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S.H. Figuarts Alien Hipporito (aka Hipporit)


Delivered from Kurama Toys, I received the new S.H. Figuarts Alien Hipporito (Hipporit) this week. The official English name is Hipporit, but I prefer Hipporito, as that has a better ring to it, and that is the way they say it in Japanese. I chose FedEx as the delivery, and it arrived within about two days of shipping. I always prefer FedEx (or DHL) as they always send packages faster than USPS.











Alien Hipporito is from episodes 26 & 27 of Ultraman Ace, where he threatened Earth to surrender Ace, so he can kill him. After trapping Ace and turning him into a statue, he then went on to fight the Ultra brothers, and eventually, the Father of Ultra. Despite his goofy appearance, he was a formidable foe, and Bandai captured his unique look quite well. He sports 3 horns on his head, a long nose, yellow eyes surrounded by a blue piece that resembles a mask, various spikes and fins, and a thin tail. He is one of the more colorful aliens of the Ultraman series. Everything is sculpted well, including his various scales and ridges, and all the paint applications are well done, no paint bleed or scruff noted. The accessories he comes with are two nose ends (a straight one and a curved one), an extra hand with open “fingers”, and a small figure of Ultraman Ace for him to hold, like he did in the episode. Since the hands plug in via a ball joint, the extra hand can go in either the right or left.













For his articulation, the head is on a ball joint, and can look up, down a bit, and turn left and right. The two horns on each side of his head can turn as they’re also on ball joints. He sports various ball joints in his shoulders, elbows, wrists, upper torso, thighs, legs, ankles and tail. His nose can twist around, and the fins on his back are also on joints and can move a bit. For the piece around his thigh, the legs can drop down and then kick forward or backward. It’s best to do this slowly, so you can maneuver the green part so it doesn’t grind against the torso or tail. The right thigh was a bit tighter, so I applied a little bit of shock oil to help loosen it up. I was able to get him into one legged stands, kicks, and sitting poses. The armor around his shoulders is a soft plastic that seems to plug into the torso. I can’t tell if it’s on a thin ball joint or not. Just make sure you lift them up and move the arms slowly when articulating the shoulders. Since his body is uniquely shaped, it did pose some challenges in how to do the joints so he can move well, while not compromising his look. Just take your time with the articulation so that everything runs smoothly.








S.H. Figuarts Alien Hipporito turned out a nice release. He’s painted and sculpted well, and Bandai did a good job in incorporating the articulation despite the limitations of the suit. They did a much better job with him than they did with Kyrieloid. That figure sported some questionable engineering decisions. I’m happy to finally have Hipporito in my collection, and as usual, I’m always down for more Ultra kaiju and seijin (aliens). My next figure deliveries should be Anguirus 72 and Hiya King Ghidorah, which has already shipped. I’m really looking forward to those two. And I hope that Bandai releases that Birdon which was teased sometime back, hopefully before the end of this year. Thankfully, I’ve been able to get my stuff delivered with no issues.








 

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