CCP SADORA (Masaaki Satake Monsters Collection)

I just scored the CCP Sadora Monster from the Ultra Series Return of Ultraman also known as Ultraman Jack. It came from the vault of the great Alex Wald. The Monster is similar to a garage kit due to the amazing accuracy of the costume. It has several holes around the neck so as the actor portraying Sadora was able to breath in the outfit. It also has what looks to be a zipper on the back of the creature. Beautiful piece comes from the company CCP the Satake Collection.

UltraPachinko!

A BiG Thank You to Eric of Pachi Universe on helping me locate the volume switch on my Ultraman Pachinko machine. The game is incredibly fun, now I can play it without going deaf (:
You can visit Eric's site at www.pachiuniverse.com for Japanese related goods and pachinko fun!

Eiji Tsuburaya: Master of Monsters (Book out now)

EIJI TSUBURAYA: MASTER OF MONSTERS
I was just introduced to this brilliant book by author August Ragone via Myspace. The book features a comprehensive look at the genius Eiji Tsuburaya, the visionary who created Ultraman and Special Effects Wizard of the early Godzilla films. You may find the book at your local book store or Amazon. I'll be putting this on my Amazon wishlist for the holiday. Mark Nagata of Maxtoy is also featured in the book with his legendary collection of Ultraman toys. Here is a blurb from Chronicle Books.

"EIJI TSUBURAYA: MASTER OF MONSTERS is the first book on this legendary film figure in English, details the dynamic life and movie career of this legendary film figure, from his early fascination with with movies, aviation, and model building, to his work in the golden age of Japanese Cinema to the ingenious technical innovations that brought miniature worlds and fantastic characters vividly to life." Please visit the links below.

Eiji Tsuburaya: Master of Monsters (Amazon page)

Eiji Tsuburaya: Master of Monsters Myspace page

M1-Go Koriyama Ultraman Vs Baltan Set

From the Koriyama City of Museum Art comes this fantastic set by M1-Go.
One of my favorite pieces from M1-Go. The set comes with a clear Ultraman and Baltan that is made of see-through vinyl and stuffed with what looks like colored pipe cleaners! I've seen some vintage Bullmark figures done in this manner.
The set is limited to 100 pieces, and if you were lucky enough to be at the museum on July 14 you could have met up with Toshihiro Iizima director of the Ultra episodes, Susumu Kurobe (Hayata) and Hiroko Sakurai (Akiko Fuji) all from the original Ultraman TV show.
The set comes with a green wooden base autographed by all three stars! A brochure of the exhibition was also included.

ULTRASEVEN BUST

I recently acquired a Ultraseven Bust, My favorite Ultra. A very amazing find. Only thirty pieces were made of this spectacular figure.

Medicom Imit/Nise Ultraman 1966

We now have the long out of production Medicom Imit/Nise Ultraman 1966. It is from one of my favorite Ultraman episodes Brother from another planet. ZARABU SEIJIN transforms into the fake or Nise Ultraman and takes on Hayatas true Ultraman.

Project Ultraman

Our friend Dhiti Chantravekin provided The Lost Kaiju with info on the upcoming show Project Ultraman. Here's the scoop:

Project Ultraman is a new TV series made by Chaiyo Production in collaboration with Apex Toys and a Chinese company named Ruishi Culture Developing. There will be 3 Ultraman in this series: Ultraman Elite, Ultraman Millennium and Dark Ultraman. All are the brainchild of Chaiyo Production and has nothing to do with the Japanese Ultraman. The budget for this series is around 100 million Baht. It will run for 52 episodes in Thailand, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Korea. And currently Chaiyo Production is in negotiation to have the series on air in North America and Europe.

80% of the series is casted in China in great locations like the Kobi Desert and the snow capped mountain in Tibet while 20% will be done in the studio. The famous Chinese movie star "Ekin Cheng" will portray Ultraman Elite, Mathew Dean will portray Ultraman Millennium and Ray McDonald will portray Dark Ultraman. In addition, Chaiyo Production also plans a Ultraman roadshow called "Walk Through Theme Exhibition Ultraman Live Show 4D" around Asia except Japan. It is expected to attract 2 million visitors a year.

Additional information: Two years ago, the Japanese High Court ruled that Chaiyo Production has the copyright of Ultraman in Thailand and worldwide except Japan where the copyright still belongs to Tsuburaya Production. The case for this lawsuit dated back 20 years ago when Tsuburaya almost went bankrupt and borrowed the money of 30 million Baht from Chaiyo Production in exchange for the Ultraman copyright. After the death of Eji Tsuburaya, his son wanted the copyright back and brought the case to court. Both companies fought in court for years until the final ruling.