Super Sentai Artisan Chogokin Otomonin Rodeomaru & Aka Ninger Chouzetsu
Premium Bandai Exclusive – December, 2015 – ¥5,994
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Review
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iqn4iU10qF4]The Ninninger Super Sentai Artisan line continues with the Chogokin Otomonin Rodeomaru, the Otomonin partner of Star Ninger! Similar to Shinobimaru, this rendition of the Otomonin is a fully poseable figure featuring small amounts of die-cast metal to stabilize the figure for all sorts of poses. To round out the trio, a small figure of Aka Ninger Chouzetsu is included with Rodeomaru for use with Lion Haoh, Haoh Shurikenjin, and Haoh Gekiatsu Daioh. Rodeomaru’s original function was a bit more complex, needing to fold properly to ride the Bison Buggy and operate Bison King, as well as house a Nin Shuriken. Thankfully, with the aid of swappable shoulders and arms, this version of Rodeomaru is fully compatible with all of the mecha in the DX Ninninger line, just like Shinobimaru. This figure was released via Premium Bandai in December, 2015 for ¥5,994 before middleman fees and shipping.
Rodeomaru is nothing short of fantastic. Something about him just feels right. He perfectly mirrors the suit used in the show while retaining all the necessary points of articulation, just like Shinobimaru. I actually have no complaints at all. The die-cast used is located in the chest armor and the legs, giving him just the right amount of heft to feel worth the price, while adding a lot to the stability. While Shinobimaru felt like it needed a little extra something, I think Rodeomaru is near perfect.
The DX Rodeomaru is stuck in a weird blocky position due to his need to lay on his belly and pilot the Bison Buggy. Additionally, he has clips and pegs on his shoulders to allow the Otomonin Shuriken to attach for Bison King. While including such things would horribly limit the figure, or just cause it to look awful, Bandai remedied this by including swappable parts. You can pull out the arms and replace them with compact versions that are positioned for piloting the Bison Buggy. The top panels of the shoulders can also come out and be replaced with versions that have the clips and pegs, allowing the Shuriken to snap in, jingle and all. While swapping pieces can get tedious, the fact that they did this to create a near perfect figure while retaining the combination ability is just great.
The small Aka Ninger is, well, small. Despite being only around two inches tall, it retains so much articulation that it’s just impressive. His head can rotate, the shoulders can swivel in all directions, elbow joint, wrist swivel, hip swivels, knee joint, ankle movement, this little guy has more articulation than most American action figures. While he can stand in the gold pedestal of Lion Haoh Fortress just fine, he needs assistance for Lion Haoh itself, as well as Haoh Shurikenjin or Gekiatsu Daioh. A small red piece can plug into his butt to allow him to peg into Lion Haoh’s mouth. Another gold piece is included that pegs into his legs to allow him to peg into the Nin Shuriken atop Haoh Shurikenjin’s head. Like Rodeomaru, it’s finicky, but the fact that it works is just great. He also comes with a small Ichibanto that can plug onto his back. I need an actual 5″ figure of this, stat!
If you are a fan of Rodeomaru, or Ninninger in the slightest, BUY THIS. While Shinobimaru wasn’t quite worth his price, Rodeomaru definitely is. The figure is a near perfect rendition of the suit seen in the show, and even has the ability to pilot the mecha of this series perfectly. The die-cast feels nice, the articulation is top notch, and the detail is superb. Aka Ninger Chouzetsu is small obviously, but is just as impressive that they fit so much articulation in such a small scale. If you can find this for retail price or lower, do yourself a favor and pick up this set. You won’t regret it.
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