Ultraman Zero

I know little about Ultraman and other Japanese characters but I do know I love me some Japanese characters.

When I was in early Elementary School, I had a couple neighbor friends whose mother was Japanese, and their family would mail them so many cool vinyl action figures. They were essentially as basic as the then standard Star Wars 5-POA but were a little bit larger and represented so manny weird and wonderful looking aliens and robots. At the time I knew...Godzilla. And that was about it (besides other giant monsters appearing in Godzilla flicks.)

Anyways, now I am an adult but any time I see a toy that represents that basic Japanese vinyl aesthetic I flip and want it - especially when it costs less than a buck!

Other than some Japanese script, on the foot of this guy is written 'Bandai 2009' so I was able to discover he is 'Ultraman Zero.' I don't know what that means in the Ultraman universe and I don't care. He's awesome.

That's it.

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!

Let it Bee

A second approximately 4.5" Japanese vinyl figure I grabbed at the swap meet this past weekend appears to be 'Hachi Onna' or 'Bee Woman' who made her television debut in Kamen Rider episode 8.

The funny thing about this figure is that I originally thought it represented a male of less than ideal body type. With swirls on his man boobs. But my internet sleuthing for yesterday's Bat Man revealed to me that this little toy is actually a 'she.'

I assume this says 'Bandai' just like yesterday's toy. Clearly from the same sub-series as Bat Man, Bee Woman was also made by Bandai back in the seventies.

I still don't know exactly what this says, but it's clearly copyright info, probably for the show's production company or something.

Here's what Bee Woman looked like on the show. Dig those swirly boobies:

And here's her toy. More swirly booby fun, with the likeness falling a little short of uncanny:

My Bee Woman has a small crack in the vinyl on the top of her head, but otherwise she's in great shape. She's the bee's knees hahaha!

The Terrifying Bat Man

No, it's not who you think.

This refugee from the National Enquirer is actually (as far as my internet detective skills have revealed to me) 'Kyōfu Kōmori Otoko' (or Komorii-Otoko) or 'The Terrifying Bat Man.' He was a villain from the Japanese Kamen Rider TV show of the seventies, apparently making an appearance in episode 2, 13 and the first movie.

I had another epic Swap Meet run on Saturday, and I think this little 4.5" vinyl Kaiju figure may be the best of the bunch.

If anyone reads Japanese, please feel free to enlighten me as to what this says. I assume this guy was made by Bullmark or Popy or something like that, but I could use some specifics if anyone can help. But dig the sculpted belt details on the back. Haha love it!

Here's what it says on the bottom of his foot. Anyone? Anyone? Bueller? Bueller? EDIT: According to Soundwave810, this says 'Bandai.'

And here's what he looked like on the show. Terrifying indeed!