- You were in charge of supervising the S.H.FiguartsULTRAMAN ACE, but the actual What kind of impression do you have of the ULTRAMAN ACE modeling?

Shinada:Considering that Jack and Taro were arranged by Ultraman and Seven, Ace and Leo were completely newly designed "New Ultraman". In that sense, I think it's an ambitious model along with Leo. Archaic Smile, which Tohl Narita adopted when designing Ultraman, was expressed only on the lower lip, but Ace is also characterized by the same on the upper lip. Ace is clearly smiling at Ultraman, a mysterious balance that seems to be smiling. I was impressed when I noticed it. If you think about it, that may be the reason why you became interested in modeling. I also felt the feminine kindness of the design because it was a combination of men and women. That's the design of ears like good ears. I also liked the fact that there was a hole in the "comb" because of its religious image.

――I remember that Ace and Leo's heads were ambitious and difficult to draw when they were young.

Shinada:It's certainly difficult, isn't it? The great thing about Ultraman's design is that it's so simple that any small child can draw it. However, ace is difficult not only for elementary school students but also for adults (laughs). Also, the bandana-shaped part above the eyes is complicated, and if you look closely, the way it pops out is different between the top and bottom. The dent in the center of Bandana also changed in the way from front to back, and this is the part where I and my senior supervisor, Funai, were very particular about this SHFiguarts.

Ultraman is famous for A, B, C type classification, but did there be some patterns of ace masks?

Shinada:Basically there is only one type. But the face of the first two-piece suit is the most beautifully polished. Only at the beginning, the edges are standing very beautifully, and the form is neat. When it becomes one piece type, polishing is a little sweet. I think the suit made first is the best if it is only a face. However, the mask shape itself is not much different between the two-piece version and the one-piece version. That's why I think the ace face that many people think is the image of the first two-piece version.

澗 淵:The existing ace mask also has a slightly looser detail, isn't it? Recently, I saw an ace mask that is close to the original, and the way the edges are cut is really cool. You reaffirmed the coolness of Ace. I feel that this SHFiguarts also has a feeling close to the original, such as how the edges stand. While looking at various reference photos, I think that I am aiming for the image that the fans who were enthusiastic about at that time have.

Shinada:Speaking of ace, fighting fights increase in the latter half, and it is a classic that the red of the suit turns reddish brown. This is the same for Leo, who had a lot of fighting. There are also wild images because of the many cutting techniques.

――Since this is a great opportunity, please tell us about the design points of the Ultra Brothers that you saw from Mr. Shinada.

Shinada:The first Ultraman has a person named Satoshi Furuya who is 180 cm tall, so I think he has successfully established the image of an alien with a body shape that is far from the Japanese. After that, Seven became bigger than Ultraman, but I have the impression that it has a strong body and excels in martial arts. Seven is an image of a fighter, while Ultraman has long limbs and is chilly.

▲ SHFiguarts Ultraman
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▲ S.H.Figuarts Ultraseven
Manufacturer's suggested retail price: 6,050 yen (tax included)
Now on sale at online stores

Ultraman Jack and New Man are different from the first generation in various parts other than the double pattern, and I thought that it was "different from the first Ultraman". But as I got used to it, I started to feel a different charm from Ultraman. So far, it seems that eight types of suits have been confirmed.
Taro has the feel of a thoroughbred, being the son of FATHER OF ULTRA and mother. His arms and legs are long and cool, almost like the original Ultraman, and I feel like he's an honor student. The position of the color timer is half a size up or down depending on the suit. That's the difference.

――Are there any characters you want to commercialize in this series?

Shinada:Now that we have all the 6 Ultra Brothers, I want them all to wear BROTHERS' MANTLE.

澗 淵:Well, I want BROTHERS' MANTLE. Also, many Showa monsters have been commercialized so far, but I'd like to see active monsters released as well. I think the staff will be happy with that. For example Galactron.

Shinada:I'm Early Belial. Sometimes it's my own design.

 

――Please tell us about the molding points of ULTRAMAN ACE this time.

澗 淵:Even from the point of view of masks that are duplicated from the original every day, there is no difference. I think it is incredible to finish this far with only materials such as photos.

Shinada:Ace is stout from the chest to the stomach and has a unique body shape with short legs. It is difficult to reproduce such a style so badly that it does not look so bad, and I think that the sculptor also had a hard time.

澗 淵:After all it is input with that figure. If your legs are too long, it's not like an ace.

Shinada:And the warp from the waist to the buttocks feels good. I also felt a sense of the division of the moving part that was following the buttocks from the waist.

――I heard that the original mask is actually asymmetrical, and that it is also faithfully reproduced.

Shinada:This is a product concept from the first Ultraman in the series. At that point, it was very well done, and when I was supervised, it was completely done. The reason why SHFiguarts is said to be similar to the original is that even such asymmetrical parts are reproduced properly.

澗 淵:This is also input with an asymmetric image. But if it is reproduced so well, it makes me feel like we must supervise it!

――Finally, do you have a message for SHFiguarts fans?

Shinada:The emergence of this ace finally brings together the Ultra 6 brothers. I am glad if you can buy it. Thank you for coming new products one after another in the new generation series.

澗 淵:I also supervise the products of the anime "ULTRAMAN". The second season of the video work has also been decided, so I would like to see the six brothers from both the live-action and anime side by side with the "ULTRAMAN" version of the six brothers. For that reason, it is important that this Ace sells well, so I would appreciate your support.