Release Date: February 2023
RRP: 14850 yen
While Bandai Tamashii Nations might have defied expectation by not announcing a S.H. Figuarts Shinkocchou Seihou Ultraseven, they are however celebrating the 55th anniversary of Ultraseven in a different way. In addition to the metallic coloured variant of the original S.H. Figuarts release, the Soul of Chogokin line got in on the action with a long-awaited re-release of its take on one of the hero's most iconic enemies. The Soul of Chogokin GX-37R King Joe (55th Anniversary Ver.) is a fully transforming version of the alien robot, which first appeared in episodes 14-15 of Ultraseven ("The Ultra Guard Goes West) before continuing on into numerous instalments of the Ultra Series. The original version of this figure was released all the way back in 2007, which was then followed by a "King Joe Black" version (based on the robot's appearance in Ultra Galaxy Mega Monster Battle) in 2008.
Soul of Chogokin GX-37R King Joe (55th Anniversary Ver.) comes in newly designed packaging that's more in line with the line's current aesthetic, swapping out the rather plain design of the original box for some dynamic artwork of the very port King Joe originally found Ultraseven way back in 1967. In front of that is a nice big image of the figure itself, alongside the name of the release, the usual Bandai Namco/Bandai Tamashii Nations logos, the Ultraman franchise logo and the even the special Ultraseven 55th logo. The sides of the box sport two turnaround images of the set, and then on the back you get a look at all the specifics - the robot, the individual Separation Ships and the designated display base. Inside all of the components are all neatly laid out on a two-sided polystyrene tray (nothing but the best for Soul of Chogokin collectors!) - one side featuring all the actual toy components and then the other the parts for the display base. Also included is a rather fancy instruction booklet featuring some details about King Joe (all in Japanese of course) as well as detailed images of how to transform and combine the robot.
One of the key selling points of Soul of Chogokin King Joe is its ability to split into four "Separation Ships" - allowing King Joe to split into a number of fast-moving spaceships which can then recombine in mere seconds. The first of these Separation Ships is made from King Joe's head and arms, the latter of which hang down from the head and clasp together at the hands to form a triangle shape. While it does just have a look of a flying robot head King Joe has such an iconic design that it even works without the rest of the body to back it up.
The second Separation Ship is made from King Joe's upper torso, with a number of antennae and radar dishes protruding from the top and bottom of the craft. Though sturdy enough to be moved around (they do have to to fold inside the ship for the transformation after all), these moveable pieces are definitely among the more fragile parts of the set so it's worth being extra cautious around them. Especially since this entire section of King Joe is made from die-cast metal, so if it were to suddenly take a tumble that would be a lot of weight to fall on them. Being primarily just the upper torso of the robot it might not seem that interesting on first glance, but the dishes and antennae do a good job of making look a little more interesting as well as giving that nice retro sci-fi feel. The two "chest" panels are really vibrant too, made from a reflective material that catches all the colours beautifully in the light.
The third of the Separation Ships is the smallest of the four components, and when combined forms King Joe's lower torso/abdomen. Again, it has two retractible antennae which pull out from the top of the craft to give it a more unique look in this mode. Though easily the least "involved" of the ships (it barely has anything in the way of transformation at all compared to the others), it's certainly the most traditional UFO-shaped of them which gives it its own unique selling point. When you look at the individual components of King Joe STORAGE Custom too, you can see that it's also the one that's had the least change in terms of functionality.
The final Separation Ship is King Joe's leg section, and where most of the transformation takes place. This is another section primarily made from die-cast metal, and not just the legs themselves - even the the little radar dishes (and their accompanying arms) at the bottom are as well! These dishes are hinged so can be posed as you desire, while the four antennae sticking out from the top of the craft are attached to springs to give them a greater degree of flexibility and (hopefully) prevent breakage. Should the worst happen though, a number of spare antennae have been included.
One extra bonus included with the Soul of Chogokin release is the Alien Pedan spaceship - a metallic hexagon with further sections sticking out of its diagonal sides to form an X shape. The ship is primarily the same colour as King Joe itself, but the additional metallic red colouring really makes the whole thing pop. The spaceship is properly scaled to King Joe itself, so in turn scales rather nicely with the Ultraman S.H. Figuarts range as well - particularly since the socket at the bottom is perfectly sized for a Tamashii Stage arm. It's a really nice little extra and I wish more Ultraman releases came with their corresponding spaceships. Bandai have done it a couple of times in the Figuarts line but it certainly isn't the norm.
