Ultraman Noa
Review by Gazbot
Why did I buy this figure?
I didn't know who Ultraman Noa was. I never saw any Ultraman episodes or movies with him in them. But, he looked to me like an evolved form of Ultraman Next from they movie of the same name, which I had seen, I really liked how different he looked from all the other Ultra Heroes, and when I found him at a (relatively) low price that sealed the deal.
If you want to know more about the character, here is a link to his Ultra Wiki, (it does contain spoilers):
Price I bought it for:
$76.00 from a California brick and mortar store. This was in April of 2014 when he was averaging 100.00 on-line.
The box is different from other Ultra Act's I have seen in that it has no window front. Not good news for those that like to keep their figure MIP on display. Inside its a standard plastic shell with unique accessory slots.
Out of the box he is lighter than you would think. He is quite striking, shiny, much brighter and with more reflective silver paint than the standard Ultra heroes of this line. The black and white piping lines also help give it a really "finished" look. He looks good from all sides, except for the bottom of his feet. Many of my other figures have info stamped on the bottoms of the feet, but the white on black makes it stand out in too obvious of a way for my liking.
His wings can open and close and have a sturdy joint.
He is quite poseable, as are all his Ultra Act Brethren, though I found his joints did not loosen as fast as they did in some of my other figures. I was able to stand him in most poses without the aid of a stand. He is currently standing un-aided in my case, something my Ultraman Hayata Ultra Act figure lost the ability to do within a day of playing with it. Also having a more more metallic armor design the joints were less noticeable. He has a sleeker over-all design.
At a glace the silver paint application is great and certainly on my shelf it looks flawless. Upon close examination however, you can see some slight flaws especially in the face. Maybe I was just unlucky with my sample. It certainly doesn't ruin the figure, and I only noticed it when I was taking close-up pictures.
The red plastic on his chest has a great texture in it if you look close, it makes the glow from overhead lighting it picks up seem more organic.
As far as accessories he comes with 3 sets of hands (fist, semi-open and flat karate chop-style), they all pop on and off pegs at the wrist like all ultra act. I found his hands especially easy to change without being too loose. He also comes with the obligatory "Specium ray", although in his case it is known as the "Lighting Noa"
He also comes with a stand adaptor to be swapped out for a panel in his back like most other Ultra Act figures. Again his armored look and lack of a back fin make this component less obtrusive than it is on some other characters.
Finally, he somes with alternate shouter pads that include energy effects on them.
It was unclear to me what this was supposed to be, and after some internet searching, I realized I was not the ony one. Either these were never used by the character on-screen, or it was so brief no one remembers it. His Wiki lists many other well-known powers that could have been given an effect part instead. I understand another full beam may have been too large/expensive, but something like his Ultra Punch would be roughly the same size/shape.
Maybe it's like a Dragon Ball Z style power up, or a flight back blast?
He is taller than the average Ultra Act, but a bit shorter than Jean Bot.
Size party!
Here is is in his forever home on my shelf with the other latter day Ultras I own.
Once in the case, I realized how dramatic the lighting was and had a super dramatic lighting photo session!
To review:
The Good:
- Figure looks great.
- Silver body catches the light well
- Chest seems to glow in light.
- Stands out among other figures on a shelf.
- Very posable.
The Bad:
- Silver paint application not perfect on my sample.
- Joints could loosen over time.
- Questionable accessory choices.
- Price too high for what is basically a standard Ultra Act figure.
Summary: 8 out 10, I would recommend it.
