[Den-O]

Into Battle! Hey Hey Oh!

What is perhaps the most powerful form so far from Kamen Rider Gaim has just been inducted into the Arms Change line. Kamen Rider Gaim Kachidoki Arms is here!

**Be sure to check out post #2 for the rest of the images where we show you every possible Arms Change you can make with this new set!

First things first, parts of this review contain spoilers. Be aware of that going in. Now, to start, Kachidoki Arms is so far Gaim's mos powerful upgraded form. An almost hyper Orange Arms, Kachidoki possess immense strength and firepower. So far we've seen it's ability to withstand concentrated and prolonged fire from an entire squadron of Kurokage Troopers, sustain little to no damage from a direct full charge blast from a Sonic Arrow, and it's even been able to take on 3 Suika Arms simultaneously. This thing is a tank. With that out of the way, let's look at the toy.

Body
Once again, at a base body level this figure is simply Gaim. It shares the same basic sculpt as Gaim, Jinba Gaim, Zangetsu, Shin Zangetsu, & Kurokage. In fact the colors are an even closer match here to basic Gaim than Jinba. The 4 big differences with the Kachidoki pre-arms suit are the additional orange forearm bands, the remolded driver with new Kachidoki Lockseed, the new gold "chin strap" and the magnificent new crest that adorns his helmet. Aside from these differences we're still looking at the same standard Gaim body.

Kachidoki Arms
This is where things get crazy and awesome. Kachidoki Arms is very clearly a hyper powered Orange Arms. The episode it debuts in even shows how DJ Sagura crafted the Kachidoki Lockseed so this is quite literally a hyper orange. In that regard it looks very much like a robotic orange monstrosity, it's clearly segmented to unfold into armor unlike the standard rider arms which at least passinlgy look like solid fruit. It's more akin to the Energy Arms in it's wackiness, but this one has symmetry which they lack.

Interestingly this form is meant to represent Gaim's full on armored Shogun warrior motif. So the Arms also includes his two personalized flags or Kachidokibata. They've gone so far as to incorporate these flags into the arms in such a way that they don't effect transformation either. So points for that Bandai. As has been the case with a couple of other arms in the past this one has to be partially opened to attach to the rider, as you can see in the images below.

Once attached however, Kamen Rider Gaim Kachidoki Arms looks splendid. Many have questioned the toys ability to replicate the Arms in show transformation, and still be a good toy. I think it strikes a great balance. it makes the compromises necessary to ensure it's a fairly accurate scaled down version of the real suit, but it still maintains the fun gimmick of the line.

Included for Gaim to wield, aside from the Kachidokibata, is his trusty Musou Saber. Though unfortunately, as a cost cutting measure, this one includes no paint apps when compared to those released with Gaim & Zangetsu. However this isn't a huge deal when you realize that two versions of the DJ Gun are included. One to be used as the standard DJ Gun, the other partially transformed for combination wit the saber to form the Taiken Mode. Unfortunately both version of the Gun are quite hard for the figure to hold. This problem is a recurrent one with the Arms Change line dating back to Ryugen and his spotty ability to hold the Dragon Shot.

Overall
Does Kamen Rider Gaim Kachidoki Arms have it's drawbacks? Certainly. Just by the sheer nature of how it transforms it's quite back heavy, the hip and knee articulation is hindered, the weapons are at times hard to hold firmly, and the head loses a small range of motion because of the neck armor situation. Does that make it a bad figure? By no means. This figure isn't perfect, but it's imposing and fun as all hell. Needing a few more paint apps or not being perfectly articulated doesn't make this one a miss in my book. It's a little more expensive than the standard Arms Change figures, primarily due to it's size and accessory count. But if you ask me it's well worth it for the imposing bit of badassery you have once it's in hand.