Kaiju Planet One Year Anniversary Figure RE-Review!

The Kaiju Planet celebrates its ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY!

In celebration, I will be RE-Reviewing one of our favorite figures from the past year. I put several options up for a vote, and the people have spoken. The figure I will be RE-Reviewing today is the Ultra-Act Ultraman (Reissued Ver.).

This figure review will be set up differently than previous reviews, and it will be an example of the format that I intend to follow for future reviews. Enjoy!

I originally got this figure when it was first released last July. The figure is a renewed sculpt of the original Ultra-Act Ultraman action figure. It's an updated sculpt that is mean't to be based on the newer Ultra-Act sculpts at the time and is also compatible with the Ultra-Act Ultra Brothers Mantle. The packaging for this figure is pretty attractive. It seems that all of the figures part of the Ultra Brothers are being released in a Gray, Silver and Red packaging, which is nice and makes them stand out from the rest of the Ultra-Act releases. I give packaging a 5/5. 

For the past couple of months I had this guy boxed away, so it was fun getting him back out and playing with it. It's as if I was opening it for the first time again! The figure stands at six inches tall. The sculpt itself looks absolutely gorgeous and captures the likeness of the character in every way possible. While this indeed the original Ultraman from the first series, the head itself seems to be sculpted based on the more recent interpretations of the character from the recent theatrical films. There are indeed prototypes existing of Ultraman sculpts with head design faithful to the original series. However this design gives the character a more updated, and proportionate look. I have no complaints about this. As far as detailing and sculpt go, this figure receives a 4/5 rating.

Ready... FIGHT!

POW, right in the kisser! 

Watch out, Ultraman!

CHOMP!

Enjoyed the photos? Good! Now onto articulation! This area is where the figure faces its pros and cons. The Ultra-Act Ultraman has a very wide range of articulation and can be posed any way you want. You want him in battle stance? Go right ahead! In a leisure pose? No problem! This figure is capable of it all. So those were the pros in regards to articulation. Now here are the dreaded cons! Despite its wide range of articulation, the joints can get very loose, especially round the legs. The legs themselves are on a double joint, which is supposed to allow dynamic posing. However, these joints do get extremely loose quickly! It's hard to display the figure on its own and you would need to utilize a Tamashii stand (I highly recommend the Tamashii Stage Act 4 Stands). It gets frustrating while trying to balance the figure. So, my final verdict on articulation... 3.5/5. It's good, but not great. 

Now onto a popular topic, accessories! The Ultra-Act Ultraman does come with quite a bit of extra items, besides the alternate pairs of hands. More than its original figure! The first thing is a blast effect that goes around the figure's feet. It seems to be a "blow back" effect, but it could be used for a number of things. 

Keeping in line with its original counterpart, this version of the figure also comes with a remolded version Ultraman's Ultra-Slash effect. 

Of course, no Ultra-Act Ultraman figure is complete without the iconic Specium Ray, Ultraman's typical go-to weapon to finish off his kaiju adversaries! 

Uh oh, Ultraman's running low on energy! The figure also includes its low energy red light, a typical accessory for any Ultra-Act Ultraman action figure. As far as the accessories go, this figure does well in this area and receives a full 5/5 rating. 

Overall, the renewed Ultra-Act Ultraman has a much improved sculpt than its original counterpart, but it is not perfect. There are flaws that are fixed in later releases. However, for what it is, the figure is still good regardless. I still highly suggest propping this figure up by using a Tamashii Stage Act 4 Stand. It really helps overcome balancing issues. My new final rating for this figure is 3.5/5. Like I said, it is not perfect by any means, but it is an attractive figure, it comes with great accessories, and it's definitely a figure than ANY Ultraman fan must have! 

This has been the first RE-Review that I have ever done. And you know what? I like it! I may do more of these in the future. Till then, expect my review for the D-Arts Mewtwo hopefully this weekend! 

SHUWATCH!