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He Has Come! Our Ultraman!
From the Land of Light in the Nebula M78, Ultraman has come!
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This figure (my second Mego figure overall and first modern Mego) arrived in the mail from ZLC Collectibles a few hours ago. I have been waiting for it since it was first announced this past summer. For all that wait, I must say that I feel this figure is so close to being absolutely wonderful, but misses the ball in some areas.
Let me start off with the positives. This figure oozes Mego charm in its aesthetics (many non-Mego fan friends of mine have referred to it as "ugly" or "cursed"). It definitely won't be passing off as show accurate anytime soon, but did any of us really want it to? It looks exactly like I would expect an Ultraman figure to look if it had been made by Mego in the 1970s. I also love how this figure has show-accurate detailing underneath the plastic boots. It's great to have the option between furthering the classic Mego aesthetic or having a bit more accuracy to the in-show suit(s). I will, however, be leaving the boots on for display for fear of damaging the material the outfit is made out of.
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I think it's time to move on to the negatives. First off, I have yet to figure out how to get this figure into the Spacium Beam pose, the character's most famous pose, without risking damage. It seems to me like you'd have to remove the arm from the internal band or stretch the band to a scary degree (that I am not willing to risk doing) in order to make it happen. The outfit on the figure is also a bit tighter than it probably should be. His movement is pretty heavily restricted by it and his joints keep getting caught in the fabric. I very much view these as huge oversights on the part of Mego.
The joints on mine also have very odd tolerances. His knees and left elbow are very tight and not moving very fluidly while his right elbow is fairly loose. All of his wrist joints are so tight they feel like they'll break when I try moving them. This is in contrast to my vintage Mego Dr. McCoy, whose joints are tight and move fluidly. Mine's head is also a little warped. I assume these problems are a "mileage may vary" thing, very common in mass-produced products.
In conclusion, I think this figure is very solid, but flawed. From what we've seen of Ultraseven so far, he seems to be a figure that will receive the same verdict. I am, however, still going to purchase Ultraseven in the hope that Mego someday gives us the rest of the Ultra Brothers. Maybe even every Showa Ultra!
Until then, I'm going to support Ultraman's current reintroduction to North America as much as I can. I will continue to purchase American-initiated merchandise and the Blu-ray sets put out by Mill Creek. I hope others here love Ultraman enough to do the same. Let us all support the giant of light that has finally made his grand official entrance to American shores, hopefully for good!
20210213_122329.jpg
20210213_120905.jpg
20210213_121802.jpg
This figure (my second Mego figure overall and first modern Mego) arrived in the mail from ZLC Collectibles a few hours ago. I have been waiting for it since it was first announced this past summer. For all that wait, I must say that I feel this figure is so close to being absolutely wonderful, but misses the ball in some areas.
Let me start off with the positives. This figure oozes Mego charm in its aesthetics (many non-Mego fan friends of mine have referred to it as "ugly" or "cursed"). It definitely won't be passing off as show accurate anytime soon, but did any of us really want it to? It looks exactly like I would expect an Ultraman figure to look if it had been made by Mego in the 1970s. I also love how this figure has show-accurate detailing underneath the plastic boots. It's great to have the option between furthering the classic Mego aesthetic or having a bit more accuracy to the in-show suit(s). I will, however, be leaving the boots on for display for fear of damaging the material the outfit is made out of.
20210213_121952.jpg
I think it's time to move on to the negatives. First off, I have yet to figure out how to get this figure into the Spacium Beam pose, the character's most famous pose, without risking damage. It seems to me like you'd have to remove the arm from the internal band or stretch the band to a scary degree (that I am not willing to risk doing) in order to make it happen. The outfit on the figure is also a bit tighter than it probably should be. His movement is pretty heavily restricted by it and his joints keep getting caught in the fabric. I very much view these as huge oversights on the part of Mego.
The joints on mine also have very odd tolerances. His knees and left elbow are very tight and not moving very fluidly while his right elbow is fairly loose. All of his wrist joints are so tight they feel like they'll break when I try moving them. This is in contrast to my vintage Mego Dr. McCoy, whose joints are tight and move fluidly. Mine's head is also a little warped. I assume these problems are a "mileage may vary" thing, very common in mass-produced products.
In conclusion, I think this figure is very solid, but flawed. From what we've seen of Ultraseven so far, he seems to be a figure that will receive the same verdict. I am, however, still going to purchase Ultraseven in the hope that Mego someday gives us the rest of the Ultra Brothers. Maybe even every Showa Ultra!
Until then, I'm going to support Ultraman's current reintroduction to North America as much as I can. I will continue to purchase American-initiated merchandise and the Blu-ray sets put out by Mill Creek. I hope others here love Ultraman enough to do the same. Let us all support the giant of light that has finally made his grand official entrance to American shores, hopefully for good!
20210213_122329.jpg
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