[Den-O]

Kamen Ride!

DECADE!


The destroyer of worlds finally receives his proper due! A very early release in the at the time fledgling S.H. Figuarts line was Kamen Rider Decade. While that release lived up to many collectors' expectations at the time, it has aged very very poorly. Proportionally speaking it wasn't accurate, details weren't painted properly, the headsculpt was so wrong it had to be rectified later when a new head came out with the Violent Emotion release of the mold. Frankly the original Decade release was a mess. But finally after years of waiting, Bandai has righted that initial wrong in spectacular fashion with S.H. Figuarts Shinkocchou Seihou Kamen Rider Decade!

Packaging
Decade's box is very in line with what we've come to expect from the Seihou/Renewal releases. A really gorgeous premium style slip cover box, with 2 parts trays inside. It's just a great presentation. And while it isn't as spectacular to see as it first was when Kabuto was released, it's still a welcome site. You know you're about to handle a truly nice figure.

Main Figure
That opening paragraph got out the broad strokes of the comparison between Shinkocchou Seihou Decade & the original. But it's worth noting there are numerous differences that I'll try to point out in this review. That being said, WOW, Shinkochu Seihou Decade is amazing.

Simply put this figure accomplishes everything the original release couldn't, or improves upon what it could. "Decade 1.0" skewed more towards a hot pink color rather than the proper magenta Decade is now. But the most striking improvements from then to now are the drastically improved proportions of the sculpt. The old Decade had lanky arms, spindly legs, a small head, clown feet, and he was short. That figure was released at a time when the line was much more closely related to it's Souchaku Henshin predecessor so it was still finding it's place. But the new Decade dwarfs the original. The same could be said of all the S.S. figuarts releases. While in line with one another they do tend to look a little large next to previous but superb releases like Ryuki, RX, or Blade.

The most significant improvement to this figure over the original is likely the head which is finally finally screen accurate in size, color, & shape. But we also get a fantastic new body to go with it, that can strike dynamic poses the likes of which the original simply couldn't dream of without looking very silly. The arms are stupendous for starters thanks to a really great shoulder pad system (though they pop off easily). The legs finally have a nice beefy muscular look to them. This is a figure clearly designed from that ground up as though it is a person in a suit. The legs also have nice but very tight hip swivels. Thankfully the legs can be posed inward due to those fantastic hips that S.S. releases have, so you can get Tsukasa into his trademark tight leg stance. This figure can just perfectly capture the riders personality but more importantly the suit actors' body language as well.

I also have to mention that after 3 previous releases (Decade, V.E., and Complete) we FINALLY have a fully painted Decadriver! All of the Heisei emblems are present, the base the driver sits in is fully painted as well, and thanks to an accessory listed below, it's functional! Fully able to accept Rider Cards. An added bonus to the Decadriver is that Decade's torso can be removed fairly easily. Meaning you can simulate his "Kamen Rider" technique and use his belt with other riders! I've demonstrated it below with Shinkocchou Seihou Kuuga Mighty Form, but practically any figure with a ball jointed waist can manage to be Decade thanks to this.

Shinkocchou Seihou Decade really does set itself apart as probably my 2nd favorite of the S.S. releases so far. Kabuto is still king but Decade is right there with him.


Accessories
Needless to say this figure include A LOT:

1 - sheet of Rider Cards. Now these are NICE. The original Decade release included a sheet with 2 of every rider card printed on thick cardboard, but they were blank on the back side. The new cards opt for a pre-cut laminated plastic sheet with each card featuring full graphics on both sides. And since these are thin plastic there's no danger of destroying them trying to get them between his card holding fingers.

1 - Violent Emotion head. This allows you to replicate the "evil" Decade look from Movie Wars 2010. While the head design is minimally different it's nice to have this included sort of as a bonus. The original Violent Emotion figuart came out a few years after the first Decade Figuart, and as mentioned above, it included a new head for the original Decade to look more accurate. Suffice to say this Violent Emotion head much like the standard one included with S.S. Decade, blows the old release out of the water.

1 - Ride Booker (book mode). The Book Mode is meant mainly to be used as ornamentation for decade when it isn't a weapon. It just plugs onto the side of his belt. The S.S. version is a bit larger than the original with a more intricate sculpt that opens with a more detailed interior. It' can't actually store the rider cards but at this scale I'm not expecting that either.

1 - Ride Booker (gun mode). Rather than have one Ride Booker that transforms we get all 3 modes individually. In this case the gun mode is probably the one that's least interesting, and probably least often used in show & movie footage.

1 - Ride Booker (sword mode). Probably the most often seen form for the Booker, the sword is a little larger than the old release and like the standard Booker & Gun is fully painted. It looks great!

1 - "open" Decadriver base. This is an interesting piece that Bandai hasn't really tried before. You remove the entire Decadriver from Decades belt and replace it with this base, which simulates the opened driver, ready to accept Rider Cards. The center portion of the standard driver can be removed (with some effort) and plugged upright onto this new base. A very tiny opening is present with which to insert rider cards. The red center of the Drive portion is translucent but it can be hard to make out the emblems on the cards through it. It can also be very difficult to remove a card form inside the driver, I recommend a pair of fine tipped tweezers.

4 - sets of additional hands. You get 2 each of the open expressive hands, rider cards holding hands, weapon holding hands, and another pair specifically for use with S.H. Figuarts Machine Decader! This pair is a welcome inclusion, with one caveat. Seihou Decade actually appear a bit too large to look right on the bike itself. The bike was originally designed with the first Decade figuart in mind, which is about 15% smaller in total body mass compared to S.S. Decade. So he can look a little goofy riding on it from the wrong angles.

Final Thoughts
Once again Bandai has really done it. Another Shinkocchou Seihou release has just turned out beautifully. S.H. Figuarts Shinkocchou Seihou Kamen Rider Decade is just perfection. At long last one of my favorite riders finally has a great, poseable, & accessorized figure to fawn over. If you haven't picked up Decade yet I'd highly recommend him. It's one of the best figures this year by far.