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11-08-2018, 03:02 PM | #1 |
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: Lexington, Ky
Posts: 16,328
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"It's time. Finally, I will become the god amongst all gods!"
Seeking to recreate his own physical body, Kuroto Dan hatched an elaborate plan that would engulf all of the Kamen Riders of CR, the daughter of Zaizen Michihiko, and even his own deceased father, the mighty Kamen Rider Cronus. Using data gathered from his meddling with Poppy, Parad, & Masamune, Kuroto would have everything needed to break free of his Bugster form and live human life again. Or so everyone thought. Betraying allies old and new, Kuroto's true intent was to go beyond the godly status he'd already given himself. To become a god of gods. Using his new found data Kuroto would create the ultimate Gashat, God Maximum Mighty X! With it's unstoppable power, Kuroto will turn the world into his own personal nightmare, Zombie Chronicle! And amid all of this chaos, he will attain his most powerful form, Kamen Rider GenM God Maximum Gamer Level Billion! But as always with Kuroto Dan, there's something more to the story... Packaging GenM Level Billion comes in a pretty sizable box, even outclassing the Mighty Bros. It's pretty wild to see stock images of this form on a box for some reason. It still blows my mind that this form has been released. This box also continues the new trend of having the Tamashii Nations brand sticker on the package. Main Figure This is a pretty wild one isn't it? Kamen Rider GenM, ostensibly the 5th tier rider of Ex-Aid has at this point had more figuarts releases than it's lead hero. Level 2, Level X, Level 0, Level Billion, and two different version of his Kuroto Dan civilian identity are out this month. This is a character so immensely popular when the show was airing that he was brought back from death, reformed so to speak, helped our heroes finish the fight, and even got a post-series film trilogy dedicated to his master plan to become the true villain after all. Even after all that, 2 years later, Kuroto has also become an Another Rider in Kamen Rider Zi-O, from a series totally unrelated to him. Now THAT is staying power. As if that weren't enough, the strange story of how this figure came to be is something else. Way back in May 2017, Ex-Aid Level 99 was first revealed to the public at the Akiba Showroom. Typically, items displayed here are soon to be announced for release, or are at least far more likely to be than those seen at Tamashii events. It was seen again in June of that year, though sadly has not been seen since. Then, in March 2018, Ex-Aid's final form Muteki was revealed via Build Sparkling official images. It has not been seen since either. Finally, April of this year saw confirmation that yes, the GenM Level Billion repaint of Ex-Aid Level 99 would indeed see release BEFORE the figure it's actually a repaint of. As far as I can remember, such a thing for S.H. Figuarts is unprecedented. Now, Level Billion is out, and there has been no sign whatsoever of either of Ex-Aid's two last forms seeing the light of day. Here's hoping for those, for now though, God! Level Billion at first glance would seem to be a pretty difficult to pose figure. I'm happy to say I'm impressed by what Bandai was able to fit into this big beefy boy. The Ex-Aid line has relied pretty heavily on the original Ex-Aid Level 2 mold, with new parts and paint apps where needed to create most of the characters and forms in the line. Level Billion is the first truly new mold we've gotten, though it does share 3 components with previous releases. Before we jump into all that, I want to talk about the paint apps. Overall, Level Billion is a gorgeous form. The paint apps are crisply applied everywhere, and the color selection and placement results in all the sharply sculpted details being fully brought out. In particular I really appreciate the deep purple used for the feet, hips, and parts of the arms. This contrasts really nicely with the softer purple used for the "tubing" of the legs, waist, and arms. The silver, gunmetal grey, & white paint apps break up all of this really nicely as well but the most subtle note of the whole color scheme is the black plastic which is molded with some glitter flecks in it. It pops so much more than basic black. I should note that the eyes painted on the chest of my GenM, while really crisp, do have a chip under the right eye. It came that way from the factory so I'm guessing mine's just a one-off. As I mentioned above, this figure packs quite an impressive punch for articulation given it's design. It's surprising given the chunky design that it can pull off what it does. Beginning with the legs, GenM is able to hit a fairly wide stance, while keeping his feet flat. The large flat bases of the feet give him marvelous stability, but it's really the sort of hollow ankles that allow for it. Most of the ankles themselves are a free joint underneath a cuff. This floating ankle cuff can spin and move as needed to accommodate the foot itself. Also surprising for a figure of this beefyness, the knees get a full bend. The tubing design of the legs extends into the knee joint and works in a way reminiscent of Seihou Kamen Rider W. As you bend it, the knee extends to fill the gap in a natural way. I will admit that the hips look a bit unnatural in the way they pull down from the waist, but it's really beneficial. While they do still inevitably hit the waist line no matter what, it isn't nearly as severe or as pronounced as one might imagine. The pull down joints do all the work in opening this area of the figure up. While imperfect, the legs really work fantastically. Above the waist we have the first reused part from another figure, the Gamer Driver. The basic driver itself is the one we've seen over and over again in this line, it's just attached to a much larger belt around the waist. The apps remain unchanged on the belt, aside from the Rider Readout. There is supposed to be an image of the God Maximum Gamer there. However because my luck is what it is on incredibly expensive toys, the paint app was completely screwed up and blown out at the factory. So mine looks like it has a splash across it, totally washing out the readout. It's honestly bothersome enough to make me want to buy another one. I HATE stuff like this, especially on expensive figures. The Driver also features a new dummy Gashat in the form of God Maximum Mighty X. As with most Gashats in the line, it's a dummy so it just plugs into the top of the driver, or into compatible Gashacon weapons. The upper body from here, is actually far more robustly articulated than it looks. The "face" portion of the torso actually floats on an ab section that spins pretty freely. It can be hard to line everything back up in a static pose sometimes, but