Baldios (CM's) Review by Gold

The following review was originally prepared by Gold on 12/18/08 on the Robot-Japan Forum:

Box



Suprisingly the box is somewhat small and very light.




Baldios is packaged "disconnected", you can simply plug in the legs to form up or begin transforming each part into it's respective craft.


I'll start with the crafts first.
(L-R)
Baldiprise, Cutteranger, Pulsarburn



The Pulsarburn (the main ship) has a "clear plastic" c0ckpit and a retractable (but useless) front landing ski.







Cutteranger




Optional tank treads for Anime accurate tread size.








Baldiprise







"Baldios! Charge Up!

I really love the "fold in, fold out" parts of transforming the ships, it feels like solid Origami on a certain level.



One major concern is the attachment ports for the legs, the "tweezer-like" ends are spring loaded so that's kind cool (no release button though) but the part connecting them to the Pulsarburn is a bit worrisome, since the connection is a thin plastic vent. I don't know how strong it is but hopefully it won't crack or break down the line. Closing Baldios' "hips" together after combining is a bit difficult to do at times though (thighs too thick?)




Baldios!






Baldios' weapons
Shoulder Cannons!



Baldi Missiles (no missiles or firing projectiles included though)




Baldiguard!



Laser Bowgun!



Pulsaber!



Pulsaber Twin King!







Pulsaber extend!









One of Baldios's is strongest attacks is the "Thunder Flash". It's basically Baldios "teleporting" through "Pseudospace" (at least in the SRWZ version) and releasing a huge electrical blast at point blank.


Click to view all of Baldios' attacks from SRW Z (on the PS2)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4LiZk9_LfVE



Comparison with the Cm's Corp Goshogun and SOC Gx-01r Mazinger Z.









The Good
-Baldios weighs about 300 Grams (Goshogun is heavier)
-Ratchet jointed shoulders
-Love the transformation!
-Diecast parts include:
--Biceps (?)
--Elbows(?)
--Most of the torso
--Thighs
--Feet (albeit they're hollowed out to house the ship parts so the toy feels light)


Baldios stands roughly 7.5 Inches tall


-Screw hole covers included.



-As an added bonus, CM's Corp included the "transparent disc" alien ship (only one figure though)






The Bad
-Aside from ratcheted shoulders, there aren't any ratchet joints anywhere else.
-No extra fists.
-Factory defect? I noticed this in my unit, there seem to be "impurites(imperfections in the mold?)" in the casting process, resulting in a rough surfaced, right lateral thigh. I went back to the store to replace the whole leg unit but the problem is also present in the second unit. I wonder if this is a general problem with the batch?


-Not so neatly cut plastic.



Minor quibble, the knees don't look the same.:




The Ugly
Well, I guess it would have to be the size, I was expecting Baldios to be bigger (he's listed as a 100 Meter robot) so getting him at 7.5 Inches kinda throws things off for when he's standing next to the SOC biggies.

Overall though I'm not too disappointed with Baldios (okay, the price point was shocker). A lot of good engineering work went into the toy to make the transformation near Anime accurate. The lack of accessories and display stand (as per usual in most of Cm's releases) don't really faze me this late in the CM's Brave Gokin line.


For the record, I never really watched Baldios. Truth be told I was actually going to pass up on this guy until Banpresto included him in the SRW Z saga(my Super Robot collecting mostly follows the SRW appearances, if it pops up in the games, then it's going in my collection). But here's a somewhat cool summary of the Baldios "Space Warriors" US release movie. Lots of Xenophobia and anti-hero sentiment in this Anime. LOL! "Racism! In the workplace!"

http://www.anime-games.co.uk/VHS/anime/baldios.php



Funfact: Baldios is one of the very few Anime where the bad guys WON in the final episode! They released an artificial Sun in the polar ice caps which triggered massive floods and wiped out most of the human race, with the Blue Fixer/(aka Baldios) team helpless to stop the massive tidal waves. Talk about your epic fails!








Gold