Once April started, I immediately jumped into Netflix looking for the third and final season of ULTRAMAN, similar to how the first two seasons were released in April. Only to have my expectations dashed like an April Fool’s joke because the final season is apparently dropping on May 11. Regardless, the one thing I was expecting Bandai Hobby to announce leading up to this season is a Figure-rise Standard kit of Ultraman Suit Jack, again similar to how they released kits for both Taro and Zoffy last year. My expectations weren’t dashed this time as I was surprised that Tamashii Nations got the first dibs with the announcement of the S.H.Figuarts Ultraman Suit Jack -the Animation- figure, a good year after I declared my allegiance to the model kits.
This is probably the best profile view I’ve seen of the Jack suit ever since it debuted in the anime. I was expecting something like an Iron Man Hulkbuster armor, but this guy is much leaner, albeit still larger than the rest of the gang. The original Ultraman Jack design is pretty much a close derivative of the Ultraman design, much like how Zoffy is, so I really like how they made this suit completely different, yet still having the same visual cues as its source.
As expected from an S.H.Figuarts release, this Jack Suit figure captures all the sculpted details as expected from an Eiichi Shimizu and Tomohiro Shimoguchi manga. Though if this were a Figure-rise Standard model kit, having inked panel lines would look better.
It’s also quite poseable despite the relatively larger stature and proportions, as you can see with its attempt at a three-point landing (or superhero landing) pose. It also helps that the set includes several replacement hand parts for more display options. Which leads us to the one thing you won’t like with this release. Its larger size meant that it will be more expensive, and it won’t include effect parts, unlike previous Ultraman Suit figures they released. It’s quite a bummer though I haven’t seen the Jack Suit fire beams like the others. And besides, his fighting style is more of a brawler, so the effect parts aren’t really needed.
At least the set also includes a replacement color timer in red.
S.H.Figuarts Ultraman Suit Jack -the Animation-
September 2023 / ¥9,000
Like I mentioned, I will likely pass up on this figure, unless of course Bandai Hobby decides to drop the Ultraman Suits from their Figure-rise Standard line up. On that note, neither Bandai Hobby, nor Tamashii Nations, has announced a Marie Suit. Who do you think will be the first?
While waiting for the final season to drop, you can check out the latest trailer they’ve released below.
