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Kamen Rider OOO "Combo Change" Series Review/Pics
*Eight hundred years ago, a race of creatures known as the Greeed (please not the third "e" is not a typo) were created using talismans known as "Medals" and nearly destroyed the world through their unquenchable desire for power, before they were stopped by the legendary OOO.
Now the Greed have been reawakened in modern times and are creating monsters fueled by human desires to accomplish their evil deeds. So what's the best way to fight off Greeed? With a hippie of course! Enter Hino Eiji, an unambitious traveler who stumbles into the Greeed's antics and uses a device called the OOO Driver and his own collection of Medals to change into the latest riding hero! http://youtu.be/up94S6x0zSI The OOO Driver works by channeling energy from 3 Core Medals, the main power source for the Greeed. Cores come in 3 types- Head, Arms, and Legs- and each Greeed has 3 full sets of Cores. (Are we seeing a pattern yet?) Also I apologize for the crappy photo quality; most of these were taken with my old camera. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...1811184546.jpg This is the first configuration used by OOOs, created with the Hawk, Tiger and Grasshopper Medals- "TaToBa" Form. Each Medal equipped offers a different ability: *The Taka Head allows precise accuracy with attacks *The Tora Arms deploy powerful claw-gauntlets (stopping just short of a "SNIKT" sound effect) *The Batta Legs fold forward (resembling an actual grasshopper) to allow OOO's own unique Rider Kick. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...21/tatoba2.jpg OOOs is also armed with a sword called the "Medajaliber" (a hybrid of "Medal" and "Excalibur" and the OOOs Scanner allows the Driver & Sword to fully unlock the power of the Medals. This figure is a fairly accurate representation of OOO's default form; it may lack certain articulation points or paint details that would be found in other, more expensive releases but nicely captures the overall feel of the character. But the true power of OOOs comes from increasing the Medal Count! |
The greatest strength of the Medals (and related merchandising) comes from the ability to swap Medals and create different forms for OOO. The combination features in this figure line are activated by pressing a button on the back, somewhat reminiscent of the infamous "Crash Test Dummies" toys.
Several different types of Medals exist in the series. Green Medals are insect-based and mostly offer direct attack enhancement. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...1/gatahead.jpg *The Kuwagata Head generates lighting to shock enemies http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...1/kiriarms.jpg *The Mantis Arms supply a pair of powerful swords. *The Grasshopper Legs I already mentioned, but to avoid simply re-packing old parts this second set comes with translucent "effect" Legs. When OOOs uses a complete set of any one Medal type it creates a more powerful configuration known as a "Combo"- http://youtu.be/PwUM46vPOKo http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...gatakiriba.jpg This is the first pure Combo used in the series, GataKiriBa! IN addition to all the previously-mentioned abilities, this form allows OOOs to create multiple copies of himself for combat (something which does not easily translate to toy form). The Combo Change series is an excellent recreation of Kamen Rider OOO's form-changing effect; the figures are solidly built, the changes are very easy and the level of customization is incredible. And we're just getting started! |
Yellow Medals are feline-based and generally appear to enhance OOOs' speed.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...1/lionhead.jpg *The Lion Head generates intense light to blind enemies and stop them from attacking. *The Tiger Arms I mentioned before, and again this second release includes "effect parts." http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6.../cheetlegs.jpg *The Cheetah Legs let OOOs move at incredible speeds and deliver a flurry of kicks. http://youtu.be/HaEL1ruZ-20 http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...1/ratorata.jpg Finally, we have the Scorching Combo- RaToraTah! Able to overwhelm the Greeed with a blaze of power! This set could be considered a step backwards from the previous one; the combinations and effects just aren't as interesting this time. Despite that flaw in the parts I'm still having a lot of fun with the Combo Change gimmick. |
Grey medals are based on...African land mammals, apparently. The general theme in this set appears to be pure physical power.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...21/saihead.jpg The Rhino Head allows OOO's to perform a mighty Skull Bash attack with super-effectiveness. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...1/goriarms.jpg Gorilla Arms utilize a powerful set of gauntlets known as the "Gori Bagon." The gauntlets in this toy series are simple "pressure-launchers" and they work pretty well; letting the launch gimmick exist without compromising articulation or quality. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...221/zolegs.jpg Last but not least are the Elephant Legs, said to cause powerful seismic tremors. http://youtu.be/mwHo8lLTDgQ http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...221/sagozo.jpg These 3 create the Gravity Combo, SaGoZho! Able to generate powerful shockwaves by beating his chest with the Gori Bagon and open fissures in the earth by stomping. This design is definitely a step up from last time; probably my favorite Combo to date. But this line is far from over... |
Red Medals are probably the most perpelexing entry in OOO's arsenal. These belong to a Greeed named "Ankh," the one who recruited Hino Eiji to become Kamen Rider OOO. To date Ankh cannot return to his "true form" the way other Greeed have and is only able to project one arm. As a result Ankh & Eiji have formed an uneasy partnership; Eiji transforms into OOO to protect humanity from the other Greeed while Ankh feeds on whatever Medals Eiji manages to take in combat.
*The Hawk Head was the first thing shown in this series as part of OOO's "Default Mode." Now we'll see its true purpose! http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6.../kujakuarm.jpg *The Peacock Arms equip OOO with a new weapon called the Taja Spinner, a shield-like device which can shoot fireballs once loaded & charged with Medals. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6.../condorleg.jpg *The Condor Legs can strike enemies with powerful talons. These legs can actually fold open to show off the talon effect AND remain standing; a tremendous step up from the Batta Legs in the first set. http://youtu.be/gZZ0Drt8BWg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...TaJaDolocc.jpg The Blazing Combo, TaJaDol! The energy exposure from the Red Medals has mutated the Taka Head into a new form called the "Taka Head Brave." Arguably this is OOO's most powerful form, able to fly and defeat enemies in an attack called the "Prominence Drop." Once again we see the excellent fusion of detail and play value that Combo Change offers fans. And you don't need to buy an add-on pack to get all the parts for it in this series. |
Blue Medals represent ocean creatures and as a result provide water-based abilities. For some reason their abilities were only explored later in the series despite OOOs acquiring several Blues earlier in the show. Irregardless-
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...21/shahead.jpg *The Orca Head emits sonic waves & allows Kamen Rider OOO to breathe underwater. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...1/unagiarm.jpg *The Electric Eel Arms are easily the weakest weapon in the Combo Change series. The Medal is supposed to let OOO use a pair of electrified whips, but that type of weapon apparently did not translate well to this particular scale. There are a lot of images that come to mind looking at these handheald weapons but "whip" would probably not be high on the list. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...21/takoleg.jpg *The Octopus Legs grant OOO the ability to walk on any surface, and can split apart in order to give the illusion of "eight-legged" movement. This leg effect is somewhere between the Grasshopper & Condor Legs; it doesn't really look like the show appearance but at least OOOs can still stand & pose while using the effect. [youtube=KudadJbDdaQ] http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6.../occshauta.jpg The Marine Combo, Shauta! The combined blue form is pretty good; thankfully the unintentionally-vile Eel "Whips" can be stored in shoulder-holsters & can remain unused. Like several Combos, Shauta has a special ability that cannot translate to toy form- the ability to completely liquefy & fight enemies as living water; similar to BioRider from Black RX back in '89. At the moment I'd say Shauta is the weakest link in the Combo Change series, which is very disappointing to me. But I just can't get past the terrible weapon design. |
so how many figures do you end up having to create all these combinations?
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My math skills aren't that great but I believe there's something like 140 different possible Forms. |
How much did it end up running you? Just wondering if it's something I should undertake :lol
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