Goro by U.S. Toys

A little header at the top of this entry for a little toy. Actually, this toy has no header... this is just a part cropped from the little box that comes along... more on that later!

Here we have U.S. Toys Goro (ゴロー)!

I can tell you're excited about this one.

Goro was a monster appearing in the second episode titled Goro to Goro of the Japanese television show Ultra Q (ウルトラQ) in 1966 - the precursor to Ultraman which started in '67.

Ultra Q was unlike Ultraman, it was more of a sci-fi mystery show apparently (I've yet to see the show, unfortunately), and often featured giant monster suits that had been retooled from Toho movies like Godzilla (Gomess in Ultra Q), Baragon (Pagos), and Goro here that was originally the King Kong suit used in the Toho movie King Kong vs. Godzilla (キングコング対ゴジラ).

Goro himself was a normal monkey that was made huge when he ingests the chemical Helypron Crystal G. A boy named Goroh tries to hide Goro, but is unsuccessful, and giant Goro wanders into the city in search of milk. The monkey loved him some milk I guess! Eventually Goro is tranquilized and transported to an island with normal size monkeys.

Thanks to the Ultra Q wikipedia entries for all this info! I learned something myself today.

There have not been a ton of toys made of Goro as far as I know. I guess being in only one episode of an obscure TV show from the 60s gives you a back seat to King Kong. There was the stylized Goro made by Bullmark back in the day (and since rereleased by M1Go I believe), a rubber Goro handpuppet that I owned for about a day, and a realistic, McFarlane style action figure Goro made by X-Plus recently.

I also have a mini version of the Bullmark Goro made by Bandai and a vinyl Goro coin bank that I will review soon. This U.S. Toys Goro is about the same size as the mini Bandai Bullmark Goro, only lacking the articulation.

Header

This Goro did not exactly come packaged as many kaiju and Japanese vinyl toys are. He came with an unassembled box that when assembled would be a great little building for Goro to stand on. It even has a broken hole you could punch out if you were so inclined. I'm far too anal for that haha

There are other U.S. Toys figures with similar packaging, and I think it's great. It reminds me of old drugstore purchases where the box a cheap toy would come in would double as a playset of sorts. There's cool, hand drawn artwork as well that adds to it I think.

Very cool packaging, but I only wish that it actually came in the box instead of just loose beside it. That is nit-picking entirely.


Sculpt
As with other U.S. Toys releases I have seen, Goro is small, playful, and an overall loose interpretation of the original beast. It has a lot of character, and works well for the size that it is. The fur is subtle, as are the soft lines throughout the sculpt i.e. short, stubby fingers, smooth elbows, the saggy tail, and the funny facial expression.

As with most minis new and vintage, he is jointed at the waist and has his arms in a permanent upwards state. No posing with this little guy, but that's OK I guess.

Overall an above average sculpt that makes up for lack of detail with character and cuteness.


Paint
Nice, subtle paint job on this figure. It is cast in a warm, brown vinyl, and a lighter brown/tan is used on his hands, face, feet, chest, and back. The blends are soft and excellent all around, adding to the soft sculpt. No flaws to speak of, this paint job is obviously carefully done.

The eyes and mouth are painted by brush, and are very well done as well.

There seems to be a tiny bit of overspray on the shoulders perhaps, and some welling around the edges of the eyes, but it can be easily overlooked given how small the details are on the figure.

Good job all around.


Value
Pricey. If you're on the fence about any U.S. Toys figure, the price may be a hindrance. I've not done much exploration in the aftermarket for these, but these minis can cost more than half of what a new Real Head figure costs, and are less than half the size.


Overall
Positives: fun sculpt; cool package; nice paint job

Negatives: small for the price

I cannot give this an general recommendation for everyone due to the price... that really makes it more niche, but if you are a collector of Ultra Q characters or gorillas, you will not br disappointed by this little guy. Just remember he is tiny!