Does anybody with Knight Survive have issues with the color fading? I open mine up after a while and the color fading has gotten pretty bad on the card deck and a few hands.

It hasn't happened to all of them, not the way it has for the original Kuuga Mighty figure, but it is a common problem. I know at least one person I follow on Twitter mentioned a year or two ago that theirs was fading. Mine wasn't last time I looked at it.

So I paid 124~ dollars for the Toei Hero Net Apollo Geist on Amazon and while I'm waiting for it to arrive, what do I find?

Mandarake suddenly has it in stock again. Of course.

[screams internally]

If you really like it and are getting it, that's the most important thing, but in the "saving money" area...yeah it's best to just wait for Mandarake to get one in again. Everything will show up again at some point and likely be cheaper than US sources.

It's not even the price difference that makes me mad, it's the reliability of the seller. Mandarake has never let me down, but the Amazon marketplace is a complete wildcard. I just hope he's not giving me the short end of the stick by selling me an obviously used toy marked as "new".

Figure Oh scans are starting to hit the net, and while I haven’t seen the image yet it looks like Amazon Sigma will be released in July. Since they mostly cover retail releases in June this month I assume he's a Web-Exclusive.

I'm curious as to where you're seeing scans. My Google-fu is failing me. (Never mind; figured it out. Is it possible to delete a post?)

Not surprised in the least by that. Still might consider getting him though. Liked the show a lot after all.

Great news! I need me some Sigma

Figure Oh scans also shows King Joe from Ultraman getting retail release July.

Here's Sigma :)

http://i.imgur.com/DKL5dU5.jpg

I love that they included the counting hands. Bandai isn't always so good at including the little character-specific stuff like that, so that's great.

He looks really good. Probably won't get him, but I want to...and the other Amazons, sometime.

Wonder how long it'll take for them to do Omega's first form, considering Sigma is already a recolor away from that.

It's the obvious route but with Tamashii you never know if they end up doing it or not. Maybe Haruka's origin form has some more screen-time in the upcoming season 2 and they push it out then.

But yeah Sigma looks great, in fact it's the only Amazons SHF I really like. Omega wasn't my favorite design and Alpha just didn't impress me as a figure. This looks pretty good though, if it is a retail release (it won't be) I could see myself buying it.

Maybe I'm just craving for another release to be invested in. They're pretty much half-way done with 2017 and there's not a single figure I want. I really hope the next main Shinkocchou Seihou release isn't too far away.

Yes! Sigma shall be mine :D


I kinda agree. All I want this year that has a confirmed release are the 3 Ex-Aid Riders (I'm sure Genm and Lazer are coming later this year, maybe Para-DX as well, so them too), Sigma and the new re-release of Perfect Cell. It's great because I get to save money, but I'm definitely waiting for more surprises.

We already have one confirmed S.S. release in Amazing Mighty, but let's not forget that they also showed Diend, The Hopper Bros, Ichigo, Accel, Skull, HeatMetal and Nazca. Any one of those can get released, though everyone except for Ichigo would most likely be an exclusive. I'd imagine we'd be getting at least one more Main Rider though, since last year we got Decade and W. If they're following the order of release, it'll likely end up being Faiz, though I'm hoping they skip and release OOO because he REALLY needs it. Or, even better, they do Kiva. But I'm not holding my breath on that one.

I don't want them to skip Faiz, I need that one! :lol

I'm also kind of surprised about the lack of Ex-Aid stuff so far. Maybe they're playing it safe because Ghost wasn't such a big hit so they don't want to over saturate the market with tons of Ex-Aid figures?

I only really want Genm Zombie Gamer Level X (and only if they don’t screw up the headsculpt like they did with Ex-Aid) but it feels a bit strange that we haven't even seen Lazer yet.

I'm not expecting to see Genm Lv 2 until the end of the year as the Tamashii Nations exclusive. Which is fine by me as I'd rather Zombie Genm anyway.

Lazr lvl 3 as a figuarts would be nice.

I'm not sure how they'll do Genm. Tamashii Nations is weird like that. Zangetsu got a retail release pretty much directly following Gaim and Baron, but Zangetsu Shin, by far his most prominent form in the show, got a web-exclusive after the the initial 6 Beat Riders were released.


