S.H. Figuarts Ultraman Hayata and Alien Baltan

Ultraman is coming to S.H. Figuarts!

Celebrating 50 years of the Ultraman franchise, Bandai is introducing Ultraman and Alien Baltan to the highly popular S.H. Figuarts action figure series this July and August! The upcoming a brand new screen accurate sculpts, separate from their stylized Ultra-Act counterparts, with improved joints and details. Between July and August we will be seeing three notable releases.

This coming July, we will be seeing the release of two Ultraman Hayata figures. The first is the S.H. Figuarts Ultraman 50th Anniversary Edition which includes the figure itself plus additional accessories including damaged buildings, optional hand parts, energy shield, specium ray effect, and Alien Baltan's spacecraft, and Tamashii Stage Act. 4 stand. It will be a general release, going up for preorder in March. Retail price is 8,640 JPY.

The other Ultraman Hayata is a normal standard release without the additional accessories except for the optional hands, specium ray effect, and energy shield. It too is slated to release in July and go up for preorder in March. It is priced at 5,616 JPY.

Slated for an August 2016 release is the long awaited first appearance design of Alien Baltan. This figure was at one time set to release in the Ultra-Act line, but has since moved over to S.H. Figuarts. Other than the figure itself, it does not seem Alien Baltan will come with any additional accessories. It will go up for preorder in March along with Ultraman Hayata and is priced at around 5,940 JPY.

But, wait! There's more...

Also releasing in July are a couple Tamashii Act Building sets! They are not just limited to the S.H. Figuarts Ultraman figures, but also will work great with other figure lines like Robot Spirits, S.H. MonsterArts, and more. There are two different sets being release. One normal set and one damaged set. They are priced at 2,700 JPY per set.

Celebrate 50 years of Ultraman right by buying these sets. I know I will!

Photo Source: Bandai Tamashii Nations

The Best Kaiju Films for General Audiences

Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All Out Attack (2001)

I am not going to lie, the notion of watching movies that feature men dressed in monster suits, stomping through a miniature city and battling other men dressed as monsters, is not an easy pill to swallow for most general moviegoers nowadays who are being constantly being spoiled by big budgeted blockbuster movies that are riddled with tons of CG effects and fast-paced choreographed action scenes. I am not saying that's a bad thing, but it is not bad to take a step back and enjoy something put together practically rather than digitally for a change. That is why I love many of the classic Japanese giant monster (daikaiju) movies. They are crafted utilizing practical effects rather than CGI, and have a sense of physical realism. It might look cheesy sometimes, but there is no denying that it's entertaining as hell!

Today, I wish to put together a list of some of my personal favorite Kaiju films to show newcomers to the genre and the wonderful world of tokusatsu effects! For this list I have taken the level of special effects (tokusatsu), story, and characters into consideration.