Ultra Seven: S.H. Figuarts Alien Metron Gallery

Do you like deadly sci-fi cigarettes? Interested in squid like alien monsters? Well then, we've got you covered on both counts with our gallery of S.H. Figuarts Alien Metron! This iconic Kaiju faced off against Ultra Seven in the 8th episode of his own series. An interesting character to say the least, Metron also managed to give us one of the most memorable scenes ever in the franchise. His classic table scene with the one and only Dan Moroboshi! When that figuart is released we'll re-create it properly for you. For now though, enjoy Metron!

** The Ultra Seven used in this gallery is actually the Ultra-Act Renewal/2.0. I prefer Ultra-Acts for the most part to their new SHF counterparts so you'll see this often in my Kaiju galleries.

Packaging
Continuing to bring it's A-game, Bandai has made another gloriously interesting box for Alien Metron. Outside of 50th Anniversary Edition Ultraman, each release so far in this line has featured the same style of box, just with radically different colors. Something about the sweeping effect on the box, especially in these colors is awesome. The usual stock photos & such are present, but the whole deal is just a nice presentation for Metron.

Main Figure
This is a really interesting figure for me to review. Typically I'm a bit more casual with Ultraman than a lot of other toku. I loved Nexus, anything Zero related, I enjoyed Orb somewhat, & I'm currently loving Geed. I've seen a fair number of shows over the years. But I certainly don't have the same kind of discerning eye for Ultras & Kaiju that a more proper fan does. If you're interested in really stellar and thoughtful reviews of Ultra merch & shows, check out my good friend Alex/ZeoRangerV's blog at My Shiny Toy Robots.

But for instance, I would easily overlook the differences between Ultraman A B & C Type. They were totally lost on me for many years. Now as for Kaiju, I think most anybody, even casual Ultra fans, would recognize a character like Baltan. The big goofy space ninja crab is a must own and truly iconic to the franchise as a whole. But can I say the same for other Kaiju? Ever since Ultraman made the transition to S.H. Figuarts it's greatest strength has been it's kaiju releases. I've been consistently disappointed by the Ultras themselves, feeling that they're inferior in most ways to Ultra-Act V2/Renewals that many characters received later in that line. But the Kaiju have been given a second life thanks to this line transition. Baltan, while limited, was an excellent release with a ton of personality. I dare say Alien Metron is on par. Here's why.

This is a big giant dumb squid monster. And I love everything about that. It doesn't do anything terribly new or innovative, but it does it's best to be a comically menacing squid monster. For starters, I really just like the texture of the body. While he should have a bit darker detailing to his body, Metron is made of a plastic that puts me in mind of an actual Kaiju vinyl. He looks like vinyl, in a good way. The articulation for his limbs is pretty decent given his unorthodox design too. Ankles, knees, and pretty decent hips can add up to a lot on a release like this, unlike what we had with most of Baltan's lower body. Metron also get's top marks for his arm articulation. Though, annoyingly, when you try to straighten out his arms down by his side, they tend to pop out of the socket instead. You can sort of rotate the bicep swivel so that they face more inward too, but you can't really get a smooth natural pose out of this guy.

Best of all though, I LOVE the squid suckers all over his back. I live for detailing like that. His big giant head is magnificent as is, but those extra details like that really do the trick for me too. The head itself is one giant piece that extends all the way down his chest. You can take the head off, but in doing so you're removing like 30% of this guys body mass. I wish the head didn't impact the torso quite so much when posing, you'd be able to get this guy in some really dynamic positions if not for the head, but how can you not love that nightmarish thing?

I do think this figure strays a bit further from the whole "bring the suit to life" mantra that this line has been going for since the transition. With Ultra-Act we got Ultra characters that were functional toys, they made some aesthetic compromises where necessary to achieve functionality, but on the whole looked appropriate. But with Figuarts Ultras & Kaiju about half of the releases go for as near 100% screen accuracy as possible, meaning you get a mixed bag of half realized articulation and features on some, or compromised aesthetics for functionality. And the other 50% feel like they're trying to be proper posable figures first rather than looking perfectly accurate. Things don't quite line up. It needs to be one or the other, you can't have it both ways. Alien Metron looks excellent, but it's missing a certain bit of paint washing and ruffling of the suit material to really be totally screen accurate. But it also isn't entirely functional thanks to the choices made to make the hips look nice, and keeping the head as one solid piece. I just wish Bandai would go 100% if they're going to go for this notion of show accuracy versus toy play-ability.

But overall this is still a really nice functional figure with plenty of personality. I think many people will get much more use and play out of him when S.H. Figuarts Dan Moroboshi releases.

Accessories
Alien Metron is lite on the accessories but he comes with EXACTLY what he needs for his most memorable appearance ever:

1 - table. This table won't have a lit of purpose yet, aside from fantastically hilarious photos, but once S.H. Figuarts Dan Moroboshi is released you can re create a certain iconic scene. The two of them meeting for a drink.

1 - package of cigarettes. An odd one for sure, but perfect if you know the context. In Metron's first appearance a series of violent outbursts and several deaths has been linked to a certain brand of cigarettes. Upon investigating the situation Dan Moroboshi tracks these deadly delights back to Alien Metron.

3 - individual cigarettes.

That's pretty good, though I do wish he'd come with some energy accessories though. Alien Metron could turn himself into a ball of energy, and while not something that appears in the show, in the Ultraseven Super Famicom game he could use fireballs. So you know, toss some of that stuff in next time Bandai. If nothing else Ultra fights have relied on their intense special effects through the last half century. These figures could use some accessorizing.

Final Thoughts
It'z bizarre how charming I find this figure. Kaiju don't always click for me, but something about this guy works. He's just a great poseale figure with the exact accessories he really needs. If Ultra Kaiju can continue to be this good from here on, I'll probably be getting quite a few more still.

Aww, thanks for the shoutout! (and somewhat well timed as I'm just finishing my Gomora review )

Great gallery as always! Metron definitely feels like a big turning point for the Ultra kaiju. Baltan and Zetton were both fun but flawed, but every other release since Metron (bar perhaps King Joe) has been fantastic. Tamashii have really hit that sweet spot of making great figures and excellent representations of the actual suits. Metron's not only really unique design-wise but the colours really help sell him too - most of the kaiju released so far have been pretty drab but Metron's an explosion of colour.

And as much as I'll defend the Figuarts to Ultra-Act fans, the Slugger slash effect part is gorgeous. Wish the Figuart came with something like that.

One of my favorite episodes from Seven. Great pictures Den-O, I wish I knew your setup.

The Kaiju and Kaijin from the Figuarts line are so amazing. That's what I love most about the new Ultraman Figuarts. Well, that and that they finally start adapting modern Ultraman stuff.

This is just a fantastic looking figure with a whole lot of charm.

The only thing which would make this figure even better IMO would've been wrist-mounted guns as extra accessories so this Metron could also go for Tarude, the Alien Metron that appeared in Ultraman Orb.

It's a nitpick for sure but I feel that accessories like these are a good way to think about your customers, since there probably will never be a single release for Tarude yet Ultraman Orb fans may want one. Same with Alien Mefilas really, an extra cape to have him double as Don Nostra would've been amazing.

My hope is that once an Alien Nackle Figuart has been released Bandai might consider doing some sort of Planet Invasion Union accessory pack for all three

I really want to get Metron. He looks great.