My favorite Ultraman (design-wise) by far is Ultraman Leo. I just recently acquired a large vintage Popy Leo. I understand from the seller that its part of a line called Kingsaurus released in the 1980s ( http://www.ultramantoys.com/1980/ ). Although the site seems to insinuate that these were released in the late 1980s, Popy went out of business circa 1983. This toy definitely has the Popy logo on its rear. I'd love to snag one of the vintage Bullmark Leos (and there are a few up on YJ), but the price seems kind of high for these. There is also a nice MFV of him. Again, typically pricey for me. I seem to recall Takatoku also making a large vinyl of him, but maybe my memory is off (maybe Jonathan can chime it - I was discussing this with him in the recent past). One day hopefully I can track these down.
That big Popy one is pretty cool Miles. I think Takatoku made three sizes of Leo, a mini, a mid and a large one. Here is the large, he tends to be a little cheaper then the bullmark one. Really nice figure.
I don't know how this would be related to the King Zaurus line to be honest, but I am not saying it is impossible. That was the the first line Popy did, I think in an attempt to garner a space in the market for mid-size figures (as opposed to the the fare being released by Bullmark earlier). They are of a much smaller scale, usually 5-6", along the lines of the Bandai figures which replaced them. They originally came out in the 70s, but were around into the 80s in the North American market as the Godzilla's Gang line (limited to only a few figures). I think any matching Popy hero figures would be of the same scale as standard Popy ones. I have seen some packaged examples of this to verify, though not a Leo. Here are a couple reissued guys, to to give you some idea: Oops, found the Leo (and one more for good measure ) Whatever he is, your large Popy example is stellar, and one I would sure be proud to own. Great find, was he from YJA?
Thanks, guys, for the photos. I did not want to dig through discs, USB drives, and such to find my photos, if I even had them! Now i really want to expand my Leo collection even more!! Thanks! Actually, just on ebay. But I suspect he came via Japan, not the US, based on marker writing on his rear.
Love the design too! His chest emblem always reminded me of the fancy H on the hot water spigot in your bath tub.
The head sculpt on the giant-size Popy and on the King Zaurus/Godzilla Gang one is absolutely killer.
Do you know in what year was made this Takatoku large version and what it's the price range for this version? Best regards!
The Popy King Zaurus line ran from the late '70s to the early '80s and included not only the "standard" 6 inch figures but the "big size" heroes, like Kingboy's (they come on a blister card with the word "Big" in English on it), two "big size" kaiju (Baltan and Red King which came in clear plastic drawstring bags), and a few minis (I have never seen a packaged mini). All are part of the King Zaurus line and their packaging shares design elements.
Bullmark reissued the standard sized Ultraman Leo recently. After not coming close on auctions for a vintage one, I preordered this. Great product, and its amazing to see such pristine and precise paintwork on this figure (check the wristbands, for example), after seeing most vintage versions with playwear.
I'll keep this thread going. Picked up a new transparent version of Leo. His head has a cool spray, and he is the same size as the other version.
I've been eyeing up that clear Leo for months hoping someone would post a pic here that was able to find one so I can live vicariously through it! Please post a pic when you unbag him!
He is definitely a cool figure (even if, technically, not vintage). I have been waiting to check out some better photos of the clear version too. Yamamaya has done some really excellent figures, both in 'reissue' form and originals, it is a pity that their releases are so sporadic. Great pick up Myles.
Thanks, guys. Will do, Lixx. I never heard of it until I saw it at auction, and this is the only one I ever saw (although I was not searching for it since I did not know about it). I was smitten the instant I saw it. I've got major reorganizing needed for my shelves (choosing what comes, goes, or stays). There is a good chance this guy makes the cut!
Yes, both in my photo are Bullmark releases. Sorry, I thought he was indicating that Yamanaya had also reissued some vintage Bullmark pieces in new colors (e.g., weren't the Kittyfires that you (was it you?) posted made by them and weren't they based off of the vintage Bullmark mold?).
Yes indeed those Kittyfires were posted by me. Here I made the photo public again: They were from the original Bullmark molds I believe, and I also think Yuji from M1 painted the two glow versions. One day I hope to score a vintage giant walking Kittyfire!
Yeah, that's kind of what I was getting at. Yamanaya (or the previous incarnation of Tsuburaya Productions) did some really amazing stuff with the heroes characters as well. And the Bullmark repros of both mini figures and full size are among the best. I think the M1 collaborations on those Kittyfires are still the top versions; it was heartwrenching to have to pass up on some recently that came up for sale. But anyways, getting back to Leo and the point of this thread. Bullmark did really amazing work, and has considerably notched up their quality on their recent reissue line. The price is more, but you can see the difference very noticeably. I love the attention paid to the sculpt detail and the paint. And Leo is always such a nice character too. I'd like to get the regular version as a placeholder in the Ultra family because I also haven't been able to land a vintage fella. But the clear is a stunner too. The metallic paints go very well with the purple shade of vinyl.
