5/24/11

Ultraman Jack be nimble

The third and final Japanese vinyl figure I swapped from the swap meet last weekend is the one and only Ultraman himself! The best part is that I scored all three (Bat Man, Bee Woman and Ultraman here) for $5! Aw yeah!

I think he's most correctly referred to as Ultraman Jack, but I couldn't tell you why. (EDIT: Soundwave810 says "As far as I know this Ultraman was just named New Ultraman but was given the name Ultraman Jack in 1984 due to licensing issues.")

This figure is different from the Bat Man and Bee Woman that I found with him. Standing at a whopping 5.5", Ultraman is taller than the others he was lumped in with for who knows how long at that swap meet vendor's booth. Ultraman is also ultra articulated (compared to his compatriots,) with neck, shoulder and hip articulation!

I just love the crazy designs and simple engineering of these Japanese vinyl toys. They're colorful and crazy and super simple, but tons of fun to look at and play with. Imagine being a kid in Japan in the seventies and eighties and having a ton of these toys all over your bedroom floor. What fun!

Here's what it says on the bottom of Ultraman's feet. Any help on interpreting this would be greatly appreciated. (EDIT: Again Soundwave810 saves the day: "...on his left it says (c) Tsuburaya Pro(ductions), Ultraman (I assume this was produced before 1984?) and on his right foot it says Bullmark..."

Thanks again Soundwave810!

3 comments:

  1. Ultraman! One of my childhood favorites. I used to watch him on early Saturday mornings on our local channel. I remember when the SNES came out and the Ultraman game was released and how terrible i thought it was. : (

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  2. And once again I swoop in to save the day! lol. As far as I know this Ultraman was just named New Ultraman but was given the name Ultraman Jack in 1984 due to licensing issues. This is the same Ultraman featured in the animated video you might find in a video store.

    As far as the "text" on the bottom of his feet, on his left it says (c) Tsuburaya Pro(ductions), Ultraman (I assume this was produced before 1984?) and on his right foot it says Bullmark which is a vinyl toy company which still around. Hope that helps buddy!

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  3. Aw yeah Soundwave810! Thanks buddy!

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