MechaGodzilla of “Godzilla’s form”

「ゴジラのフォルムありき」のメカゴジラ(『ゴジラ対メカゴジラ』)

MechaGodzilla of “Godzilla’s form” (“Godzilla vs. MechaGodzilla”)

メカゴジラの初期デザインは完成デザインよりもやや丸みを帯びたもので、関節の処理などは西洋甲冑を思わせる。メカゴジラはゴジラの外皮をまとった姿で登場する設定であったため、フォルム自体はゴジラから大きく逸脱できなかったというが、このデザインをさらに推敲し、全身が武器をというギミックを付加した結果、ゴジラの好敵手にふさわしいデザインが完成した。また、ゴジラに比してメカゴジラの尻尾は短くデザインされているが、これは飛行する際に尾翼の機能を発揮させる意図であると共に、長い尻尾だと着ぐるみにシワが生じてしまうことでロボットの硬質感が損なわれてしまうという造形上の問題を考慮した結果である。

MechaGodzilla’s initial design was slightly rounder than the final design, and the joints were reminiscent of Western armor. Since MechaGodzilla was set to appear wearing Godzilla’s outer skin, it is said that the form itself could not deviate greatly from Godzilla, but as a result of further elaborating this design and adding the gimmick that the whole body is a weapon, it became more like Godzilla. A design suitable for a worthy opponent has been completed. Also, compared to Godzilla, MechaGodzilla’s tail is designed to be shorter, but this is intended to make the tail function more useful during flight, and a long tail would cause wrinkles on the costume, making it difficult for the robot to use. This is the result of taking into account the modeling problem of loss of hardness.

怪獣王ゴジラと合わせ鏡のように対峙するメカゴジラ。無機質なロボットでありながら強烈な個性を発揮して生命を得たメカゴジラは、登場と同時に並みいる古参の東宝怪獣たちを押しのけて、人気キャラクターとして絶大な人気を得た。オプチカル合成を多用した、めくるめく極彩色の光線攻撃も大きな魅力のひとつだった。

MechaGodzilla faces Godzilla, the king of monsters, like a mirror. Although MechaGodzilla is an inorganic robot, it has a strong personality and has come to life. As soon as it was introduced, it surpassed the older Toho monsters and gained tremendous popularity as a popular character. One of its major appeals was its dazzling, richly colored beam attack that made extensive use of optical synthesis.

日本特撮技術講義[一]怪獣・メカのデザインと造形―第一講

Lecture on Japanese special effects technology [1] Design and modeling of monsters and mechanisms – Lecture 1

Source: Techniques of Japanese Tokusatsu Films, p 61