Toybox REVIEW: S.H. Figuarts -Shinkocchou Seihou- Ultraman Gaia [V2]

Release Date: June 2024

RRP: 8800 yen

With Bandai Tamashii Nations having celebrated the 25th anniversaries of Ultraman Tiga and Ultraman Dyna with brand new S.H. Figuarts Shinkocchou Seihou releases, it was fairly obvious where they were going to go next even if the show didn't mark the occasion the same way Trigger and Decker had prior. However that doesn't make S.H. Figuarts -Shinkocchou Seihou- Ultraman Gaia [V2] any less special, particularly when it's the only Ultraman Figuarts release thus far to be accompanied by a rather impressive Effect Parts set. Both come as standard retail releases, with Gaia rounding off the Heisei era TDG trilogy as well as being the fourth Ultra series to join the Shinkocchou Seihou line.

Ultraman Gaia [V2] comes in the suave two-piece box reserved for the Shinkocchou Seihou line, using the standard Ultraman range colour scheme of a black top half/lid and a silver bottom half/tray. The top half of the box sports a very nice bust shot of Gaia that makes great use of shadows alongside the black background, with the sides of the box featuring the character name in silver foil lettering. On the underside you'll find the usual stock images of the figure in various poses, showing off the articulation and accessories. Inside everything is neatly laid out on two moulded plastic trays – one for the figure and one for all the accessories.

As previously stated this figure is Ultraman Gaia's V2 form, gained after receiving Ultraman Agul's light. While some might be surprised that this is the form Bandai chose to start with, following its debut halfway through the show and in the material since it does largely seem to be considered Gaia's 'default' form so it does make some sense. It's definitely the more striking design of the two as well, adding that distinct black line to his chest which really stands out against that gold bordering and Gaia's red/silver colour scheme. As per the "true-bone carving" mantra of the Shinkocchou Seihou line the figure was directly modelled on the proportions of Gaia's suit actor Shunsuke Gondo, and the attention to detail when it comes to that continues to be astounding. Obvious joint cuts aside, it really looks like a miniature Ultraman Gaia in the palm of your hands. Both the sculpting and paint apps on the figure are equally sharp – as well as the aforementioned chest section the additional gold on the head sculpt working particularly well with those white signature Ultraman eyes. Of course being a Shinkocchou Seihou Ultraman release there's also the matter of rubbery parts, which continue to be incorporated into these figures. Gaia features soft parts on both his chest stripe and abdomen section, improving overall articulation but also causing concern about the longevity of these parts. Rest assured though this figure is far more along the lines of Ultraman Dyna than the QC-issue ridden first release of Ultraman Tiga. There certainly hasn't been widespread reports of issues this time around so there's no doubt Bandai are improving in that area, but time will tell how well these parts last.

The benefit of those rubbery parts however is that the articulation on these Ultraman figures really can't be beaten, offering all the advancements the Shinkocchou Seihou line has made over the years. Altogether Ultraman Gaia features;

- Ball jointed head, neck, torso, waist and wrists

- Swivel hinge shoulders, hips and ankles

- Butterfly joint shoulders

- Double hinge elbows and knees (with built-in swivel)

- Single hinge toe sections

- Bicep and thigh swivels

The appearance of bicep swivels tends to be a Seihou exclusive when it comes to the Ultraman range so seeing those is always a pleasant surprise, along with the build in elbow/knee swivels that first debuted with the Kamen Rider OOO Seihou figures back in 2019. While they may not offer the rotation of a full swivel (and should be used carefully as they seem quite fragile), that extra bit of bend you get in the arms makes the perfect beam poses on these figures. The rubbery abdomen section also provides more movement in the upper body, but again caution is recommended with how the material can potentially degrade/warp over time. The ankle joints on this release are particularly good too, offering a huge range of movement to the feet that allow for some fantastic action poses. That all said, one thing I definitely noticed on my copy of Gaia was the joints feel a lot looser than they do on any of the other Ultraman Seihous. It isn't so bad that the figure can't hold a pose (in fact as you can see it does that extremely well), but the head and hips definitely have a looseness to them that could potentially worsen over time.

Even though Gaia was released alongside his own Effect Parts set, there's still a great selection of accessories packaged in with the base figure if you don't want to pay that extra cost. Granted they are usual suspects you find with an Ultraman release though, consisting of six additional pairs of hands, alternate red colour timer and of course a Quantum Stream effect piece. The hand selection is particularly good here and covers all the bases for a good Ultraman release, including flight, knife strike/beam, grappling and various open/posed hands to compliment the default closed fists. Despite being small, the colour timer pieces are easy to switch out and clip into the body securely so there shouldn't be any worry about them suddenly falling out and getting lost. Finally we have the Quantum Stream effect, which on first glance seems to be designed like a typical Ultraman beam effect but actually isn't quite the same. While there is an additional right hand connected to the beam, it can actually be unpegged to make fixing it to the arm easier. Which is brilliant in theory, but not so great in execution. The trouble is the clear plastic peg on the arm is quite small to hold the weight of such a large effect piece, which results in it falling off quite easily. The elbow joint also struggles to hold the weight of the piece at times, and it slipping down makes the beam pop off all the more. It's frustrating to say the least, especially when most Ultraman beam effects in the past have been quite sturdy despite their size. That said, the beam itself looks fantastic – that bright orange a nice change from the usual translucent blues and whites we see in the line.

The evolution of the Ultraman range has been a little more varied than that of Kamen Rider or GARO, but nevertheless S.H. Figuarts -Shinkocchou Seihou- Ultraman Gaia [V2] is a solid figure that lives up to the line's usually high standard. While the use of rubbery parts is still a little concerning in the long run, the execution has come a long way since Tiga and (for now) provides a fantastic range of movement. In fact instead of that, it's actually the looser joints and fiddly effect part that make Gaia fall slightly short of perfection. The completion of the TDG trio is a big step for the line (and they look INCREDIBLE together) and it'll be very exciting to see where Shinkocchou Seihou goes next – whether continuing the Heisei era with Ultraman Agul, moving back to the Showa era or surprising us all with something else.