This review will be a little different from my previous reviews. Instead of covering one specific item, I will review the entire TM Godzilla Bendies line (all of them that I am aware of at least). I must give a special thanks to Mike Poster for helping me complete my Bendies line up.
1. A brief description.
The TM Godzilla line of bendies are 3" to 5" solid rubber figures cast over wire frames to make them poseable. The first release under The King of the Monsters (KotM) logo included: Godzilla (green), Mothra, Rodan, King Ghidorah, and Mecha-Godzilla. The second wave under the Godzilla Wars (GW) banner included: Supercharged Godzilla (grey), Biollante, Spacegodzilla, Moguera, Mecha-Godzilla and King Ghidorah. There are some minor paint differences between the KotM and GW Mecha-Godzilla and King Ghidorah. The GW Mecha-Godzilla has dark lines on either side of his nose. The GW King Ghidorah is a brighter gold than the KotM version. All of these figures retail for about $5.00 each (Woolworth's is the best place to find the GW bendies).
2. What I like about it.
I was never a big fan of bendies to begin with, but overall I think TM has done a nice job. Bendies tend to appear flat but TM managed to plump them up a little. Moguera and Biollante are good examples of this. Biollante and King Ghidorah work well as bendies because of their long snake-like limbs. The sculpting for most of the figures is good and similar to the rest of the TM Godzilla line.
3.What I don't like about it.
Rodan looks just plain goofy with a Gonzo (the muppet) looking head. King Ghidorah is a little thin but he only stands out in this respect because TM did such a good job avoiding this problem with the other bendies. It is next to impossible to get Godzilla's or Spacegodzilla's feet to face forward, but again this is a typical bendie drawback that TM avoided with the rest of the line.
4.Collector's value.
Other Godzilla bendies exist out there but may be difficult to find. I am not aware of a line of bendies as extensive as the TM line. I got a Godzilla bendy in the late 80's made by GLJ Toy Co. It looks pretty stupid and does not have the same amount of detail the TM bendies have. When the KotM figures were first released, the bendies were all over the place. Now they are getting harder to find and the GW bendies appear to have had a limited release. The current release may be the end of this line.
5.Play value.
The bendies are a good introduction to Godzilla for kids. They don't have any small pieces to loose or choke on and they are affordable. One word of caution though; my nephew managed to break one of King Ghidorah's heads off leaving a dangerous wire poking out of Ghidorah's body. Extended use of bendies tends to break the wires inside of the toy. If you bought the bendies for your collection and not as toys, try not to change the poses too often or the wire may break.
6.Parting Comments.
As of this writing, there is no word on future bendy releases. It would be nice if TM would continue the line with Gigan, Anguirus, Mecha-King Ghidorah and Battra. Not to mention all of the rest of the Godzilla and Gamera monsters. If anyone has seen Mothra, Rodan or the green Godzilla bendies in Godzilla Wars packaging please let me know.
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