Toybox REVIEW: S.H. Figuarts Mecha Gigantron [Ultraman: Rising]

Release Date: March 2025

RRP: 22,000 yen

An Ultraman S.H. Figuarts range just doesn't feel complete without a monster or two, and for the most part Bandai Tamashii Nations are quick to deliver. So much so that even Ultraman: Rising has been able to get in on the action, with the third release from last year's film being the biggest yet - S.H. Figuarts Mecha Gigantron [Ultraman: Rising]! After Gigantron is captured by the Kaiju Defence Force, the KDF enslave the monster in mechanical armour - using her to battle Ultraman and reclaim her child. It is only with the combined strength of Ultraman, Emi and Ultradad that they are able to bring the monster back to her senses and fight back against the KDF. A figure that very much lives up the monster's name, Mecha Gigantron is a Tamashii web exclusive release.

The most important thing you should know about S.H. Figuarts Mecha Gigantron before even ordering is that this is a BIG figure. And unsurprisingly, a big figure comes in an even bigger box. Going so far to even dwarf some of the previous kaiju releases (and in turn not even properly fit in my lightbox), Mecha Gigantron is definitely up there as one of the biggest Ultraman releases so far. A windowless box like most other Tamashii web exclusive releases, the striking red and black colour scheme neatly lines up with the previous Ultraman: Rising releases. While the front of the box features a nice big image of Mecha Gigantron’s CGI model, on the back you’ll find a number of images showing the actual figure off in all its glory. Given the monster’s impressive wingspan you might think that it’s actually the wings taking up most of the room in the box, but in fact they aren’t just detached in package – they’re folded down as well. Everything is neatly stored on a moulded plastic tray, and even though there’s plenty of room for instructions to be printed on one of the inside box flaps Bandai have kept things traditional and printed them on a separate sheet of paper.

"Familiar but different" is a way I would describe S.H. Figuarts Mecha Gigantron to anyone who has previously handled any alien or kaiju figures from the Ultraman range. Whereas the shape of this bipedal monster is all to familiar, the feel of the figure itself is quite different to similar characters due to this particular creature not originating from live-action. Instead of a textured body that faithfully replicates the materials used to make the actual suit, Mecha Gigantron is a smooth and shiny beast that looks just like a CGI model. At around 17" head to tail and then 22" wingtip to wingtip, this is one big kaiju - so big that it struggled to fit in my lightbox with the wings fully outstretched. Naturally that size has a fair bit of weight to it as well (particularly in the torso area), despite being an all-plastic figure. The accuracy to the CG model is simply spectacular, with the joint cuts feeling like part of the design in a lot of places rather than taking away from the sculpt itself. Though the body almost entirely metallic grey, it's also covered in some fairly impressive paint apps - the spines, tail and wings all covered in yellow circuit-like detailing which further emphasise the "mecha" part of the name. Last but not least she's a pretty spiky girl too - the instructions warn of this, but I can also attest that an inadvertent stab from one of those fingers is enough to draw blood. The size alone makes it hard not to be impressed with this release, but the quality alone just shows how far the S.H. Figuarts Ultraman team has come in the last few years.

As tends to be the case across all of Tamashii Nation's toy lines that deal with kaiju (so mainly Figuarts and MonsterArts), Mecha Gigantron has a body constructed using mainly standard ball joints or ball hinge joints, offering a wide range of articulation without comprising the sculpt too much. The figure sports 

- Hinged jaw

- Ball jointed head, waist, shoulders, wrists and hips

- Three-piece segmented ball jointed neck and six-piece segmented ball jointed tail

- Ball hinge elbows and knees

- Individually articulated fingers, ball jointed at the hand connection and then hinged knuckles and joints

