[Den-O]

All aboard!

It's time to take a look at a brand new line of figures from Ressha Sentai ToQger! Today's subject is ToQ 1 from the Norikae (Transfer) Change series of figures!

At first glance you may write this figure off. Don't do that. Is Norikae Change the next Arms Change? No, not by any stretch of the imagination. See what I did there? It is however a fun gimmick line that works rather well given the limitations of the toy versus the on screen ToQger gimmicks.

At it's core ToQ 1 is a very basic figure. Albeit a pretty damn well articulated one. We have full 360 ankles, 90 degree knees, full 360 thighs, double jointed hips, full 360 shoulders, full 360 biceps & wrists, 90 degeree elbows and ball jointed head. This may not be a an S.H.Figuart but with this level of articulation it's certainly close.

Onto the gimmick. Each figure in the Norikae Change series features a dial on it's back and head which can be turned to change the numbers displayed on the chest and forehead. These mechanisms are totally independent of each other and function ideally. This figure is also sculpted quite nicely. The track details on the chest and helmet are done very well and the translucent areas where the numbers are displayed are pretty nice, giving off the feel of the actual in show suits. The Rainbow Pass on the ToQ Buckle even has a metallic sheen to emulate the decal of the DX version, though it is non-removable.

Accessories
Included with ToQ 1 is the standard side arm ToQ Blaster in both Gun and Sword mode. And here's where things get weird. The gimmick of ToQger is that each character can swap Resshas with one another to use the other colors, therein allowing them access to each others signature weapons. A sound gimmick in practice, on a fictional TV show. Not so much in toy form. As I said each figure contains the numbers 1-5 in them so you can create ToQ 1 Red, ToQ 2 Red, ToQ 3 Red, etc. And ToQ 1's Rail Slasher sword is included as well. But so are the weapons for the other 4 ToQgers. Which makes little to no sense at all. When the ToQgers change color they are doing so to gain access to each others weapons, they in fact lose their weapon and gain that of the color they've switched too.

So these accessories are absolutely useless. They represent nothing seen on the show at all. AND they are molded in a way that makes them incapable of forming the Renketsu Bazooka, they cannot be combined. And it's not as though the other figures don't include them. ToQ 2 & ToQ 4 both have the identical accessories. Unfortunately no ToQ 3 or ToQ 5 Norikae Change figures exist and currently there are no plan to produce them. Meaning the only way you can have either female on the team is to rotate the numbers on one of the male figures and pretend they aren't absurdly tall and muscular by comparison.

Overall
Though the inclusion of extra nonsensical weapons is infuriating, at the end of the day it's like getting extra accessories, I guess? It doesn't necessarily detract from the figure being a pretty fun representation of ToQ 1. But you could buy any of the 3 released figures and have the same experience. They're totally identical in functionality. I will say that unlike Sentai gimmick figures of previous years the Norikae Change line fits in pretty damn well with S.H.Figuarts. In fact they look damn near perfect with Kamen Rider Gaim Arms Change figures. Check out the full gallery below and decide for yourself if this figure has a place in your collection. Faults and all? It still has a place in mine.