Ultraman Belial (Spark Doll Sofubi)

Ultraman Belial is a corrupted, evil Ultraman who is the archnemesis of Ultraman Zero.  His stark red and black design really help to cast him as an evil Ultra, along with the giant claws on his hands, his elongated eyes, and the sinister grin on his face.

Despite being obviously engineered to be the dark reflection of the heroes of the Land of Light I really like Belial. He's over-the-top and ridiculous but it works for me. As a sofubi this figure doesn't have much in the way of articulation and next to no paint on the back but the sculpt is impressive.

Bemular (Ultra Spark Doll)

Bemular is the first monster Ultraman faced back in 1966 and so has a special place in Ultra-history. The design is fairly goony, not particularly threatening but still fun. 

This soft vinyl figure has barely any articulation but that's standard. The sculpting is pretty good and there is a decent amount of paint in the right places.

Ultraman Hikari Spark Doll

Ultraman Hikari is the secondary Ultraman from Ultraman Mebius. He is a scientist and apparently that is why he's blue. Blue is for science and red is for fighting. I haven't watched much of Mebius yet but did get to the episodes where Hikari is introduced in his alter-ego of Hunter Knight Tsurugi. As a longtime Star Trek fan I'll admit the pointy ears appealed to me in his design. The hexagonal colour timer is a nice departure from the classic circular design while also being similar to Mebius' diamond shaped one. Also he's got a brace on his right arm instead of Mebius' left.

Red King (Spark Doll DX Ultlive Tyrant Set)

Red King is a kaiju who first appeared battling the original Ultraman. He is like a skeletal Godzilla.

I find Red King's moniker very bewildering because he is in no way red. Like anywhere. But wharves, he's still got a cool design. Fans of the excellent comic Kaijumax will also recognize Red King as a monster swear word used by the inmates of that maximum security Kaiju prison. If you like giant monsters or prison movies/tv shows you should go read Kaijumax RIGHT NOW! But it's totes not for kids.

Anyway back to Red King: this sofubi has pretty typical articulation, just the arms and the tail. The sculpting is pretty impressive for something so small but I've found that with most soft vinyl toys from Japan. This guy came in a box set based on villains who fought Ultraman Ginga during his first series.

Ultra Hero Best Set 02 (Bandai Sofubi)

In this second box set of Ultra Sofubi we have the main heroes of the Heisei era. From 1996 Ultraman Tiga, from 1997 Ultraman Dyna, from 1998 Ultraman Gaia, from 2001 Ultraman Cosmos, from 2005 Ultraman Mebius, and from 2009 Ultraman Zero.

I have only seen a few episodes of their respective series but I have seen all of Ultraman Zero's appearances as he was created to star in a series of movies rather than a traditional TV series.

Each of these Ultras has several other forms and I'm not sure how Bandai decided which form would be represented here as there's a mix of base forms and power-up forms.

(Tiga)(Dyna)(Gaia)(Cosmos)(Mebius)(Zero)(Group Shots)

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.

Thunder Darambia Spark Doll Sofubi

Ultraman Ginga was the first Ultra Series I watched in its entirely and as such ranks pretty high on my list of favourites. Thunder Darambia was one of the first kaiju faced by Ultraman Ginga. Darambia first faced off against Ultraman Dyna and definitely has a different design aesthetic than the monsters from the Showa Era Ultra Series. Thunder Darambia is pointy and rocky and has weird lightning rod cones from its back.

Pigmon Spark Doll Sofubi

Pigmon is a friendly little monster who first appeared in "The Lawless Monster Zone" episode 8 of Ultraman though the suit first appeared as Garamon on Ultra Q. This figure came from the Ultraman X line of spark dolls but is certainly a must have for any Ultraman Ultra-fan. Pigmon usually befriends a small child or is otherwise a gentle presence in the Ultraman universe(s) though his bone-like fingers can look quite creepy as they wiggle about. Mrs. ISMOTU remarked that he looks like he belongs in a nightmarish dark reboot of the "McDonaldland" characters. His hands spin freely but there is no waist or leg articulation.

