Toybox REVIEW: S.H. Figuarts MonsArmor Option Parts Set

Release Date: January 2020

RRP: 7150 yen

When you have a gimmick as cool as turning iconic Ultra Series into cyberspace-styled armour, then just one figure is never going to be enough. Bandai Tamashii Nations were kind enough to give collectors a taste of that potential with the S.H. Figuarts Ultraman X & Gomora Armour Set, but if there was any Ultraman figure deserving of an additional accessory pack - it was this one. Accessory packs are a bit less common in the line than they used to be, but just over a year later Bandai came through and the S.H. Figuarts MonsArmor Option Parts Set became a reality. Naturally for something as niche as this Tamashii Web exclusive status was inevitable, as well as a price tag that's only really going to appeal to completionists. But take the plunge, and you'll have the MonsArmors of Eleking, Bemstar and Zetton to add to your Ultraman X arsenal.

The MonsArmor Option Parts Set comes in standard (but slightly thicker than usual) web exclusive Figuarts packaging - lacking that transparent front window but featuring some nice big images of S.H. Figuarts Ultraman X wearing all of the armours. The fact that the figure is slightly faded to make the armours stand out more is a nice little touch. The front even labels which armour is which, just in case you aren't sure. While there isn't much to say about either of the spines, the back features those same images from the front once more - along with an additional image showing off some of the other goodies included in the set. Inside the MonsArmors are spread across two moulded plastic trays - the bulk of the pieces are on the main one, but the shoulder pads and additional hands are kept on a smaller one sitting just underneath.

The first of the three MonsArmors included here is the Eleking Armour, which Ultraman X accesses by scanning the Cyber Eleking card. This armour even sports Cyber Eleking's head as the left shoulder pad, however rather bizarrely the armour alters the design to give Eleking more canine-like ears. The armour's main weapon is its rather simply named Blaster Cannon, which fixes to X's right arm and gives him far enhanced long-range combat. To attach the armour to Figuarts Ultraman X, first remove the shoulder pads, spine piece and Colour Timer from the figure. From there simply follow the same steps you would attaching the Gomora Armour - fix each half of the torso armour to the body and then connect the underarm straps, slot the shoulder pads into place and then fix the cannon into place using the right wrist joint. The inner section of the canon can also pull open to make the connector visible, making it much easier to fix the arm into place without any worry of breakage.

With a giant dog head as a shoulder pad you might expect this armour to not have especially good articulation on one side, but with the way the shoulder pads are built to slightly swing outwards arm articulation remains relatively intact. It's a shame that there aren't any specified effect parts include to give the gun a little more flare, but with the amount Bandai did pack into this release you can hardly blame them. Not to mention with the amount of beams and various other effect parts Bandai have put out across their various lines its not that hard to improvise. The moulding and colours on pieces are all extremely crisp, and the metallic grey and orange go rather nicely with X's own red, silver and grey colour scheme. Beam attacks might be a staple of Ultraman but it's very rare to see them carrying massive arm cannons, which makes the Eleking Armour a particularly exciting piece to add to your collection.

The second MonsArmor is the Bemstar Armor, which is of course accessed by scanning the Cyber Bemstar card. In this form Ultraman X gains chest armour that resembles the great space kaiju's beak, as well as an arm shield that's loosely shaped the same as its body. The shield can be used both defensively and offensively - not only with its claw-like shaped but it can also be thrown like a boomerang at unsuspecting enemies. Here the shield attaches to the left arm, which means attaching the armour is basically the same except you're fixing the weapon to the other wrist joint instead.

The Bemstar MonsArmor features long, clawed shoulder pads which naturally restrict how far you can lift up the arm underneath, but as with the Eleking armour the shoulder movement remains pretty much intact. The purple colouring is a nice departure from the oranges and yellows of the other armours in this set, and the pointed chest armour is a really clever design that ideally captures Bemstar's bird-like design. The shield is quite big so can be a little unwieldy, but looks great in both offensive and defensive poses. 

The third and final MonsArmor included in the set is the Zetton Armour, which is accessed via the Cyber Zetton card. The armour made its debut in episode eight of the series, where Alien Sran Quila implanted malware in it to take control of X and exact his revenge against Ultraman Max. The armour features a number of visual callbacks to the iconic kaiju, and in this form X also gains Zetton's ability of teleportation. The main armaments are the Gauntlet Cannons, which can launch an attack similar to Zetton's known as the Zetton Light Flare as well as create the Zetton Shutter barrier. The Zetton armour attaches in the same fashion as the others, with the chest torso section plugging on to each side and then securing together with the underarm straps. The shoulder pads plug into their respective slots. The Gauntlet Cannons are a little different though, as the inner arm piece is fully removable. X's arms then plug into standard hands (which in turn plug into the Gauntlets), and the inner arm piece is then clipped back on to keep the armaments together.

The Zetton armour is particularly unique amongst the MonsArmors as it's the only one that leaves both of X's hands exposed. However the armour does have X's hands strapped in to the gauntlets, so special hands have been included that not only plug into the gauntlets for extra security but also have said straps moulded onto them. In-packed the gauntlets have a pair of closed fists plugged onto them but Bandai have also included a pair of knifehand-strike hands as well. You can't really do much with either pose-wise since they need to be plugged into the gauntlets, but having the option is always nice and the moulded straps are a great touch of accuracy. However the smaller shoulder pads mean a great deal of movement in the arms, so this is a great set for more dynamic posing. All in all the Zetton MonsArmor is a much balanced arsenal that may not look immediately as striking as the other two, but has all the right touches of the actual kaiju to make it a particularly special set.

The MonsArmors aren't the only things Bandai have packed into this set though. Also included are an additional pair of open grappling hands, an alternate yellow Colour Timer, a Xanadium ray effect part and a stand piece to hold said effect part. Usually these are the kind of thing you'd expect to be included with the figure itself, but since Ultraman X included the Gomora MonsArmor instead it being omitted is much more forgivable. It's great to see it all included here though rather than simply forgotten about, and Bandai really went the extra mile with that Xanadium Beam. The moulding and translucent blue look fantastic, and designated stands to hold these effect parts are long overdue. Throw in that alternate yellow Colour Timer for additional accuracy, and you've got yourself a pretty perfect accessory set.

Ultraman X is undoubtedly one of the best Ultraman S.H. Figuarts Bandai Tamashii Nations have put out, and with the S.H. Figuarts MonsArmor Option Parts Set he just keeps getting better and better. Granted pricey web exclusive accessory sets won't be for everyone, but if you're looking to complete the package or like the look of the armours included here you won't be disappointed. Not only does this set include three perfectly implemented armours that all feel distinct from one another, but on top of that you get all the parts that would have been included with the figure if it didn't have such a cool gimmick. The set's biggest flaw is that you can't display them all with just one figure, but thankfully Tsuburaya were kind enough to make a canon Hybrid Armor so that you can at the very least display pieces of them all. Not too shabby at all.