Hope Baron & Ryugen are up. Including the Genesis riders! Zangetsu Shin me likey!

FYI, you don't have to cut the backdrop out. SIC boxes use seperate carboard backdrops, as you can't print on both sides of that cardboard. It should just come right out.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXe-f_vBLI4

Also can't wait for Baron and Ryugen. Hopefully since Zangetsu was revealed they're not far away from official pics likewise.

Thanks for the responses about SIC Kiwami Tamashii figs, everyone!

Got Gaim Orange Arms today and my god he's glorious! A very solid figure!!!!!!!!

Got Gaim and decided to open up the Movie Realization Stormtroopers to be his minions. They are almost a head shorter than Gaim even though they should be the same scale. To be fair to them though, Gaim towers over riders like Hibiki and Faiz too.

In case anybody was wondering.

Should they, though? I've never heard SIC given any sort of scale classification.

From what I understand, SIC's are generally larger than their SHF counterparts. I don't think they are intended to be in the same scale. But I don't collect SIC figures so maybe I'm wrong.

Sics have always operated in their own weird scale that dosen't really work with other lines.

SICs have always been loose with their scaling, but have always been roughly 1/10 (which is ~7.5"). But the real reason for my surprise at the size discrepancy between MR and SIC is that they are both samurai themes and I assumed Bandai would share some of the components. Also, Riders 1 and 2 were very close in scale to SICs at the time of release.

And sometimes itself.

Then again, that's assuming these characters are meant to still be roughly 6 foot people and not oversized as well as overdetailed.

SIC Drive will be released in December:

http://i.imgur.com/89aCWSg.jpg

Oh hey, I was beginning to wonder where all the magazine scans were at :lol

And here are some official pics from the Tamashii pickup notice for August:

http://i.imgur.com/mi05xwt.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/xhU5xdA.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/IRh3m0f.jpg

Drive's got thunder thighs.

I'm looking for the OOO SIC Latorartar figure.
(Or is Latorata? or Ratorata? or Latorata? or Latoratah? or Ratoratah? or Latoratah? or something else?)

I've being looking for it. I know it was an exclusive. But I can't even find it going to crazy prices. Anyone know where i can buy one from?

"Latoratah" would be closest, given the root words of it. (Lion, Tora, Cheetah) Starting it with an R makes no sense, just like "Tajadol" when the root word for the end is "condor."

Also, sadly the exclusive forms seem to be difficult to find, but as always I recommend Mandarake.

Finally opened Gaim today. I didn't take as many pics as I usually do with these since he was covered a bit elsewhere already (compared to others, where it felt like I really was the only person buying them), plus this release didn't really wow me.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...psapbaaoba.jpg

Functionally, he's solid, with plenty of posability in the legs despite the notable skirt pieces. I can barely tell where any die-cast is in him though (the kneepads, I think?, annnnnnddd....not sure where else). The sword having its own scabbard is nice, and the lock seeds peg in easily to his side storage area. Balance his fine, and it's not difficult getting his weapons into his designated hands. The shoulders I find weird though and don't quite understand why they were designed the way they were.

The whole armor display thing is a nice touch, but this is where the figure loses me. Ok, I can take him apart and plop his armor bits and weapons on the included stands. That's nice. I feel like the OLD S.I.C. line would've included extra armor types & weapons (Pine, Jimber, or others that would work on his normal body), embracing the interchangeability the line used to feature while providing something new and unique for this series via the display feature so at least some of his other armor can do something beyond live in the box when you're not using it. This would also allow for further interactivity for any and all future Gaim Rider releases provided the extra armor bits were interchangeable amongst later Gaim releases. Instead, we get a glorified coat hanger with nothing to replace his standard armor with included in this release. I guess I'm disappointed that this release could've been so much more but just settles for the bare minimum.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...psdnbaigv4.jpg

It is a shame we at least didn't get blank armour for an in-between Gaim form so the figure had something for when the armour is on display. Otherwise I really like it.

Ok it's been a while, but went back and picked up a SIC release I'd been meaning to go back for, Wizard Infinity Style (for about 8000ish shipped for a perfectly sealed release, with the mailer box even, damn right I was jumping on that).

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...psjialrgk2.jpg

Infinity Style, like the Figuart, is one of the most striking Rider releases amongst the SIC line. An obvious obvservation, but I never realized how prevalent black is amongst Rider suits until I look at Infinity Style (in either line), who utterly lacks it. It's hardly a negative though; he's so shiny I wish they'd included angel wings instead of dragon wings to match the vibe this figure gets. That combined with the light blue bits make for a figure that's REALLY eye-catching, even in a line whose releases are more interesting to look at (for me) compared their much-more show accurate SHF counterparts. If there's one SIC that can go toe-to-toe with the SIC OOO forms (by far the best this line has to offer for me, and what remains my favorite toku figures ever) regarding aesthetic appearance, it's Infinity.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...psahl7xmpw.jpg

An unexpected, but nice, touch is the coat bits are in a pearly clear plastic; the only bits that aren't are the shoulder pieces (though they have clear blue bits amidst the shoulder pads).

