Super7 Interview

ULTIMATES!, ReAction, & Super Kaiju - SDCC 2026

July 23, 2026

Bryan Flynn: Founder & Owner

Interview by The Articulation Series

 

 

Founded in 2001, Super7 is the premier pop-culture design house and producer of lifestyle-oriented collectibles, toys and apparel based in San Francisco. Led by designer Brian Flynn, Super7 has harnessed the graphics, aesthetics and energy of his youthful obsession with science fiction, giant monsters, comic books, punk rock, skateboarding, robots and rebellion to build a unique and innovative business that crosses all categories and is not bound by traditional manufacturing boundaries.

 

 

THE ARTICULATION SERIES (TAS): I'm here at Comic-Con with Super7 founder and owner Brian Flynn! Today, we're diving into how things are going across Super7's product lines—including Ultimates!, Super Kaiju, and ReAction. Brian, could you share the story of when and how Super7 first started with Godzilla merchandise?

 

Brian: If you want to trace Super7's relationship with Godzilla back to its roots, you have to go all the way to Issue 1 of Super7 magazine in 2001. That inaugural issue featured a feature on vintage Marusan and Bullmark Godzilla figures, alongside two exclusive mail-away collectibles. At the time, we were attempting to mimic the mail-order offer format seen in Japanese magazines like Figure King or Hyper Hobby, where readers clipped out a physical coupon and mailed in a check for an exclusive repaint. For our first offer, we released a clear gray '54 Godzilla vinyl figure produced with Bear Model—the clear gray plastic was meant to represent Godzilla underwater during the movie's climax.

 

From that starting point, we began collaborating with Japanese toy makers on each issue to create special re-colors of Godzilla and various Godzilla kaiju. These releases proved very popular, which naturally led to us pitching original concepts and designs to Japanese vinyl manufacturers. Eventually, that momentum transitioned into Super7 producing our own toys directly in Japan. So that was our initial entry into the Godzilla license.

 

As the years went on and our production expanded, we pivoted more toward making vinyl toys based on our own original IPs. Around that same time, we also introduced our ReAction line of retro-styled action figures. Of course, there was a gap of a few years where we weren't creating Godzilla items. Then, roughly six or seven years ago—time gets a bit fuzzy post-COVID—we stepped back into making Godzilla collectibles. However, this time around we focused on Western/American formats instead of traditional Japanese soft vinyl styles.

 

TAS: To clarify what "American formats" means—are you referring specifically to the materials used?

 

Brian: In contrast to plastic action figures, Japanese Godzilla toys were primarily vinyl figures straight through the early 2000s. Collector products offered retro throwback styles from companies like Bullmark, Marusan, Marmit, and Bear Model. Meanwhile, Bandai produced highly realistic vinyl figures. However, super-articulated plastic action figures like these were not widely popular in Japan at the time. That distinction highlights the difference in American form factors: collectors in the U.S. grew up with plastic action figures, whereas Japanese fans grew up with soft vinyl.

 

TAS: Soft vinyl figures offer minimal to no articulation as well. It’s essentially just a swivel joint at the limbs?

 

Brian: Exactly. They rely entirely on friction-fit vinyl parts—typically simple swivel joints at the arms, legs, head, and occasionally a wing or tail.

 

TAS: Fast-forwarding to today, the “Ultimates!” line features super-articulated, 8-to-9-inch plastic figures. Looking back to the line's inception, how has the progression been up to where “Ultimates!” stands now?

 

Brian: It's actually going really well. We knew the “Ultimates!” line performed well with standard action figures. Adapting it to Godzilla naturally results in a much larger product due to the massive scale and details like tails, which increases the cost to manufacture. While we were uncertain how many fans would make the leap at that higher price point, it remains a good value given the size and scale—so response has been super positive overall. It is really cool to observe the evolution of both the “Ultimates!” and ReAction product lines. Originally, ReAction was defined by retro-styled action figures, which inspired its name. Consequently, Showa-era Godzilla releases began in ReAction, whereas Heisei and Millennium eras were assigned to “Ultimates!” to fit its modern action figure style. Over time, ReAction has expanded past Showa into Heisei, Millennium, and recent releases such as Shin and Minus One. Now, “Ultimates!” has moved from Heisei, Millennium, and Reiwa into Showa-era offerings. We’re seeing these lines crossover in a natural way with items like a ReAction Shin Godzilla alongside an “Ultimates!” Mechagodzilla (1974).

 

TAS: That's really cool. I’m digging the Showa era “Ultimates!”. I grew up watching the Showa era. Most people around my age share that experience, especially since the Heisei films weren't available on home video over here until around '92 [Biollante] and '98 [King Ghidorah through Destoroyah].