I'm hoping they saw the Zangetsu Shin situation and decide to go retail release for Zombie Gamer, with web-exclusive for Lvl 2. Regardless, I'm hoping they decide to go with show prominence over the order in which the suits appeared for this line, because I have no interest in waiting for them to release Genm Lvl 3 before we get to Zombie Gamer.

EDIT: I'm also thinking: good marketing on Toei's part. There's many collectors like me that don't buy the bikes, but since this time around, the bike is an actual character, I'm almost tempted to even though I'm sure we'll get Lazer's Lvl 3......eventually.

To be honest at this point I don't really expect any more retail releases for Ex-Aid aside from power-ups of Ex-Aid himself. Like Ex-Aid Level 3 or Level 5. The Mighty Brothers not so much, that screams Web-Exclusive two-pack for me, and after that? Final forms don’t seem to matter anymore either, Drive Type Tridoron showed up almost a year after the show ended and Ghost Mugen Damashii is nowhere in sight either.

Genm Level 2 is pretty prominent but I feel like that one will end up as this year's Tamashii Nations exclusive. Just because he’s a black repaint.

So as far as Zombie Gamer goes I’ve already set some money aside to pay a middleman, I can't see this being a retail release at all.

Well, then again, Gord Drive, a suit that appeared for all of 5 episodes ended up getting a retail release almost a full year after Drive ended, so who even knows anymore.

Pretty much. I love speculating about the line but I'll have to admit that I can't predict shit. As soon as I think something makes sense they throw something that I interpret as a complete curveball.

But hey, I have generally no idea of the Japanese market or how popular certain characters are, I can only judge by past patterns. It's fun though :)

Oh and by the way Sigma is a Web-Exclusive.

It sure is! But hell, I'm half expecting them to do something ridiculous like release Dr. Pac-Man as a retail release while all of the other forms in the actual show become Tamashii Web Exclusives or something :lol


Won't stop me :D. Sigma was a short-lived Rider, but he made a hell of an impact, so I'm cool with it. Besides, Haruka and Jin need something to fight other than themselves for once. I almost wish he came with an alternate torso piece for Omega with his arm sticking through it. That would be a badass accessory.

Yeah final forms are different now after Gaim Kiwami arms release was retail. I don't think any future rider final form will be retail ever again.

Bandai will never release another ghost figuart that line is dead. All of them went on sale for like $18 sold poorly. Hell there was not a single ghost figuart at tamashii nations 2016.

I want to see some more ex-aid Figuarts and I getting kind of worried. We should be seeing something by Feb Lazer lv 3.

Also I wonder why bandai has not reveal another SS main rider? They been doing it for the last three years? Maybe they don't want to rush the line IDK.

Your unintentional pun aside, I disagree. Mugen is a main rider's final form and while he's not been shown, it might be a case like Drive Type Tridoron and appear later on

Yeah it a main rider form but according to bandai they don't have to make it. If it would appear it should of been at TN 2016. So if the line sold well we would of seen it. Mugen would be a retool to be made and I just don't see bandai wanting to make a Figuart from a line that pretty much dead.

By that logic, with how poorly the Fourze releases sold, we shouldn't have gotten Cosmic or either of the Fusion States.

We're gonna get Mugen one way or another. Bandai's never skipped out on any final forms in the main line and I doubt they will now.

To be honest I would like Bandai to skip out on it mugen is just not worth it. Let them focus on ex-aid figuarts or releasing more Gaim figuarts that sell much more important.

Just because you don't see it as worth it doesn't mean it's so. Mugen will almost certainly be made. As for Ex-Aid, relax, we're getting them. How many depends on how well the show does and how well the currently announced batch does.

As for Gaim... Look, I want more Gaim just as much, probably more, than anybody. But we haven't heard ANYTHING since Pine and Mango and you can find that set for a steal, meaning it probably didn't do so hot. Gaim is dead in the water for now and hoping for them to restart production just because I want Banana Arms Gaim really damn bad isn't going to make it happen.

Tamashii Pickup for June just landed.

Shinkocchou Seihou Accel is a mass release.

Now that Shinkocchou Seihou Accel has been announced (yay!), there seems to be a pattern of sticking to specific SS Rider properties. Initially, I'd have expected the line to keep iterating the main Rider of each series, but that hasn't been the case.

I originally wrote it off as a tendency toward easy repainting / parts re-use - and I'm sure that's an element - but I'm starting to think it's something else. N Daguva Zeba and Accel don't appear to use any significant parts from their respective main Riders.