Ultra Hero Best Set 01 (Bandai Sofubi)

One of my first Ultra Hero purchases was a set of the first six Ultramen: Ultraman, Zoffy, Ultraseven, Ultraman Jack, Ultraman Ace, and Ultraman Taro. Click on their names to jump down to their profile or click the Space Garrison to see more group shots.

 

 

Fire Golza Spark Doll Sofubi

Fire Golza is a powered up version of Ultraman Tiga's foe Golza. Golza first appeared in episode one of Ultraman Tiga and returned in episode 18 as Fire Golza. I've only watched the first 6 episodes of Ultraman Tiga, which was the first of the modern Ultraman Series and unconnected from the original continuity. This spark doll version can swivel its tail and arms. I really like the orange lava-like veins and rocky texture. The head armour looks a bit helmetish but it's not too distracting.

Reigubas Spark Doll Sofubi

Reigubas is a kaiju from the Ultraman Dyna series (which I haven't really watched) and reappeared in Ultraman Ginga S (which I have watched). I like the asymmetrical pincer arms that recall a hermit crab. I'm always kind of at odds with myself when it comes to collecting. Part of me is a completist and wants all the things but another part of me (who has to worry about money) says to let that go and only acquire figures that appeal to me in a more meaningful way. Since I love kooky monsters that can be trickier to sort out when it comes to kaiju sofubi. Having to order from Japan certainly slows the flow and so I prioritize the ones that really speak to me in some way. Reigubas is an example of that. Giant pincers, a lobster tail, the weird wing-like things on its back, eyes on stalks. What more could you ask for in a monster?

Gubila/Gubira Ultra Monster Sofubi

Gubira was a kaiju who appeared in the original Ultraman series and was likely one of the more awkward suits for actors to wear as it was a four-legged deep sea monster. Gubira looks like a cross between a narwhal and an orca but is also capable of scurrying about on land. With only 4 forays against the Ultra Garrison under its belt Gubila is a classic but obscure kaiju. I'm guessing the discomfort of the design is a large part of its infrequent appearances.

Ultraseven 21 Ultra Hero Sofubi

Ultraseven 21 (said "two-one" in the show) was the commander of the Space Garrison in Ultraman Neos and he was able to take on several different human forms while he supported his subordinate Neos.  His design is a clear homage to the original Ultraseven but like Neos he has his own touches like his "Eye Slugger" is called a "Verzard" among other things. This sofubi was made in 2003 and is again taller than the current crop.

Ultraman Neos Ultra Hero Sofubi

Ultraman Neos was a direct-to-video Ultra Series that took a back to basics approach over its 13 episodes. The titular character is visually quite similar to the original Ultraman but with his own unique touches. Due to its short episode run this was one of the first Ultra Series I watched in its entirety. I liked the connection to real-world science with Dark Matter being the source of the monsters and their revised Ultraseven 21 taking the Zoffy role.

Miclas Spark Doll Sofubi

Ultraseven was a source of many great monsters. Miclas appeared in the third episode of that series and in a twist was a sort of helper kaiju to the titular hero against Eleking.

Eleking Spark Doll Sofubi

Another of the more popular kaiju from the Ultra Series, Eleking debuted in Ultraseven and has been featured in many of the later series.

This electric giraffe is a classic design and a lot of fun.

Dinosaur Tank Spark Doll Sofubi

Sometimes the shoestring budgets the Ultra Series had to operate under resulted in some amazing designs and creativity. Other times things just went bonkers. Dinosaur Tank is one of those. It's sheer elegance in its simplicity while being one of the most ridiculous designs ever. I'm working my way through Ultraseven slowly but haven't reached episode 28 which introduced this amalgamation of awesome.

Dark Lugiel Spark Doll Sofubi

The big bad in Ultraman Ginga is Dark Lugiel. He is responsible for the transformation of all the Ultra beings and Kaiju into their "spark doll" forms which conveniently looked exactly like the toys from the tie-in toyline...brilliant. He's a sort of dark reflection of Ultraman Ginga and looks pretty cool.  The figure is actually a pretty glossy black that I'm not sure shows up in these photos. Like I've said I'm not a good photographer.