[Den-O]

Time for a double dose of classic action! TokuNation has decided to knock out TWO riders with one gallery. Today we're taking a look at S.H. Figuarts Bio Rider and Robo Rider!

Both alternate forms of Kamen Rider Black RX Bio Rider & Robo Rider are known respectively as the Prince of Anger & Prince of Sorrow. These two forms were born in response to the dire needs RX faced in a pair of episodes. Bio Rider to save Joe the Haze & Robo Rider in response to the assumed death of the young girl Hitomi.

Post #1 Boxed shots and Bio Rider images

Post #2 Robo Rider & group images

Packaging
Both Bio Rider & Robo Rider come in fairly standard boxes. They both feature the same style of box that was introduced with Black Renewal. Nothing too special here and neither box features a particularly dynamic shot of either figure. Though as you'll find out soon, there's a reason for that.

Figure: Bio Rider
S.H. Figuarts Bio Rider is the winner of the pair here. This figure features some really fantastic details. Much like how Renewal Black & RX brought real life details that imitated the materials of the costume props on the figure, Bio Rider does it as well. But even better. The details around his hips and waist are not only unique in that their asymmetrical, but they breath life into the material. It really does almost look like fabric. The same attention to detail is also present in the sculpted fabric of the arms bringing this figure to life. Also of note is that the colors really pop on this guy.

The articulation however, is a bit strange. Both Bio & Robo Rider feature some odd articulation points. The hips have a decent range of motion. But there's no rotating hip joint. Meaning they have outward movement and some forward/back movement, but not much else. The ankles are a bit limited thanks to the sculpt just above them meaning he can be hard to balance. For some strange reason the upper and lower halves of the torso can sort of float up about an extra half an inch to give him added height. The real oddity though is the shoulder structure. The shoulder pads are attached to the shoulders themselves, which should mean they'd angle up well. But weirdly enough the shoulders don't really arch up properly. Instead the entire joint, shoulder and all swings forward sort of like a classic Toy Biz marvel legends figure. But to do this the arm sacrifices all the proper upward motion it desperately needs.

Accessories: Bio Rider
Bio Rider actually comes with quite a few things, if you're only looking at his accessories quantitatively. He comes with:

5 - full sets of alternate hands
1 - Bio Blade in a sort of mid energized/standard form. Whereas RX Renewal came with two Revolcanes that could combine and separate to form either the standard version or the powered up "laser blade" for special attacks, Bio Rider includes a half assed compromise of the two forms.

Seriously. 10 extra hands but you can't give us one extra crummy sword? It's a fine accessory but the figure really would have benefited from the inclusion of another.

Figure: Robo Rider
I'm sad to say that S.H. Figuarts Robo Rider is a fair disappointment in my eyes. While the sculpt is pretty decent, the detailing simply isn't there like Bio Rider. It features none of the real world styling and details that the Renewals and Bio Rider have. In fact, this figure feels as though it's designed to be as boring as possible.

Robo Rider has some very strange lanky proportions. They really just aren't in line with the actual suit used in the show. Robo Rider was a very squat thick costume that helped the actor convey a certain degree of robotic stiffness. Sadly the figure replicates this rigidity in design without looking like the suit it's based on. And I'm sorry but the fact that it's based on a robotic type character doesn't mean the figure should have such pathetically limited articulation. The hips may as well not function at all. They are drop down hips and can come down ever so slightly. But the giant diaper waist piece is so cumbersome that even if you drop them all the way down and try to swing them out you can hardly get any dynamic poses from the figure. I did the best I could but it simply isn't properly executed articulation.

The torso has the same type of floating joints that Bio Rider does giving him a dynamic range only in that area, and weirdly stretching the torso of the figure further. The same type of outward swinging shoulders present on Bio are present here too. And again they just do not work properly. I tried to make the best of them for these shots but there's just so little you can do with a poor design like that. The shoulder pads on Bio Rider, because they're attached don't allow the arms to rotate up, but on Robo Rider the pads are attached to the outer arm, but they're so weirdly shaped and large they can't rotate properly either.

Accessories: Robo Rider
And here's where the figure truly fails. The accessories are absolutely abysmal. Robo Rider includes:

3 - alternate hands. That's it. 3 hands. 1 & 1/2 sets of hands. two open hands and a single right hand capable of holding the other included accessory.
1 - weapon in the form of the Vortech Shooter. Though the weapon is fairly bland it is accurate, the sculpt is fine I suppose. But the fact that only 1 right hand is included with which to hold it is pathetic.

This selection of accessories, for a figure that already fails to be even an average figure, is inexcusable. As with Bio Rider, Robo Rider could have at least included something, anything else.

Final Thoughts
I had high hopes for both S.H. Figuarts Bio Rider & Robo Rider. I really did. But sadly I find both of them lacking. Bio Rider has far more redeeming qualities than Robo Rider but neither of them is exactly Figuart of the year. Robo Rider is something I would only recommend picking up at a heavy discount. The odd proportions, poor articulation, and severe lack of accessories make it one of my least favorite figuarts. Bio Rider on the other hand is excellently sculpted but suffers from some of the same articulation woes as Robo. That added with the odd accessory selection make it superficially better.

I do know that it is pretty damn nice to finally have the 4 versions of Kamen Rider Black all together at long last. They really do compliment each other nicely despite their flaws. As a completionist I feel compelled to own all of them. But let my review and pictures help you make your decision.