Release Date: November 2022
RRP: 3960 yen
Another new Ultraman series, another wonderfully cheap S.H. Figuarts release from Bandai Tamashii Nations to kick off a whole new range of collecting. 2022 saw the release of Ultraman Decker - a direct sequel to Ultraman Trigger and a series that commemorated the 25th anniversary of Ultraman Dyna. Anyone who watched those episodes via the official YouTube channel would have seen numerous adverts for S.H. Figuarts Ultraman Decker Flash Type - the base form of its titular hero and thus the obvious choice for the first figure in the Decker range.
S.H. Figuarts Ultraman Decker Flash Type comes in standard "New Generation era" packaging, adopting a solid red colouring to go with the black borders and accents. Keen-eyed fans will probably notice a special gold sticker just under the name at the top of the box, which is a little bonus explained further down in the review. Otherwise it's business as usual for the box, with a great image of the Flash Type suit used on the front along with a cool shot of the figure on the side. More shots of the figure in various poses can be found on the back, and then inside Ultraman Decker and his (admittedly few) accessories are neatly stored in their moulded plastic tray. As is the case with many new S.H. Figuarts releases (particularly the ones with minimal accessories), the instructions are now printed on the inside flaps of the box rather than on a separate sheet of paper.
Much like Ultraman Trigger is to Ultraman Tiga, Ultraman Decker is intended as a modern reinterpretation of Ultraman Dyna – something that is evident in their similar designs and colour palette as well as the shared names for their various forms. Flash Type uses a strong combination of red, blue and silver as well as adding sections of gold across his asymmetrical protectors. The protector also runs down his left arm, further adding the rather unique arrangement. However the one design element that really makes Decker stand out is the purple and blue galaxy markings adorning his chest and forehead – something that has been beautifully translated onto this S.H. Figuarts release. There have been figures in the line that have struggled with details in the past but Bandai clearly knew this was something they needed to get right, with both the quality and finish of the printing sublime. The homage to Dyna is very clear in Decker's design but there are a lot of unique qualities here to appreciate to, making it the perfect example of a "New Generation" reimagining.
The articulation on these figures is a tried and tested recipe by this point, with Trigger particularly showing off how good they could be. As such there's been little to change since then, with Decker sporting the same identical articulation;
- Peg joint head
- Ball jointed lower neck, torso, waist, wrists and hips
- Swivel hinge shoulders and ankles
- Butterfly joint shoulders
- Double hinge elbows and knees
- Upper arm, elbow and thigh swivels
- Single hinge toe sections
Once again it's the poseability in the shoulders that really sells the figure here, with those butterfly joints adding a massive amount of forward movement. It's always frustrating when you can't quite get the arms to cross the right amount when trying to nail down an accurate beam pose, but Decker can manage his without much trouble at all. Of course, the double hinged elbows with added swivel also contribute to that as well. You could argue that the shoulder gaps are a bit noticeable (particularly the right one), but for the amount of movement it gives the butterfly joints it is definitely worth it. The hips are also great on this release too, with a slight drop-down element to them that gives them a much better range of motion without breaking up the sculpt too much.
Unfortunately the one area Decker is let down in is the same one all titular Ultraman and Kamen Rider figures are these days – the accessory count. Altogether he only comes with four additional pairs of hands and a replacement red colour timer, which by now we all know is because any further accessories will be released alongside future Ultraman Decker Figuarts. We've already had confirmation of this with the fact the forthcoming Terraphaser will include the Ultra Dual Sword. It's good in that it makes these particular figures extremely affordable by S.H. Figuarts standards, but bad in that it limits what you can do with just the base figure. The hand selection is nice (including grappling, knife-strike and beam pose pairs), as is the replacement colour timer – but these are staples of ANY Ultraman release. There's nothing in here that makes these base figures feel unique anymore, and that's a shame.
If you're a new tokusatsu fan/collector and are looking for a place to affordably start a collection, you really can't go wrong with S.H. Figuarts Ultraman Decker. This is another brilliant release from Bandai that builds upon all the good things they did with Ultraman Trigger and elevates them that little bit more. That said, the one downside is still that you're technically not getting the full S.H. Figuarts experience due to the lack of accessories so for existing collectors it's (good) business as usual. If you're an Ultraman Decker fan you probably won't find picking up a few other figures to go with him, but the point is that you still shouldn't have to.
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