Good day, everyone! I bring you another review of one of the Godzilla vs Kong figures by PlayMates Toys. Today, I will be reviewing the Kong w/ Battle Axe figure. This figure is part of wave 1 of the Godzilla vs Kong figures, which consists of mostly non-spoiler figures. This wave includes Giant Godzilla, Giant Kong, Skull Crawler w/ HEAV, Godzilla w/ Heat Ray, and Godzilla w/ Radio Tower figures as well. All of these figures are exclusive to Walmart ranging between $10 - $20. Right now, many fans and collectors are asking if this figure is worth the $10. So let's dive in and find out.
Packaging:
The packaging is pretty much standard at this point. The Kong w/ Battle Axe figure comes displayed in an open box strapped in zip ties and plastic ties. The front of the box has the movie's title, the Monsterverse logo, the battle damage promotional image, the name of the figure, and logos of the companies involved with the movie and merchandise. On the left side of the box, you can see the title of the movie and on the right side of the box you can see the name of the figure.
On the back of the box, you can see the synopsis of the movie on the top right corner. On the left side, you have the toy's description. The description reads, "Feel the mighty strength of Kong as he enters the ultimate battle royale against Godzilla with bone-crushing primal strength and a legendary new weapon fit for a king." In the middle of the box, you have another promo image of the Kong w/ Battle Axe figure. And on the bottom of the box, there are promotional images of other figures being released. Two of them have not been released yet. The first figure is another Kong figure, but this time it would come with a fighter jet. The other figure I cannot show yet due to possible spoilers. I know that many of you already know what this figure is by now and if you do please don't say what this is in the comments out of consideration for those that want to see this movie blind.
Sculpt and Paint:
The sculpt and paint for Kong are not the best looking in my opinion. Most of the body is suppose to be covered in hair and Kong does not look hairy to me. This is because the details have been softened up and given a greyish brown paint, which looks like mush to me. I think PlayMates was trying to make Kong look older, but it does not work well in this case. I think if they sharpened the details of his hair and gave him a more orange-brown color then he would look much better.
The face, the hands, and the feet, however, do look nice. The face is mostly black, but he also has the orange eyes, white teeth, and red tongue, which gives him a pretty face to look at. The hands are feet are just painted black with the greyish brown color.
Kong's right arm has a battle damage feature. Remove the skin and the figure reveals the arm's muscle inside. The texture of the muscle is softened up so the only way you can tell is the red paint.
Articulation:
Where the paint and sculpt fell short, the articulation on this Kong figure actually makes up for it. Unlike PlayMates Godzilla figures where they just had a few swivels, Kong has hinges, swivel/hinge combos, and swivel joints and it is the arms, legs, and knees are where you're going to get the most poses.
The head can swivel to appear like he is turning his towards another direction. The shoulders and arms are on swivel/hinge combo joints so he can look like he is about to throw a punch or swing his axe at Godzilla. The hands are on swivels so you can twist and turn his hand in any direction.
The legs are also on swivel/hinge combo joints and the knees are on a hinge. This is so you can have Kong look like he is running or charging at his opponents, jumping in the air, and if you really want to you can have him in a gorilla pose as well. My only complaint is that getting Kong to look like he running or charging will only be possible with some sort of stand. In the first picture you see, he is more in a walking pose because that is the only pose that I can do to show movement without him tipping over. If you have been collecting figures then you must have tons of Tamashii stands from S.H. MonsterArts figures or stands from NECA figures you could use. Just make sure they're sturdy and strong enough to hold him.
Accessories:
As stated on the box, Kong comes with a battle axe for Kong to use as a weapon. The weapon is mostly brown, but the blade part of the weapon is painted blue. The battle axe is placed inside Kong's right hand, which requires shoving the axe into hand. If there is an easier way to do it I would like to know because it is a little frustrating trying to get Kong hold the axe. Once you have Kong holding the battle axe, he is now ready to fight Godzilla toe to toe.
There is a lot of speculation on what this axe is made from and how to make sense for Kong to wield an axe. Upon further examination, the axe looks like it is made from bone and one of Godzilla's dorsal fins based on the blue paint. My theory is this. When Kong picked up the bone, his intention was to use it as a club. However, upon being stuck on Godzilla's dorsal fin Kong didn't just break it the dorsal fin, but uprooted it. The larger end of the axe's blade are actually the roots while the shorter end is the dorsal fin.
Size Comparison:
Here is Kong with the PlayMates Toys Godzilla w/ Heat Ray and two S.H. MonsterArts figures, Godzilla 2019 and King Kong 2005 versions. This Kong is a little shorter than 6" as advertised. To be honest, if you have any of the NECA Godzilla 2019 figures Kong would work actually work pretty well with those figures. So if you ever wanted a Kong 2021 figure to display with your NECA Godzilla figures then this figure will fit right in with your NECA display.
Final Thoughts:
PlayMates Toys Kong w/ Battle Axe figure certainly falls short on the paint and sculpt, but the articulation is actually the best we've seen come out from PlayMates Toys. My only hiccup with the articulation is that it falls over easily if you try to him in any sort of running or charging pose, so stands are required for that. Even though this figure isn't S.H. MonsterArts or NECA levels of detail and articulation, for $10 this Kong figure is one that you may not want to pass up on.
What are your thoughts on this Kong figure? Do you think this is worth the $10 or do you think this is a pass? Let me know on your thoughts on the Kong w/ Battle Axe figure in the comments section. Make sure to follow me on my Facebook, Twitter, and Minds pages to stay up to date for more news, reviews, and discussions?