Toybox REVIEW: S.H. Figuarts -Shinkocchou Seihou- Ultraman

Release Date: July 2022

RRP: 7700 yen

The 50th anniversary of Ultraman was a pretty significant time as far as toys were concerned, as Bandai Tamashii Nations finally said goodbye to the old Ultra-Act line and integrated the franchise into S.H. Figuarts. To commemorate the occasion, Bandai released a lavish 50th anniversary set which included a number of unique accessories as well as an exclusive Option-Act Building Set. Five years and multiple variants and re-releases later, the franchise is celebrating his 55th anniversary and it's time for Ultraman to level up once again. This time, the original giant of light joins Bandai's premium Figuarts range with the release of S.H. Figuarts -Shinkocchou Seihou- Ultraman – the second Ultra to have this honour after Ultraman Tiga. But with Tiga turning out a somewhat troubled release, would this Ultraman show off the same high quality the Kamen Rider releases have been enjoying for years?

S.H. Figuarts -Shinkoccou Seihou- Ultraman come packaged in the same two-piece box seen across this range, however much like Tiga it features a series-unique colour combination of a black top piece and foil silver bottom half. The lid features a big profile image of the figure adorning it, with "Ultraman" written in silver foil lettering across each side. The bottom/underside of the box then features further images of the figure in a variety of poses, showing off its improved articulation and range of accessories. Open it up and the contents are spread across two moulded plastic trays – a deeper tray housing the figure itself and then a shallower one underneath containing all of the accessories.

The figure is a brand new sculpt built from the ground up using the Shinkocchou Seihou "bone-carving" method, giving it more realistic and human-like proportions. The sculpt features a number of different joint cuts which detract from the one-piece look of the actual suit, but in terms of this being a dynamic action figure don't really detract from the overall look. One of the biggest questions upon the announcement of this figure was whether it would be using soft/rubbery pieces like Tiga did, and the short answer is yes it does – the torso, waist and crotch sections are all made from rubbery plastic that has been placed on top of a plastic skeleton. However this is only really noticeable when you press down on any of these sections, and in fact the upper torso section is still relatively hard in comparison to Tiga's. Of course time will tell how well these parts hold up over time, but as it stands currently Ultraman doesn't seem to have any of the QC issues that plagued Tiga. No reports of paint smudging or bleeding, no reports of the rubbery parts quickly degrading – it seems here they worked exactly as they were supposed to.

Whereas the standard S.H. Figuarts Ultraman was based on a specific suit from the original series (namely the "Type C" suit), the Shinkocchou Seihou seems to take a more generic approach the hero with a high-quality look that matches modern versions of the suit as well. The Shinkocchou Seihou is both taller and bulkier, using a far more vibrant metallic silver as well as a slightly darker shade of red. The new sculpt portrays the idea of it being a suit far better, with creases visible on both the body and shoulders. With the head being slightly bigger thanks to the scale change the features feel much better defined, with the eyes also much larger and at a slightly different angle. Of course the most significant change of all is the articulation, which can be seen immediately when comparing the two.

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