[Den-O]

Cast off!

This one has been a long time coming, but S.H. Figuarts Kamen Rider Kabuto Renewal is here! So let's dive right in!

Bulk of photos in post #1, continued into post #2!

To start, the original Kabuto line of S.H. Figuarts is not terrible. At least they weren't by the standards of the day about 5 years ago. Now however they just don't hold up with current SHF engineering. So Bandai has rectified that with this Renewal release. And wow what an improvement this new figure makes.

To start it's been well publicized that Bandai sculpted an entirely new basic human form for Kabuto. This figure and other premium style releases like it from now on (Hibiki etc), will feature this new base body. The improved proportions and articulation afforded by this new sculpt already put it light years ahead of the original figure.

Note. I no longer have my original SHF Kabuto. I sold it immediately after the Renewal was first announced in anticipation. So unfortunately I don't have a comparison of the two. But I do have Gattack and Shadowtrooper from the same era to compare to this figure.

Renewal Kabuto succeeds in nearly every aspect that Bandai wanted it to. As I mentioned the articulation is nuts on this thing. The new style hips provide a wide and balanced motion that allows you to replicate some of Kabuto's most iconic poses/attacks. The head sculpt is now the appropriate size (with correct colored eyes) compared to the first figure. The shoulder pads are akin to Blade in that they can unhinge for a ton of extra motion.

A new style of hands has also been implemented here. The more "figma style" peg hands are introduced to the line with this figure. They were controversial when first revealed, and will likely continue to be for a long time. I just want to say to start, I don't like them. I really thought I would. But I simply don't care for the peg style in hand. They don't seem easier to remove that the old style, and don't make me feel more confident about avoiding breakages. Just because of their design they can spin 360 and bend up/down at the wrist, but they somehow feel more limited than the old style ball joint hands.

An odd "hand tree" is also included to store them on. This is neither practical nor well executed. Simply push the pegs from the wrists into shallow grooves on the tree. But there's no indication that any hand belongs in a particular spot. Unfortunately any degree of force applied to get the hands on the trees will pop any you may have successfully gotten on, right back off. The tree also splits in two and can be combined with duplicates of itself from future releases. Again this is far from practical as it falls apart from looking at it the wrong way.

As for other accessories Kabuto also includes the 3 versions of his signature weapon. The Kabuto Kunai Gun. The Gun, Axe, and Kunai modes are all included here. Typically the Gun mode is more associated with Masked form than the Rider form this figure represents, but I appreciate the added bonus for the price of the figure. And speaking of bonuses a short S.H.Figuarts development booklet is included which I've included scans of in this gallery.

Is Kamen Rider Kabuto Renewal perfect? No, unfortunately the short comings of the new hand/wrist system work against the figure. Is it still one of the best SHF's in the entire line? Hell yes! The new body this figure is based around is absolutely magnificent. Loads of articulation and an absolutely rock solid set of proportions go a long way to making this a fantastic figure. You should definitely pick one of these bad boys up.