Gamera first won over the hearts of children across the world during his first on-screen appearance in 1965. Unlike Toho’s titanic beast, Gamera showed inclinations to protect humans, especially the children. However, his immense size and power led to incidents where the human government believed that he was attacking Japan.
Thus, Daiei successfully created a series of films in the sixties and seventies that starred this gigantic, fire-breathing turtle. While these films directly challenged Godzilla at the box office, Daiei quickly showed signs of budget cuts. By the time Gamera vs. Zigra came out in 1971, the studio had fallen back on extensively using stock footage. In the end, Gamera faded away as Daiei filed for bankruptcy that same year.
Decades later, a more financially stable Daiei returned to create three of the most celebrated entries in Gamera’s filmography. Gamera’s triumphant return to cinema began in 1995 with Gamera: Guardian of the Universe, which rebooted the series with a much more adult tone. His new adventures continued into two sequels. With these sequels came new monsters that both pushed Gamera to the edge. The design of the turtle also turned darker and more jagged, especially in 1999. Still, Gamera never strayed far from his original purpose, to protect the Earth and the humans living on it.
Even though the Heisei trilogy ended in 1999, fans still fondly remember these films and the kaiju from them. So, they eagerly hunt down collectibles that bring the creatures to life. So, join us as we explore the greatest toys and collectibles that a fan of the Heisei Gamera trilogy from the 1990s could ever dream of.
Presenting the Top Ten Gamera Toys and Collectibles for the Heisei Trilogy
10. Bandai Gamera 2: Attack of Legion – Legion (1996)
After defeating the threat of Gyaos, Gamera went up against an overwhelming extra-terrestrial force that threatened to colonize the earth, Legion. As these creatures created a suitable habitat for themselves around Kyoto, one of their members grew to become the queen. This massive insectoid towered over Gamera, easily forcing him to retreat the first time that they fought. Moreover, it could summon the swarms of Legion soldiers to help overwhelm its opposition.
As Legion could not flourish in Earth’s normal atmosphere, the creature remained close to the plants that helped it travel from world to world. As these plants produced a high-oxygen environment, they also launched pods that allowed Legion to spread to new worlds. So, the Queen savagely attacked any entity that threatened to destroy these plants.
As one of the largest toy companies in Japan, Bandai created the vinyl figures for both Gamera and Godzilla films. With each new film that appeared in movie theaters during the nineties and early thousands, Bandai readied a series of vinyl figures of the kaiju from those films.
Thus, they created a detailed six-inch vinyl figure of Legion. Like the rest of their vinyl figures, Legion only had a small range of articulation, mostly with the rotation of the shoulders. However, Bandai took care to create a highly detailed figure that closely resembled the monster’s on-screen appearance.
9. Sega TNHN Gamera 3: Revenge of Iris – Hyper Gyaos (2002)
Even though Gamera defeated all the Gyaos that originated from the Goto Archipelago in 1995, the threat of the Gyaos continued to loom. By 1999, the Gyaos had evolved into the Hyper Gyaos that threatened to overwhelm humanity with their numbers. While none of these monsters reached the size of the one from 1995, they still posed a deadly threat to humanity. As Gamera hunted these birds down, he unintentionally slaughtered thousands of humans who found themselves in the crossfire. By the end of the third film, the military spotted an entire flock of these man-eating creatures flying straight to Japan.
To Celebrate the newest entry in the Gamera series, Revenge of Iris, Sega created a highly detailed Hyper Gyaos as part of their High-Grade Figure Collection. Unlike the Bandai vinyl, this figure required a small amount of construction. For, they kept the wings separated from the rest of the body in the card-backed packaging. Moreover, this figure stood tall over most other vinyl figures at around a foot tall.
The massive size of this figure allowed TNHN to apply highly detailed paint. They even added details in the wing to made it seem as if veins were visible in the webbing. The head also closely resembled the on-screen appearance of the close-up puppets from the film.
8. M1 Gamera 2: Attack of Legion – Soldier Legion (1996)
As the threat of Legion began to surface, the first creatures that humans encountered were the crab-like Soldiers of the colony. These creatures quickly multiplied as the colony built a nest in Sapporo, forcing the humans to flee the area. As these creatures shared a symbiotic relationship with a plant, they also helped create a terrain where the plant could flourish. As the colony grew, the plant also blossomed, forming a pod that prepared to launch into space.
While each Soldier Legion posed a significant threat to most humans, they overwhelmed even the military with their sheer numbers. Likewise, the soldiers would have been a simple pest for Gamera. However, the Legion worked in tandem to create an overwhelming force that completely coated the gigantic turtle. Thus, they brought the giant to the brink of death.