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...psqnvdjai9.jpg

Accessory-wise, though they're a bit more practical than Flame Style/Water Style/Flame Dragon's stuff, they're either too plain compared to their wielder, or a bit too excessive.

The WizSwordGun just has a clear plastic blade & that's it; color aside, it's not as interesting to look at as Water Style's and much close to Flame Style's plainer look.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...pstlv5givv.jpg

The dragon wings that make up AxCalibur's blade also come in clear plastic (a plainer clear compared to the icy pearl of the coat), with more of the rune-type characters on the back. A small peg on one wing is all that is used to peg them together (along with the swiveling pegs that connect to the handle for ax mode) but it's still a tight connection).

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...pslzoip2n4.jpg

I forgot to take a picture to show this off clearly, but when the wings are pegged into his back, the ax handle forms a "tail" that replaces the rear middle skirt piece on his back. It's....awkward. It's a giant-ass handle, so he has a giant-ass spear, essentially, sticking out of his ass. I don't know why a more practical tail wasn't included instead; the ax handle/tail is NOT needed to maintain balance with the wings pegged in. I can't see how they thought that was a good look. Flame Style's Fire Chicken form & Water Style's "Hey There's an Octopus on Me" form look much more artful compared to that "tail."

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...pshze2ngom.jpg

When combining the wings & pegging them into the handle for the giant-ass AxCalibur form presents an impressively large, but unwieldy, weapon. The red blade is a separate piece that pegs into the handle by a small, but sufficient, peg. The instructions then infer that it should clip over the dragon wings via friction, but the end tip doesn't look right. Maybe I'm doing something wrong, but it always looks a fraction off, like I'm not securing it well enough but I can't get it to go over the wings any more than I am. As for the AxCalibur itself, the bars to hold it with the alternate hands sit low on the handle, so unfortunately you're limited in how you display Infinity Style while wielding it. The easiest is just letting him let it hang, because the blade ends up so heavy. A stand to prop it up for action poses would've been another nice inclusion as well.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...psjbgu0vzd.jpg

I tried a kneeling pose, but his ankles can only go back so much; you actually use the skirt pieces more to keep him upright in that pose than his actual limbs.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...psvb9pneam.jpg

One annoying thing, especially with a weapon this big; the forearm armor pieces are smooth and separate pieces that fit over the wrist, instead of built-in molding. This makes it "fun" trying to peg the extra hands in when you're trying to push in one direction with your fingers and instead you're just sliding that wrist piece off instead of moving the peg into the hand.

He does come with a much plainer, more practical version of the AxCalibur (interestingly, the entire thing is clear plastic, with paint details painted over it).

Overall this is one of the prettiest SICs out there, but the release itself is let down by the accessory options being either so cumbersome or silly looking. If you really like Wizard than I do recommend it, but if it's not your thing, as gorgeous as this thing looks I think you're fine to pass it since I still typically see this being listed for 10000 yen in most cases.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...psoh27bim7.jpg

Seems like SIC Mashin Chaser will be a May 2017 release.

http://i.imgur.com/mlnjejN.jpg

Also I spy SIC Baron and Melon Energy Arms.

SIC Kamen Rider Baron will be a retail release in June 2017 for 8856¥.

http://i.imgur.com/4P8yHWH.jpg

Finally. I've been waiting forever for this to finally get a release date.

Nice that it's a retail release. Looks good.

Zangetsu Shin.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/C23k75zUUAAAKCf.jpg
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/C23k8s9UoAAmRR4.jpg

SQUEEE!!!! *faints from excitement*

Is there a release date for Zangetsu Shin. This Gaim S.I.C. Looks better than all the others.

Couldn't find anything concrete in terms of release date or price on the scans.

Gaim S.I.C.s are almost as good as OOO... gimme some Kachidoki...

But Zangestsu Shin is cool too, just sad he's probably going to be web exclusive so I don't bother getting excited.

Finally got around to tinkering with Zangetsu & Drive.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...psjezzdtvs.jpg

Zangetsu's pretty similar to Gaim, so my complaints with Gaim are repeated here. Seeing Zangetsu Shin up above, I know they added black up the sides to differentiate the bodies, but Zangetsu would've shot up a lot in my eyes if they'd included the Shin Melon Energy bits, so you could display it based on preference, but SIC's really departed from the "2 in 1" approach for some time, so that's hardly a surprise. That said, Zangetsu is much more appealing in-hand than preview pics made him look to me. The white "pops" a bit better, and there's a lot of detail in his green bits. The screen being thrown in was a nice unexpected touch.

He isn't without little annoyances that Gaim doesn't have. The lockseed has a habit of popping off of the belt, and his (not as comically large in-hand, but still big) forehead crest can also pop off if you don't peg it in fully.

