Friday, December 6, 2013
Review: S.H.Figuarts Kamen Rider Black -version 2-
| Figure Information | |
| Manufacturer: | Bandai |
| Origin Series: | Kamen Rider Black |
| Scale: | Non-scale |
| Height: | Approximately 15cm tall |
| Original Price: | 3,675 Yen |
| Packaging: |
This release has been dubbed by most as renewal version but even the official box doesn't even specify any version (I know Ultra-Act had it lol), so I'm just calling it version 2 in my review. The box has definitely improved from the old silver plain box that the version 1 had, it follows the recent Showa Rider releases when it comes to the general design, but Black v2 takes on a green box design with a somewhat overlayed Black in the front and one of the sides of the box. The back, as usual, features some product shots and ridiculously, a shot of Black with Battle Hopper (also a version 2/renewal version) for your marketing campaigns lol.
| Details: |
Black v2 here got a major overhaul when it comes to the frame and basically everything that was wrong with the first SHF Black was fixed here. Now dashed in an almost perfectly proportioned mold, his body is in full matte black finish coming along with several creases found all over the "leather" suit which adds to how show accurate this new version can get. Additionally, the joints are now covered with the light brown details of the suit making them almost hidden in view. The king stone's finish is ridiculously good in paint and details so it's definitely a kudos to bandai's tamashii division with this fantastic improvement of the legendary rider in the Philippines lol (since he's the very first rider to be shown here based on my memory).
Black's head comes in a new well proportioned metallic black finish oozing with compound eyes and very thin antennas so be careful with it as it looks fragile.
Overall, the frame almost feels like it's a mini RAH in terms of show accuracy, and this certainly feels like THE Kamen Rider Black I grew up with as a child. Version 2 just blows the original SHF Black by a long shot in terms of appearance as I myself never saw how v1 could pass as a good KR Black figure as its proportions were all messed up to begin with.
| Accessories: |
Being a Rider with no weapons, Black v2 comes with 4 pairs of extra hand sets and I think the battle hopper bike handle gripping hands are also here which can be used for something else that I will show in the poseability section. While the hands are understandable, I do feel, Bandai was a bit cheap here for not giving Black any effect parts like most of the other Showa Riders did, a Rider Punch and a Rider Kick effect parts would've made this great package turn into a godly release.
| Articulation Points: |
The new frame supports a very wide movement for Black's head; rotating freely sideways and then given a decent ability to look up and down to a very decent range.
The shoulders use your typical ball joint with a hinge so the arms can rotate a full 360 and raise sidewards around to a 75. Though I was not able to document it, the brown detailing on Black's shoulders actually move if you adjust the ball forwards/backwards. He does have bicep swivel and then a delicious double jointed elbows which allow some really intense bending.
His torso is a major factor as his ab crunching abilities are exceptionally good (godly even) and also for tilting sideways.
The hips are on the usual ball joints with hinges that allow you to pull the legs so it can go on a much higher arc when raising his legs; the legs split to a decent degree and also go forward and backward to almost a 90! Similar to his elbows, the knees also emulate a ridiculous bending capability thanks to the double jointed hinges used on them. Lastly, the ankles are fully tilt-able as they use a somewhat similar structure used on figma joints.
| Poseability: |
As demonstrated above, Black v2's frame is pretty much perfect already and thus, with great articulation, Black easily recreates a lot of his signature poses and seriously, once you do pose him in one of those signature poses, the sight is just marvelous.
Though only possessing hands as his accessories, a correct pick of hand combinations can turn Black Sun v2 into the ultimate brawler. What surprised me is that he can do a decent kneeling pose which some shfs have a hard to pull off.
Additionally, if you have SHF Shadow Moon, you can utilize Black's gripping hand and have him wield the Satan Saber as he did back near the end of the series.
Of course, no review of Black Sun will be complete without a brawl with his brother, the Century King, Shadow Moon!
Ultimately posing him with Shadow Moon takes the cake of his play value and hey, he can parry swords like a boss.
Additionally, you can always use Black to beat up some shocker goons to your heart's content.
Additional shots below featuring Black fighting other worldly evils, saving people like a true hero that he is and lastly posing along with another legendary warrior from Toei, Cure Black (in her Max Heart attire).
| Final Thoughts: |
I bet you are probably thinking the review was full of positive reaction, well, it really is a good release and definitely, THE Kamen Rider Black figure on a small scale. Packed with a wide set of optional hands and a very surprising range of articulation, you cannot go wrong here as he's worth his price point. A highly suggested figure to SHF collectors and Rider fans alike, Black version 2 definitely takes the SHF line to a bright future!
Anyway, I got this much loved Rider from amiami!
I give the heroic Black Sun a great 4.5 out of 5.
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HI Sir,
ReplyDeleteMay I ask where to get the stand? I just got one of these in Den Den Town and I want to make a pose out of it. Too bad the store where they're Shadow Moon just closed when I decided to get it from them. :(
Sorry for the very late reply since I haven't have the time to cater to the blog lately, but the stands I used in this review are from Tamashii Stage Act 3, it's a bit harder to find these days since Act 4 is more readily available.
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