- Swivel hinge feet

- Wings sporting two hinge joints and two rotatable sections

While admittedly a lot of this is par for the course when it comes to kaiju Figuarts, there's just something about Mecha Gigantron that makes it feel especially well executed. It could be down to the smooth design offering a much smoother flow of articulation, but whatever it is Bandai have really brought their A-game here. That segmented tail has a particularly good range of motion, and although the sheer size of it means it might not be able to curl around that far to the front of the figure it works perfectly as a counterweight when getting Mecha Gigantron into either a tall-standing posture or crouched over ready to attack. The arms are another highlight of this release, with individually articulated fingers coming as quite the surprise. The hinged jaw might be a simple touch, but it opening up to reveal that pointed metal tongue makes it all the more effective. You can get a lot of great poses out of Mecha Gigantron, but the first challenge is managing those sizeable wings. Not only is stretching them out just enough not to topple the figure key to getting the perfect pose, but also using those two hinges on them to position them perfectly. While they will inevitably pop out of the back of the figure every now and again whilst you're getting used to them, a little frustration is far more preferable to them breaking. Mecha Gigantron is a really fun figure to pose without too much stress of anything being too fragile, but just make sure you have a lot of space to do it in!

Meanwhile accessories are something that can be a bit hit or miss with kaiju figures - either you get a really good assortment or nothing at all. Luckily for the most part Ultraman kaiju usually tend to come with at least something, and in Mecha Gigantron's case it's a great selection despite them all being relatively small parts. Included here are alternate face and right shoulder parts, an alternate chest missile launcher chest compartment and finally a "Mechaluminescent Blast" effect part with stand. Beam parts may be standard issue with most Ultraman, but this particular one immediately stands out thanks to its rather unique design. Moulded in clear green plastic, it's a long thin beam which has a spiral of energy moulded around it to give it a more dynamic shape. Attaching it to Mecha Gigantron first involves removing the monster's tongue from inside the lower jaw, and from there the beam can be pegged into place. The stand part then plugs into the beam so that the pose remains stable. The alternate chest piece reveals a number of moulded missile pods, though sadly without any missile pieces to pose launching out of it ala Windom. Nevertheless it's a nice little extra that shows off some of the extra armaments Mecha Gigantron has. If you're wanting something a little bit more organic though look no further than the alternate face and shoulder parts, which have the kaiju's armour broken away to reveal Emi's mother trapped inside. The shoulder piece simply reveals a patch of pink flesh, but the face part has Gigantron's real eye underneath. Given the significance of this reveal in the movie and how it plays into the rest of the climax, it was a great choice to include these parts with the figure. Odds are we probably won't get a normal Gigantron figure from the line (that said, you never know what surprises Bandai might be cooking up), so it's nice to have the option to display this one as the "redeemed" version as well.

Finally even the Ultraman: Rising range isn’t free from bundling additional Ultraman parts in with other figures, with Mecha Gigantron including yet another effect part for the titular hero after the Specium Beam was included with Ultradad. This time it’s the turn of another iconic Ultraman attack – the Ultra Slash, an energy buzzsaw which Ultraman launches from his right hand. Much like the Ultra Slash parts included with previous Ultraman figures, the piece is made from milky white translucent plastic and fixed to an alternate hand piece. The accessory itself isn’t much, but a nice little bonus that does relate somewhat to the release (as we see Ultraman use the attack against Mecha Gigantron in the film). However my biggest gripe with this release is that there was undoubtedly a much better bonus accessory that could have been included – a winged version of Emi to correspond with how she appears in the film’s climax. Given that it seems unlikely we’ll be getting any more Figuarts from the film (unless Bandai are going to surprise us all with a standard Gigantron figure), it would have been the perfect way to round this range off. Without it, posing the figures all lined up doing their beam attacks like in the film’s climax will never be quite right.

S.H. Figuarts Mecha Gigantron [Ultraman: Rising] might not be your normal Ultraman kaiju release, but even with the change in aesthetics it still retains the kind of high quality these figures have had that puts the S.H. MonsterArts line to shame. The smoother sculpt of the CGI model makes it a very different beast to the textured look of the live action monsters, but when it comes to size, accuracy, articulation and (perhaps most surprisingly of all) accessories Mecha Gigantron doesn’t just sit comfortably alongside her contemporaries – she also stands out as one of the best ones yet. While the ever-rising price tag releases like these have might not be something to celebrate, rest assured this is one figure where the quality speaks for itself.