S.H. Figuarts Alien Baltan Gallery – Toku Toy Box Entry

The most classic enemy of the Ultras arrives in time for the 50th Anniversary of his adversaries. Today we take a look at the most prolific alien race in the entire Ultra franchise with S.H. Figuarts Alien Baltan!

Packaging
Matching and complimenting the recent S.H. Figuarts Ultraman release, Baltan comes in an almost identical style of packaging, simply in blue rather than red. You'll notice that this box doesn't fit in with the nicer deluxe 50th Anniversary Ultraman, but pairs very well with the standard release. Perhaps a 50th Baltan set should have been made as well? In any case the box itself isn't terribly exciting, it even has a pretty noticeable shortage of stock photos.

Main Figure
Alien Baltan, you may recall, was one of the earliest releases way back in Bandai's now defunct Ultra-Act line. While not a terrible figure by the standards of it's time the original release did suffer from many of the same issues of it's Ultra-Act contemporaries. Mainly an odd jumble of incredibly tight & very gummy joints, inconsistent paint apps, and weird plastic tolerances. So it's actually quite surprising that it took this many years for some kind of alternative to present itself. So long in fact that Ultra-Act is no more & Baltan officially joins the S.H. Figuarts lineup!

To start I have to point out that the original Baltan Ultra-Act actually represents a different, later, version of the character. Specifically Baltan II from episode 16 of the original TV series. The Baltan species has propagated for generations throughout the Ultra franchise so it stands to reason that there are just about as many variations of this species as there are Ultra's. This new SHF Baltan, in honor of the 50th anniversary of the Ultraman franchise, is modeled upon Ultramans' classic & original Baltan nemesis from the 2nd episode of the original TV series. But more specifically it's a part for part recreation of the original Baltan suit used in the episode, right down to the asymmetry of it. Much like the 50th Anniversary Ultraman Figuart, Alien Baltan aims to be accurate to the suit used in the show first. It's a toy second. And much like SHF Ultraman, Baltan is a bit of a mixed bag.

While it's certainly nothing to laugh at, much of the articulation this figure could have enjoyed is kind of neutered. Yes the legs have a pretty great range, but the hip skirt limits their full potential. Likewise the clown feet on this guy provide a mostly stable base for balancing poses, but the ankles are incredibly limited because the ankle joint actually has a cuff around it, the shins plug down through this cuff so one would think there wouldn't be an issue. Yet somehow the ankles on mine continuously lock in place, it seems to be a clearance issue created from bad design. The upper body is miraculous though. While Baltan may appear to be one giant mass of strange shapes it's actually 3 independently moving ball jointed sections. As you can see below this allows Baltan to arch his back, swing side to side and even rotate his head to a small degree I wouldn't have thought possible at first glance. The head itself is a magnificent sculpt that really puts his asymmetry on full display. For the first time ever an accurate representation of the show suit. Think of it like how Star Wars fans have often recalled the asymmetry of the original Darth Vader helmet, something that has very rarely ever been recreated in toy form. This is that level of achievement. And the head and upper body manage to look so much like the materials used in the creation of the original suit that it's uncanny.

However the arms will probably disappoint. Again these parts share some unique molding, specifically in the shoulders, to replicate the suit. But the articulation is the issue. You can't quite straighten the shoulder joint out at a right angle like I'd like to be able to. It's almost there but not quite, the elbows have a fantastic range. But they're dynamism can't make up for the shoulders. The claws themselves also just feel like they should open much further. Maybe I'm wrong but I feel like they just don't open wide enough at all. You can fit Ultramans' head in there and hold it, but their grip is very loose. And sadly the shoulders are quite weak so holding Ultraman up off the ground as I'd imagined doesn't quite pan out. Much like the molded in details the paint apps offer some variation on each half of the figure, really selling the faithfulness to the asymmetry of the original suit. The paint apps are executed wonderfully frankly. I don't really have any complaints to lodge there.

Lastly on the topic of scale, this particular Baltan will seem to tower over your S.H. Figuarts Ultraman. But that's actually appropriate. Given that Baltan at their giant kaiju size are about 50 meters tall, Ultraman himself is only 40 meters tall in the original series (though he is 50 in later appearances). So the scale works. But honestly? I kind of like how baltan stands almost eye to eye with my older Ultra-Act Ultraman V2/Renewal. Not terribly accurate, but I like it. He's bit enough to just sneak into an Ultra-Act display and work.

Now my biggest issue with Alien Blatan is the total lack of accessories. Baltan includes nothing. While taking the character into account I can almost understand why, but when you're celebrating 50 years of one of the biggest franchises in tokusatsu with a release like this, it should have come with something. The Baltan Ship included with the 50th Edition Ultraman should have been repacked here. Or effect parts to replicate the various abilities Baltan exhibited in his debut. Just anything would have made this better.

Final Thoughts
Ultimately this figure will appeal to collectors who wish to continue down the path of the shrunk down Ultraman line. But even if you're a collector of the old Ultra-Act scale then this release can still work for you. And if you want a pretty solid update from the iffy Ultra-Act Baltan, this could get the job done. If Baltan had included some accessories, it would have made up for the figures' functional shortcomings. But as is the lack of any accessories at all combined with his retail price (5940 yen) make this a more average release. S.H. Figuarts Alien Baltan should belong in the ultimate Ultra fans' collection, but I suggest waiting for a discount at one of your favorite online retailers first.

Part 2

Looks pretty much perfect but the lack of accessorys of any kind really stings.

It look pretty good, I love the claws on it.

Baltan looks pretty good, it's a shame about the lack of accessories for that kind of price. I'd probably get it anyway since I enjoy high end figures of villains and monsters.

Ultraman fans will love owning this piece of Ultra history. It has flaws, but what doesn't these days?

The figure looks amazing but the pricing of the new Ultraman figures has turned me off to collecting them.

Definitely an awesome figure, so far the Ultra line has cranked out some pretty great monsters.

Great Seijin with a great design and an even better evil laugh. Since an iconic character in the Ultraman franchise and this is probably the best articulated rendition of him currently.

Aww, no clones?
I am not an Ultra fan, and I know little about the franchise, but I certainly remember Baltan's illusions

Anyway, it's a neat figure. He has one of my favorite designs. Dunno why, but he just has a certain charm to him that I really enjoy.
The lack of accessories is a rather sore spot. I do agree that some sort of effects piece could've been given to him.
I also wish the claws/pincers were more articulated. They seem to be oddly lacking...