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S.H. Figuarts Kamen Rider GenM Action Gamer Level 2 & Shakariki Sports Gallery
33 Attachment(s)
"Grade 2."
At long last, Kuroto Dan arrives in his original form! While we previously took a look at the exceedingly popular Level X/Dangerous Zombie release, now we have him as he was first presented in his Level 2 form! This figure, oddly, came out as a Tamashii Nations 2017 exclusive. While this was clearly done because of it's nature as a very simple repaint, as has been the trend with event exclusives of years past, the characters' immense popularity made this a less than ideal situation. In light of this Tamashii opted to make this figure available as a Lucky Draw Web Exclusive item at a later date as well, with the caveat that it would not include the Shakariki Sports bike. So of course I had to have this more complete version. So let's take a look at S.H. Figuarts Kamen Rider GenM Action Gamer Level 2 & Shakariki Sports! Packaging Now THIS is something interesting. Event exclusives have had some great box art over the last few years. See Dark Kabuto, Proto-Drive & Lemon Energy Baron. This year however, Tamashii Nations has gone over the top for their 10th anniversary. GenM comes packaged in a special 2-box slipcase set. The outer slipcase in mint green has a fantastic stock photo of the figure and bike that I think looks really sharp. The inner packaging is two separate boxes, one containing GenM, and one containing the Shakariki bike. GenM's box is identical to what we we'll see with the Web Exclusive release coming next year and fits in line with the rest of the toyline perfectly. The Shakariki bike comes in a separate purple monotone box that I really like. It reminds me of the way the Tires & Effect bonuses were packaged for Kamen Rider Driver, though obviously on a larger scale this time. Main Figure We're back once again with a mold we know all too well! The original Ex-Aid mold has been used as a basis for a majority of figures in the line so far including Ex-Aid himself as well as Snipe, Brave, their upgrades, and the Mighty Brothers. But very specifically the figure we're looking at today, Genm Level 2, is a 100% repaint of Ex-Aid Level 2 with no physical alterations whatsoever. GenM is a pretty lavish repaint of this original mold, and a dead sexy one. But the physical portions of this review will be a carbon copy of what I wrote for Ex-Aid. Feel free to skip down a bit if you like. GenM Action Gamer Level 2 utilizes the familiar Mighty Action X body type we've come to know and love. Bringing with it all the meticulous molded details and paint apps we've previously seen before. TMuch as with Ex-Aid, this figure is just lavishly executed. From the Ground up this body type is a sold build. Physically I still nitpick the ankles on this mold, they still feel a bit limited, especially moving forward. And getting GenM into a good pose is a total necessity for his character. So you really have to work with these feet. The knees have a great bend that helps add to the general athletic platformer theme of the figure. Sadly, as with GenM Level X, I find the paint apps on the legs, and in several other places to be a bit sloppy. There are plenty of flecks on the thighs and minor defects that are an annoyance on an expensive event exclusive such as this one. The Gamer Driver for this figure is the same standard one we've seen close to 10 times now. I still think it's an incredible to-scale replica. The appropriate readout and Game title have been added to this release. The Driver handle can flip shut, thus hiding the rider read out on the front screen as well. The right of the driver has 2 slots for Gasshats. One is already attached in the form of the Proto-Mighty Action X Gasshat. As is standard this is a dummy Gashat that can be reattached to any compatible Driver, holster, or Gashacon weapon. To the right of the driver, is a Gashat holster. There are 2 slots for extra Gasshats as well as 1 slot for a Critical Finish to be inserted. As with Ex-Aid, GenM's chest detailing is magnificent. And unlike the Mighty Brothers the interior label used for the Rider Gauge is flawless. The paint apps on the outer layer are crisp and clear here for the most part as well. I should point out that much like Brave having an incorrectly colored collar piece, GenM too is wrong. His shoulder/collar area should be purple but has instead been left silver. On the flip side of the torso is the deactivated Level 1 head. It's a bit stylized and shrunk down, but that's as it should be if TV CG magic could really work in toy form. Not to be forgotten are the arms, which admittedly only have one flaw that I'm truly bothered by, and that's the shoulder pads. Not because they impact the articulation, but because they pop off easily when fully extending the arms. I had the same problem with my Ex-Aid though oddly not with the Mighty Brothers. But it's a minor issue. The wrists are solid, the elbows fully functional and the bicep swivel welcome as always. Finally that brings us to the head. This is where the most egregious paint issues are present. The white paint used for the visor is just pitifully applied. Lot's of hazy overspray around the edges and a ton of flecks on the visor itself. The "hair" of the helmet likewise has a number of white flecks that really detract from it's overall look. Otherwise I think the shape of the head is generally great, and the hair looks very solid. Lots of people took issue with this head on the original Ex-Aid release, but I've always thought it looked spot on. Accessories 4 - set of hands. 