 

Brian: It's a great time to be a Godzilla collector. There are more versions of Godzilla being made in more formats and at a higher quality than has ever been made in the history of Godzilla.

 

TAS: Absolutely. Speaking of modern-day Reiwa releases, what drove the decision to make Shin Godzilla and Odo Island Godzilla the next figures in the “Ultimates!” line?

 

Brian: As you follow the progression of the line, starting with Godzilla ‘89, then Burning ‘95, then 1200 Degrees, and continuing forward through Godzilla ‘02 and Kiryu Mechagodzilla, Shin was the natural next step. Shin is such a fantastic, bizarre, goofy, and entertaining Godzilla film. It was really rewarding to finally bring this figure to life.

 

TAS: The tail engineering appears to be a total redesign. Did you encounter any specific hurdles while creating it?

 

Brian: Due to the distinctive challenges Shin's tail posed, our team re-engineered the tail system entirely from the ground up. We introduced an innovative internal mechanism that provides an expanded range of motion alongside the necessary stiffness to reliably hold its pose—it's truly an exciting advancement.

 

TAS: Does the tail rely on a continuous series of barbell joints, or are floating components placed in between them?

 

Brian: It's not a barbell the way you're thinking about it. It operates on a completely new system altogether, which is why it performs so much better. It took us some time to figure it out, but we got there.

 

TAS: So no floating pieces at all?

 

Brian: No.

 

 

TAS: Wow, that's incredible. And this is the final factory sample on display?

 

Brian: Yes it is.

 

TAS: Something I've frequently observed with Shin Godzilla figures from various manufacturers is how challenging it is to properly fill the figure's crevices with red paint. It often ends up looking faded, or it's only applied well in specific areas. Looking at the display model, however, it's clear there was care taken to paint inside virtually every single crack.

 

Brian: Well, part of that comes down to whether it's a rub or an actual paint application. Typically, the simplest approach is to spray the entire figure red and then wipe it down with a solvent while the paint is still wet, leaving the color settled inside the crevices. However, using that approach leaves you with undesirable blurring and soft edges. Instead, you need to utilize a slightly different technique to achieve a fully opaque finish with sharp, crisp lines on the paint.

 

TAS: Thanks for the detailed explanation. As for extras, it comes with two swappable heads?

 

Brian: Altogether, there are three heads included. Specifically, you get a closed-mouth option, an open-mouth version, and one featuring the atomic blast effect.

 

TAS: The blast effect comes fixed to the head and can't be detached?

 

Brian: Correct, the blast effect is molded directly onto that head.

 

TAS: Is all of this included in the main box, rather than a super pack?

 

Brian: That’s right, everything in one box.

 

TAS: For $95, sounds like collectors will be getting some bang for their buck!

 

Brian: It's a gigantic figure, actually, especially when you lay out that whole tail. It's huge. It's by far the biggest “Ultimates!” we've done yet.

 

TAS: And this was 3D sculpted from the ground up, correct?

 

Brian: Yes.

 

TAS: So, Toho didn't provide any CG assets for this one, but they did supply CG models for Godzilla Minus One?

 

Brian: Yeah, for Minus One, Toho supplied us directly with a digital 3D model right from the film.

 

TAS: Moving on to the Odo Island Godzilla, did Toho supply CG assets for your version of Odo Island as well?

 

Brian: They supplied a bunch of assets for us to work with. While our team still needed to fill in a few gaps and make it fit for the “Ultimates!” brand, their support gave us a strong foundation. Since both of us are committed to producing and representing the character in a faithful way, having those materials ready to go for new films makes a huge difference.

 

TAS: That's fantastic. Differing from Shin Godzilla and previous Godzillas in this collection, this figure features an articulated mouth?

 

Brian: Yes! The lower jaw can be dropped.

 

TAS: And over here is the interchangeable head piece—so that one is dedicated to a static roaring pose?

 

Brian: That’s right. Plus, we have the additional hand options.

 

TAS: All the extras also come in the main box as well?

 

Brian: Correct.

 

TAS: Regarding its balance, do you happen to know whether it can lean forward with the tail completely off the ground?

 

Brian: I'm sure it can. There should be no reason why we wouldn't be able to counterbalance it like that. I haven't posed it like that specifically with this particular sample because we just got this sample, but there should be no reason why you couldn't do that.

 

TAS: Fantastic. This item is an Amazon exclusive priced at $80, correct?

 

Bryan: Yes.

 

TAS: Next up is the Minus One Fully Charged figure.

 

Brian: Yeah, it's crafted from translucent blue with multiple varying shades, capturing him fully charged. Instead of only the dorsal spines powering up, all of Minus One is powered up with this blue coloring. Although it's somewhat fictitious, it looks fucking awesome.

 

TAS: That's incredible. So it's currently available? Fans can go ahead and buy it right now?

