Tag: s.h.figuarts ex

Kamen Rider, Kamen Rider The First, Reviews, S.H.Figuarts

Review: S.H.Figuarts EX – Cyclone

Brian Dagley

S.H.Figuarts EX - Cyclone
To be honest, I wasn’t excited for this release at all. As a whole, I didn’t really enjoy The First or The Next, and while I like the suit designs and the molds for the Figuarts, I had no real reason to be excited for his bike release. Needless to say, I was pleasantly surprised once I finally got the thing in hand. Despite technically owning it twice (I’ll get into that later), Cyclone turns out to be a great, perhaps one of the best recent bikes released.

The box is a standard bike box in size. However, this box is done entirely in white, with red lettering to match the bike’s color scheme. As always, it features the bike in the corner, with some pictures of Ichigo and Cyclone on the back. These colored boxes are pretty fantastic.

The bike itself is an extensive remold of the HardBoilder that no longer splits apart. The underchasis itself is identical, sans a slight remolding in the front axel. The main chasis, for the most part, is new, but features the same overall shape, particularly in the front of the body. The seat is slightly modified. Of course the front and back are completely new. The front is pretty nice, featuring a cool Shocker logo, also present on the sides of the bike. The back sports a giant muffler, that’s painted beautifully in a nice rainbow of magicalness. The paint on this blows the HardBoilder out of the water. The white plastic is spot on, and the red paint has a very nice gloss to it. The wheel axel area being painted red and brown is great compared to the HardBoilder’s solid silver, n and the back silver just looks overall nicer. The painting on the muffler is also really nice in person, as odd as it seems.

No Tamashii Stage with this one either. Or the upcoming Decader. Bikes used to be a great purchase, considering you got a really slick Tamashii Stage design. Unfortunately, once Bandai had to begin making NEW MOLDS for the bikes (HardBoilder, SkullBoilder, and Cyclone all have the same base molding, so this is ridiculous to me.) they stopped including Tamashii Stages and instead began packing them with tiny plastic stands for the rear wheel. Dumbbbbbbbbbbb. Anyway, this bike comes with an additional set of handles made out of a soft rubber, supposedly for better gripping when a figure is on the bike. Speaking of which, Ichigo has no hands suited for riding a bike, so he has to molest the bars. How feral.

Overall, I almost feel like this is an easier pass then the HardBoilder, despite the fact that I like it a whole lot more. For the average buyer, the HardBoilder, being from W, is a better overall buy then Cyclone, being from one movie that wasn’t that great. If you are a huge The First fan though, I’m sure you’ll love it. Despite how good it is, it’s still just the Cyclone, so my excitement really isn’t there.

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Kamen Rider, Kamen Rider W, Reviews, S.H.Figuarts

Review: S.H.Figuarts EX – Skullboilder

Brian Dagley

I’ll be honest, I was never excited for this thing, and my excitement was flushed down the drain even further when I got Hardboilder and found out how much it sucked. Unfortunately, this thing sucks even more. I suppose it’s not the bike’s fault exactly, the Hardboilder’s mold was actually okay, and with the Skullboilder being an all black repaint of it would technically take one of the main flaws of the Hardboilder (lack of painted detail) more understandable, but as it stands, the Skullboilder just doesn’t hold it’s own.

It has no Tamashii Stage. Normally I don’t really care, but every exclusive bike to date came with a really snazzy looking stand. The only thing this fuck comes with is that same little circle of nonsense that Hardboilder came with. It could at least have Skull’s logo on it. I has sad face.

In a way, the bike does top Hardboilder. It’s the same decent mold, but instead of plain green flat piece, it’s actually painted in (mostly) glossy black paint, which gives off the impression of metal a lot better, and reminds me a lot of the metallics used in Machine Tornador. In that aspect it’s a plus, but there are certain things that I still have a problem with. I understand that the bike in the movie was just a repaint of the Hardboilder chasis, but it just makes the damn thing look plain. Painting the “W” black does NOT make it go away. It has no reason to be there. Get rid of it. Decorate the front with a skull or something. It also doesn’t help that the bike is too big. The scale is just a little bit off. I want to like it, considering how much I paid, but as it is, it’s just a waste.

So yeah, don’t get it unless you are a huge fan of Skull and MUST HAVE BIKE. If you loved the Hardboilder for some reason, you might like the Skullboilder too, but as it stands, as an exclusive repaint without an exclusive Tamashii Stage, it’s just not worth it at all. Save up for something worthwhile like Guard Chaser or something.

Check out a photo gallery of Skullboilder here:

Kamen Rider, Kamen Rider Agito, Reviews, S.H.Figuarts

Review: S.H.Figuarts EX – Gills Raider

Brian Dagley

S.H.Figuarts EX - Gills RaiderTamashii Features told us it was coming (just like the recently announced GuardChaser) so it comes to no surprise that this thing exists. Another exclusive bike hits the stage, but thankfully it is a good one that blows the SkullBoilder, the next exclusive bike, out of the proverbial Shuki Lake. The last few exclusive bike releases have been great, so how does the Raider of Gills stack up?

It stacks easily enough, but it doesn’t quite compare. Gills Raider features a really nice looking metallic sea green paint adorning a dead Furret carcus. At least that’s what it looks like. It’s also strapped to a motorcycle. As far as design, the bike reminds me a lot of Acrobatter. It’s slim, sleek, and features the same range of movement. Turnable front wheels, suspension in the back, and that’s about it. It comes with two larger spikes for the back of the bike that can be attached when the shorter ones are removed. Overall, all the details are present, painted, and looks really good on display. The design of the bike is nice overall, it just lacks the overall omph that Tornador had, or the awesome factor of Acrobatter. It also comes with a black Tamashii Stage featuring a sillohute of the bike and Gills with “Kamen Rider Gills – Gills Raider” on it. It’s pretty awesome. Unfortunately, you can only do so much with a bike and a Tamashii Stage.

