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S.H. Figuarts Ultraman Orb Dark and S.H. Monsterarts Gamera 99


My most recent box day arrival was 2 figures: Tamashii Nations Ultraman Orb Dark and Gamera 99. It was nice to get 2 figures on the same day.


Orb Dark has really nice paint details. It’s basically the same figure as the first Ultraman Orb that was released, only this one sports the black and grey with red color scheme, with red eyes, color timer and forehead light.

 
 

The joints are really good, not too tight or loose. The accessories include his Orb Caliber with a black replacement plate, as well as a wide variety of hands which I liked (especially since Ultraman X only came with 3 pairs total).

 
 
 
As for Gamera 99, the figure is wonderfully sculpted. The details on his skin, shell (with battle damaged cuts and scrapes), and body are all great. The paint applications are all nice, EXCEPT for the lower jaw, which is basically white paint slathered over the teeth. It stands out because the upper row of teeth and his tusks have some nice shading to it. Also, the promo pics showed the bottom row of teeth better painted and shaded as well, so this just seemed like a lazy shortcut in an otherwise great figure.
 
 
Some people complained about the head/face sculpt when it was first announced, saying his “nose” seemed too big. The actual kaiju does have a more pointy/narrow end, but it’s not so bad that it distracts. I have no issues with that.
 
 
 
 

 
Gamera’s accessories include alternate arms, flippers and a tail piece to put him in the flying pose, as well as a stand to put him on in that pose. He also has a burning hand that you can swap for the right one. I think I recall it was referred to as banishing fist, but I’m not sure.
 
 
It’s very easy to swap out the parts, too. The arms have an extra floating piece inside, and the spot where you put the 2 small flippers are very small and might need some digging with fingernails or a sharp object to get them out. Be sure not to lose those pieces, as they are very small. One thing that I liked is that each one has a plug in hole that’s marked slightly different, so you know which one goes where. One has a T shape, the other has more of an “i” shape.
 
To replace the regular right hand with the burning one, it’s best to pull out the entire arm, then pull out the end of the hand and swap it out. I noticed that joint is a bit tough, so you may want to heat it up to get it to fit snuggly, otherwise it will easily pop off with movement.
 
 
Gamera’s articulation is his head and neck move up and down, side to side a bit, and mouth opens and closes. His arms move in and out a bit, and slightly move at the “elbow”. There is no waist or chest articulation, as the design won’t really allow it, and Gamera never did any crunches anyway. His legs move slightly at the hip, there’s knee joints that move in and out, and the feet can tilt forward and backward a bit, as well as side to side. The tail can move up and down and left and right as well.


 
 
Both of these figures are great. It’s nice to have another S.H. Monsterarts Gamera figure (the other one they released was the Legion Gamera with opening stomach). Hopefully they release some of the kaiju (I’d love to have a Heisei Gyaos or Irys).  Classic Showa Gamera would be nice, too (though I’m happy with my Revoltech). I’d also love an articulated Viras and Barugon.
 

Both of these figures are great. It’s nice to have another S.H. Monsterarts Gamera figure (the other one they released was the Legion Gamera with opening stomach). Hopefully they release some of the kaiju (I’d love to have a Heisei Gyaos or Irys).  Classic Showa Gamera would be nice, too (though I’m happy with my Revoltech). I’d also love an articulated Viras and Barugon.
With Godzilla King of the Monsters due next year, Monsterarts is busy doing those figures, so it might be a while until we get more Gamera stuff. For now, I’m happy with mine.

 


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