i guess i have a problem with perfection when it comes to gimmicks because i want the toys to work accurately with the show, guess that cant happen.

To be more specific Heisei riders were gimmicky since Ryuki. It's just that after Decade and W that the gimmicks became more focused towards collectible gimmicks.

Perhaps all that is just a test drive somehow.

Hmm, what specifically would be the test drive? The past gimmicks or the current ones?

The past ones. Like the fuestles from Kiva or the cards from Ryuki or Blade.

I'm gonna look at it from the perspective of the 'artistic vision' of Toku, if you want to call it that. Since its inception, Kamen Rider and Toku in general have been about the spectacular aspect of it. You know how Power Rangers was received in the US, no doubt; it was such a unique phenomenon to have a live-action fighting show like it that it blew up, and over time it saturated because it was having trouble offering much more than that. I think I can say without offending anyone too much that clever writing and deep plots are mostly lost in shows like this.
So the big spectacle aspect. Kamen Rider Black fans in the late 80s probably looked at the cheesy jump cuts and flips that Ichigo did as silly-looking, and kids nowadays more than likely see the same stuff that Black fans saw as showy and spectacular as silly-looking pre-CGI effects. And in 10 years, who won't be laughing at how bad Suika Arms looks?
For a show whose entire purpose is to be flashy and cool to keep surviving, it has to keep up with what looks flashy and cool with the time period. So I'd say that the gimmicks do a good job of keeping Toku set aside from the hordes of action and mecha anime available to kids now. I think they're added on top of the unique aspects of live-action... action, not detracting from it. That's what keeps Kamen Rider fresh, unique, and away from stagnation like a lot of Super Sentai shows seem to struggle with.

Talking about writing stuff in just so they can be sold. That Problem was much bigger in the first decade. Zectmizer,Powered IXA, Boron Booster etc. all just useless crap that showed up without explanation then got used once or twice and never showed up again.

Shows like OOO,Fourze and Gaim might have more toys but atleast we actually get explanations why they are in the show.

*slow clap*

i dont mind gimmicks it's just how it's done on the show, i mean if you look at gaim, the lockseeds did serve a purpose like everytime a new lockseed was used, it was effective like destroying a monster and not just pulling a toy and it's ineffective, that's where i dont like them just throwing new toys for nothing like drive.

the loud music toy gimmick, I it's for kids, but at one point it become annoying and ruining the mood of the scenes, if you watch wizard, you'll see the problem,,
Haruto is having a moment with the Villain then you heard "Shabadoobie touch henshin" in loop.

and the complex way for them to work for the rider,,
I mean look at drive, how long did it take for him to transform, if I'm a MOTW, I'll blew his head off before he finished transforming.