Toybox REVIEW: S.H. Figuarts Father of Ultra

Release Date: August 2024

RRP: 8250 yen

The completion of the six main Ultra Brothers was a big milestone for the Ultraman S.H. Figuarts range, but there's still plenty of work for Bandai Tamashii Nations to do. What good are the Ultra Brothers without their leader, the top commander in the Inter Galactic Defence Force? To some he's known as Ultraman Ken, but these days he's better known as Father of Ultra. S.H. Figuarts Father of Ultra has been long overdue, and the fact he's also a retail release shows Bandai know the importance of this character to collectors as well. Despite Father of Ultra becoming a prominent figure in Ultraman franchise and making numerous reappearances over the years, this particular figure is based on his debut appearance in Ultraman Ace. 

Continuing to keep all the Showa era Ultraman releases fairly uniform all these years later, S.H. Figuarts Father of Ultra comes in standard sized packaging sporting that iconic red and (foil) silver Ultraman colour scheme. Being directly based off of his debut appearance in Ultraman Ace, the box sports the series logo and an image of the suit as it appeared in those episodes in addition to the name tag and all the usual brand logos. One side of the box simply continues the window section from the front, while the other features the usual book-end style shot of the figure. Further images of Father of Ultra can then be found on the back of the box, showing the figure off in various poses along with its accessories. Open it up and you'll find everything neatly arranged on the moulded plastic tray, with accessory instructions printed on the inside flaps on each side.

On first glance Father of Ultra might seem very similar to the rest of the Ultra Brothers but on closer inspection you'll see that Bandai have made all the appropriate proportion changes for this release - the most visible of course being the larger chest section but also slightly thicker thighs. Design-wise although he keeps the standard red and silver Ultraman bodysuit template there are also elements to Father of Ultra that also make it seem more like a uniform. Not only is there a belt breaking up the design, but there are also very distinct gloves and boots. The head design is perhaps the best of all though - that standard Ultraman head template enhanced with giant horns and the razorblade-like beard. Conceptually it's quite silly when you break it down, but looks great on the character so you don't really question it. As always Bandai have paid close attention to get the figure looking just as Father of Ultra did in Ultraman Ace, particularly when it comes to the red colouring. The best bit of screen accuracy can be found when you turn the figure around though, with Father of Ultra sporting the same off-centre back fin he did on the show. Now THAT is a level of screen accuracy you have to admire.

Although there's some slight variation in build Father of Ultra sports the same articulation as the Ultra Brothers, which is pretty much the standard template for Ultraman figures in the line. Altogether he features;

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

- Swivel hinge shoulders, hips and ankles

- Butterfly joint shoulders

- Double hinge elbows and knees

- Single hinge toe sections

- Elbow and thigh swivels

As usually tends to be the case with the Ultraman releases (particularly the Showa Ultras) the lack of a bicep swivel is made up for by adding a swivel just above the elbow joint, which while not quite as good seems to have become more effective in some of these later releases (perhaps just because the joint is a little looser). Even with Father of Ultra's puffed-out torso he still retains some great upper body articulation, particularly with the combination of swivel hinge and butterfly joints in the shoulders. It's a great figure for both posturing and action poses, and most importantly able to pull off the "Father Shot" pose without a hitch.

The advantage of being directly based off Father of Ultra's appearance in Ultraman Ace is that there isn't a great deal of options when it comes to accessories, so what the figure does have rather neatly covers off all the essentials from that series. Altogether Father of Ultra includes five additional pairs of hands, an alternate red colour timer, Ultra Array weapon and a Father Shot effect part. The swappable hands consist of the usual Ultraman array of grappling, beam and flight poses but also two pairs of accessory holding hands as well. Despite the colour timer being small thankfully it isn't quite as hard to remove as they are on the Ultra Brothers, which is good because posing Father of Ultra ripping his out to save his adopted son is just as important as posing him low on energy. The Ultra Array is a nice little (if strangely designed) weapon, with two transparent plastic balls on each end of a stick. To attach it to the figure, simply remove on of these balls (both are removable) and slide it into the fist before reattaching. Finally we have the Father Shot, a standard style Ultraman beam effect piece beautifully coloured with yellow and blue clear plastic. The beam comes pre-attached to an additional right hand, however much like I found with Ultraman Gaia's effect part the beam almost immediately fell off the hand. But whereas the pieces coming apart was documented in Gaia's instructions, it wasn't here. While the two pieces could be tabbed back together the hand just couldn't hold the weight of the beam, so in the end I had to glue the two pieces back together. Ultimately not a massive complaint to have, but it's strange to have it twice in the space of two releases after years of no problems whatsoever. Maybe Bandai just have a weaker batch of glue at the moment? Nevertheless it's a nice little set of accessories, and although the Mantle may have become a big part of his look in subsequent Ultraman productions it's understandable why it hasn't been included here. I however have no doubt whatsoever that it will be a separate (almost certainly web exclusive) release somewhere down the line.

The release of an S.H. Figuarts Father of Ultra has been a long time coming and this figure is a fantastic representation of the character, even if it is perhaps a bit lacking compared to the Ultra-Act version from 2013. While this one far outclasses its predecessor in terms of screen-accurate detailing and proportions, the Ultra-Act has considerably more to offer in regards to accessories. Again I don't doubt for a second that the Figuarts version won't get his mantle one day, when exactly that will be is anyone's guess. As for the figure itself though it's another solid release from Bandai that matches the bar set by the Ultra Brothers, however the loose effect part was a bit of a knock against it even if it isn't a widespread issue. Now that Ken has been released it would be a perfect time for Bandai to release that Alien Hipporit they've been sitting on for years, and fingers crossed it isn't long before Mother of Ultra joins them as well.