S.H. Figuarts (エス・エイチ・フィギュアーツ Esu Eichi Figyuātsu, Simple style Heroic action Figures and Arts) is a toyline of detailed collectible figures manufactured by Bandai starting in 2008 and is part of thier Tamashii Nations division. The line originally consisted of IPs owned or had media produced by Toei Company such as Kamen Rider and Sailor Moon, but quickly expanded into other franchises that Bandai had obtained toy licenses of such as Star Wars and Marvel Comics or some of its own such as the Gundam franchise.
The popularity of the toyline has resulted in spinoffs such as MonsterArts, which focuses on kaiju such as Godzilla and horror monsters, Figuarts ZERO, a miniature collectible statue line and two defunct spinoff lines: D-Arts which focused on video game characters and Ultra Act, which focused on characters from Ultraman (but the Ultraman toyline continued with S.H. Figuarts).
The Hulkbuster and Hulkbuster 2.0 Figuarts are unique among the Marvel S.H. Figuarts not only in being larger in scale, but also in branding and price. The Hulkbusters were made in collaboration with Bandai's Chogokin division, having die cast parts on the body. This also makes them the most expensive collectibles of the Marvel lineup, as they range in price at e-retailers from $500 to $900. As Tamashii Web Exclusives, they will not be re-issued for further production, making them rare and even more valuable.
In 2015, Disney briefly attempted to block the sale of S.H. Figuarts and other Bandai toys outside Japan. Thier reasoning was never clear, but it might have been due to their contract with Hasbro to distribute Star Wars and Marvel Toys in the USA.
S.H. Figuarts are infamous for being counterfeited (mostly by shady dealers selling Chinese knockoffs or utilizing other scam tactics), resulting in some buyers being ripped off. It is advised for collectors to avoid sites like Amazon and get the figures directly from a Bandai approved dealer such as Hobby Link Japan, Bluefin or direct from their website stores to avoid being scammed.[8]
If collectors purchased the Iron Man Mark 46 and Civil War Captain America Figuart Special Box Set from a Toys R' Us Japan store in 2016, they would receive a free copy of a comic called Avengers: Operation Hydra as a giveaway prize.
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