It wouldn't be a Soul of Chogokin release without their distinct black display bases, and for this reissue it's had a little bit of a revamp. While the original release's name placard marked the 40th anniversary of Ultraseven, this one has a new piece to mark the 55th anniversary. Design wise it's still exactly the same gold foil lettering though, which shines beautifully in the light against that sea of black. The base has holes for four separate arm pieces, each one designed to hold a different Separation Ship/King Joe component. It looks like it's a bit of a squeeze on there, but rest assured each one has plenty of space and isn't clashing with any of the others. There's also a button the base which activates a spring-loaded hatch, revealing an additional area to display the Alien Pedan spaceship.
Transforming the components ready for combination into robot mode is relatively straightforward, but definitely not worth rushing due to the fragility of the various antennae and radar dishes. As mentioned above the legs feature the most complex transformation, with the top halves opening up so that the rest of the legs can be rotated downwards. The fronts of the four cylinders at the top of the legs all open up rotate, so that the previous exposed antennae can be stored inside. After flicking down the two antennae at the top, the lower torso component then simply clips onto the legs. Meanwhile the head/arms component requires opening the "ear" hatches on either side of the head to again rotate the panels (revealing alternate antennae), and the combined hand piece needs to be removed and replaced with the separate articulated ones. The head can then magnetically attach to the upper torso piece (which again requires the various antennae and panels to be folded away), which in turn will then attach to the lower half of the robot. And voila! King Joe is formed! The magnets hold the robot together comfortably but aren't necessarily the strongest, so trying to pick the figure up by the head would just lead to it coming apart.
Once combined King Joe looks absolutely glorious. Slightly larger than the (non-transforming) S.H. Figuarts release from 2017, this version has much less of a "suit" look to it and instead goes for full rigid robotic glory. The details are also considerably sharper than the Figuarts release too, which can be especially seen in the head sculpt. One thing I didn't mention earlier is that the 55th Anniversary Version sports a brand new screen-accurate paint job, reworking the silver entirely and removing the gold/bronze plates from the legs and replacing it with the correct silver/gold colouring. Despite being bigger than the Figuarts version, it still scales with the line reasonably well if you only wanted to have one King Joe in your collection - even the instruction booklet has it squaring off with the 55th Anniversary Ultraseven S.H. Figuarts figure after all.
While transformation and combination are definitely the priorities on this release, it does still have a little bit of articulation thrown in for all the poseability nuts out there. Altogether King Joe features;
- Swivel hinge shoulders
- Ratchet hinge elbows and knees
- Swivel hinge hips
- Hinged fingers
- Elbow, wrist, thumb and waist swivels
- Ball jointed feet
It's not a bad little array of movement, but honestly King Joe as a character wasn't designed for dynamic posing just as much as this transformable toy wasn't. In Ultraseven King Joe is a slow, lumbering character, which is just as well because that's pretty much all this release is going to emulate. Despite some rather satisfying ratchet knees and ball jointed feet, the near non-existent movement in the hips (completely hindered by the crotch plates) makes moving the legs in any way that'll let it hold a pose very difficult. Remember it's not just the limited articulation you're dealing with here, it's also the weight of all that die-cast. The arms however are a little bit more mobile, and even with the limited articulation the shoulders provide (which again is primarily outward) you can get some decent outstretched arm poses that are then further improved by the inclusion of the waist swivel.
Flip the arm used for the first Separation Ship around and it can be plugged into the combined King Joe for display on the stand. The sheer weight of the robot makes it unlikely to fall over on a flat surface but it's good to have the extra support behind it just in case. Even when in combined mode there's still room at the front of the stand to have the Alien Pedan spaceship displayed too, giving you a fantastic looking King Joe display in the way the Soul of Chogokin line does so well. When displaying the set in this mode, the remaining display arms can be stored underneath. Unfortunately there doesn't appear to be any room for the swappable hand pieces, which is a shame because usually this line does really well at making space for all the extra parts in the display base.
Soul of Chogokin GX-37R King Joe (55th Anniversary Ver.) is a fantastic figure and would easily become a centrepiece of any Ultraseven collection, but it does come with a few provisos. In terms of sculpting and finish it would be hard to better (the new paint job looks absolutely superb), but as an older Soul of Chogokin release it has to be the gimmick that sells you more than anything else. If you want poseability, then the S.H. Figuarts release is the much better option). It's also worth noting that when this toy was originally released back in 2007 it retailed for a mere 8580 yen, which just goes to show you how much inflation and price increases have hit this hobby in the last 16 years. That all said both the intricacies and the sheer fun of the transformation speak for themselves, so if you're a King Joe fan then this is definitely something not to miss out on.
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