Many people have noted that it's been some time since a new primary Heisei Rider was announced. Instead, we've seen more forms/characters either released or teased from Kuuga, W, Decade, and Kabuto. My guess is that Bandai is being deliberately conservative with the release of new Riders in this sub-line. I gather Hibiki didn't meet sales expectations, since there's been no hint of Ibuki or even Hibiki Kurenai. (I'm not ready to draw conclusions about Agito, yet.) They seem increasingly bold about releasing forms and supporting cast for the I-assume-successful SS Riders, teasing Skull, the Hoppers, Naszca, Diend, etc., but less bold to dip their toes into new series.

I guess part of that has to do with how they've already released Figuarts of practically everyone (with the one notable exception,) and many of them like Den-O and Ryuki still hold up relatively well.

As for the Shinkocchou Seihou Kamen Rider 1 that was teased, I suspect Bandai might view him as a sure seller, but like anything teased as Tamashii Nations, there's no guarantee of a release, although it seems likely.

Since I'm already indulging speculation, I had a couple more Kiva thoughts: considering Hibiki, W, and Decade, I'm starting to realize just how complex a Kiva release would be. So far, the Shinkocchou Seihou line has established an expectation that the Rider will come with just about every appropriate accessory imaginable. (Well, within reason given the limitations of package space.) W comes with scarves, Gaia Memories, and the ability for them to interact with the suit/driver as in the show. Decade comes with all the Ride Booker's forms, swappable driver, a zillion cards, etc. Hibiki had everything I could have reasonably asked and more. (There was no room left for extended claws or an alternate head.)

And what would a Kiva base form need? A removable Kivat, which likely means two of them. A replacement leg for his emo "wake up" finisher. Fuestles. If it's going to be as full-featured as other SS figures, they'd need to be able to interact with Kivat. The Gaia Memories are incredibly tiny, and these'd be worse, and fiddlier. There'd be the question of whether to use a real chain for the leg, and whether to include a violin and bow. Assuming the above, you'd be looking at fists, fuestle-holding hands, relaxed, "horns" hands, hands for the violin... oh, yeah, and a stand for Kivat.

That's a significant series of design challenges. Multiply that by Bandai's likely uncertainty of his popularity (he could sell like Hibiki, assuming Hibiki sold poorly) and production cost questions, and... yeah, I can see why it's taking a while.

...ohhh. And suddenly, I'm realizing how OOO would also be a challenge: the medals. Actually, Wizard would be a more significant challenge, as doing what they did with Gaia Memories with Wizard Rings seems highly impractical. Moreover, they'd want to get the silhouette right without sacrificing articulation, so the robe can't pooch out at the hips at all, and has to be able to hang straight down. So is it soft goods? Swappable? How do they avoid literally every problem with the fist release? Oh, and they wouldn't want to release a Wizard less full-featured than the original. And if "a better release than the original Figuarts version" is a factor in Bandai's decision-making, that'd... complicate... SS Ryuki.

All of this yammering, of course, is me speculating on which main Rider they'll release next and how long it'll take. I'm starting to suspect the answer to the latter is "a while," and the next Rider? Maybe Faiz, with his reasonably-sized accessories.

In the meantime, I'm looking forward to Accel and pretty much everything they've teased so far. I sympathize with people waiting for misc_Rider_in_need_of_an_update, though.

As far as Wizard goes, they seem to be finally coming around to the idea of using soft goods if TDK Batman is any indication. Which is good, because I REALLY want SS Knight to not have a brick of a cape like the original version does.

And in regards to Ryuki, I could see them releasing him and the rest of the 13 Riders (however many they do) as they did with back with Souchaku Henshin or even GSC's Dragon Knight Figmas: Including the regular accessories, like Ryuki's Sword, Strike, and Guard Vents, and then releasing the Contract Monsters separately, almost certainly as Web Exclusives. It'd solve the scale issues nicely (OG Dragredder was TINY compared to what he was supposed to be, the equipment that came with Genocider was oversized, as was Knight's Wing Lancer, etc) and allow you to have a more or less "complete" figure from the get-go.

So after watching the latest episode of Ex-Aid, I'm wondering how Para-DX's figuart would be handled.


