sides at the seam. This caused a loss of surface detail in the area around the seam that will have to be addressed later.



Instructions Step 3



Tail Assembly (Parts #: 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 18 and 19)

This step requires the assembly of four separate tail segments. Each segment consists of two parts. As the tail is tapered with a bent shape, there is no way for the builder to mix the parts up between segments. With a little clean up on the surfaces to be joined together, each segment was glued together with little or no seam issues. Gluing each segment together was fairly easy, and again, I encountered only small gaps between the segments that were easily filled. One trick I used on gluing the tail segments together: I glued the first two segments together; and glued the last two segments together. By doing this, I only had two pieces to work with at a time. This made things easier to control in the event I had issues (which fortunately I did not). Attempting to glue all four segments together at the same time may have even caused issues! After these two sub-assemblies dried, I simply glued them together to finish this step.



Instructions Step 4



Back Fin Assembly (Parts #: 14, 15, 34, 35, 36, 37 and 38)

This step can really be broke down into two sections; the first being the smaller side fins, and the second being the larger fins along the spine. The side fins (Parts 14 and 15) appear identical in shape. If a builder were to mix these parts up it would not alter the build. A quick look at the parts and instructions indicates that there are three ridges on each piece; and orientation should be the outside ridge with four points should be placed closest to the head. Both of these parts fit perfectly and required no clean up on the surface that mounts to the back. Very light injector pin marks were noticed on the inside surfaces and were cleaned up easily.

The five fins that are placed along the spine should be placed in the order indicated in the instructions. Each piece is unique enough in size and shape that the builder should not have a problem mixing them up. As for orientation of each piece, looking at the instructions as well as the colored images of the completed model will aid in proper facing. There were injector pin marks on each of the pieces, and these were removed by a bit of scraping with a hobby knife with a rounded blade (#22). The parts fit into the slots on the back with no issue. It should be noted here that as I glued the fins in, I attempted to set them slightly off center; this prevented the pieces from touching each other, and also gave a more “natural” look to them.



Mouth and Lower Jaw Assembly (Parts #: 2, 3, and 5)

The mouth and lower jaw assembly consists of the three parts. I did a quick dry fitting and came to the conclusion that it would be easier for me to paint the interior of the mouth before gluing the parts together. I used Vallejo Model Color Red for the mouth interior, tongue and gums; I added a bit of Vallejo Model Color White to the mix after in order to lighten it up a bit. This was then dry brushed on the ridge of the mouth for a highlight. I then used Vallejo Model Color Sand Yellow for the teeth. The painted areas were then sealed with Pledge to give the paint protection as well as a glossy finish. I then glued the upper mouth/teeth into place; followed by the tongue, and finished this assembly by gluing on the lower jaw. There was an injector pin mark located on the outside of the lower jaw that I did clean up a bit using a curved hobby knife blade. All painting in this step was done with a brush.



Instructions Final Steps



Mothra Larva Assembly (Parts #: 24, 25, 28 and 29)

The Mothra larva body comes in two halves. With a bit of clean up along the surface that joins together, the parts fit with no gap between them. However, the parts were slightly off center and this caused one side of the body to be slightly higher than the opposite side in s couple of areas. This required a bit of sanding in order to correct. The process was made a little more difficult due to the body being made of round segments as well as the face of the larva having contours. After addressing this issue, the mandibles were glued into place without issue.



Godzilla Final Assembly (All sub-assemblies)

The final assembly stage was fairly straight forward. I began by gluing the left and then right legs to the body. Alignment was not tricky here, as the placement for Godzilla in a standing position was easy to judge by eye. I next glued on the left and then right arm. I placed these with the hands being held in a slightly lower position than in the images in the instructions, as I thought it looked a bit better. Finally, I attached the tail to the figure. In the case of the arms and legs, a small bead of filler was used where the parts joined the body; I did not use filler where the tail attached. This stage was easy enough that I did not photograph the stages, and the images below are of the figure fully assembled (with the larva next to it).





This concludes the assembly stage for the model kit. I have included a link below to a video update that I did to go along with this thread.

[youtube]CH2gw2WJSPg[/youtube]

To be continued…

[Hillbilly]

Nice clean assembly. I love the idea of this build,brings back memories of watching the Godzilla movies when I was a youngster.

[Aliktren]

Love it, really looking forward to the paintjob

[gosselin2112]

Wow . . . this thread has a lot of depth and detail. Nice work, Les.

[Thumboy]

Very nice build thread Les the big lizard is coming together nicely

Looking forward to see how you do the painting

[ToddS]

Hey Les,
This build is fascinating.. With all the history and background provided just adds to the interest. Looking forward to see the paint and reveal

[Twokidsnosleep]

The mouth and lower jaw assembly consists of the three parts. I did a quick dry fitting and came to the conclusion that it would be easier for me to paint the interior of the mouth before gluing the parts together. I used Vallejo Model Color Red for the mouth interior, tongue and gums; I added a bit of Vallejo Model Color White to the mix after in order to lighten it up a bit. This was then dry brushed on the ridge of the mouth for a highlight. I then used Vallejo Model Color Sand Yellow for the teeth. The painted areas were then sealed with Pledge to give the paint protection as well as a glossy finish. I then glued the upper mouth/teeth into place; followed by the tongue, and finished this assembly by gluing on the lower jaw. There was an injector pin mark located on the outside of the lower jaw that I did clean up a bit using a curved hobby knife blade. All painting in this step was done with a brush.



Instructions Final Steps



I am very concerned about the occlusion that you are creating in this monster
From your photos, it appears that his teeth are in an anterior open bite class II malocclusion
This is clearly an improper orientation and will result longterm in TMJ degeneration, excessive wear of posterior dentition and an inability to eat sushi as his incisors will never touch to chew through the seaweed wrappings. Due to Godzilla's residence in Japan, this can lead to manourishment and overall poor health and early morbidity.

ok my patient bailed on me this Friday afternoon and i am a little bored at work
He is looking great

[Twokidsnosleep]

The mouth and lower jaw assembly consists of the three parts. I did a quick dry fitting and came to the conclusion that it would be easier for me to paint the interior of the mouth before gluing the parts together. I used Vallejo Model Color Red for the mouth interior, tongue and gums; I added a bit of Vallejo Model Color White to the mix after in order to lighten it up a bit. This was then dry brushed on the ridge of the mouth for a highlight. I then used Vallejo Model Color Sand Yellow for the teeth. The painted areas were then sealed with Pledge to give the paint protection as well as a glossy finish. I then glued the upper mouth/teeth into place; followed by the tongue, and finished this assembly by gluing on the lower jaw. There was an injector pin mark located on the outside of the lower jaw that I did clean up a bit using a curved hobby knife blade. All painting in this step was done with a brush.



Instructions Final Steps



I am very concerned about the occlusion that you are creating in this monster
From your photos, it appears that his teeth are in an anterior open bite class II malocclusion

This is clearly an improper orientation and will result longterm in TMJ degeneration, excessive wear of posterior dentition and an inability to eat sushi as his incisors will never touch to chew through the seaweed wrappings. Due to Godzilla's residence in Japan, this can lead to manourishment and overall poor health and early morbidity.

ok my patient bailed on me this Friday afternoon and i am a little bored at work
He is looking great

[Aliktren]

love it