I'm frankly shocked by how well it works. You can rotate the waist and upper body enough to really get this guy in more dynamic poses than you'd assume. The real secret of the upper body, lies in the arms. The wrists swivel partially, but are limited because of the large gauntlets. However, despite the forearm size, the elbows bend up at really nice right angles. AND the elbow joint pulls out just a little, and rotates on a sort of bicep swivel. the upper arm attaches to the interior shoulder joint in a way that at first seems a little too close to the body. That is until you look at the instructions and realize that the shoulder can literally pull out and extend from the body. Simulating in a really great way, how the extending arms of this form work. It's just an extremely nice inclusion that gives the arms enough wiggle room to even come across the chest. These joints give so much range to GenM he can easily pose with the best of 'em. Finally we come to the head, which is a straight reuse of the same GenM Level 2 & Level 0 head we've seen before. It's set deep between the shoulders and can sometimes be hidden from view by them. But honestly the neck joint is pretty free and you can get a lot out of it. It's really not bad at all. Accessories Honestly, Level Billion doesn't come with much, but I suppose it's about right: 1 - Gashacon Key Slasher. This is a straight repack of what came with the Mighty Bros, though you only get one in this case. GenM does use this weapon a few times in the film in which this form debuts and just as with Ex-Aid Level 99, it looks a bit silly in his hands. More like a toy than a weapon. There are two Gashat slits on the handle that can accommodate a double size Gasht like Mighty Bros, God Maximum, or the Gear Gashat Dual Another. 2 - sets of hands. 1 set of opens hands for dramatic poses, another set of open fists to hold the included Slasher. It's a really tight fit, and the handle won't go all the way there, so just be careful with it. The one thing I really wish was included here is a full God Maximum Mighty X Gashat. I'm really surprised there haven't been more full fledged Gashats released with figuarts of the Ex-Aid riders. It would have been very easy and gone a little bit of the distance to making this feel like a more complete release. Final Thoughts GenM Level Billion is a pretty surprising figure. One major paint defect aside, I'm really happy with this toy. It's a big beefy toy that very nicely executes it's articulation, and winds up having way more personality and functionality than expected. Any new addition to the Kuroto shrine is a welcome addition to my collection. And I'd be more than happy to buy the Ex-Aid Level 99 repaint of this figure at some point if and when it releases.
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11-08-2018, 03:02 PM | #2 |
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: Lexington, Ky
Posts: 16,328
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Part 2
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Last edited by Den-O; 11-08-2018 at 03:06 PM.. |
11-09-2018, 05:03 AM | #3 |
take me to space
Join Date: Sep 2017
Posts: 1,406
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It's a real wonder of a figure and it looks like it poses significantly better than I could have imagined too! It's still hilarious to me that this is out and yet there's no sign of Ex-Aid Lv99. It'd be a waste of a new mold if they don't ever get to it, so I'm sure it'll come eventually, but I don't think there's a better example of Genm's exploding popularity than this.
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11-09-2018, 10:31 AM | #4 |
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: Lexington, Ky
Posts: 16,328
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Quote:
It's a real wonder of a figure and it looks like it poses significantly better than I could have imagined too! It's still hilarious to me that this is out and yet there's no sign of Ex-Aid Lv99. It'd be a waste of a new mold if they don't ever get to it, so I'm sure it'll come eventually, but I don't think there's a better example of Genm's exploding popularity than this.
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11-09-2018, 11:29 AM | #5 |
Warrior of Delusions!
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: Wait, you dont know either?
Posts: 5,826
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Maxmium Mighty has to show up as a TWE, right? They have the mold, they have the way to not overproduce, it only makese sense. But, of course, this is the version you should want, because it's bautiful, it's purple, and it's god.
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Check out my occasional ramblings! https://akibamusings.blogspot.com/
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11-10-2018, 02:32 PM | #6 |
Comin' up OOOs!
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: A place where imports are impossible to find, NY
Posts: 2,431
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I mean Maximum Mighty was teased in Lazer Turbo's promotional pics so I'm surprised we still haven't heard anything about its release.
If anything, this specific release shows how popular Kuroto Dan as a character actually is if we're getting the logical repaint before the original version is even announced, let alone released. |
11-11-2018, 07:27 AM | #7 |
Ex-Weather Three leader
Join Date: Jan 2012
Posts: 10,558
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You know what should happen? This VS Hulkbuster.
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11-11-2018, 07:49 AM | #8 |
Avi by @CSarracenian
Join Date: Jul 2016
Posts: 4,186
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Praise be Shin Dan Kurot-Oh, for this glorious figure that defied expectations by releasing earlier.
Also we're totally gonna get the Another Riders because of this dude aren't we?
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11-11-2018, 09:26 AM | #9 |
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: Lexington, Ky
Posts: 16,328
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If I collected Marvel SHF's I totally would have. As is the biggest Figuarts I have that stack up to Billion are Majin Buu, Broly, and Machine Itasha
Honestly? I think there's a more distinct possibility of Another Riders than other past Kaijin, simply because they technically ARE Riders. Kuroto being Another OOO certainly raises chances. I suspect a set of vinyls of all the Another's is at least going to happen if nothing else.
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11-15-2018, 06:29 PM | #10 |
Veteran Member
Join Date: Dec 2014
Posts: 1,474
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Fun gallery! I like the way you staged the shot of Genm popping up out of the giant suit.
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