[Kamen Rider Die]

Been a few weeks, so here are some poor financial decisions -slash- amazing additions to my toy collection (weird how those seem to frequently overlap!):



KAMEN RIDER 555 S.I.C. KAMEN RIDER FAIZ - Ridiculous. Ridiculous! Look at this monstrosity. I love it, obviously. Faiz is probably going to be my favorite Heisei Phase 1 show (not feeling like Kiva’s going to dethrone it, and I don’t have insanely high hopes for Decade), and the base Faiz suit is practically perfect in its minimalism. Which is why it’s weird to feel so taken with this maximalist version. Of any show’s Rider, I think Faiz can work both ways. There’s a core ambivalence to the toyetic elements of tokusatsu in Faiz, which makes the incongruity of a lot of them more charming than perplexing. Same goes for this figure. Like, why not make Faiz bulky and aggressive and sharp? What’s the difference? Anyway, I love this toy. Not going to do more SIC figures, probably (got this one at wholesale, which made it way more attractive), but I had a good time with this one. Easy to pose, a ton of accessories, looks absurd. Exactly what I was hoping for!



S.H.FIGUARTS KAMEN RIDER SIGURD - Not my favorite Energy Rider suit! Actually, uh, probably my least favorite Energy Rider suit? I just 100% don’t get what’s going on with his forearms. Baffling to me. Besides that, solid figure? I’m going all-in on Gaim, and this very nice figure of a suit I dislike is one of the reasons why. Very crisp presentation, with the glossy red creating an eye-catching distraction from his forearms and shins. (Same weird towels or whatever on his shins!) Another neat Gaim figure.

S.H.FIGUARTS KAMEN RIDER ROGUE - I don’t know if his pose plays from the angle the picture was shot at, but I wanted to have Rogue staring at his hands in despair and confusion. I love the suit, I love the actor, I love the show, but it’s the very specific shame the suit performer gets at for Rogue that I wanted to capture with him. He’s someone who makes consistently bad choices for two-thirds of the show, and even when he starts to atone for them, there’s a feeling like he’ll never be able to leave it all in the past. I like having a hero like that in my collection. Great-looking figure!

S.H.FIGUARTS KAMEN RIDER GRIDON - Everyone’s favorite bespectacled apprentice patissier, now in slightly-confused Rider form! It’s nice to have a couple joke Riders in the collection, and since I think we’re who-knows-how-long away from Shibuya and Narita from Ghost getting Fan Club videos where they become Riders, this guy’s going to be my lamest Rider. (Well, I gotta get Brain someday. These two, neck and neck.) It’s a suit that’s boring and unimpressive by design, but I’m sort of okay with it. The paintwork and construction is predictably top-notch, and he looks appropriately sheepish and outmatched. A very fun sixth Gaim figure to own.

S.H.FIGUARTS KAMEN RIDER GAMEDEUS CRONUS - This guy popped up at a decent price on AmiAmi, so I got him before the base form of Cronus. I think I prefer this suit? It’s more stylish, I think. I like the comparatively diverse color palette: gold and silver and cherry red and sky blue and black. Coming with the sword and shield also helps. No real deep thoughts on this guy. He just looks bad-ass?

S.H.FIGUARTS KAMEN RIDER BRAVO - One of the all-time great supporting Riders for a series. I mean, a flamboyantly dedicated patissier/mercenary? What an unbeatable combination of words. His action figure is pretty great, too! Impossibly deluxe paintwork and sculpting, with a stupid amount of accessories. He comes with a wine glass! Why would you ever display him without the wine glass?! In a line of figures like Gaim has, that are basically wall-to-wall brilliant, this one reaches another level. Showcase piece, for sure.

S.H.FIGUARTS KAMEN RIDER EX-AID (MIGHTY BROTHERS XX FORM) - Probably my favorite upgrade form ever. I love the concept, the hero becoming two heroes to defeat more powerful villains. I love how it foreshadows later Ex-Aid reveals. I love that it’s a dangerous powerup, one the hero is maybe killing themselves by utilizing. I love how it keeps building out the idea of teamwork and compromise and sacrifice and messiah complexes that are so core to Ex-Aid’s themes. I love that there’s a giant Ex-Aid face that the two brothers combine their shoulder pauldrons to form. I love these figures, and I am so thrilled to own them.