Toybox REVIEW: S.H. Figuarts Galactron

Release Date: July 2025

RRP: 19,800 yen

The Ultraman franchise has lots of legacy aliens and kaiju that first debuted during the Showa era and have continue to appear to this day, but arguably most of its newer offerings haven't reached the same iconic status. However if there's one kaiju that's come close, it's undoubtedly Galactron. First debuting in some of Ultraman Orb's strongest episode, variations of the robot superweapon have gone on to fight numerous other Ultras in the New Generation - including Geed, Taiga and Decker. Its origins were even explored in the Orb/Geed crossover movie Connect the Wishes!, where we learned they were created by the artificial intelligence Gillvalis. Put simply, Galactron is a pretty big deal as far as modern Ultra kaiju go. And at long last Bandai Tamashii Nations have FINALLY recognised this with the release of S.H. Figuarts Galactron, based on the orginal MK1 model that appeared in Orb. Galactron is a Tamashii Web exclusive release.

As large as it may seem Galactron still doesn't come in truly oversized S.H. Figuarts packaging - his box keeping mostly the same dimensions of an average release other than depth, something that's pretty common to Ultraman alien and kaiju releases anyway. The box retains the same design layout as all modern era Ultraman Figuarts, with the (windowless) front featuring a nice big image of the Galactron suit lifted directly from the show. One side of the box features a body shot of the figure to create a nice bookend style display, whilst the other is completely blank other than the character name up in the top corner. On the back of the box you'll find a selection of images showing the figure off in various poses, including one of it terrorising Ultraman Orb Origin. Inside the figure is neatly stored across two plastic trays - one housing the figure itself and another housing the braid/tail and right claw. Note that the alternate right forearm (for use when the claw is being displayed as launched) is the one attached to the figure straight out of the box, and will need to be immediately switched for the full Galactron ensemble.

On top of being one of the most significant kaiju in the New Generation in terms of pure strength, Galactron also stands out as being one of most ornate. Its bright white body is completely covered in rune/circuit-like patterns, some of which are further accentuated with stripes of gold and silver. Behind that armour plating are masses of wires coming together to form a body. Both of its arms sport giant weapons, and protruding from the back of its head is that tail-like braid (the "Galactron Shaft") which also sports a claw at the end of it. It's a design where you just notice more and more detail the more you look at it, all of which Bandai have successfully packed into the Figuarts' sculpt. While the figure itself is nice and chunky, there are some fragile areas you should take care around when handling - mainly the horns (particularly the smaller ones by the jaw), and the little antennae on the braid segments. As with the sculpt itself, the paintwork on the figure is sublime - the metallic colours glistening beautifully on that bright white backpack. Another fun feature is that both arms have moveable parts to correspond with Galactron's various attacks - the left claw can swivel around to reveal the "Galactron Blade", while the right arm has two large flip around claws with cannons protruding out of them. This is all without even mentioning the braid, the full extent of which I'll go into a little further down in the review. This is a really great figure that captures all of the elegance in Galactron's design, whilst also incorporating some of the gimmicks as well.

Kaiju Figuarts especially tend to have a lot of interesting things going on with articulation, particularly the ones that aren't humanoid shaped. This goes doubly so for robotic kaiju, so Galactron already fits the bill for great poseability. Altogether the Civil Judgementer kaiju features;

- Hinged jaw

- Ball jointed head, neck, braid (x11), shoulders, torso, waist, hips and ankles

- Ball hinge braid (x9)

- Swivel hinge shoulders

- Double hinge elbows and knees

- Rotating claws on the braid, right arm and feet

- Bicep, forearm and thigh swivels

The shoulder pads are also attached to raised ball joints to allow them to move independently of the arm. And yes you did read that correctly - there are an insane 20 points of articulation loaded into Galactron's braid to give it incredible poseability. Each segment is reinforced with a standard ball joint at one end and a ball hinge at the other, allowing them all to move independently of one another with seamless motion. While some poses will require the use of a Tamashii stage to balance the weight of the braid, the figure is actually surprisingly good at holding poses with it in the air as well - and the joints themselves are also strong enough to hold up the weight. As tends to be the case with kaiju figures there are some restrictions there would be on the actual suit as well (for example the hips), but added bits of articulation like the various leg swivels, hinged knees and rotating toes do a lot to cover both balance and movement. Together with all the little weapon gimmicks loaded into the figure (the moveable claw on the braid is particularly satisfying), there is a hell of a lot to like about Galactron. My one (minor) gripe would be that the elbow joints are a little stiff, but at the same time this could just be an issue with my copy and they have loosened up a bit after some careful working.

With several of Galactron's weapons already built into its body, that doesn't leave as many options for accessories as one might think. Of course there are plenty of effect parts the figure could have come with, but the higher price tag these kaiju figures have the less they seem to come with these days. As such Galactron's accessory count seems quite meagre, consisting solely of an alternate right forearm piece and a white plug piece. These are included to simulate Galactron's arm cannon attack, where the kaiju launches its right forearm in the traditional super robot style. The alternate forearm is simply a grey piece with a flat stump at the end, however this stump has six barrels moulded into it. The white plug piece is actually an adaptor to use with the default forearm, allowing the claw to be displayed on a Tamashii stage (or similarly compatible display stand) as if it were launched/in mid air. It may only be a small piece, but it does the job well and actually looks really good on display. Sure I would have loved some laser beam effect pieces as well, but at least in this case there's enough going on with the base figure itself to overlook it.

S.H. Figuarts in general are getting more and more expensive with each passing year and as Bandai continue to toy with larger sized figures it gets harder and harder to determine which ones are truly worth it. That said, the team working on Ultraman have really been bringing their A-game to the kaiju releases and S.H. Figuarts Galactron is no exception. This figure was LONG overdue, and Bandai have ensured it was worth the wait by loading the figure with incredible detailing, vibrant paintwork and fun articulation/gimmicks that more than make up for the lack of accessories. As undoubtedly one of the most memorable and impactful kaiju of the New Generation era, Galactron is a must-have for any Ultraman collector.