“Have you become so fond of humans, Ultraman?”
As mentioned in my previous Shin Ultraman article, after reviewing the film, I would be reviewing the toys. And now, after much delay, I am now pleased to be giving you all my thoughts on the Shin Ultraman toys, specifically, the ones I own.
Well, I say we start off with
Shin Ultraman DX Beta Capsule
The Beta Capsule is the device used by Shinji Kaminaga to become Ultraman in the film and while there is the more movie accurate Ultra Replica, which precedes this release, I am happy Bandai chose to release a DX version of it.
Even though it is the cheaper option, it is still quite accurate to the film and, most of all, fun to mess around with. I often find myself repeatedly pressing the button, and while we’re on that subject, when you press the button, the iconic Ultraman transformation sound effect plays and the translucent red part lights up, as seen in the picture below:
All in all, I really like the Beta Capsule and I highly recommend it. Now, moving on to
S.H. Figuarts Shin Ultraman Ultraman (Lipiah) and Zōffy
These are two of my favourite S.H. Figuarts releases and, since they pretty much use the same body mould, I decided to review both at once. The boxes they come in look very nice, and in (as far as I’m aware) a first for this line, the window showcasing the figure, is at the back of the box, with the front being these very nice pictures of the products.
The figures, once removed from the boxes are protected by these two piece plastic trays, which allow you to see what you’re getting. Once out of the boxes, these are two very nice figures, some of the best S.H. Figuarts I own and not just because they’re from my favourite movie.
They’re well sculpted, well painted and very accurate to what we see on screen in the film. If you’re wondering, yes, Zōffy is taller, as he uses a different neck joint system.
The figures come with different pairs of swapable hands, Ultraman coming with three, and Zōffy coming with four, which are the following:
Ultraman:
- Fists x2
- Chopping Hands x2
- Fighting Hands x2
Zōffy:
- Fists x2
- Chopping Hands x2
- Fighting Hands x2
- Wide Hands x2
The figures come with relaxed hands already attached in the box. Swapping out the hands is rather easy and by attaching the other hands, you can recreate various poses, as seen in the picture below, with Ultraman doing the Spacium Ray pose.
The figures use the same body type, so I’m going to run through the articulation together.
- Double jointed elbows and knees
- Ball jointed ankle
- Ball jointed waist and upper-body
- Ball jointed head and neck
- Swivel at the elbow
- Hinges at the hips
- Toe bend
- Hinge at the head
- Ball joint and hinge at the wrist
With this amount of joints, you can get these figures in an array of different poses and, just like in the movie, one of Zōffy’s eyes is asymmetrical.
It’s hard to see at first, but when you look closer, you can see it. Overall, the S.H. Figuarts Shin Ultraman Ultraman (Lipiah) and Zōffy would be amazing additions to any collector’s shelf.
Finally, we move on to
Movie Monster Series Sofubi (Soft Vinyl) Figures
The Movie Monster Series (MMS for short) is a line of vinyl figures based on various kaiju films such as the Godzilla and Gamera series. But, in 2021, Ultraman joined the line via Shin Ultraman and I have a majority of the figures. Since the humanoid figures have the same articulation, as do Neronga and Gabora, lets breeze through it, shall we?
Ultraman, Imitation Ultraman, Zōffy, Mefilas:
- Shoulder Rotation
- Waist Rotation
Zarab:
- Arm Rotation
Neronga and Gabora:
- Arm Rotation
- Leg Rotation
- Frill and Head Rotation (Gabora)
Now that we’ve got articulation out the way, lets look at a gallery of these figures.
Despite being simplistic figures, they have a lot (and I mean a lot) of detail to them, showing whoever the sculptor was put a lot of heart and effort in. Also, just like the Figuarts, Zōffy has his asymmetrical eyes.
Overall, the Shin Ultraman merchandise has been amazing, and with more on the way, Bandai, Tsuburaya and Toho have a real money maker on their hands. With Shin Kamen Rider merchandise on its way too, I must say, the Shin Series and its toys keep knocking it out of the park with every release and I’m excited to see what’s next.
But what do you think? Do you like what you’ve seen in this article? Let us know in the comments below. I’m your resident Shin Series enthusiast, Sean, signing off for now.