1. Would they give us two separate Figuarts to represent both of his forms? If so, would they be included in a two-pack? Or will they try to make it so that the figuart itself can change forms? A swappable chest piece, a swappable helmet and swappable shoulder pads are all you really need (and of course, you would need to have Gashat Dual Gear in both modes, which shouldn't be too hard to do). It'd be nice if they could engineer the shoulder pads in such a way as to where they can also be used to form the boxing gloves.

2. Any chance of him coming with the Power-Up items, at least a few them? This would be great. Not only would they be accessories relevant to the character, but they also serve a dual purpose as accessories for the other Ex-Aid riders, as well as nice pieces for a diorama.

I feel like it's guaranteed to be two different figures after seeing how they handled the Deadheat forms from Drive. Granted, those are two different Riders, but if they can't sell that stuff in one package I doubt a Para-DX with two heads and interchangeable parts is going to be a thing.

And I don't even think it'll be a two-pack. I imagine both are separate releases. I would even go as far as saying Perfect Puzzle will be retail and Knockout Fighter Web-Exclusive or something evil like that, but I kinda doubt that even one of them lands in stores at this point.

As for your second question, Puzzle Gamer would be ideal to come with some of the power-up coins. Which means Tamashii sure as hell won't do it. It makes too much sense. If anything they’ll pump out a Web-Exclusive accessory set.

I'm hoping something like this already exists on Youtube. But there needs to be online resource on how to pose/display figuarts. It's the hardest thing about owning the darn things.

I've learned recently that posing figures for a lot of collectors is hard for them to do, which is surprising. When it comes to Figuarts, I find it so easy to pose them in natural stances or signature poses.

I feel like its just something that you learn over time. I've been collecting Figuarts for 3-4 years now and I think I've improved my posing through practice taking photos and referring to photos and videos of the shows the figures are from. Also people like Shishioh or Hacchaka who do galleries of so many figures are very nice references of great posing.

I do agree that Figuarts are one of the more easier figures to pose as compared to say Marvel Legends or Revoltech.

You're right on that one. I remember way back when I first started collecting Figuarts (fun fact: my first Figuarts ever was either Kamen Rider Ouja or Zolda (I opened both at the same time, but don't remember which one I bought first). Back then, the line wasn't so exclusive heavy. Just looking at the Ryuki line, Ryuki, Knight (and their Survive forms), Ouja, Zolda, Odin, Tiger, Raia and Alternative were all retail releases. If you take that line and apply modern Tamashii business practices to it, you'd see Ryuki/Survive, Knight/Survive and maybe Zolda and Ouja as retail releases, with everyone else being an exclusive. Not necessarily complaining as I can understand it from a business perspective, but definitely something I noticed as the line has gotten more massive and has grown to include a number of different franchises outside of the Rider spectrum.

Speaking of which, I did get Kachidoki in the mail and for such an awesome form, I'll admit I slept on this figure quite a bit since I already had Kiwami, and I'm usually okay with just having the basic form and final form of the main Rider. This guy is definitely better than Kiwami arms in most regards and with him, I'm starting to realize how insanely close I am to having a full Gaim Figuarts lineup (unless they release more). Not including the bikes (which I can more or less do without), I'm only missing Bujin Gaim, the Pine/Mango Gaim/Baron set, Lemon-Energy Baron and Jimba arms. May work on completing this line by the end of the year, although like I said before, I'm hoping we at least get Kamen Rider Mars, Kamuro and Jam

I have the Pine/Mango and Jimba, and they're both great. Jimba has some good display options since it can be any of the four Arms. Pine/Mango is very good, but be careful of the chain on the pineapple, specifically the big ring that connects to the pineapple ball itself, since it's easy to accidentally warp. I can't get excited over a movie Rider from a movie I didn't enjoy, and owning Mango Baron and Duke makes Lemon Energy Baron feel redundant.

...maaaan! I'm suddenly reminded of how much I want Kiwi Ryugen and Ichigo and Suika Gaim. Ah, well, I suppose we've got a gazillion Ex-Aid Figuarts inbound.

Don't forget guys, the next wave of pre-orders is coming tomorrow (February 1st) in Japan. So if you want to pre-order Accel or King Joe, be ready.

Also, they have individual item pages now and Accel’s confirms that the Gaia Memory in his belt is removable. He also comes with an additional Memory, which I guess is the Engine Memory. No news if the sword can open and if it is compatible with the included Gaia Memories though.

What time should the preorders open?