Review – MJ’s Mammoth Monster

TheGodBeast (website, Twitter) has brought his son MJ’s Mammoth Monster resin toy to life, and I am here to report that the pics do not do the toy justice. And the measurements — about 6.5-inches tall and stretched 9-inches from tip of arm to tip of arm — do little to really make you understand just how . . . well, mammoth this Mammoth Monster really is. I’m gonna do my best to help you guys get a feel for this toy, but as with most works of art you really need to see it up close to appreciate the effort that went into bringing this resin toy to life.

Three Pieces Fused Together

At first glance I thought this was a single-piece resin toy, but take a moment to zoom in on the arms and you’ll see how the tips of each arm connects to the toy at roughly the elbows. Notice those wicked undercuts? I am fairly confident that shows where one piece connects to another; either that, or TGB is a freaking genius when it comes to dealing with molds because I can’t see how this would have been a single-cast chunk of resin without completely destroying the toy on the first pull. The toy has no articulation, which would have been nice, but the design is so much fun and so large that it’s a strong enough shelf piece without needing poseability.

A Shaggy Beast

I’m not sure exactly how TGB and MJ worked together to bring this toy from an idea to a finished piece, but the sculpt does an excellent job of bringing across the hairy-covered nature of the Mammoth Monster. If you enlarge the photos you can see how the hair texture across the surface has depth, as if the pieces were built up and smoothed rather than carved into the body. At least I think it’s noticeable in the pics, but maybe I’m seeing it because I’m also holding the toy in my hands. Well, trust me, the hair texture across the body looks and feels pretty damned good.

Blue to Purple to Red

In this post at TGB’s blog I think I can make out about twelve different Mammoth Monster toys. I’m not sure if twelve or more were made, but that feels about right and that post has a photo that proves that my copy of the toy is the best one. Why is that? Because the minimalist spray patter of blue at the top fading to purple and then fading down to red at the bottom is absolutely the best of the bunch. The only thing that could have made this toy even better would be if the toe nails, eye, and horn had been hit with another color — silver? — but that’s just me getting nitpicky and trying to find an excuse to not just gush all of the toy.

But really, can you blame me? I mean, MJ is a kid and he’s making my attempts at resin toy crafting look amateurish. Don’t believe me? Take a look at the last photo in this review to see my Unidentifiable Monstrous Organisms (last mentioned here) next to the Mammoth Monster. I think the photo proves my point.

Closing Thoughts

Resin toy collecting is an art of its own. A wide variety of styles, sizes, and price points are out there, and just calling something a “resin toy” merely identifies the material used in manufacturing and doesn’t at all describe the look or feel of the toy. And when it comes to the Mammoth Monster, this one belongs firmly in the “kaiju” camp of toys . . . if this were a vinyl toy made in Japan it would easily cost $60 to $75 and about the only difference would be that the arms rotated at the shoulders.

I’m suggesting that vinyl toy and kaiju fans take a close look at this Mammoth Monster and then keep an eye on TGB’s blog for news of any future releases. This beast makes a nice addition to my collection, and I’m betting that I’m not alone in enjoying the look of the monster.

Philip Reed is trying to find the perfect spot in his collection for the Mammoth Monster. It needs a place with enough light that the glossy/shimmery effect of the paint is visible, but not so bring a spot that the light burns out the subtle shadows cast by the hair.