The shield can actually transform into a pincer weapon of sorts, so that was an unexpected (though slightly odd) feature. He does have an added handle, but I wasn't really comfortable with the connection. It's much easier to just peg it into his forearm, where the fit is snug.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...psnkuqfqck.jpg

Drive is....ok. I know Mashin Chaser's SIC-related suit origins, so I guess I shouldn't be surprised that Drive reminds me a lot of a Mashinified Drive, but the aesthetic doesn't work for me as well as it does on Mashin Chaser. The red used is a metallic, fluorescent(?)ish red, instead of something more like the slick sports car red that Drive normally sports. Because of all the detail, he doesn't have the same degree of posability in the elbows as your average Tamashii Nations figure. The following shot is about as much as you can get out of the elbows.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...ps1wcceq4b.jpg

You actually have to swap out quite a bit of parts for "Flaming Man" mode/type Max Flare.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...psfvpqg3bq.jpg

You can swap out the pipes on his legs (one on each, for Flaming Man mode) and the fit is surprisingly snug. The flame parts actually have a tougher time getting that fit just tight enough compared to the default pipes.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...psujxb4fw0.jpg

You can swap the belt pieces, but unfortunately no faces for Mr. Belt, and the clear piece really obscures the swappable pieces so much that it's hard to see the point.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...psflirt6zn.jpg

Plenty of shift cars are included. I don't know if it's the cars or belt, but the fit on the belt isn't snug, so it's easy to knock them off as you futz about with Drive, which is terrifying when the cars are so small.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...psh6f2work.jpg

Removing the chest tires reveals a lot of nice detail underneath, front and back.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...psux19xfdm.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...psw0o5zfy1.jpg

As for weapons, the wheel on the Steering Wheel Sword can actually turn, which is cute, but there's a molded bit of detail on the back of the wheel that prevents it from doing a full 360. The connection, once you first turn it (it was so tight initially I wasn't sure if it was supposed to turn) that it's a bit easy to disconnect.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...psahv5fssa.jpg

The Door Gun is, honestly, pretty boring. The door bit moves, but that's it.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...pslabxrusr.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...psgy3xuh49.jpg

Flaming Man Mode is ok, but doesn't wow me. The flames attached to the Max Flare tire make him more back heavy than he looks. The flames are in that gray area between hard & malleable clear plastic; that makes the wristband flames & hands not the easiest parts to swap on. The worst bits are the shoulder flames; the slots are supposed to slide into the groove on the front & back of the pads, with a peg in the rear piece that then pegs them together for a firm connection. Yeah they're not that firm; they more sit on the shoulder pieces and rely on the peg to hold on to the shoulders. If you shake Drive even a little, they're liable to fall off.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...psgtmxg5rj.jpg

Drive's one of the few SICs that leaves me unsatisfied. Where OOO, Wizard and even Gaim (while flawed) excel at the "Imaginative" part of SIC, Drive falls flat on its face there for me. It's just "Drive with Mashin Chaser's aesthetic." To be fair, there are plenty of earlier SICs that aren't terribly imaginative (the more recent Showa Riders, Den-O Riders), but the aesthetic choices used there work for me. Drive's don't work as well, for me. I think if Bandai/TN had gone all-out, batshit crazy, like a Drive that has car parts even more overtly hanging off of him because he transforms into his own vehicle would've been more creative (even if way too on the nose) and fun to tinker with. It also makes me wonder how I'll react to SIC Mashin Chaser - while I love Mashin Chaser's design, he's basically just a big version of the design we are already familiar with. If they'd at least thought to swap Mashin Chaser's SICesque aesthetic onto Drive, while turning Mashin Chaser into a normal Rider, that would've showed off some point to what they did with Drive and been a more intriguing way of playing with the line.

At the very least, Drive feels like a (no pun intended) "mileage may vary" figure for others. If the aesthetic used really works for you, then you'll probably like Drive much more than I have.

So, who wants to bet on Ex-Aid actually getting the SIC treatment or not? Because, my money's on them getting the shaft like Fourze...

The way I've seen it explained Fourze being skipped stems from it being unpopular among the type of adult audience that purchases SICs more than anything else. So it'd be up to how Ex-Aid is received, I'd guess. Although I haven't seen Fourze, from what I've heard about it I'd have to imagine Ex-Aid has a much darker tone, which probably gives it an edge. As far as I know it's not doing poorly.

If it does end up being made it'd still be a question of when, though... Gaim took 3 years, but it still did get made. Who knows when Ex-Aid would be in the schedule.

If anyone from Ex-Aid deserves an S.I.C, I'd say Genm Zombie Gamer deserves it first

That's interesting. I always figured they skipped Fourze because the designs were already so theme-centric that there wouldn't be many places they could go to make them louder. Hadn't considered that it was because it was a more kid-friendly series. Makes sense, I suppose, but Fourze was also one of my favorites. I hope they get around to them someday.

Hey! What about Fourze! Come on! Think of Fourze! (uses a think-of-the-children tone)

I want SIC Fourze....(starts tearing up)...he deserves it dammit (uses a it's-still-real-to-me-dammit tone)...

He just wants to be buds, y'all. :(

Forget about Fourze, think of Meteor. Seriously, that would look so good.

(Teary eyed) I want SIC Fourze Cosmic States and SIC Fourze Meteor Fusion States......it's never gonna happen man...it's never gonna happen. (curls up in a ball on the floor)....the world is cruel. 0_0

Fourze will get an SIC when Accel does.

Trying to imagine what Fourze will even look like as an SIC.