[Kiwami]

I was intrigued by this figure ever since I first saw it, because aside from Toku my main focus in collecting are robots, and nothing beats diecast robot toys with cool engineering tricks IMO. They feel the best in-hand due to the added weight of the metal, and posing them around is even more fun with all the magic that happens once you engage the joints.

So having a Kamen Rider figure with these elements backed in sounds awesome already, but I also love how they made the design. We already have had stylized Rider figures before, but I could never quite get into SIC. While fun and visually interesting, they just looked “wrong” to me, this on the other hand, this rules. It’s an evolution of the design that still registers as the original, distinctive jet familiar, a metal version of the spandex suit.

Thankfully they also kept the illusion of a person inside an armored suit alive, other toy lines that attempted a similar strategy just made everyone look like straight up robots instead, see “Fighting Armor” from Sentinel for example.

I’m also thrilled they picked Zero-One as their first choice instead of safe picks like the OG Kamen Rider. Not only does Zero-One fit the theme both in design and lore, but Zero-One is a show I hold dear, I enjoyed watching it and it was the first and last time I went hard on the merch. The only time I ever bought a good chunk of the DX-toys, the only time I bought the entire Figuarts lineup.

Long story short, my pre-order clocked in the second this went live and it is now among the items I’m looking forward to receiving the most.

A jump to the sky turns to a Rider Kick