To those unfamiliar, the Shin Japan Heroes Universe, or S.J.H.U. is a franchise of unrelated works, which includes the Rebuild of Evangelion films, also known as Shin Evangelion Gekijouban, Shin Godzilla, Shin Ultraman, and Shin Kamen Rider. They were all helmed by Hideaki Anno but none of them have story connections. Though if you really want the ultimate crossover of these properties, then Bandai has you covered with what appears to be a complete opposite of the realism portrayed by these films, yet also a complete love letter to Hideaki Anno’s love of everything Tokusatsu as shown in the promo video they released of the S.H.J.U. Project Shin Universe Robo.
Okay, that video required some little digesting but if you’re a fan of Tokusatsu, especially Super Sentai, then you should’ve definitely got a kick with how they went with this promotional video. It was directed by Super Sentai veteran Hiroshi Butsuda and the influence is quite obvious with the way Shin Universe Robo walks among all the explosions in the same way as the debut of any Super Sentai robo.
Do note that this robot is made primarily with the intent of combining these four characters, so if you’re the type who’s very particular with scale and all, then you should definitely throw those concerns out of the window. Now let’s look at the figure itself.
Shin Universe Robo is very much akin to a DX Super Sentai robo set, though I’m surprised they didn’t put the DX branding into this figure. It stands at 240mm tall and is assembled with Shin Godzilla as the main body, Shin Ultraman forming the right arms and legs, Evangelion Unit-01 forming the left arms and legs, and Kamen Rider 1 riding Cyclone forms the head. For weapons, Shin Ultraman’s Specium Ray becomes its sword while Evangelion Unit-01’s AT-Field becomes its shield.
The individual figures look okay, though as mentioned, you’re getting this set for the combined form rather than the individual figures. That said, they all appear to be properly articulated, especially Shin Ultraman and Evangelion Unit-01.
Shin Universe Robo is definitely not for me, but if you really love the S.J.H.U. movies and you want a very unique representation of the franchise, then this guy might be for you. It won’t be cheap though, and it’s a Premium Bandai exclusive.
S.J.H.U. Project Shin Universe Robo
January 2024 / ¥21,000