For fans that desire to add a highly detailed model of the soldier form of Legion, there is none better than the limited-edition figure from M1. This soft-vinyl model kit gave collectors the chance to build the human-sized Kaiju. Once put together, the model created a highly detailed screen-accurate depiction of the Soldier Legion. Unfortunately, they only ever produced five hundred versions of this set. So, this model kit is one of the rarest Gamera collectibles.
7. Bandai S.H. MonsterArts – 1995 Gamera (2019)
While Bandai’s Tamashii Nations branch popularized their MonsterArts lines with Godzilla action figures, they also spread out to create high-quality action figures of other movie and game monsters. Understanding the close ties between Godzilla and Gamera fans, they successfully branched out when they started producing Gamera figures in 2015. By 2019, they produced the third iteration of their Gamera action figures, this time replicating the look from the 1995 film that began the Heisei trilogy.
During this film, Gamera woke up to help protect the world from the threat of Gyaos. As he had been lying dormant in a rock casing for centuries, he called upon the spiritual power of the girl who held one of his amulets, Asagi Kusanagi. His bond with this girl gave him an understanding and connection with the humans that lived in the world. However, he still found himself in the military’s crosshairs, for his immense size brought destruction to buildings.
Like most Tamashii Nations action figures, Gamera came with a wide array of accessories. As the turtle is best known for his jet-powered spinning flight, they included several blue stream accessories. First, there were arcing streams that attached to each of the holes for his arms and legs in his shell. Thus, fans could recreate his spinning saucer flight. There were also blue jet streams that replaced his rear legs, allowing the turtle to jet forward. Otherwise, the figure came with a flame-themed base that he could fly over.
6. Bandai Gamera 2: Attack of Legion – 8” Plasma Gamera Theater Exclusive (1996)
By the second film, Gamera began to lose his connection to humanity as he no longer required Asagi’s spiritual support. Still, the turtle continued to push himself to protect the planet and humanity. However, his creators could never have foreseen the arrival of an inter-stellar insectoid species, the Legion. As these creatures overwhelmed the guardian kaiju, they forced him to retreat.
By the end of the film, Gamera tapped directly into the spiritual force of the planet to create a devastating new attack that could wipe out the Legion. By channeling the energy, Gamera created a plasma beam from the center of his chest. While this attack saved the planet, it also left humanity in awe of the overwhelming power that Gamera possessed.
As Bandai made a tradition of releasing theater exclusive figures for the Godzilla series, they also produced a few exclusive variants for the Gamera films. For the Attack of Legion, they produced an eye-catching eight-inch figure that made it look like Gamera was preparing to unleash a devastating attack. Thus, his chest featured a vibrant orange glow. Likewise, the edges of his feet and hands also shared this bright orange paintjob. Finally, there was significant red and orange paint around the turtle’s eyes, giving him an almost sinister appearance.
5. Bandai S.H. MonsterArts – 1996 Gamera (2015)
When Bandai began producing Gamera action figures, they began with his look from the second film. While the first film’s suit had modernized Gamera, it still had many rough elements that the second film ironed out. Gamera lost some of its chubbier, kinder appearance, gaining a fierce edge in the second film. Meanwhile, the third film’s suit reflected the dark edge of the film. Thus, Gamera best felt like a protector during the second film.
Gamera came with a broad range of accessories that allowed owners to recreate his battles. To begin, he came with a flame base and a plasma fireball effect. To give Gamera his flight form, they included alternate flight parts. These parts included two front fins and an alternate waist that easily accommodated jet stream effects. Once ready for flight, owners could mount Gamera on the included flight stand.
As Gamera’s greatest attack from the film featured him opening his chest, the action figure also could open to reveal an orange orb in his torso. To reveal this plasma dome, users had to carefully open the panels to his chest. While they included no additional parts to create the plasma beam, the opened chest still provided a spectacular stance for the kaiju.
4. Bandai Gamera 2: Attack of Legion – DX Giant Transforming Kaiju Gamera (1996)
As Gamera fought against Earth’s greatest threats, he battled with a wide range of powers. While his most obvious power was his immense size, the turtle also hid multiple other abilities. First, he could produce massive plasma fireballs that he fired from his mouth. Usually, these fireballs were all he required to eliminate threats like Gyaos.
However, as many of his foes could fly away from a fight, Gamera also needed a way to speed through the air. Thus, the ancients that designed him gifted him with the ability to soar through the air. By pulling his limbs into his shell, he could produce jet streams that propelled him into the sky. When he pulled all four limbs in, his jets spun his shell around like a flying saucer. However, he also could only pull in his hind legs while his arms became fins for more controlled flight.
