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.

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.

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)

Conflagration

Back in high school, inspired by my love of miniature sets in the monster movies of the day, I constructed a model city of cardboard and miscellaneous scrap material on a roughly 3' x 4' section of drywall. I made all kinds of buildings, tiny cars, telephone poles (out of broom straw), electrical towers (also of broom straw), road signs...all manner of details in tiny scale. I owned a few custom-made monster figures — Godzilla, Rodan, Angilas, and Damiron (a critter from one of my early short stories, titled "Night of the Firebeast") made by my friend Bill Gudmundson, and the city made a great display setting. At one point, I caught a large praying mantis, which I set loose in the miniature streets. It seems like I took some photos at the time, but if I did, they are apparently long gone.

For my age and skill level, the mini metropolis was a reasonably accomplished effort, but it wasn't long before I found it wanting. So I set it on fire. That part was fun, and I decided that, someday, I'd devote time and energy to constructing a new, far superior miniature city.

Well, it didn't happen right away. Almost twenty years later — 1992, to be exact — during an extended hiatus for Deathrealm magazine (a result of being laid off from my job), I found myself with more time than money. So, between job hunting and writing fiction (I also wrote my first novel, Balak, during that period), I set to work constructing a new miniature city. This one was smaller than the original — I built it on a 2.5-foot square of heavy cardboard — but considerably more elaborate. I planned it meticulously, designed fairly complex buildings, many with semi-detailed interiors visible through windows made of acetate sheets. There were tiny cars, trucks, parking meters, traffic lights, even wires strung from the myriad broom straw power poles. I used many of the same type of materials as the original little city — cardboard, bristol board, broom straw, plaster of Paris, faux foliage from hobby shops... any kind of scrap I could turn into miniature city features. I spent most of year on the project. And looking back, it turned out to be a pretty fair piece of work. I displayed it proudly for a long, long time — often with one or more daikaiju figures towering over its streets and buildings.

Over the years, though, the delicate structures began to deteriorate. Roofs occasionally collapsed, walls came apart, signs fell... and layers of dust accumulated two cars deep in places. It truly looked like the setting of some low-budget post-apocalyptic film.

And now, with Brugger moving in, space at a premium, and massive remodeling happening at Casa de Rodan, it just seemed like the old city had gone too far past its prime. So, last night, after a long bout with making room for new flooring throughout the house, Brugger and I took the old thing out back and set the match to it.

I have to admit it was kind of tough letting go, considering how much time, effort, and creativity I had put into it, but at least there are pics. And the conflagration is documented on video. Here it is in all its fiery splendor.