Release date: Sunday 3rd November 2024
Santa Cruz does the best collaborations. Last year we had the ludicrous Pokemon release, where the boards sold so fast our software couldn’t keep up, resulting in 80 oversold boards and so sad Pokemon fans. The customer service was gnarly on that one!
Santa Cruz x Thrasher was absolutely amazing with screaming hand x thrasher logos and a Corey O Brien Reaper tee that has to be my favourite Thrasher tee to date. Not to mention the Garbage Pail kid’s blind bags over various drops.
This latest collab though has had the most hype, over the longest time, Santa Cruz x Godzilla!
Santa Cruz released the line-up info to the public online at the same time as taking the pre-orders from the retailers. I’ve never seen this done before but it is clever because retail buyers got a good feel for the interest in the product instead of having to guess. It seemed like a bit of an experiment and it hasn’t been without its wrinkles…more on that later…
Despite the strong impression that recent movie concepts have been brainstormed by drunk 10-year-olds, Godzilla is one gigantic iconic beast.
Within skateboarding, Santa Cruz could also be considered an iconic old beast, so bringing these two together is something I’ve been looking forward to. Especially considering the takes on the Panther and Kitten Natas as well as Corey O Brien and Rob Roskopp graphics. I imagine a Godzilla x Jesse Neptune would have been absolutely amazing….silly Jason.
Without blathering on too much about Godzilla movies, of which I am a huge fan, I’d say Godzilla is depicted on these collab boards more like the Japanese versions like in the recent Godzilla Minus 1 movie as opposed to the giant lizard running about fighting King Kong or fighting alongside Kong, or whatever madness writers think we will accept as entertainment these days.
If you’ve read my previous blog posts you’ll know the Natas Kitten was my first board, so combining Godzilla with the Kitten deck is right up my street. The graphics are well thought out and have all the right cues from the original Jim Philips graphic art, but reference all sorts of Godzilla lore like the crackling radiation lighting, the baby Godzilla in place of the Kitten, the subterranean crystals, Japanese font in the Natas style and the wind up mini Godzilla in place of the mouse are all amazing juxtapositions.
So, for nostalgic reasons, the Kitten is my clear favourite but the rest are all equally ingenious and since not everyone is so connected to the Natas kitten, could also be candidates to become other people’s favourites!
Roskopp gets the Godzilla Kaiju board treatment, on his original old school shape, featuring all kinds of mythological beasts like Mothra, the 3 headed hydra and all sorts of titans.
The ghoulish O’Brien Reaper gets replaced by an awesome graphic of Godzilla destroying a city, breathing his radiation-fueled mouth-blasty thing horizontally across the board. The mainly black and silver board, with a green Godzilla and burning red radiation looks really stylish for hanging on one’s wall, which in all honesty is where most of these will end up. It is available in popsicle and original fish tail shapes though so this can be used as an everyday rider should you run out of options and need to take this beauty off the wall.
The Godzilla Shin Knox firepit has to be my next favourite board after the kitten. Only coming in an 8.5-inch popsicle shape, this crossover graphic works so well, with the goblin/wizard-like guy replaced by a frankly regal-looking Godzilla, looming over a blazing city. Godzilla looks more evil than cute or goofy in this version and it is so cool how the artists have covered so many different versions of the King of the Monsters!
Looking for more info on what has to be the biggest Santa Cruz release since the bonkers Pokemon one last year, I’ve been surprised I can’t find the names of the artists who have reworked Jim Phillip’s original graphics. They definitely deserve a ton of recognition!
The final OG (not OG) graphic (on decks and apparel) to mention is the one that will doubtless be the most sought after – the Natas Panther 2, where our familiar feline friend is replaced by the mighty Godzilla himself.
I have no doubt this is a rad graphic, but I don’t get why this is the Panther graphic that was used. The Panther 2 is like a paired-back Forbes Panther 3 graphic and doesn’t feel as well-rounded graphicly as the 3. That said, this Godzilla version looks amazing, with Godzilla coming through the famous Natas triangle and Mothra looming above. It’s a beauty, it’s just weird it’s not based on the Natas graphic that was released back in the 80s.
I know I’m repeating myself but I am baffled.
Maybe Santa Cruz is treating the Forbes Panther as sparingly as possible, as its most sought-after model (especially since the Jason Jessee debacle resulted in the Sun God and Neptune graphics getting retired indefinitely). Does anyone know the reason? Message us @wearsupereight on Instagram. Please!
The Godzilla mechanical hand is on decks and tees – a naughty counterfeiter has been selling the tee in every colour imaginable since the summer, perhaps it was a mistake for Santa Cruz to hype this stuff so early as the graphics have been widely available since around February ’24. Anyway, I’ve ordered one to compare with the real thing in November and will let you know if its any good. Haha!
Regardless, as far as Screaming Hand graphics go, this one is a belter!
Finally, we have the Godzilla Destroyer graphic on a crazy-shaped 11-inch deck as well as Hoods and tees. This is a cartoony, bright-coloured take on Godzilla and it fits right into Santa Cruz’s aesthetic. Rad. You are going to need some super wide 10-inch Slappy trucks if you are going to ride that board though!
This product is going to be available from November 3rd onwards. Santa Cruz has insisted on no pre-orders allowed so if you want anything from this line, I’d suggest setting your alarm to 00:01 on November 3rd!
We will limit this product to one of each design for each customer so everyone gets a chance to get what they want. Scalpers can get lost…
Because most of these will be wall hangers, they will also be carefully wrapped and photographed in packaging before they leave the Supereight warehouse to ensure they arrive with you in the best possible condition.