Packaging: ***
The figures' packaging are large boxes that has an open window so you can see the figures inside. Both boxes has their own different looks and colors on the front, sides and back. They are designed enough to make sure you know that they are from two different movies. The most distinctive is the 2005 Kong box as it is more exotic and tropical in
appearance. By looking at the colors and designs, you can tell that the graphics from two different eras where the original Kong was orangeish with show lights of New York and the newer Kong was a blueish-green with the views of Skull Island. There are no pictures of any the creatures figure wise, just a King Kong movie version picture on each of the boxes. I suppose you could use these for comparisons but there is really not enough in My opinion for a real and true comparison because you need several pictures from different scenes in order to get a full view to compare. There is also no information about the movies or characters at all which would have helped someone who doesn't know the stories or the origins of the characters. It would have also helped someone like Me as well even though I totally know who they are, what the movies' are about and among many other subjects but more information is always helpful plus I want more on My packacking. There really isn't even any art of the animals either, just a still of the 33 Kong and the same picture of 05 Kong that was seen on the Playmates King Kong packaging. The boxes do get the job done since they are attractive and sturdy with a nice plastic tray, however, there are some twisty ties that are holding them prisoner which I think aren't necessary.

Sculpt: ****
Without a doubt this is these sets' biggest feat, the sculpting! First up is 1933 King Kong. This is got to be the most accurate 33 Kong figure that has ever been made, look at him! The McFarlane Kong was great and even though McFarlane's is a tremendously sculpted piece in its own right but there was something not right with him. Look at the comparison pictures with him and the other Kong's and you'll see what I'm talkin' about plus look at the bottom for a special section to see who are in those other pictures! The Mcfarlane version looked mean and great in his own right but he really didn't in the 1933 film and X-Plus's version shows that. His face expression looks a bit silly but docile yet accurate. He has fangs and his tongue can be seen. He's standing up right and not in a realistic ape stance. His hands are in a fist but his right is holding a tree trunk from the iconic scene when he fought the Tyrannosaurus. The arms are long and his legs are short with the four toes and the fifth being at the side and his chest is bare and his nipples are visible as real apes have. He has sculpted fur on most of his body. Now on to the T-rex. This figure is incredible! Though billed as a Tyrannosaurus rex in the 33 film he is actually an Allosaurus. The head is shaped liked the actual creature in the movie and the teeth and tongue look right and can be seen quite well and the mouth is open up enough to get a good visual. The expression chosen is quite good even though he is a beastie. His eyes are excellent as I just love his eyes. His neck looks puppet-like as you can tell this version is completely taken seriously as the attention to detail is astounding! He has three hand claws and not two like the real Tyrant King. Also he has the little feet which makes him look like he is tiptoeing which really is a bit accurate as even the real theropods lift up on their feet. The tail is very long and the entire body has a ton of bumps or whelps all over it. Again like 33 Kong, the stance is accurate from the film but not in real life. Whatever meat eater you prefer this baddie to be he didn't stand upright like a human. Since he is sauroscian he would be leaned over or down much more but again the stance is accurate from the classic film. Now moving on to Megaprimatus kong AKA 05 Kong or Kong 05. There is a big difference from him and 33 Kong. Most notably is the stance and face. He is in a more accurate real life gorilla pose. His face on the other hand is pretty good. He is got a mean rage expression. He has most of the scars on his face and body seen from the film. His body is hairy except his chest, stomach, fingers and toes. In his left hand he is holding a large tree branch. The feet has the real look of ape feet with the big toe at the side. His body shape looks much more gorilla like than the 33 version of Kong with the slender back, long arms, short legs, big belly and conical head. Now the big story here is the Vastatosaurus rex. Even though he is a great sculpted figure he is not an accurate version from the film. I will explain later in the Accuracy section below. So anyway the figure looks great as it has the enormous skull and jaws. The body of the figure is in an accurate stance as the animal is sauroscian or lizard-hipped. The arms are short and has only two finger claws and which there should be three on the hands. Through out the body bumps are seen and you can see the ribs poking through the skin. The legs are long with three large toe claws and one duclaw on each. The tail is very long and pointed in a good position. The figure even has a mid section part. These figures are tremendously sculpted. Be sure to check out the Accuracy section below.

Paint: ****
The paint apps is actually pretty fine. There isn't any big time blotches that I notice. If there is it is extremely tiny so there is very careful painting involved here. Both of the dinosaurs' teeth and eyes are nicely applied and as goes for their claws. They are very remicent of the old Bandai Godzilla vinyls! Both King Kong's eyes are also very real looking especially 05 Kong as his looks bloodshot and though his scars are pinkish they too look good. Now the official stamps on 05 Kong's left foot and V-rex's left groin area are also painted appropriately as you can see the face of Kong and the words The 8th Wonder of the World which is a cool feature. More on that in the special features section. The paint is applied nicely so everything looks great!  

