Godzilla, Evangelion, Ultraman, and Masked Rider: A Dream Combination?　S.J.H.U.PROJECT Shin Universe Robo" Planning and Developer Interview

Shin Universe Robo," a combined toy that became a hot topic of conversation as soon as the product was announced and its PV was released.

Shin Godzilla, Shin Evangelion the Movie, Shin Ultraman, and Shin Masked Rider from the Shin Japan Heroes Universe project, which will begin in 2022, have come together beyond the boundaries of their respective works to transform and combine in this robot toy.

How did this miraculous product, which literally "combines" the four works and their respective copyright holders, come to be commercialized?

We asked Yuki Mitsuoka (Bandai), in charge of planning, Takuya Tsurumaki (Plex), in charge of design, and Hiroshi Matsuo (Bandai), a member of the design team, about the development process and the product's particular points.

Would it have been possible to realize this project if we had missed this opportunity? A Miraculous Project

--Please tell us the background of the development of the "Shin Universe Robo".

Mitsuoka: The development of "Shin Universe Robo" started as part of the "S.J.H.U. PROJECT", a project that transcended the boundaries of the four companies, Toho, Color, Tsuburaya Productions, and Toei, and as a "project that was possible only at this time" within Bandai.

--How did you come up with the idea of "four characters merging"?

Mitsuoka: When I thought about the premise of "treating the four characters equally," I thought, "Then let's combine them! (laughs). (laughs). I thought it would be most interesting to combine them (laughs).

Tsurumaki: Various other ideas came up during the planning stage, but we tended to end up saying, "If we make this character stand up, this one won't stand up. In order to treat each of the characters equally without destroying their structure and form, they decided that the only way was to combine them.

Mitsuoka: It is not often that these four characters stand side by side, so we thought that it might be possible to make a PV featuring the four characters together for commercialization. At first, however, we were only thinking, "It would be nice if we could make a moving video using the toys. But it turned into a larger and larger project, resulting in a tremendous PV using CG and stuffed animals.

--How did you feel when you were asked to design the "Shin Universe Robo"?

Tsurumaki: Rather than being asked to design it, I happened to meet Mr. Mitsuoka at the Bandai headquarters and happened to see a proposal he was carrying. The preparatory draft on that proposal differed from the final draft in that the character was arranged as a robot. However, when we talked to him, he told us that it was difficult to obtain permission from the companies for the design arranged as a robot, and that the design needed to be changed. When I heard that, I thought, "If I miss this opportunity to combine these four characters, it will never happen," and my hand started drawing the design on its own. (Laughs) I kept that momentum going and ended up being in charge of the project until the very end.

--(Laughs.) So, in the early stages of the project, the designs for each character were quite rearranged?

Tsurumaki: In the beginning, yes. We changed the direction of the project from there, and changed the style to one that retained the good qualities of the original design before combining the characters.

--Let me ask Mr. Matsuo, who was in charge of the design. Was it difficult to combine the two while retaining the original design?

Matsuo: When Mr. Tsurumaki asked me to design it, and when I saw the design, I had the impression that it had a "ton of merging" (laughs). However, at the stage of Mr. Tsurumaki's design, he had devised a way to make the robot proportions look good in the combined state, while keeping the original design as much as possible in the stand-alone state. For example, when the lower bodies of "Ultraman" and "Evangelion" were combined, they were not attached as they were, but were turned upside down so that the lower part would be thicker. I could see such ingenuity in the design, and it ignited my feelings as a designer that "we have no choice but to make this into a thing.

--Matsuo: What were some of the changes from your design?

Matsuo: In the original design, the panel-like protrusions on Evangelion's shoulders remained as they were even after the combined body. This made it difficult to see Evangelion's face, so we removed the shoulder protrusions and moved them to the shoulders of the main robot. The shoulder panels are a distinctive feature of Evangelion, so we wanted to keep them in an impressive position after the robot merges with the main body.

Also, the arms of "Ultraman" and "Evangelion" are now retractable inside the body, whereas they used to remain in the stand-alone state when combined. I'm a big fan of robots that combine with each other (laughs).

