Release Date: September 2024
RRP: 4400 yen
The latest instalment in the Ultraman franchise is well underway (and available both subtitled and English dubbed on YouTube if you haven't checked it out already), and of course Bandai Tamashii Nations have kicked off a new range of S.H. Figuarts releases to cover the series. After briefly skipping over it with Ultraman Blazar, S.H. Figuarts Ultraman Arc returns to the "entry level" pricing Tamashii have adopted on many of their various franchise releases now - offering the main character of a specific series at a slightly lower price. Usually that also means that the figure itself has a little less to offer than your average release too, but does that hold true for Arc and his power of imagination?
S.H. Figuarts Ultraman Arc comes in pretty straightforward S.H. Figuarts packaging – adopting the same basic layout as the previous Ultraman releases from the modern era but with a character-appropriate red and black colour scheme. The front of the box features a nice big image of the Ultraman Arc suit alongside a windowed section to see the figure inside, with a bookend-style image of the figure on one side of the box and a variety of further images (showing it off in various poses along with the accessories) on the back. Open the box up and Ultraman Arc and his accessories are neatly laid out on a moulded plastic tray, with some brief instruction on the accessories/parts-swapping printed on one of the inside flaps.
After Blazar toyed around with a unique asymmetrical design, Ultraman Arc takes us back into familiar territory with a far more classically-inspired silhouette. The colour layout also feels like it would fit right particularly alongside the New Generation era, with a striking red and silver scheme topped off by a solid area of black across the torso and shoulders. In terms of design though it's the head that perhaps stands out the most - not just from the bright yellow eyes but also the shape of the head fin, the blue diamond in its centre and the matching lines running across the sides of the head. Much to their usual standard Bandai have done a great job replicating all the key details from the actual suit, along with vibrant red colouring and that same shinier shade of silver that sets the "modern era" Ultraman releases apart from the Showa era ones. Granted it's a simple design so there isn't a whole lot to get wrong here, but that doesn't make it any less pleasing to get a figure that looks exactly as it should.
Ultraman Arc uses the same body template as Blazar, which while similar to the standard Ultraman body did introduce some interesting deviations. Altogether Arc features;
- Hinged ball jointed head
- Ball jointed neck, torso, waist and wrists
- Swivel hinge shoulders and ankles
- Butterfly joint shoulders
- Drop-down ball jointed hips
- Double hinge elbows and knees
- Elbow and thigh swivels
- Single hinge toe sections
Once again we return to the bizarre head assembly of Blazar, which may seem odd at first but makes more and more sense the more you play around with it. Basically the head is attached to a ball joint that's on a small beam, similar to how S.H. Figuarts does articulated shoulder pads. That beam is then pinned onto the neck, allowing the whole assembly to collapse inside of the head for seamless look but also extend out so that Arc can look upward even further. From the wrong angle the end result can look horrible because all that internal engineering is completely on show, but it is particularly effective for flight and rise poses. Other points of note include re-using a drop-down hip assembly, which isn't the line's best hip engineering but doesn't detract from the figure too much in terms of breaking up the sculpt. This is another Ultraman release that sadly lacks a bicep swivel, though the arms have some limited swivel movement just above the elbow – certainly enough to get a good beam pose out the figure anyway. Everything else though is to the usual S.H. Figuarts standard, and as you can see from the pictures included in this review Arc certainly has no trouble pulling off a great range of poses.
Given Arc's status as one of Tamashii Nation's "reasonably priced Figuarts" (i.e. the main character they release slightly cheaper presumably to entice collectors to buy into the range) it would be fair to assume he doesn't come with much in the way of accessories, but in fact Bandai have defied their usual precedent and actually included a weapon! Altogether Arc comes with five additional pairs of hands, an alternate red colour timer piece and the Arc Eye sword. While one could make the same argument as with Blazar that a base Arc figure might be better suited to effect part attacks rather than a melee weapon, at least with the Arc Eye Sword it's weapon that's been around since the first episode and feels more like a part of his identity. I'd love some breakable Giga Barrier effects, but something like that would definitely drive up the price. Maybe Bandai will get around to it one day though – after all it's only now they're going to be releasing some Blazar effects with the Earth Garon Mod Set. The Arc Eye Sword is a really nice piece though, with great sculpt work and painting as well as translucent plastic parts on both the eye pieces and blade. Between another beam part and the opportunity to pose the figure with the sword across the face, I know which I would rather. The hand selection is the usual array of stock Ultraman poses, allowing for flight, beam posing, weapon holding, grappling and the like. Though small, the colour timer thankfully isn't that difficult to switch out either.
But of course this won't be it in terms of accessories for Ultraman Arc, as the main gimmick of the series involves armour parts ala Ultraman X rather than conventional form changes. The Solis and Luna Armours will be available in October and November respectively, and the Galaxy Armour will almost certainly join them once it debuts on the show. Though the armours are a little more reflective on Figuarts' usual pricing than Arc himself, it's nice that these are optional pieces to enhance the base figure rather completely separate ones. That said, Arc is already pretty badass with the sword alone.
But of course this won't be it in terms of accessories for Ultraman Arc, as the main gimmick of the series involves armour parts ala Ultraman X rather than conventional form changes. The Solis and Luna Armours will be available in October and November respectively, and the Galaxy Armour will almost certainly join them once it debuts on the show. Though the armours are a little more reflective on Figuarts' usual pricing than Arc himself, it's nice that these are optional pieces to enhance the base figure rather completely separate ones. That said, Arc is already pretty badass with the sword alone.
S.H. Figuarts Ultraman Arc is just about the perfect example of an "entry level" Figuarts. On paper it doesn't necessarily do anything more than Blazar did, but it does it 2750 yen cheaper. It's a really solid figure with a great sculpt, excellent articulation and most importantly a key accessory that help makes it feel like a (somewhat) "complete" release. The forthcoming armour sets will no doubt enhance it, but truth be told there's enough to enjoy here without any need for them as well (and not just because each armour is almost as expensive as the figure itself). Whether you're new to the Ultraman range or a long-time collector, Ultraman Arc is a bargain not to be missed.
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