BANDAI official Ultraman toy information site

Hello everyone.
My name is Nino and I am in charge of Ultraman toy planning and development.

Well, today I would like to give you a detailed review of the "ULTRA REPLICA Flash Prism" just before the order deadline!

As development progresses, we have more to share, so we'd like to introduce a variety of topics all at once!

<This development concept>
Now, the main concept being promoted with this product is that it is "shrinked" to 1/1 size, something that wasn't possible with DX toys at the time.

This "reduction" may seem like an unusual approach, but
As with previous products in the series, the aim was to "achieve something that was not possible with products at the time," and this was achieved by "commercializing it in the same compact size as a prop."

Looking again at the design of the flash prism that appears in the film,
- There are clear light-emitting parts on the left, right, and center (= batteries and 3 LEDs are required at separate locations)
・It is small enough to fit in one hand (i.e. it has a slim and thin design)
・The curved lines create a tapered shape (= the already slim shape becomes even slimmer).
・Transformation sounds are activated (=speakers required)
So, from the perspective of "turning it into a toy," we can see that it is a collection of elements that poses an extremely high hurdle.

In fact, the toy released at the time was much larger than the image in the movie, and conversely, it was precisely because of its size that it was able to produce the "three lights and sound" - a toy with quite high specs for its time.

We suspect that the original product was developed with a priority on recreating the gimmick aspect... If that's the case, then let's create a product that achieves something that wasn't possible back then in this 30th anniversary year! The "ULTRA REPLICA Flash Prism" was developed with great enthusiasm.

<Design/Challenges for 2023>
The person in charge of designing this product is the same person who designed the "ULTRA REPLICA Ultraseven 55th Anniversary Set," and who packed the battery and infrared transmitting unit into the ultra-thin body of the Ultra Eye.

Although he is a young developer, he has an incredibly strong love for the Ultraman series in general, including past works, and is very good at incorporating various mechanisms into small items, so we put our complete trust in him and asked him to take on the difficult task of cramming a battery, speaker, three LEDs, and two voice switches into this flash prism.

The result is technology that can truly be called the "magician of space," and an incredible level of parts configuration has been achieved, so I hope you will take a look at it.

The first thing I would like to point out is that there are no screw holes no matter how you look at it, and in addition, there are not even any traces of parts to hide the screw holes.

So where are they? Well...the entire detail on the back side is structured like a cover, and it is only when you remove it that you can see the toy-like mechanical parts!

As you can see from the exposed internal structure, the main body is really thin and small, but this is where the designers really show their talents, so let me explain all the unique features...
-The left and right clear parts are each molded as a single piece, with no dividing lines!

-While maintaining the shape of the crystal part on the back, in order to make the most of the space, the battery box is movable and fits underneath the crystal!

- Ultra-thin, high-performance speakers ensure audio functionality in a minimal space!

- Two buttons are placed so as not to stand out too much in the design, and the audio functions are comprehensive!

In this way, the structure was designed with the overwhelming aim of "creating a gimmick without compromising the design of the flash prism."

As a developer, I have to live up to the expectations of the people who have put in the work to create it, so next I'd like to introduce some audio gimmicks that focus on the content.

<Sound/Recollections of 30 years ago>
As mentioned on the product page, the idea for the sound gimmick was to create something that would allow users to enjoy it like a sound library, something that is unique to "Powered," which has few opportunities to be commercialized.

In fact, I was four years old in 1993 when Powered was released, so I was right in the right generation.

Powered was the first "Ultraman of my generation" that I encountered when I was old enough to remember. Whenever I found a hollow in the park, I would pretend to be Kai being sucked into the scene in the first episode, and the fact that the soft vinyl tag was made of plastic gave me a sense of "luxury" for the first time in my life. (Is that too geeky?). (Is that too geeky an analogy?)

With this background in mind, we were thinking of ideas that would please customers of the "Powered" generation, and suddenly the idea of "Sound Butler" came to us.

"Sound Battler" was a toy consisting of Ultraman and monster dolls equipped with an infrared communication gimmick. Its selling point was the realistic play experience in which Ultraman 's shouts and the monsters' roars reverberated together while playing with the toys.

The inspiration for the sound gimmick incorporated into the "Sound Butler" mode was derived from this.

<Sound Battler Mode>

In Sound Battler mode, you can use the "B button," which is separate from the A button used to transform, to make the powered monster's roar sound.


Not only can you simply enjoy listening to the sounds in order, but by performing certain operations before transforming, you can also program the monster's "selected monster cry" to play along with the powered monster's shouts and special moves after transforming.

In other words, with just the Flash Prism, you can alternate between Ultraman 's attack sounds and shouts and the voice of your favorite monster, allowing you to have fun playing sounds that are reminiscent of battle scenes from the movie.

Since the item is not a figure, it is not a reproduction of the "Sound Battler" itself, but I think that those of the "Powered" generation may find it somewhat nostalgic to play with.

By the way, the monster sounds (sound effects) recorded this time are for the following 17 monsters.
① Alien Baltan
② Kemmler
③ Chandler
Pigmon
⑤Red Red King (male)
⑥Red Red King (female)
Telesdon
⑧ Gabora
9. Jamila
⑩ Zambolar
⑪ Dada
⑫ Aboras
⑬ Vanilla
⑭ Pester
⑮ Gomorrah
16. Draco
Zetton

Most of the powered monsters generally make the same sounds as the original monsters from the original series, but some have effects applied to them or the voices themselves are different.

The audio recorded this time also reproduces this aspect, and is recorded using a sound source that reproduces the "roar of a powered monster."​

Additionally, because this is a valuable sound source, we have paid particular attention to the sound quality, and have recorded audio with a lower compression rate (closer to the original data) than the level of sound quality normally recorded in toys.
Many of the original audio sources (especially Jamila) have quite muffled sound, but we have recorded the clearest possible audio, so we hope you will be satisfied with the result.


<Powered voice>
Although I've already introduced the monster's sound, I believe that its true essence is that of a "powered transformation item."

The following powered-related audio will be included:
・ Ultraman Powered transformation sound pattern A
・ Ultraman Powered transformation sound pattern B
·shout
・Attack and special move sounds (3 types)
- Color timer sound
・Flying sound

As for the transformation sound, of course it comes with that "bitter! bitter!" sound effect.
I noticed that this buzzing sound also differs slightly depending on the episode,
The most memorable "strong tingly sensation" was placed as the main A pattern,
This effect makes for an electronic-like sound, like "Pichun! Pichun!", and we recorded this as pattern B.

The Powered's call is made up of "Ultraman 's call" based on the Japanese dubbed version, but the "Shoosh!" that he says when flying away can be heard in the original Powered's voice in the movie, so we have included that.


<Equipped with simple mode!>
Now, it is first installed in the "ULTRA REPLICA Beta Capsule 55th Anniversary ver."
This version also includes the "Simple Mode," which has been more popular than expected.

In this mode, the "transformation sound" plays every time you press the A button.
You can alternate between two different transformation sounds.

In addition, as a secret voice only available in Simple Mode,
In the final episode of Powered, the "laser attack sound" fired by Sky Hunter through the Flash Prism can be played by pressing the B button.

At this point, it's hard to understand just by talking about "generation"...


What did you think.
This is a commemorative item for the Powered generation, by the Powered generation, celebrating the Powered generation's 30th anniversary! We hope that as many customers as possible will pick it up.

The deadline for reservations is soon, Friday, May 5th at 11pm!
It's Children's Day, so why not return to your childhood and give yourself a present?

Please check the product page below.


That's all for today.
Thank you for reading!!