SKREEONK!

This lovely little fellow is the first Minya to be produced by Bandai, and was issued in 1989. While the original seems to have been lavender in color (via ClubTokyo), later reissues would be available in the traditional gray. My personal figure is an early gray reissue from 1991. He was released as a part of the “Destroy All Monsters” line, along with other favorites such as Anguirus and Rodan.

Sculpt: **

I’m noticing a trend, here… Bandai has, without a doubt, become much more detailed and proficient with their sculpts in the past decade. Compare this figure from 1991 to a GFW Minya figure made in 2004; one bares a basic resemblance while the other, thirteen years later, looks like an exact replica of the movie suit.

Minya here is around 4 1/2 inches, and made to be in scale with the early eight inch figures of Bandai’s early 1990’s toy renaissance. I took the picture to the right simply to prove a point… Does this figure not look a hell’ova lot more like Minya from an angle than it does from straight on? Weird, I know. Either way, the sculpt leaves a lot to be desired – and is really lacking in detail. Minya is also, apparently, a rather avid acupuncture patient…

Paint: **1/2

Godzilla’s first adopted son isnt the most colorful of kaiju, so the lack of paint on this figure isnt surprising. It does the job. The figure itsself is made of a basic, matte gray – and is highlighted with reddish lavender splotches on the hands, feet, stomach, etc. The eyes and mouth are painted the typical black, white, and red.

Rarity: ***

This little guy, much in the same vein as Bandai’s early King Caesar figures, is not readily available by any means – but isn’t impossible to find. There’s at least one floating around at all the major dealers, and eBay sellers seem to be pumping out a constant supply of them.

Price: $40 – $120

The lower end of Minya’s price range is without a tag. You can pick up a tagless Son of Godzilla for a decent $40-50, usually around $60 in ‘dry spells’. Not bad for a classic figure. With a tag, however, these guys fetch anywhere from $90 to $120.

Worth it?

To a new fan, probably not. Especially for the solid chunk of change this figure usually commands, and there are MUCH more accurate figures of Minya out there. Most serious collectors, however, wouldn’t be without this early Bandai. This is a classic figure, and one of the most recognized sculpts Minya has ever received! Second in hideousness only to the original Bullmark monstrosity…

!***!

– Jon @ UnCanny