Duke of Luns wrote:I really like Godzilla, and I have a few Trendmaster figures, but I don't really know where I want to go with collecting of them. I'm strongly considering going back to a Rite Aid near me and picking up Final Wars Gigan(first version) that I saw a couple months ago, if they still have it. Is he still high in demand? What other figures are high in demand should I look for? I dont' have a job, but figure I could pick up one or two figures if they're rare.
The Final Wars Gigan isn't that incredibly desirable or expensive. The
original Gigan, the one that Senor Hugo and I have, is, as well as Rainbow Mothra and to a much lesser extent Burning Godzilla, Mechagodzilla, and Spacegodzilla. The Final Wars series is very common online and while the FW Gigan, Rodan, and Anguirus aren't very easy to find, they're not "big bucks" rare. Not when their Japanese versions are so readily available and usually less expensive on the internet (FW Gigan's 8" incarnations notwithstanding).
Duke of Luns wrote:Also, I remember seeing some kind of diorama thingy that had Godzilla vs. Anguirus from Godzilla Raids again, and I'm just wondering how much that goes for, who makes it, and what the heck do I look for?
http://www.hlj.com/product/MEG80693The Yuji Kaida Art Works series come in cases of eight - four standard painted figures and four bronzed, unpainted versions. This set has the added distinction of including a rare black and white version of the Godzilla and Anguirus dioramas. Because the painted figures are much more popular than the bronzed ones, you'll rarely see a set of color ones alone. This won't be a cheap purchase, but it can still be found.
Duke of Luns wrote:And what's up with the Trendmasters figures? I have a few(Bendy Ghidorah, Mechagodzilla II, Rodan, Black Godzilla, Mecha King Ghidorah), but some of the others like Varan, Megalon, and especially Baragon look like they're on steroids! And it looks like Angurius was only released in a two-pack. No wonder I couldnt' find him many years ago at Big Lots. Course, he suffered from "super-muscles" too.
Well, not much I can tell you there. Trendmasters had an... interesting approach to some of the kaiju. I think the upgrades to those three in particular were motivated by the "cheesy" appearance of the original kaiju, same with Anguirus and even Gigan to an extent. Heisei kaiju tended to have fewer changes, while certain characters like Godzilla and Rodan blended the different variations together.