3 varieties of open palm hands and 1 set for holding things, weapons or bike handles. 1 - set of Gashacon Bug Visor parts. This accessory is actually split into a few pieces though out of box it comes in the Chainsaw Eliminator mode. Although the saw form is not the standard mode of the weapon. The Bug Visor itself is just a plate in the center that makes up most of the mass of the accessory. It's attached to a long board with the saw extended on one end. The EXP Grip Knuckle is likewise a separate part plugged onto this board. An alternate part is included that when used in conjunction with the Visor and Knuckle, creates the standard version of the weapon we see GenM use probably 99% of the time, the Beam Gun Eliminator mode. 1 - Shakariki Sports Level 3 bike. This is the main event. The reason most anyone who wanted this figure went ahead and bought the Tamashii Nations 2017 exclusive version (definitely including me). Since this won't be included with the standard web release in 2018, it's undoubtedly going to retain value all it's own. Out of box, it's everything you'd want in a glorified accessory. Like usual Rider Machines, the bike has a turning front wheel attached to the handlebars (tires are rubber or at least a soft rubbery plastic), and since we've never really had a figuarts bicycle before, it's incredible that it even has working pedals. Now they aren't connected by chain to the rear wheel, but the pedals do move. Between them and the seat, it's actually a perfect fit for GenM to be seated. There's no kickstand on the bike to hold it up but there is an accessory included that more than fixes this. 1 - Wheel Base. Very different from what we normally see with figuarts bikes, this base is designed for the much smaller bike tire. It provides a nice tight fit for the rear (or front tire) and has some wider sections on either side to provide the stability needed for the bike to sit upright without a rider. Even if you take the Shakariki bike out of the equation, this figure still comes with a perfect array of accessories. Accept for one thing, there is no Shakariki Sports Ghashat included at all. Which is totally bizarre. The actually bike itself comes with this release, but not the gashat that summons it. I truly don't understand why. Final Thoughts Kamen Rider GenM is a character with totally unmatched fan favoritism within the context of this series. people love him, and for good reason. Kuroto Dan is a charismatic mad man with some of the best forms and abilities the series had to offer. While I'm still surprised his upgraded Level X form was released first, I'm really really happy to have Level 2 GenM now. And I'm ecstatic that Bandai went the the extra mile and even produced the Shakariki Sports bike. It to me shows that they truly understand what it is that fans wanted from this release. Of course it still boggles my mind that it was made a limited event exclusive, but if you don't mind the loss of the bike you can always pick up the web exclusive solo release in 2018. For now, I have to say I truly love this figure. |
34 Attachment(s)
Part 2
- Bug Visor - VS Ex-Aid - Level 2's together - GenM's united |
32 Attachment(s)
Part 3
- Shakariki Sports Bike |
Awesome figure. The bike has some nice effects.
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Some awesome shots there
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Just got him myself a few days ago.
Love the figure but its not worth the price it's going for right now. |
Only Figuarts can make a toy of a BMX bike being used as a weapon look good.
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That bike is waaaaay cooler than it should be
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Another of the "dark version" Riders that actually turned out to be a good suit that I liked.
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Always liked that they talked about it being a color swap of Ex-Aid since that's how it is in games. Good figure overall.
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I really like this figure, but for best Dan-representation on the shelf, I'd still go with the Zombie Gamer Level X-form.
It's a little bit of a shame that this was exclusive to the Tamashii Nations event, but we all saw it coming and they are a bit more generous with releasing some stock through PB this time. The bike is also the perfect accessory for this guy. I still fondly remember when he showed up in Ghost to whoop some serious butt with that thing. Because it was one of the very few pleasant experiences I got out of that show :^) |
It's a shame this version was such a limited release considering how close to perfect it is. The only thing this is missing is a Shakariki Sports gashat for the slot holder.