Accessories: *
The theropods doesn't come with anything except bad attitudes, a hunger for humans and an urge to kill Kong to boot! Both Kongs are the only one that include any accessories but they are actually sculpted on and cannot not be removed. They include large tree branches or tree trunks in their hands, one in 33 Kong's right hand and in 05 Kong's left. Though these accessories make perfect sense though they may not be enough. It would have been cool to have included both versions of Ann with both Kongs as well because Kong's gotta have his woman! This is My only little gripe here!

Special Features - ***1/2
Well, since these figures are classic vinyl they possess not action features of any kind however, they feature great sculpting but hey, we know the real special feature is that both versions of Kong has big tree trunks in their hands and this is exclusive to these box sets. The rating is what it is because these big parts of lumber are needed for the iconic scenes they are depicted from. Also the face of Kong and the words "The 8th Wonder of the World" on the 05 figures is nice that was previously seen on the playmates versions. So that is just about it on the special features.

Accuracy - 33 Kong & T-rex **** - 05 Kong ***1/2, V-rex *1/2 
The 33 set is the most accurate of the bunch. They look nearly identical like their movie counter parts with their body structures and expressions. The 05 set is somewhat accurate. M. kong's body is good but he should be a bit bigger than he is when you compare him to the V-rex. Now the big accuracy problem is with the V-rex. The figure looks like an awesome T-rex but it just doesn't do any justice for the evolved specie in the 2005 film. The creature in the film had this huge, snouty skull with crooked teeth that was bigger than an T-rex and a Giganotosaurus!!! Here this head looks slim like a Carchorodontosaurus and the teeth isn't crooked, there're straight and this isn't the only gripe that I have. The hands are incorrect as well. There are only two claws when the V-rex has three in the movie! Two big claws and a tiny thumb. Another is the body, the body of the dinosaur in the film is really bulky and muscular. The figure's body is really slim. The feet are also different, the figure has these T-rex looking feet where the film version had these big wide feet with pad looking toes. The only accuracy that I have noticed is the scales of the body, the long tail and the sauroscian stance. Search Me why they did this. Playmates made an accurate and quite impressive V-rex before and as much as X-Plus is capable of capturing accuracy down to the point of the prop I'm sure they could have made the figure more accurate. Surely there had to of been a good reason for this inaccurate figure?

Quality - ****
Being so detailed these figures are just not great visually but they are also great at durability! Both sets are made very well as there isn't any weak joints and the figures are quite sturdy. This is something that you want from your figures and that you don't get all the time from them!

Fun factor: ***1/2
Seeing these guys in this classic form that are from great films is truly a treat to behold! Finally a 1933 Kong and T-rex that just might be the most accurate ever made that can be seen together in figure form! Displaying them together and matching one of the most awesome scenes of all-time in film history is quite a thing to do! It may not be as fun if you want an entirely accurate 2005 Kong & V-rex set because this just isn't it. Kong looks very good by himself but standing with the V-rex his size is off and the V-rex's inaccurate appearance makes it look like a different version or even from something else entirely, however, if you are not picky and just want to display Kong and a ginormous theropod dinosaur appearing like a T-rex then you will have a big good time because they are quite visually stunning with the sculpting and color! All four figures look great displayed with each other and it becomes a fantastic displayment!    

Value: ***
Like many items of this nature they are only available in Japan and that is where I obtained these superbly detailed fellows. I bought them from Shoji and his web store for $87.98 for both of them. This is a lot of dough for just four figures but actually I got a great deal. A great deal because of three reasons. One, They were on sale for $39.99 a pop! Two, I got free shipping (though I did pay for insurance and a Pay Pal fee) and three, Shoji is really a nice guy. He held these for Me for a while until I could get My money. Now, thirty-nine bucks is really quite cheap for these guys. At some places you'll pay that or more just for one figure! Currently as I write this a seller on Ebay is offering both sets for $250.00 each! That is an insane amount and is ridiculous to pay that price in My opinion. If you find them at the price that I found them even with shipping then keep the score at three stars but if its higher than that for each set like say sixty bucks then the rating drops two stars. If you get them at a higher price or the above Ebay price then give the rating bupkis simply because that's such a huge price for small vinyl figures. Only pay a high price if you really must have them and/or you can pay for them and it won't injure the wallet. Maybe ask Shoji if he has them in stock and ready to ship because he had several sets in stock when I did business with him so he might be able to help you with a great deal like he did for Me!   