Mitsuoka: Matsuo's decision to store the arms inside the body made for a cleaner and cooler look.

Tsurumaki: Since we were combining four characters that normally do not combine, we tried to incorporate "Bandai's style of combining robots" as much as possible.

Mitsuoka In the beginning, both Ultraman and Evangelion had thick chest plates to accommodate their arms and joint boxes on their backs for combining. However, this would make the stand-alone figure look too far away from the original. To prevent this from happening, the internal structure was pushed to the limit.

Matsuo: It was decided that the size of the figure would be about the same as that of a sentai robot, so we calculated the size of each individual character backward from there. We decided on the size of each character, and worked backwards from there to determine the size of each character. Within that size range, we tried to balance the joint structure for posing and holding strength, and the deformation mechanism with the proportions.

We did everything we could do for this size" - our commitment to product quality

--The size of the combined figure is quite impressive, isn't it?

Mitsuoka: The figure is approximately 24 cm tall.

Tsurumaki: The wings are also voluminous, so I think you will feel a great sense of fulfillment when you receive it.

Mitsuoka We are conscious of the size of the figure so that when it is separated, the four characters can be displayed side by side on a desk.

-I was surprised to see the Cyclone-go painted in such detail.

TsurumakiThe number of steps involved in the coloring process is extraordinary, isn't it?

Mitsuoka: I tried to reproduce the color scheme, which is a characteristic part of the character, using a combination of molded colors and paint.

--Tsurumaki-san and Matsuo-san have worked on robots for other productions in the past, so this kind of product must have been a rare experience for you.

Tsurumaki: We had a hard time not being able to change the shape of the robot before it was assembled. We cut down to the limit where we could, and we did everything we could for this size, including the joints to be installed and the range of motion, etc. The images in the PV and on the order page do not show this, but when you play with it, it feels exactly like a "combined robot".

Matsuo: One small detail is that when Shin Godzilla's lower abdomen is lowered, molds in the colors of Ultraman and Evangelion appear in conjunction with the lower abdomen.

Tsurumaki: Since the entire body of "Godzilla" is completely black, this gimmick adds color by unfolding each part of the body to expose the built-in coloring.

Mitsuoka Even as a stand-alone figure, "Ultraman" can be made to pose properly with the specium ray. Each figure can be played with as a character figure.

Matsuo: We were also particular about not having any surplus parts (laughs).

Tsurumaki: We also decided to make the weapons unique to this product, so we decided to use the specium ray and A.T. field as swords and shields.

Mitsuoka For a boy, these weapons are like a dream!

Tsurumaki: Why "Godzilla's dorsal fin and the specium ray as a sword?" (laughs).

Matsuo: But when I saw the PV, I thought "Oh! (laughs). (laughs) I was happy that you were able to produce it so well.

Tsurumaki: I was nervous about whether we would be able to get permission to use the Spezium Ray and the combined dorsal fin sword, but the companies were very generous in accepting our request.

--I was very happy that the companies were so generous in accepting our proposal.

Tsurumaki: I think this is a point that everyone is wondering about. It was a point that we had been struggling with from the time we decided to combine the four characters. One of the proposals considered was to design a logo for the "S.J.H.U.PROJECT," but since the logo itself contains the faces of the four characters, it would be difficult to recognize them. While various ideas were considered, we proceeded as is with the plain robot face that was depicted in the proposal. Since it was also decided to make a PV, it was decided that a face with proper eyes and nose would be easier to visualize.

--The design of the robot's upper body has the faces of the four characters well balanced, doesn't it?

Tsurumaki: That's the way it ended up (laughs).

Mitsuoka: You mentioned the logo earlier, and although the combined configuration is different in terms of placement, each face is designed to line up in a position similar to that of the "S.J.H.U.PROJECT" logo.

