SHF Kabuto, Upcoming SICs, Gunpla

I haven’t been updating in a long while. I wanted to drag my lazy butt off my chair and take some photos of some of my recent gets but realised my batteries had run out of power.

Instead, I have here a pretty long post on several things. First, the SHF Masked Rider Kabuto has been released in Japan and here’s a link to a Japanese review by Climax F.

The Kabuto Kunai Gun comes in separate parts (Gun Form and Kunai Form) instead of being removable like its Souchaku Henshin counterpart. Other differences include a slimmer silhouette and smaller-sized weapons on the SHF figure.

On another note, something has gone wrong with my laptop’s LCD panel. A one-pixel thick white line appeared on it a few days ago and it has been growing in thickness every few hours. As of now, it is 10 pixels wide, so I have a white bar blocking my view somewhere down 2/3 of the screen.

From Toysdaily, pictures of the upcoming SIC Masked Rider Den-O Liner Form (with Zeronos Zero Form not shown) as well as SIC Masked Rider Zeronos and Deneb Imagin.

Hotlinked from photobucket

Again from Toysdaily, pictures of the MG 1/100 Sinanju Ver. Ka.

Hotlinked from photobucket

Based on the pictures, it has been confirmed that there are no gold parts for the golden accents. Instead, Bandai has tried to make up for it by providing a new kind of clear sticker. It is a hybrid sticker where the gold accents are done like foil on a clear sticker medium. Unfortunately I can’t find the photo showing this.

Additionally, Taste-san has a review of the HG 1/144 Cherudim Gundam and MG 1/100 Infinite Justice Gundam uploaded on his site.

What makes this model really awesome is that it comes with much more accessories than the HG 1/144 00 Gundam. First, it has been revealed that the green armour plates are actually “Shield Bits”, removable pieces that can re-arrange themselves into different formations. The GN Drive is mounted on the backside underneath the Shield Bits, and there is a “Follow Screen” (pardon my translation, it may be inaccurate) which folds out from the backpack in front of the face when sniping in Trans-Am mode. The model also comes with a pair of GN Beam Pistol IIs, GN Sniper Rifle II and clear parts for the sensors. All in all I’d say this has more playability than the 00 Gundam.

Photographs by Taste-san

SIC Masked Rider Zeronos + Deneb Imagin

From Hobbystock, some photos of the upcoming SIC Masked Rider Zeronos + Deneb Imagin.

Images hotlinked from Photobucket

Upcoming Masked Rider Merchandise – SIC

From Toysdaily, a prototype photo of the upcoming SIC Masked Rider Zeronos + Deneb Imagin. Also, thanks to the heads-up from Ngee Khiong, I have some pictures of the soon-to-be-released SIC Masked Rider Den-O Gun Form and Ryuutaros Imagin ripped straight from Bandai’s Tamashii web site.

7140 yen, December release.

You can see from the above pictures the difference between the styles for the SIC and SH lines. SIC figures are more organic in appearance and may look different from the TV version. The original idea was to create figures that projected a dark feel (which the original Kamen Rider tried to) by re-imagining their appearance. That’s why they are called Super Imaginative Chogokin. Unfortunately, these figures aren’t produced in huge amounts and are very expensive. For a poor bloke like me, I’ll go broke very soon if I ever start collecting them. Besides, it’s very hard to find older releases now.

Bandai’s Tamashii Web has a gallery of the SIC Masked Rider Den-O Gun Form and Ryuutaros Imagin. It will be released on this 27th September for 6300 yen.

SHF Deneb Imagin + SH Masked Rider Zeronos

Here’s a second round of lousy photos. This time it’s the SHF Deneb Imagin. Deneb is the bumbling Imagin partner of Sakurai Yuuto in Masked Rider Den-O.

A shot of the accessories that come with the figure. A fan, Deneb candy, watermelon helmet for his awesome disguise, basket and extra hands. One right hand for holding the fan or lollipop (which have pegs), one left hand for holding the basket loosely, one pair of fists and one pair of finger guns.

Here’s a shot of Deneb trying to be serious and kick ass with his finger guns.

When he’s around other people, he comes up with (in)effective disguises, the most famous of which is his watermelon helmet.

Here is Deneb with Masked Rider Zeronos Altair Form.

Deneb prepares to combine with Yuuto to form Vega Form.

Transformation complete!　”最初に言っとく。胸の顔は飾りだ！”

“Let me say this to start. The face on my chest is for display!” Another famous trying-to-be-serious quote.

Yuuto bashing poor Deneb yet again.

Figures from the SHF line have a sleek silhouette and take articulation one step ahead with triple ankle joints. The only die-cast parts are the feet, which Bandai claims to improve stability, but I have not noticed much difference. The joints in the head and wrists resemble Kaiyodo’s Revolver Joints without the clicky feeling, allowing for great articulation. While Deneb’s robe has several joints, the fact that they can’t be bent like real cloth is a slight disappointment though. Can’t have such high expectations. Other characters with less bulky armour or clothing will have greater potential to be posed in a variety of ways and the SHF Masked Riders prove it.