"Oh, C'mon...Let's Go Trample Osaka. It'll Be Fun!"

It's another adventure in Kaiju-rama. Not so much a diorama as a straight Photoshop job. It's the SH Monster Arts figures of Angilas and Godzilla in sort of a re-imagining of a scene from Godzilla Raids Again. Fun! Click on the photo for the larger image.

It's in the Trees, and Don't Wanna Die Young

Kind of like the 1962 Godzi I finally acquired recently ("Oh Lawd, He Comin'," Thursday, March 26, 2026), I was finally able to find the SF Revoltech 5" figure of Mogera, from Toho's 1957 SF spectacle, The Mysterians at a decent price. So, I set about creating a new Photoshop scene of the little guy, pictured above. The line "It's in the trees! It's coming!" from Night (Curse) of the Demon is apt, so that's what I call it.

There was a geocaching lunch event at Uptown Charlie's in Browns Summit, NC, today—called "Don't Wanna Die Young," since its theme was extreme caches, which was a topic of some enjoyable conversation. I set out early and grabbed a number of caches I hadn't yet found, mostly around Reidsville. Just a handful of attendees today, but it was great fun.

This afternoon, a visit to Hamlet Kitchen for wine with friend Gretchen, who is recuperating from a knee replacement is on the docket.

Laterz.

"Oh, Lawd, He Comin'!"

I've collected a fair number of daikaiju figures over the years, my favorites mostly being the different Godzilla variations. The 1962 "King Kong vs. Godzilla" variation is one I've sought for quite a while, since any of the approximately 6" figures are hard to find and usually very expensive. However, I recently found a pre-owned NECA 62 Godzi on eBay at a fair price, so here he is. I set up one of my miniature landscape sets, found a free background image on Pixabay that looked nice, Photoshopped it a wee bit, et voila. Achievement unlocked.

Urban Renewal

It's been awhile since I created a daikaiju scene, so I did. I was walking uptown this morning, and when I passed one of our local restaurants and had a clear view of the sky, I thought I might snap a photo that could be used for a background. And there it is.

 

Bandai Godzilla and MechaGodzilla, the 1974 designs, both about six inches tall, Photoshopped. Scary, eh? 

On the Loose

I just received the S.H. MonsterArts Godzilla 2000 figure, and I had no sooner taken him out of the box when he set about trashing my miniature city set. Talk about a miscreant. A friend suggested that I call ICE on him, but I'm not that big an asshole.

Here's a version with a little extra "oompf."

Godzillasaurus

In between writing fiction and online diatribes about the current criminal regime, I put together a little diorama using the newly arrived Godzillasaurus figure (from Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah) and the S.H. Monster Arts Godzilla figure from the same film. I call it "Almost There, Kid—A Little More Vibrato!" The foreground is a composite of three photos of a miniature tree set I constructed a while back, and the background is a photo from Pixabay. Anyhoo, it was a bit of fun for me. Enjoy.

Home Wrecker

Dammit. And I had just cleaned house, too. This is the new Hiya Toys 1991 King Ghidorah figure engaging in his favorite pastime. I guess he knows how to have fun.

GMK—"You Big Bully!"

I created a little diorama this morning, inspired by Godzilla, Mothra, King Ghidorah, and Giant Monsters All-Out Attack (2001), and added a few effects using Photoshop. Here's both the color and black & white versions. I've found myself partial to the B&W versions of most of these, as they convey a more atmospheric scene.

It always struck me as kind of shameful that Baragon is left out of the title, since he's my favorite of the monsters in the film. Here, Godzilla is the NECA 6-inch figure, and Baragon is the 4-inch figure from the smaller-scale Mezco Destroy All Monsters set.

MechaGodzilla 2 Takes a Stroll, Night Fight, and the Very Happy Angilas Family

I picked up an additional set of city miniatures the other day, as well as some miniature trees (all 1:300 scale). So, I decided to put together a couple of more dioramas and photograph them. Some of these have turned out particularly dramatic in black & white, including the one below, which I call "Night Fight." It's the SH MonsterArts 2002 Godzilla (Godzilla Meets MechaGodzilla) and the SH MonsterArts 1972 Gigan figure. I'm particularly keen on how the lit-up buildings turned out.