Things to Watch Out For -
There is really nothing to watch out for except two minor things, the pesky twisty ties and the hard assembly. The 33 Tyrannosaurus's legs and tail was extremely difficult to put on his body which took Me about an hour to assemble him completely and the V-rex was easier but he wasn't exactly simple either. I had to work very hard to get them assembled with a blow dryer and it took forever as I said before to get them in just right. Talk about a major pain! So that is all but I think that is enough hard work if you ask Me!

Overall: ***1/2
These are some of the best looking King Kong figures that have been made and arguably the 1933 version is the best version ever! With the inaccuracies of the V-rex it is still an incredible theropod dinosaur figure. They are all sculpted greatly and they are sturdy and look great displayed so hey, this is just what you want in your figures that are on your shelf. For big Kong fans these are great to have and the 33 Kong and Tyrant King are really a must!

SCORE RECAP:
Packaging - ***
Sculpt - ****
Paint - ****
Accessories - *
Special Features - ***1/2
Accuracy - 33 Kong & T-rex **** - 05 Kong ***1/2, V-rex *1/2
Quality - ****
Fun Factor - ***1/2
Value - ***
Overall - ***1/2

Where to Buy -
I bought My sets from Shoji in Japan at his web store shop Toyz in Japan. He still currently has them in stock so give him a e-mail and see what he can do for you!

Related Links:
Michael reviewed the great 2005 movie itself here, the awesome Mezco Kong here, and the excellent McFarlane Movie Maniacs 33 Kong here, two Guests reviewed Playmates cool "Gripping" Kong here, and the good Roaring Kong here. Not King Kong but here is the classic X-Plus Ray Harryhausen vinyl figures that I guest reviewed! Also, for more dinosaurs, I guest reviewed the great Dino Museum series 1 and 2 sets here!

Special Note:
Here in this section you can tell what all of the figures I chose to compare these X-Plus King Kong, T-rex and V-rex figures with. All go clockwise. In the 1933 Kong comparison photo McFarlane's Movie Maniacs 1933 King Kong, X-Plus 1933 King Kong, 1980s Imperial King Kong, Fun-Tastic's Kong (except for Kong vs. Dinosaur, no name like King was on the card but I named him Gigantoprimatus kong)!, Kaiyodo's 33 Kong Bottle Cap and Konami's 33 King Kong. In the 2005 Kong comparison 05 X-Plus King Kong, Playmates' Roaring Kong, Fun-Tasic King Kong, Playmates' mini King Kong, Kaiyodo's 2005 King Kong Bottle Cap, Playmates' Kong (Vs. Venatosaurus Edition). In the 1933 T-rex comparison 33 Konami T-Rex, 33 X-Plus T-rex and Fun-Tastic Dinosaur (except for Kong vs. Dinosaur, no name was on the card but I named him Megadontyranno)! In the 2005 V-rex comparison Fun-Tastic's theropod, X-Plus V-rex, Playmates' Roaring Bull V-rex, Kaiyodo's Vastatosaurus rex Bottle Cap, Playmate's mini V-rex and Playmates's Vastatosaurus rex. In the big comparison photo McFarlane's Movie Maniacs 1933 King Kong, Mezco's 2005 King Kong, Playmates' Roaring Kong, Playmates's mini King Kong and Vastatosaurus rex, Kaiyodo's V-rex, 33 Kong and 05 Kong Bottle Caps, X-Plus 05 & 33 King Kong, V-rex and 1933 T-rex, Playmates' Roaring Bull V-rex. Well, that's just about it so, there you go so now you know!!!

About Brandon:
I have been an action figure collector all My life. I currently collect 12" Sideshow figures of Star Wars. Godzilla, Gamera and King Kong stuff as well as comics and movie books. I'm a big fan of Action, Sci-fi, Horror, Monster films and great comedies like from some of the greats the Three Stooges and John Candy. I love Movie Scores & Soundtracks, Classical Music, Rock and Heavy Metal like My all-time favorites Metallica, Oldies and classic 90's R&B. Baseball, Boxing, classic Wrestling, classic and Modern Video Games, Dinosaurs, Prehistoric and Modern day Animals, Cryptozoology, Mythical Creatures and Mythology, Aliens, UFOs, Bermuda Triangle, Space, Planets and the Universe, Strange Phenomena, Ghosts etc. If you have any questions for Me give Me a holler at Capri1981@aol.com.