Tsurumaki: The reason for this is that we were particular about the balance of each character's size. Although it is different from the official setting, the sizes of Ultraman and Evangelion are close in image, Godzilla is the largest, and Masked Rider is extremely small, so the placement of the combined characters was naturally decided. As a result, the faces of the four characters are concentrated on the upper body.

--What are some of the other points of interest?

Matsuo: Personally, I think the transformation of the "masked rider" head is very fun. The Cyclone has a diagonal shaft that folds into a bellows shape to form the robot's ears. Moreover, at that time, the rider jumps up once to avoid moving the parts. Another favorite point is that the front wheels rotate to reveal the face. Actually, the head design has not changed from Tsurumaki's design, but we were careful to make this transformation work as a product without destroying the Cyclone's design.

Tsurumaki It is the smallest, yet it has the most detailed deformation. If we had not been so particular about matching the size, we might not have been able to achieve this deformation.

Matsuo: Actually, this deformation mechanism was conceived before the release of "Shin Masked Rider," but when I saw the scene in the movie where the panels of the Cyclone are folded and deformed and the muffler looks straight down, I was impressed and said, "Wasn't this an incorrect interpretation? I was impressed (laughs).

Tsurumaki: The three-dimensional treatment of the A.T. Field was well received by the publisher.

Matsuo: The three-dimensional modeling makes the A.T. field look as if it is deployed with a "pop, pop, pop" when it is triggered.

Tsurumaki: The shaft that attaches to the arms when they combine is not just a stick, but is a result of the treatment that is typical of A.T. Field.

One year from the planning to the announcement - hard work and miracles behind the development?

--How do you feel about the development of the Shin Universe robot?

Mitsuoka: I think it was a miraculously realized product.

Tsurumaki That's the only word I can use to describe it. As I said at the beginning, I thought, "If I miss this opportunity, it will never happen again." I thought, "If I miss this opportunity, it will never happen again. It is not often that such a small number of people work together to create a product of this scale.

Mitsuoka: It took about a year from the time I submitted the project in April of last year to the time when I received approval from each company, and the PV project grew larger and larger until we were able to announce it.

Matsuo: In terms of design time, it took about twice as long as the other robotic toys we usually work on. The major difference compared to previous "Godzilla" products is that the body surface of "Godzilla" is expressed using hard ABS plastic, almost without using PVC.

Tsurumaki: It is also a unique feature of this product that the four characters, including the texture of the material, are all made with a sense of unity.

Matsuo: After a lot of hard work and ingenuity, we were able to create a product that we are proud to present to you.

Mitsuoka You can enjoy playing with the combined figure without transforming it completely.

--Did you show it to Director Anno, by the way?

Mitsuoka: We have not shown him the actual product yet, but he has seen the PV production process through the publisher. Director Hiroshi Butsuda, who shot the PV, asked Director Anno, "Are you sure you are okay with me shooting this? (laugh).

Tsurumaki No matter how much we explained, Director Futsuda was concerned about whether it was feasible or not. ......

Mitsuoka But thanks to Director Butsuda's contact with Director Anno for confirmation, Director Butsuda was able to make up his mind, and the production of the stuffed animal evolved.

Matsuo: It was a good outcome, wasn't it (laughs)?

Tsuruoka Miracles were happening that were beyond our control (laughs).

Mitsuoka It would have been impossible to see all four characters in motion in a video.

--What will the Shin Universe Robo package look like?

Mitsuoka We have asked Mr. Tsurumaki, who has done package illustrations for our previous combined robots, to draw a new illustration for the package.

Tsurumaki: We are working hard on it right now.

--Thank you very much. I look forward to seeing the package illustrations as well as the product.

(Reporting by Koji Igarashi (TARKUS), Text by Masayoshi Akao)

Product Outline

S.J.H.U.PROJECT Shin Universe Robo

Price ： 23,100 yen (tax included / shipping and handling charges not included)

Age : 15 years old and up

Set contents: Godzilla ... 1

　　　　　　　Evangelion ...1

　　　　　　　Evangelion interchangeable wrist (left and right)...1

　　　　　　　Ultraman ...1

Ultraman interchangeable wrist left/right ...1