Background
In only a few short years, Mark Nagata has taken his toy company – Max Toy Co. – from a somewhat small one man venture to one of the premier kaiju toy companies. They’ve worked with some of the top artists, designers and painters from around the world.
One of Max Toy Co.’s newer figure designs – Drazoran – has ended up being a joint effort between Mark Nagata (designer), Dream Rockets’ Yajima-san (sculptor) and Goto-San (painter). We’ll be taking a loof at the Kaiju Drazoran - Black Vinyl that was released for this past year’s Superfest.
The Facts
Kaiju Drazoran - Black
Manufacturer: Max Toy Co
Artist: Mark Nagata (paint by Goto-san)
Material: Rotocast vinyl (Japanese)
Height: 10.5”
Points of Articulation: 6 (neck, arms, legs and tail)
Packaging
This figure is packaged in traditional Kaiju style. It comes bagged with a header card featuring artwork by Mark Nagata. The backing card features Mark’s thoughts on working with master Kaiju painter Goto-san (including photos of the man in action).
Our Opinion
Japanese vinyl is all it’s cracked up to be. I can look around my office and point out every rotocast vinyl piece that was made in Japan. They are cleaner and a little squishier than their Chinese counterparts. But you’ll usually pay a slight premium, which deters a lot of companies from using the Japanese factories.
Max Toy Co.’s Drazoran is a perfect example of Japanese vinyl kaiju figures. The character has that dinosaur/Godzilla look to it. The metallic silver and gold paints are applied in just the right amount – not so much that it overshadows the actual vinyl.
The only areas you might be able to point out as having paint issues are the eyes and teeth. But you have to remember that these were all hand-painted by Goto-san, who has over 50 years in the kaiju painting game. So he’s a veteran. And I actually love the hand-painted looks of the eyes and teeth.
There are several other Drazoran variants available from Max Toy Co. In total, six figures are listed in their online shop, with three being sold out and two having only one piece left.
You can pick one up at the following:
Max Toy Co.: $65.00
Kaiju Drazoran - Black Grades:
Figure Quality: 9/10
Sculpt: 9/10
Paint: 9/10
Accessories/Outfit: N/A
Packaging: 7/10
Durability: 10/10
Fun Factor: 8/10
Value: 9/10
Overall: 9.3/10
