Toybox REVIEW: S.H. Figuarts Birdon

Release Date: February 2026

RRP: 14,850 yen

There are many kaiju in the Ultraman franchise that have proved more than a match for the giants of light, but very few have had quite the success rate on their debut as Birdon. First appearing in episodes 17 to 19 (the first kaiju to ever feature in a three-part story) of Ultraman Taro, the "Volcanic Bird Monster" made short work of the insectoid kaiju Kemjila before turning its attention towards Taro. Birdon swiftly added even Taro to its kill count, with the Ultra Brother needing to be returned to M78 for resurrection. In his place Zoffy arrived on Earth to battle the monster, but even the leader of the Ultra Brothers was brutally murdered. Whilst it would eventually be defeated by a revived Taro and Zoffy in turn would be similarly revived, two Ultra Brothers is nevertheless an impressive record. Such is its legacy that the release of S.H. Figuarts Birdon feels long overdue. Released as a Tamashii Web exclusive, Birdon is the third figure from Ultraman Taro and the first kaiju from the series released in the line.

Despite its size, Birdon fits quite comfortably into a box which isn't actually that much larger than your average S.H. Figuarts packaging. It's considerably thicker, not quite the S.H. MonsterArts sized boxes some of the other Ultraman kaiju (usually the ones with tails) have come in. The box features the same design layout that's seen across the majority of the Ultraman range, adopting a red and blue colour scheme that nicely matches Birdon's body and wings. The front of the windowless box sports a nice big image of the Birdon suit as it appeared in Ultraman Taro, with a faint image of the figure itself to the side of. Accompanying that is the character name and all the usual Bandai, Tamashii web, S.H. Figuarts and Ultraman Taro logos. One side of the box is blank save for the character name and S.H. Figuarts logos in the top and bottom corner, whilst the other features a more stylised bookend style image of the figure. On the back Birdon is shown off in all its glory, highlighting its articulation and accessories. Inside the "Volcano Bird Monster" fits very neatly onto its moulded plastic tray, with the handful of accessories fitted around it.

To fit the more fantasy-like vibe of the series, Ultraman Taro saw Tsuburaya get a lot more out there with their kaiju designs. As such you wouldn't expect a giant colourful bird like Birdon to be considered one of the most brutal killers in Ultraman history, but looks can be deceiving. Although the oil crisis of the 1970s would have a big impact on the production of tokusatsu, at the very least Birdon shows off an incredible standard of costume design - all of which is reflected in this S.H. Figuarts release. The various materials used to bring the Birdon suit to life are all recreated here with a variety of different moulded textures - from the fur on the arms and legs to the more leathery texture of the torso. Such is the attention to detail that Bandai have even featured the little mesh-like section just below the neck where (presumably) the suit actor was able to see out of! The fur has been given a black drybrush to bring out all that extra detailing, as have Birdon's metallic gold talons. The head sculpt is really good too with those vibrant yellow eyes peering out from that blue face. As you'd expect from a chunky figure Birdon has a good bit of weight to it and is pretty sturdy as well - the real thing to take care with would be those long thin dorsal protuberances coming out of his back. They aren't individually jointed to the body, and could snap if mishandled. Overall Birdon looks fantastic though - a colourful and crazy kaiju that's oozing with detail, and whose weirdness feels representative of Ultraman Taro as a series.

Based on its design you might not expect Birdon to be the most poseable of figures, particularly when other kaiju in the Ultraman range were restricted by the limitations of the suits they were based on. But much like the real Birdon's ability in battle, this figure is full of surprises. Altogether Birdon features;

- Ball jointed head, wattles, neck, shoulders, elbows, wrists, waist, hips and feet

- Butterfly joint shoulders

- Double hinge knees

- Single hinge beak and tail

Birdon uses the same general ball-jointed skeleton design Bandai employs on a lot of their kaiju figures, but while there are some limitations stemming from all that sculpted detail a lot of the joints move move better than expected. The arms/wings are particularly notable in this regard, aiding by the butterfly movement at the shoulder but also having excellent movement at the wrist for slashing poses. There's also a good amount of rotation in the hips, as a small knee bend allowing you to pose Birdon in more action-like stances. That said, the figure is pretty top heavy because of the design so balancing isn't always the easiest thing. Finally the head has quite a bit of personality as well - touches like a moveable head/neck and opening beak are standard but making those sack-like wattles moveable makes the face that little bit more dynamic. Even the tongue is slightly moveable as well! Birdon still isn't the most articulated figure you're going to see in the S.H. Figuarts line nor is it the most articulated kaiju, but it's still a lot of fun to pose.

Birdon's main accessory is a big "Volcanic Fire" flame breath part, moulded in translucent plastic and sporting a lovely yellow to orange colour gradient. The effect part does not fit directly onto the figure and instead has its own clear plastic stand piece for support. The stand is designed to hold the part at an angle, so that it can properly line up with Birdon's beak. The effect part is however compatible with standard Tamashii Stage articulated display arms, so when combined with one can be posed at whatever angle you choose. Outside of the Ultras' signature beam attacks (and even those are rarely packed in with the current generation characters) effect parts have become more and more of a rarity in the line, so for Birdon to come with one this size is quite the treat. It's especially good though because it's just an excellent fire blast effect in its own right, making it equally perfect for other fire-breathing characters that might not have their own effect (certain releases of MonsterArts Gamera immediately spring to mind). With no real need for little accessories like extra hands on this release, it's great to see Bandai put their all into it and give Birdon a nice big accessory to help justify that price tag rather than leave him bare. Given that its one of the few kaiju to successfully kill two Ultramen, it definitely deserves it.

Of course there's no way to discuss Birdon's appearance in Ultraman Taro without also mentioning how Zoffy's head catches fire during their fight - a scene which lead to Japanese viewers dubbing Zoffy "Mister Fire Head" and is considered iconic in the fandom. Whilst the old Ultra-Act Zoffy figure included its own accessory to pay tribute to the scene, the 2016 S.H. Figuarts Zoffy figure did not as it is directly based on his appearance in the original Ultraman series. A decade later that wrong has finally been made right, as Birdon includes an additional flame accessory to transform Zoffy into Mister Fire Head once more. Made from clear yellow plastic, the flame slots over Zoffy's head fin comfortably without feeling too loose or too tight. It might only be small, but it's such an iconic piece of Ultraman history that to omit it would have been a huge misstep on Bandai's part.

Bandai Tamashii Nations have really make a comeback with their Ultraman kaiju figures in the last few years, and S.H. Figuarts Birdon is another excellent release that feels worth the price tag. The figure itself is arguably one of their most detailed offerings yet, capturing the look of the suit perfectly whilst also adding a suprising amount of articulation into the mix as well. Though the accessory count may be small it certainly isn't insubstantial, comprised of a large effect part (more of these please Bandai) and a smaller one to recreate one of the monster's most memorable feats. While there are plenty of other Ultraman Taro adversaries that also deserve to appear in the S.H. Figuarts line up, Birdon's legacy is more than enough to give him top billing.