S.H. Figuarts Ultraman Zero Beyond

My latest box day item was S.H. Figuarts Ultraman Zero Beyond. This guy is an upgraded version of Ultraman Zero and looks really nice with his mostly silver body with purple highlights, as well as multiple and more prominent eye sluggers on his head. As you may (or may not) know, Zero is the son of Ultraseven. He’s become a popular Ultra since his debut in recent years.

 

 

The paint apps and detail on the figure are very nice. I noticed no paint chips, smudges or drips. All was very clean and crisp. Tamashii Nations has been knocking their Ultra figures out of the park in terms of accurate sculpt for the last several years. I can’t recall seeing any figure recently that seemed off, including the few kaiju they’ve done.

 

 



As for accessories, Zero Beyond comes with some good ones. He has several pairs of hands (6 altogether), alternate pink color timer, and 4 effect parts, 2 energy shots that fit on his hands and 2 Zero Twin Swords, zero sluggers that turn into crescent shaped blades. Those are both molded in translucent purple and, though lacking shading, are nicely detailed and a nice change from the standard hand beams that come with most Ultras.

 

 



As for the articulation….. I’ll be honest, after Tamashii spoiled us with Ultraman X, Zero’s is kind of underwhelming. While his joints are not loose, his neck and right shoulder were a bit stiffer than other joints. That’s an easy fix. Due to the shoulder pads (which are attached to a small peg), it can hinder the arm moving all the way around, though you can move the shoulder pads quite a bit, and they seem to stay on pretty well (though the right one did pop off on mine).

 

 

Another thing with the shoulders joints is that their forward range is nowhere as good as X’s, which allowed you to bring his arms forward to form an X over his chest and neck. Zero’s elbows are not double jointed so you can only get a limited range. His thighs also do not kick out to the sides too far like other Ultras, so you’ll get no Jean Claude Van Damme poses, nor do they drop down.

 

 

The other issue is that his color timer comes off quite easily. Looking at the way it’s molded, the “pegs” don’t seem to be in sync with the holes they go in, so you get a not very secure attachment. Since it’s so small and the grey and light blue blend it, I can see it falling and getting lost quite easily. I think I may just glue mine in to keep it from happening, and since I usually don’t switch out the color timer on any of my Ultras, it’s not a big deal for me. But it is something to be aware of.

 

 

Overall, this guy would get a 6 out of 10 from me, due to the sculpt, paint apps and accessories. If you’re a big fan of this form I’d say get it, just don’t expect to get him in too many intricate poses. Otherwise you may want to wait for the standard Zero to drop (due in late February of 2019). Though I find Zero’s form more impressive than X’s, in the Figuarts world, X has him beat.