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This version is great, but Level X is probably still better looking in my opinion. Shakariki Sports, on the other hand, is a wonderful addition, and it really surprises me they'd do it as an event exclusive. I'd have thought something like Genm Lv0 would be more appropriate. Or maybe that's just me. Still, wonderful gallery!
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This might be a pretty godly (eh? Eh?) Figuart, but I still prefer Dangerous Zombie overall.
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If this hadn't been an exclusive... It's funny. Sometimes, I hate absurd Rider designs. There was practically nothing that appealed to me about Dragon Knight Hunter.
Sometimes, though, I lean into the madness. All my favorite Gaim designs were the ones clearly modeled on fruit. Suika Arms is ridiculous, nearly laughable, I have nowhere to put it, and I would buy it instantly if Bandai produced it. The line between goofy-awesome and goofy-lame can be incredibly thin. For whatever reason, the Sharakiri Sports bike hits that sweet spot of absurdity for me. Maybe it's that it looks so darned appropriate given the biker-outfit stylings of the base suits. Maybe it's the thought that Bandai was thinking, "Well, we already made a car Rider, but we've never had a bicycle Rider." Regardless, I was OMGWANT when I first saw this, then disappointed when I realized it was a con exclusive. As always, great gallery! Do want. |
Well since no else made this joke here
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xt0V0_1MS0Q Any way compared to the LvUR08 it is nice to give Ganm an adult size bike |
Man I love how this suit looks, not as good as Zombie sure but the base Ex-Aid suit looks fantastic recolored.
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I've always been a fan of the Dark Rider. GenM is no exception. My only grudge against this design is the purple. Yes, yes, i know, its such a stupid reason. But purple is a color I've never been fond of and, at times, have hated, despite the fact that I look good in it. Lol! On to the figure! I love it. Love everything about it. Shame I'll probably never be able own one. *couch*best Christmas present ever aside from Dangerous Zombie*cough* He comes with the Bug Visor! I want this guy sooooo damn bad.
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God, Gemn looks gorgeous. I'd love to own any version of him.
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I love the purple, but I hate the bike.
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I want that bicycle.
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It's not the figure that I like the most. It's that outer box packaging. I'm a sucker for black and mint colored packaging, it makes it pop in a way that most dont. Great gallery too, love the comparisons and extra effects.
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The more I look at this design the more I wished two things:
1) that Ex-Aid had a different eye appearance under the visor. Looking at the back of Genm's suit, the large faceshield with the blackened eyes look really good. 2) that the driver was more like Captain N's belt in that touching certain buttons did certain things. I know Chronicle or whatever he's called has the pause ability, but as it stands the Gamer Driver is so cumbersome and bulky. |
Genm is such a great dark rider, the color scheme works so well with the ex-aid design.
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I actually love the bike. Not a Kamen Rider watcher, but from the outside looking in, that bike is eye candy.
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This form looks ok for a dark rider but I like the Zombie more.
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Another cool looking figure. OF course Ex-Aid would make a bike look cool
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Liked the Genm design, but for some reason I like that bike (or maybe I just like it in these photos). I've had the gashat noise for sports stuck in my head since seeing this gallery.
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genm is perhaps my favorite dark rider
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Fro some reason I feel like out of the main 5 riders and there gashats, I associate Shakariki sports with Gemn rather than proto mighty action X, Great gallery though
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Alright, it's pretty cool that they actually made a bicycle. I dig it.
Genm solves some of my issues with Ex-Aid with the paint scheme, so bit of a shame yours has some issues on the head. It otherwise looks very nice. |
Love the colors on this
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Love me some early genm, the purple lines get me for some reason. The bike is a great accessory
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Not only is it an amazing figure, even the box is very fancy.
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A great suit and a great figure, but nothing beats dangerous zombie.
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One of the more memorable evil rider that's a repaint of the main rider.
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Such a good color scheme, but the sports gamer bike is such a spoiler to the suite design. Its almost painful how badly they want to do Gaim designs again.
It IS painful how badly I WANT them to do Gaim again Fantastic gallery Den-O |
Super nice looking figure. I'm consistently impressed with the details on both the drivers and the chest plates for Ex-Aid figures. The colors on both the driver and the bike pop really well against the black....everything else.
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i still need both versions of Kami-Da! Glad to see this figure still looks fantastic
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The release of the Shakariki Sports bike is one of those fun accessories that SHFs used to do in the old days. Makes me nostalgic for the days of ramen bowls and watermelon hats.
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