Kaiju possess a mysterious charm. Even though they are supposed to be terrifying, you cannot take your eyes off them; they are massive and destructive, yet somehow look mystical. And among them, I think the name King Ghidorah holds a special resonance. The overwhelming presence when it first appeared on screen was not just a matter of a large kaiju showing up. Appearing from the sky, its three heads moving independently, and its golden body looking down upon cities and mountains. In that figure, there was an intensity closer to a natural disaster or a legendary mythical creature rather than a kaiju. The “ARTPLA SCULPTURE WORKS King Ghidorah Re:Imagination” arriving this time is not a product that simply scaled down and replicated that King Ghidorah, but is a piece that pursues “how it would look if it really existed.”

King Ghidorah is a space kaiju with three heads. Looking only at the text, it is quite a bold setting, but what is interesting is that this plastic kit does not end with simply tracing its appearance from the movie. Mr. Shinobu Matsumura, who sculpted the prototype, is a well-known presence in the world of natural history and biological sculpting, and that sensibility is strongly expressed in this work as well. For example, the three heads each possess different expressions. Instead of lining up three of the exact same face, it is structured so that you feel individuality in each one. Looking closely, one head looks a bit ferocious, another head carries a strong sense of intimidation, and so on, even giving an impression as if each has a role. A sensation arises as if three wills are moving a single body.

Normally, the surface of a kaiju might be a topic that ends with “it is finely crafted.” However, this kit is a bit different. The size of the scales is varied for each part. While it is a part you might not notice unless told, the impression changes considerably when you actually look at it. Because the required functions differ among the neck part, the torso, the wings, and the limbs, the structure of the skin cannot possibly be the same if considered as a living creature. By translating that idea into a kaiju, a persuasiveness that does not let you feel “this is a fictional existence” is born. The interesting part is that, before you know it, it begins to look less like “King Ghidorah is a non-existent kaiju” and more like “a creature that wouldn't be strange to find in some distant space.”

The charm of this product does not end with the King Ghidorah body alone. It reconstructs the scenery of the mountainous area where it clashed with Godzilla, Mothra, and Rodan in “Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster” released in 1964, and is furthermore structured to incorporate the image of the promotional poster. In other words, it is not just that the kaiju exists, but the “stage of the battle” itself is created. Especially the bridge and the shrine grounds placed in the foreground are highly effective. If you place the kaiju alone as a single unit, you can only imagine the size, but by having tiny structures included, the sensation alters all at once. It changes from a feeling of “large” to a feeling of “too gigantic.”

The charm of a plastic model is not just the completed product. There is value in the very time spent assembling it. Because this kit prioritizes detail and finely divides the scales into separate parts, it has an extremely complex structure. However, since the design is engineered so that each piece precisely locks together, you are bound to be amazed every time it draws closer to completion. The time spent building it up while thinking, “How does this connect here?” carries a sensation just like crafting the skeleton of a gigantic creature. And each time its figure gradually appears, you might even be able to taste a mysterious sensation that “right now, I am giving birth to King Ghidorah.”

When imagining the completed figure, I think the sensation will probably no longer be like placing a normal figure on a shelf. This is because what is there is not a mere three-dimensional object, but the space kaiju itself that has descended from the sky. Rather than a kit for building a kaiju, it might be closer to say that “ARTPLA SCULPTURE WORKS King Ghidorah Re:Imagination” is a work for drawing a single scene of a kaiju movie out into reality. Every time you gaze at it, there is a new discovery, making you feel over and over, “They crafted it down to this extent.” I think it has become a single figure possessed of such density.