ULTRAMAN Z — ORIGINAL

S.H. FIGUARTS (BANDAI)

Fun FiQ Fact #0033: There’s a Tamashi Nations Store in New York where you can buy all sorts of Bandai things that are usually exclusively available overseas, which, in case your wondering, includes Ultraman stuff.  You know, if that’s your sort of thing.

My first introduction to pretty much anything import-related is almost always going to be Ultraman.  Since its primary focus is in Japan, as a kid my only options for the toys were what few items got imported in comic shops and the like.  Years later, it was Ultraman that got me into Bandai’s slightly higher end line with Ultra-Act.  When Ultra-Act was folded into S.H. Figuarts, I stepped back, since I wasn’t jumping up and down to re-buy everyone in a slightly different scale.  I’ve picked up a few of the anime/manga-based figures, but no live action releases…that is, until now!  Let’s look at Ultraman Z!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Ultraman Z Original is part of Bandai’s S.H. Figuarts line, and he is a Tamashii Nations Store exclusive.  He’s a re-issue of the 2021 release of the character, with a stripped down selection of accessories at a lower price point. The figure stands just over 5 1/2 inches tall and he has 40 points of articulation.  Z has a decent selection of different looks over the course of his appearances, as he gains different fusions and power-ups, but this figure is, as you might expect from his name, his original, unmodified appearance.  It’s a pretty fun design, which borrows elements from prior Ultras, but leaves them in such a way that they still feel unique when placed together.  I particularly like the merging of an Ultraseven style fin with the more classic Hayata style face.  Z’s sculpt is a pretty impressive one, up to the usual standards of the usual Figuarts fare.  Compared to some of the other Ultras I’ve handled, his articulation feels a little less fiddly, and a little better on the range of motion.  The construction on this guy feels pretty solid, and his sculpt is nice and clean.  He’s a pretty spot-on match for the suit design from the show, which is certainly nice.  Z is unique amongst most Ultraman in that his predominant accent color is blue, rather than red.  I’m honestly always a fan of this change-up, and the end result reminds me a bit of Dyna’s Miracle Type design, which has always been a personal favorite.  The paint work here is solid.  It’s got a pretty clean application for the most part, but there’s some minor bleed over on some of the change-overs on the color work.  Z is packed with four sets of hands (in fists, flat, flying, and open gesture) and two different versions of his color timer.

THE ME REMAINDER OF THE EQUATION

In December, I took a trip to New York with the family, which of course largely saw me focus on getting things for everybody else as we visited all of the stores.  On our last day there, I spotted the Tamashii Nations Store, which I had actually forgotten had even been set-up there, and my wife encouraged me to stop in, since I’d not done much for me.  They had a nice selection of the exclusives, including a Kamen Rider that Max wanted me to pick up for him.  Since I was already stopping to buy something, I figured I might as well get something for me, and decided to snag this guy, because it’s been a bit since I bought myself an Ultraman.  He’s very fun, and now I feel the need to buy more, which seems to always happen when I buy myself an Ultraman.