Overall, it’s a must have for Gills fans, as it matches him perfectly. However, just like the other bikes so far, it just doesn’t do much. Without a cool gimmick like Tornador’s transforming, it just seems a bit lackluster. On the bright side, it’s not as dull as Hardboilder and Skullboilder. At least this one has a badass Tamashii Stage!

Check out a photo gallery of Gills Raider here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/shukuenshinobi/sets/72157624940124057/

Kamen Rider, Kamen Rider W, Reviews, S.H.Figuarts

Review: S.H.Figuarts EX – Machine Hardboilder

Brian Dagley

S.H.Figuarts EX - Machine HardboilderBack when we first seen this one at Tamashii Features, we had already gotten Machine Tornador, Battle Hopper, and Acrobatter as exclusives, so of course, we pegged it as an exclusive and went about our way. Eventually it was revealed that it was a standard release item due out in August alongside CycloneJokerXtreme. A part of me wishes that would change, as this is a bike that could really of used a boost of being an exclusive. It just doesn’t stack up to the others.

The main “feature” on this bike is that it splits down the middle, and the other bike pieces, being released as Tamashii Web Exclusives (Dash Unit and Turbular Unit) can attach there and make essentially a new bike. I’d like to point out that I have no major problems with the front half of the thing. The W looks great, and the details are present and accounted for. It’s the butt end where things fall apart. The back end is basically a tire, a silver chain, and a huge chunk of green plastic. Keep in mind the chain is just silver plastic, it’s not an actual chain. The details are molded there, and I understand the actual bike was pretty subpar in coloring too, but it’s just so bland compared to the other bikes that it leaves a bad taste in my mouth. There’s certain elements like piping that would have benefited from paint that are otherwise left green. It does look nice on display from a distance, but up close, it just fails in comparison to the details presented on the other bikes. The only accessory this one comes with is a small black plastic ring with slots big enough to squeeze in the back tire so you can stand the bike straight up with a Figuart riding it.

Overall, the Hardboilder is an easy pass. If you’re a huge fan of Double, and can get it cheaply, you might enjoy it, but after owning the past bike releases, this one is easily the worse. While the mold is great, the details aren’t painted enough, and the lack of a spiffy Tamashii Stand kinda kills it for me. Save your money and go buy some real Figuarts.

Check out a photo gallery of Machine Hardboilder here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/shukuenshinobi/sets/72157625056008058/

Kamen Rider, Kamen Rider Black/RX, S.H.Figuarts

Review: S.H.Figuarts EX – Battle Hopper & Acrobatter

Brian Dagley

S.H.Figuarts EX Battle Hopper & AcrobatterAfter the fantastic release that was Machine Tornador, I knew Battle Hopper and Acrobatter, the bikes for Black and Black RX respectively, were going to be released, as they were announced already. Being the silly complesist that I am, I had to get Battle Hopper and Acrobatter. Not having the money during initial pre-order, I moved to CSToys for my purchase (as I have since) and planned on purchasing one of the three sets they had available. However, Sintide no longer wanted his pre-order from Yokatta, so I paid him and took over his pre-order, so here we are today, with the bikes on my desk.

I’ll start with Battle Hopper. He’s my least favorite of the two, but he’s still a pretty fun bike. The metallic green paint used is vibrant, and, as always, the compound eye effect on the front of the bike is spectacular. I’ll be honest, there really isn’t too much to go into, as I don’t particularly have any complaints with the bike at all, it does exactly what it needs to do. The stand it comes with says “Black Sun” while showing a nice silhouette of Black and Battle Hopper, as well as the logo for the series. While the stand that came with the Machine Tornador was cool, the stands that come with these two blow it out of the water. I can only hope stands with future bike releases are as stylized and badass.

Acrobatter, which you non-Rider fans may know as Chopper from Saban’s Masked Rider, kicks all sorts of ass. Ever since Saban’s, I always liked Acrobatter’s design. It retained it’s bike looking form, while having a nice bug stylization at the same time. Again, the compound eye effect is great, and the metallic paint used is stunning. Again, not too much to say, as the bike is absolutely great. The stand that comes with Acrobatter says “Son of the Sun” which, while being an accurate translation, the usual “Child of the Sun” sounds so much better, but what can you do? Acrobatter is easily my favorite of the two.

Since these are just remoldings of the original Souchaku Henshin release of the bike (the SH release had one body with the two sets of chasis) the panels can be removed, and swapped if you so please. You can make Battle Batter or AcroHopper or something if you want. Fun! I actually am glad that S.H.Figuarts decided to release both of them individually, as I can now display both bikes at the same time, something everyone should know I’m picky about by now.

Overall, I love them. I was hesitant on picking them up at first, I haven’t seen Black or Black RX fully, but I’m glad I decided to bite the bullet and get them. Battle Hopper has some pretty sleek detailing, and show off the details of the chasis well. Acrobatter just looks plain ordinary badass, and I can’t help but love it. The fact that you can set these guys up on the stand in some sort of ramp jump Rider awesome is a fun addition, and currently how I plan on displaying my Black and Black RX. I highly recommend these two if you can find them on the secondary market.

Check out the evolving bikes here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/shukuenshinobi/sets/72157623834144877/