Also below is the color version of the Angilas family shot; I posted the black & white version the other day.

As with all of these compositions, there are numerous elements, including the miniatures—premade buildings, building kits I put together, and handmade elements such as signs, traffic signals, power poles, etc., and Photoshopped backgrounds. I've needed some diversion lately to keep from going off the rails, and this stuff has been just the ticket. Enjoy.

There's a Kaiju in the City!

SH MonsterArts 2004 Godzilla

There's a kaiju in the city! He's so big, and he's so pretty!"

A couple of new acquisitions: SH MonsterArts figures of the Godzilla: Final Wars Godzi, and the 1972 Angilas (the more technically correct name, which I much prefer; I don't give a flip that the silly suits at Toho decided to spell it "Anguirus"; I'd even go with Angurus, as it was originally referred to in the Americanized Godzilla Raids Again, a.k.a. Gigantis - The Fire Monster). Between writing projects and lots of house/yard maintenance, I've been working on some dioramas to up the fun factor with these guys.

More to come later.

SH MonsterArts 1972 Angilas taking a stroll

Had a nice visit with the Angilas family (Kayodo 1968 resin kit, Bandai 1955 figure, SH MonsterArts 1972 figure). Lots of smiles to go around.

Happy Hedorah Day

1971 Hedorah vs. 2004 Hedorah

It's the Smog Monster's birthday, so here's a double-dose for you in the photo above. Godzilla vs. Hedorah (a.k.a. Godzilla vs. the Smog Monster) came out in Japan on this day in 1971 and was released in the United States in February 1972 (and I saw it at the drive-in theater on its opening night). The photo above is a Photoshop/diorama I put together a while back using a couple of the figures I've collected. I've been on a real daikaiju kick recently, mainly because I'm kind of on a daikaiju kick all the time. I guess I've had the fever a little more than usual due to the release of friends Ed & Steve's Godzilla: The First 70 Years, which I wrote about here just the other day.

I have not been a collector of much of anything for a few decades, but when I did collect things, it was daikaiju- and anime-related goodies, mostly back in the 1980s, during my days of living in Chicago. But two or three years back, for reasons unknown, I got monster figure fever, and so, little by little, I found myself collecting daikaiju again—mostly Toho monsters. Then I decided to create some dioramas, enhanced with Photoshop. Most of the ones I've done are quick, down-and-dirty efforts so that I don't waste valuable writing time playing around. However, I can't say that I haven't enjoyed the hell out of composing some of these beasties.

Therefore, I'm gonna post a bunch of them here, just for shits and giggles. If you like giant critters, then maybe you'll find these enjoyable.

My earliest diorama(s)—Godzilla and Anguirus (or Angilas, as I much prefer), which were Kayodo resin kits I built in 1985; in 1992, I built myself a miniature city out of cardboard, and these are a couple of the photos I took back then.

MechaGodzilla, Anguirus, King Seesar, Godzilla (sort of reproducing a publicity shot from Godzilla vs. MechGodzilla, 1974)

An S.H. MonsterArts figure of Gigan (Godzilla vs. Gigan, 1972)

Godzilla and Angilas (Godzilla Raids Again, 1955)

Baragon, from Frankenstein Conquers the World, 1965), roaming about in my neighborhood!

MechaGodzilla 2, Titanosaurus, and Godzilla (Terror of MechaGodzilla, 1975)

Gorosaurus (from King Kong Escapes, 1968)

Godzilla vs. Hedorah (Godzilla vs. Hedorah, 1971)

Godzilla and MechaGodzilla II slugging it out at Ferrum College! (Godzilla vs. MechaGodzilla, 1993)

Shin Gomess (Shin Ultraman, 2022)

Godzilla meets Megalon for a serious talk (Godzilla vs. Megalon, 1973)

A hell of a thing to wake up to! (Godzilla vs. MechaGodzilla, 2002)

A diorama I created today, using 1:300-scale miniatures and some Photoshopping (Godzilla 2000, 1999)

And another one using the same miniatures as above (Godzilla 2000, 1999)