 

Brian: Yes! It is up for purchase on super7.com right now.

 

TAS: Let's move on to Final Battle Godzilla.

 

Brian: Right at the very end of Godzilla vs. Destoroyah, just prior to meltdown, you catch that moment where internal flashes of light suddenly burst through with the large purple rays. So we put an internal LED so that the figure glows from within, while translucent purple ray effect parts fit into slot placements surrounding him on both the front and rear. When illuminated, the rays light up. It captures the moment when he’s literally breaking apart.

 

TAS: Next on display is the Thirsty for Blood grayscale version.

 

Brian: So a couple years ago, we did the “Art Adams Thirsty for Blood Godzilla” as a convention exclusive here at San Diego. And if you remember that one, it comes with a little tiny Art Adams figure that you can hold in his hand. That figure was incredibly popular and it started to get ridiculously expensive on the secondary market. And you know, as a collector, I want to protect the people that buy the stuff that we have, but at the same time, I also want to make it something that everybody can enjoy. So we were like, "How do we bring back the Thirsty for Blood Godzilla so people can still get one, but also protect the people that were there and bought the original one?" So we brought it back in a grayscale, and that's what this is. So it's sort of a play on the comic book a little bit.

 

TAS: Are you able to share if this has been performing as well as the original release?

 

Bryan: It's been doing great. We actually did a really cool thing with it where fans had the option to preorder the figure autographed by Art. He dropped by the Super7 warehouse personally to sign figures for every customer who selected the autographed version.

 

TAS: That's so cool. All right, enough about “Ultimates!”, let's turn our attention to ReAction. We have a pair of glow-in-the-dark figures featured up here for SDCC—are these exclusive to the convention?

 

Brian: For 25 years now, we’ve created glow-in-the-dark variants. With our Godzilla line, that meant producing small runs of glow-in-the-dark figures for almost every sculpt, typically as convention exclusives. We ran with that model for years until last year, when industry-wide factors like tariffs forced everyone to scale back SKUs, cancel planned items, and tighten up operations. So the glows were put on pause for about a year. These are the first glows coming back. So we're revisiting Godzilla '89 and Mechagodzilla '93 in glow-in-the-dark. Beyond that, what sets these glow-in-the-dark releases apart from the standard ReAction line is that each one features an illustrated card back with Japanese Katakana.

 

TAS: Next up is the Godzilla (2004) Color Shock figure. Although it resembles a ReAction release at first glance, it actually belongs to the Super Kaiju line?

 

Brian: Yes. The Super Kaiju line has been exclusive to Target for a while now and they came to us and said something like, "We love all these wacky vinyl things that you do. Is there a way to do something like that with Super Kaiju?". What they were referring to was what we were doing with ReAction, we added in every assortment an extra SKU that just drops in from time to time. A wild, cool, fun color. And so the very first one for Super Kaiju is the Color Shock of Godzilla (2004) with the pink glitter.

 

TAS: Oh, I didn't know it had glitter in it!

 

Brian: Pink glitter monsters—pink always works for monster toys. And it's just super fun and playful. Also in the Super Kaiju line, it always comes with half a building.

 

TAS: So these color ways for Super Kaiju won’t come in the standard box?

 

Brian: Initially, the first few waves of Super Kaiju were released in boxed packaging. However, Target requested that we transition the line to carded packaging. So, standard card backs will be used for the normal releases, while an illustrated version will be designed for the Color Shock releases.

 

TAS: What is the retail price point for Super Kaiju?

 

Brian: Retailing for $35.

 

TAS: Are these going to be available for purchase at any other online retailers?

 

Brian: In short order, you'll start being able to get them at other places online as well, but right now, check your local Target.

 

TAS: On a non-Godzilla note, I was curious—has Super7 ever explored working with the Jurassic Park license?

 

Brian: I would love to do Jurassic Park stuff, but there is another toy manufacturer that has that pretty well locked down.

 

TAS: It seems like the former licensee had a solid grip on it too. I guess no one likes to share their dinosaurs, haha.

 

Brian: No they do not.

 

TAS: To wrap things up, I'm curious—are you excited for Godzilla Minus Zero?

 

Brian: I am super excited about it. I haven't seen much, but I've been told a few things, and it sounds pretty amazing. Obviously, we're working on a few things. So, you know...Can't wait for November to get here.

 

TAS: Oh, we can see something from Super7 in November?

 

Brian: Well, that's when the movie comes out.

 

TAS: I feel teased right now!

 

Brian: There you go. No more than that.

 

TAS: Not a problem at all. Thank you, Brian, for taking the time to share these details about Super7's latest releases.

 

Brian: Yeah, of course. Thank you.

 

 

 

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SDCC 2026 EXCLUSIVES

ULTIMATES!

REACTION

SUPER KAIJU