Thus, Bandai created a DX action figure that celebrated Gamera’s flight mode that he used in the Gamera 2 movie. Unlike the MonsterArts figures, this action figure had all the parts required for the transformation in his shell. To change his form, users opened his shell from the back. They then could fold in his arms and legs while pulling out the flight fins. Thus, Gamera was ready to soar through the air and chase down any pesky Gyaos.
3. X-Plus Gamera 3: Revenge of Iris – Iris (2020)
After Gamera lost his connection to Asagi in the second film, he began to appear more callous toward the lives of humans as he chased down flocks of Gyaos through Japan. After one of his eradication missions caused massive death and destruction, the military concentrated their efforts on keeping Gamera at bay. Meanwhile, one of Gamera’s most dangerous foes hatched in a small village near Kyoto.
As Iris grew, it aimed to bond with the human that held onto its dark orichalcum pendant, Ayana Hirasaka. Meanwhile, her deep hatred of Gamera helped empower the creature. Unlike a typical Gyaos, Iris lacked any noticeable avian features. The creature did not even have a mouth. Instead, the creature had four tentacles with barbed tips that it used to drain life from its victims. These tentacles could also split apart to form flight membranes that allowed Iris to glide through the air.
X-Plus added Iris to their extensive range of highly detailed resin model kits in 2020. What this figure lacked in articulation, it made up for in waves with its photo-realistic paint job. X-Plus carefully crafted this figure to resemble the on-screen appearance of Gamera’s greatest foe. The construction of the tentacles also gave the figure life, even when it was motionless.
2. Bandai Gamera 3: Revenge of Iris – Theater Exclusive Gamer (1999)
In the struggle to defeat Iris while saving the human trapped inside the monster, Gamera found himself pinned against the wall of Kyoto station. With Iris’s arm piercing right through the turtle’s right hand, the kaiju could not free himself nor back away. Thus, he watched as the mutated Gyaos began to drain his energy, gaining Gam9era’s signature plasma fireballs. With no other options available, Gamera used his fireball on his left arm to sever it. The freed kaiju then used his stump to gather the plasma that Iris fired at him to form a plasma-fire arm. He then plunged the plasma fire into Iris, eradicating the threat from the tentacled beast.
With this attack being the most important moment in the film, there is no surprise that Bandai decided to create a plasma-fire arm variant for the theater exclusive figure. This variant of their standard Gamera 3 vinyl figure maintained the same mold for the plasma arm. However, Bandai gave the arm a bright orange glow to replicate the plasma. Meanwhile, they added splashes of light green paint around his other arm, legs, and head. Thus, the figure looked like his blood from his severed arm coated his body.
While most theater exclusives are black repaints or transparent plastics, this one gave a unique look that celebrated the film’s climax.
1. Bandai S.H. MonsterArts – 1999 Gamera (2018)
After the success of the 1996 mold, Tamashii Nations turned their attention to the final entry to the Heisei series, Gamera 3. During this film, Gamera took on his darkest and spikiest form. His new look reflected Gamera’s darker demeanor as he lost his spiritual connection to humanity. Even more terrifying than his look, Gamera’s actions caused thousands to die as he battled Gyaos in the middle of a populated city.
As with most MonsterArts figures, this version of Gamera came with a wide range of accessories. First, he came with a replacement right arm, the plasma fist from the film made of translucent orange plastic. The paint job slowly changed from the plasma colors into the normal colors of Gamera’s flesh toward the end where the stub of his arm was. Unfortunately, Bandai decided not to add any more plasma effect parts for this figure. So, there are no fireballs for him to fire at his foes.
Like the 1996 version, Gamera came with several accessory flight parts, like two sets of fins and an alternate lower body. Also, the same plasma flame base from the 1996 figure came with this action figure. Once mounted on the included flight stand, Gamera became ready to soar through the sky.
What were your favorite Gamera toys and collectibles?
We have shared our picks for the top ten Gamera toys and collectibles that brought the action of the Heisei trilogy to life. However, we would love to hear from you. Which Gamera collectibles do you want to add to your collection the most? Which figures are your favorites? Let us know in the comments below.
Do you have old and used Gamera toys?
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Made in collaboration with:
Chris Ingledue
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Bio: I am the founder and owner of Wheeljack’s Lab pop Culture and Toy Shop. My vision has always been to reunite customers with their favorite childhood toys and pop culture, triggering fond memories, and reigniting their imaginations. Every day, I work in the “lab” where it’s Christmas 365 days a year. I scour the internet, like when we had the Sears Catalog of yesteryear, for the next great treasure. Then, I await the arrival of the postman as if he were Santa Claus himself and helping collectors worldwide with their own versions of Christmas. Every day as a vintage toy buyer is an absolute joy!