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HENSHIN
COLLECTION 01
Ultraman Jack
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In August
2003, Takara continued the process of reissuing the original Henshin
Cyborg action-figure called Cyborg-1. This
new line of Henshin Cyborg's fall under the
title of "Henshin Collection Series" beginning with the first release
called New Ultraman or Ultraman Jack as it is known to many who followed
the Ultraman action-hero television show of the 1970’s. This
figure retails for ¥6,800 in Japan and I won this figure on e-Bay in
November 2003.
I first heard about this figure
from Paul Lorphanpaibul, then finally saw photos of the figure on e-Bay &
Takara's website. I've always been fond of the Henshin Cyborg's and
knew that I had to add this new figure to my collection.
Takara has taken the steps to
improve the overall appearance of the box art with this release.
When you compare this box to that of the past, it is truly an attractive
piece.
The box measures 8"L x 3"W x
13"H and is very stylish. The box has a
door which has a window cutout to show parts of Ultraman Jack
(left-side) and Cyborg-1 figure print (right-side) on the box door.
The top of the box also has a window cutout so you can look
down through the box and see the figure.
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 When you open the door (closes with the use of
magnets vice velcro) reveals Ultraman Jack with his accessories and a Blue
& Grey backdrop (mechanical appearance). The inside of the door has
Cyborg-1 figures in print (Green, Clear & Purple) and English print: Henshin Cyborg 1.
There is a plastic tray holding
the figure and attachments in place. This is a definite improvement
from Cyborg-99 where a plastic bubble cover glued to the cardboard backing
was used.
Japanese lettering (Henshin Cyborg 1) is printed on
the sides of the box using a Silver sparkle appearance.
The back of the
box has several panels (8 x 4) of Henshin Cyborg-related photos including
the Cyborg-1 mechanical innards centered on the box.
There is a
triangular-shaped sticker applied to the front corner of the box which is
written in Japanese identifying this figure as Ultraman, 40th Tsuburaya,
Henshin Collection 01, and produced by Takara.
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Takara was
licensed by Tsuburaya Productions to reproduce the Ultraman Jack costume
for the first re-issue of the Cyborg-1 figure in August 2003, which marks
Tsuburaya Productions' 40th year anniversary of producing Ultraman.
Also
written in English is the Cyborg story as follows: "Earth
reeled defenceless as galaxies crumbled before the hideous Walder
onslaught, when with a last stroke of desperate genius, men built."
Takara was
licensed by Hasbro to produce G.I. Joe/Combat Joe figures in Japan.
Then Takara decided to create their own figures based on the G.I. Joe
molds thus creating Cyborg-1 in 1972. This action-figure became very
popular and Takara obtained licenses to produce costumes such as Kamen
Rider and Ultraman, as well as several others which were based on the kids
television shows. These costumes were called "Henshin Sets" which
allowed you to change your Cyborg figure into any of your favorite
live-action heroes. Takara
included a 14-page booklet which appears to describe the history Henshin
Cyborg to include the beginning of G.I. Joe and Ultraman Jack's costume
through Henshin Set Collection 02 (Mirrorman). The front cover is
very similar to that used during the original release of Cyborg-1 in 1972.
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ULTRAMAN JACK ACCESSORIES |
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Ultraman Jack is
packaged with several accessories which is quite typical with any Henshin
Cyborg release. Here we have a pair of gloves formed into fists,
hand attachments formed into fists and a grip to hold a weapon such as a
gun.
The photo
above shows Ultraman Jack's head, boots and glove (fingers extended)
attachments. |
Ultra
Bracelet: Also included is Ultraman
Jack's Ultra Bracelet. This
bracelet is normally worn on his left wrist, and can transform into
several kinds of weapons, which he can control telekinetically. Some
of the weapons include; beam boomerang, transform into solid cutters,
lances, crosses, shields, etc. It can immobilize monsters and
vaporize water. It has healing powers and resurrects Jack after his
body is frozen or dismembered. Finally, it can gather surrounding
energy to destroy planets.
Ultraman Jack's Ultra
Bracelet |
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ULTRAMAN JACK COSTUME |
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Ultraman Jack's costume
is made of vinyl plastic. He has a typical Ultraman colors which are
Silver and Red, with his painted Yellow. There is also a Blue button
attached to his chest called a Color Timer (energy gauge). His
helmet is designed to slide over the top of Cyborg's human head.
There is a slit that runs from the base of the neck up through the
mid-section of his head which makes it easy to remove.
I believe the Ultraman Jack costume was
originally released in 1971 with the G.I. Joe/Combat Joe body. On
page-2 (Phase-01) of the booklet shows a advertisement with Ultraman
Jack's costume and the figure has G.I. Joe hands which are painted Silver. |
Ultraman Jack's Portrait
Ultraman Jack's Profile
Ultra Bracelet attached to glove |
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I don't have the original
costume, but I've seen online photos comparing the two and it appears to
be dead on. I can't say much about the material used or if the
reissue vinyl plastic is less pliable than that of the original release,
but it is a little difficult to pose this figure because of its'
stiffness.
I decided
to have a little fun an place Ultraman Jack in several offensive/defensive
poses as you would see him on the television show. The three photos
I've included show Jack using his Specium Ray, Cinerama Shot and Eye Beam.
I've included some of the information pertaining to his weapons for your
reading pleasure.
Unfortunately, I don't have the skills to modify these photos to include
the beams to give you a better idea of what it would look like on the
show so you'll just have to use your imagination!
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Specium Ray
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Cinerama Shot
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Eye Beam |
Specium Ray: A
White laser (sometimes
Blue) which emits from his right hand
when his hands are crossed in a plus sign. A direct hit
causes a monster to explode four times.
Wow!
Cinerama Shot:
A powerful beam which emits from his right arm when his arms are
placed in an "L" shape.
Eye
Beam: A beam which emits from his eyes when his arms are
placed to the sides of his head, creating a triangle shape. |
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Here's a photo of the
back of his costume which shows the zipper which allows you to remove the
costume from Cyborg-1. |
Cyborg-1 Portrait
Cyborg-1 Profile |
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HENSHIN CYBORG-1 |
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Close-up of Cyborg head
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Close-up of Mechanical
innards
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The
Cyborg-1 figure is made up of 11 removable parts; Human head, forearms
(x2), biceps/elbows (x2), hands (x2), shins (x2) and feet (x2). Each
part has a Grey peg or peg hole for connecting the appendages. I
really like the Cyborg-1 figure, but there is a problem with some joints
which are quite loose. The most noticeable is at his neck and hips.
The hips are held together with an elastic band which connects to the legs
and upper body.
Cyborg-1 is made of translucent plastic except
for his mechanical head and innards which are painted Gold & Silver chrome
and held in place with small screws. The screw entrances have been
filled with a plastic plug which conforms to the contours of Cyborg's
body. All of the other joints are secured with rivets. His
head has translucent Yellow parts for eyes, but doesn't have the backlit
gimmick as with Neo Henshin Cyborg.
Overall, I welcome all
Cyborg reissues and hope Takara continues to produce more figures in this
line. It would really be nice if some of the cancelled evil figures
(Evil & Shadow) would make an appearance since the details of their
humanoid heads looked very nice. Again, Takara gets a thumbs up with
Ultraman Jack and the beginning of the Henshin Collection Set series!
Note:
For more background information about Cyborg-1, visit Paul's site at
Microforever.com
(MicroHeritage section). The Ultraman background information was
retrieved from Wayne's website called Absolute Ultraman! (no longer
exists). |
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