Alien Fanton Spark Doll Sofubi

Dr. Guruman is an Alien Fanton who assists XIO in their Research and Development department. As a rare example of a kaiju as a main character I found Dr. Guruman interesting. His species first appeared in Ultraman Mebius but I haven't watched that series yet. I'm a bit of a sucker for orange colour schemes and this is quite bright. Unfortunately some of the details in the moulding are lost in the monochrome of the body, a typical issue with the soft vinyl figures. Still he's a fun figure who stands out on the shelf.

Ultraman X Spark Doll Sofubi

Ultraman X has a digital theme complete with "cyber armour" attachments that seemed straight out of the 90's. Honestly the aesthetic and the whole schtick didn't really appeal to me but once I started watching the series I quite enjoyed it. The Ultra series has been on quite the run since Ultraman Ginga in 2013 and even when I'm unsure the next series can be as good as the previous one Tsuburaya Productions knocks it out of the park. Even when the gimmicks are silly and blatantly toyetic the story and characters make the show something more than a commercial.

King Pandon Spark Doll Sofubi

King Pandon first appeared in Ultraseven but this form was first shown in the "Great Decisive Battle! The Super 8 Ultra Brothers" film. King Pandon has two heads and claw hands, need I say more? Just a really classic monster design that's fairly well executed in this simple figure.

Usagi Yojimbo (Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2012)

Usagi Yojimbo is one of my favourite comics ever and this is probably the best Usagi figure I've seen. Full disclosure: the only other Usagi figure I ever owned was the one from the original toyline way way back in the 90's and that one was... less than faithful to the comic. This figure looks like he jumped right off the page, although he could use a few more paint applications but that's par for the course with this toyline from what I understand.


 The episodes from the final season of this (the best) Ninja Turtles show starring the rabbit ronin Miyamoto Usagi were among my favourites and I think gave us also the most accurate depiction of Stan Sakai's enduring creation on screen to date. Usagi Yojimbo is one of the few series I still buy in physical books and I can't wait for each new trade paperback to hit the shelves. This figure is certainly not a high-end collectible but is fun and a nice way to dip into the Ninja Turtle toyline without feeling like I need to collect ALL the characters.

Saber Athena (Robot Damashii)

Saber Athena is a Mark-6 Jaeger that fights in the climactic battle at the end of Pacific Rim: Uprising. These Robot Damashii figures blow the original offerings from NECA out of the water in every way. The articulation, accessories, and details are incredible. Saber Athena is probably my second favourite of the new Jaegers and has a more feminine form without being dumb about it.

I'm always a sucker for an orange colour scheme and the two swords that become one bigger sword is a fun weapon. Not all the individualized weapons for the Jaegers are as cool and part of why "Uprising" felt a bit more generic than its predecessor. I particularly like the head for some reason. It's almost rabbit-like but also looks kind of like a futuristic car. I am more than happy with this purchase. I felt slightly guilty ordering these figures immediately after seeing the film but they were totally worth it.

Takeshi Hongo (S.H. Figuarts)

The third figure released by S.H. Figuarts of a tokusatsu hero's human identity Takeshi Hongo transforms into Kamen Rider using his Typhoon belt and shouting "HENSHIN!" His civilian clothes changed episode to episode but this outfit is fairly representative of the 1970's motorcycle racer/cool young dude aesthetic.

Kamen Rider 1 & New Cyclone (S.H. Figuarts)

Takeshi Hongo is transformed into a cyborg by the evil organization Shocker but he broke free to combat them as the original Kamen Rider. Originally the actor Hiroshi Fujioka did his own stunts but early in the series he was injured in a motorcycle stunt and thus the second Kamen Rider was born. Later on Fujioka returned to the series and eventually sported this new look which became his standard uniform until 2016 (more on that in another post). I bought this figure in a box set with Kamen Rider's redesigned Cyclone motorcycle. It's got all the hallmark S.H. Figuarts articulation and excellent detailing.