BANDAI official Ultraman toy information site

Hello everyone. I'm Nono, in charge of Ultraman toy development.

Today, we would like to introduce the "ULTRA REPLICA Ultraman Taro 50th ANNIVERSARY SET," for which pre-orders began on July 31st.


In 2023, which marks the 50th anniversary of the broadcast of "Ultraman Taro," a special set of products has been released to celebrate the memorable year!

The highlight of the product is undoubtedly the "Ultra Badge," BANDAI first transformation item with a built-in electronic gimmick.

Speaking of the Ultra Badge, in the movie it is depicted as a very small transformation item, about the size of Kotaro's palm and very thin.
This time, we took on the project of incorporating an electrical gimmick inside the badge, and were able to make it a reality using the latest design technology.


The mechanism behind the gimmick is that the Ultra Badge itself is equipped with an infrared transmitter.
By pressing the button on the back, infrared rays are emitted and received by another accessory included in Contents, the "buckle-type sound unit," which plays the corresponding sound effects and transformation sounds.



This is basically the same concept as the specifications of the "Ultraseven 55th ANNIVERSARY SET" announced last year.



Looking back, the Ultra Eye in the Seven Set was a considerable challenge, but we were able to commercialize it and achieve a technical achievement.
Furthermore, the commercialization of the product itself was met with a tremendous amount of positive feedback from everyone, which became a major driving force behind the creation of the "Ultra Badge" product.
(Thank you again to everyone who purchased the "Seven Set"!)

The Showa-era Ultraman transformation items were not designed with the intention of being toys with electronic gimmicks, so
Many of them are also very thin and small in shape.

I think that this is probably one of the reasons why they have a unique sense of mystery and design.
As a developer, it is extremely moving to see that after so many years, we are now able to combine this with the latest design technology and turn it into a toy that recreates NARIKIRI gimmick.

If this product is well received, there is a good chance it could lead to further Showa-era ULTRA REPLICA in the future, so we would appreciate your support.
(The remaining lineup seems to have even higher hurdles... lol)

Well, taking into account the above circumstances, this time we are also working on improving the play value of seven sets or more,
The volume of the sound effects that can be played by linking the two items has been greatly expanded.

The sound of Ultraman Taro 's transformation can be switched between three different sounds that were actually used in the film.
The DVD contains a large amount of sound sources that can truly be called "Taro's sound library," including various sound effects that were particularly memorable during the transformation sequences, background music, and even the roars of monsters.



Come to think of it, "Ultraman Taro" has a lot of memorable sound effects and background music.
The "sound of the Ultra Badge" resonates as if responding to Kotaro as he faces off against the monsters.
- The "spinning in the air" sound that frequently occurs in scenes where Kotaro himself jumps and when Taro appears after transforming: "hyuhyuhyuhyun...!!!!"
・Speaking of transformation scenes, this is it! Two types of BGM (two tracks included in the song with the subtitle "Shining Ultra Badge")
These audios have also been recorded perfectly!

All of these sounds can be played in time with the transformation sequence, so if you hold up the badge and press the button while operating the toy, you'll feel just like Kotaro Azuma!

"By manipulating the toy in accordance with the transformation sequence in the film, sounds will be produced."
This is one of the most basic basics of NARIKIRI TOYS, and I am extremely pleased that after 50 years we are now able to bring this straightforward NARIKIRI game to life.

We are currently working on some of the built-in audio (sound effects and shouts) in preparation for recording, so we plan to make them even more powerful than what was previously announced. Please look forward to future updates!


Of course, the product's appeal isn't limited to its audio quality.
The design of the "Ultra Badge" itself has also been developed to be appropriate as a 50th anniversary commemorative product.



In fact, the "Ultra Badge" itself has been commercialized once before as part of the ULTRA REPLICA series.
This time, all parts were designed from scratch, and under the supervision of Tsuburaya Productions' modeling department, LSS, we began the project by re-examining the design of the props from that time.

The most iconic feature is that the silhouette of the "Ultra Badge" itself is gently curved.

If you look closely at the scenes in the movie where the device is being operated, you will notice that the handle in particular is rounded and curved, and this product has even recreated that curve.



This "curve" is tricky, and even a 1° change in the angle of the curve can completely change the overall silhouette,
The sculpting process went through multiple rounds of supervision before arriving at the current design.



We are also working to improve the reproducibility of the paint on the exterior.
The previous ULTRA REPLICA was made using die-casting and plating to create a three-dimensional metallic look, but this time we deliberately chose to use a painted finish rather than plating, aiming to express the "slightly dull luster" of the prop in the movie.

To avoid simply "changing the plating for a silver paint," we have also changed the paint itself from the silver we normally use, and are currently working with the factory to achieve a more dazzling and beautiful color and texture.



Since this is a remake, we would like to pursue a more realistic appearance than the previous product, making it closer to the prop, so please look forward to it.

So that's it for today's update for now.
We hope to gradually share various behind-the-scenes development stories with you until the product pre-orders end, so we hope you will continue to pay attention to it.

Until the end Thank you for reading!

We are currently accepting pre-orders for the products below. Please take a look!