[Den-O]

A true blast from the past, Tamashii Nations has finaly released one of the most classic tokusatsu heroes ever! Kikaider! The titular hero of the 1972 series Jinzo Ningen Kikaider or Android Kikaider, Jiro was an android built by the brilliant Dr Kohmioji with a unique conscience circuit. Setting him apart from the evil machines of Professor Gill's DARK, this circuit became of source of humanity and empathy for Jiro.

Having recently joined the S.H. Figuarts lineup Kikaider is soon to be followed up by his personal bike Side Machine, his nemesis Hakaider & his bike White Crow, as well as Jiro's brother Kikaider 01 & the recently revealed Kikaider Reboot. But for now let's take a look at the inaugural release from this particular line of figuarts.

Packaging
The first thing you'll notice about S.H. Figuarts Kikader is the rather odd box he comes in. At roughly 2/3 the width of a normal SHF box it's definitely a new take on the packaging we've come to be used to for this line. That said it's a brilliant looking box. Tha artwork featured on it while simple is executed very well. There's just something about it that's really impressive. That includes the nice touch of color cutaways on the back with one great stock shot of the figure.

Main Figure
As a figure many people, myself included, have waited years to see in this line I was excited to finally have S.H. Figuarts Kikaider in hand. Your initial impression will be that this figure is gloriously detailed. And it is. While the rather boring blue half of Kikaider only has some yellow bindings for adornment the red half has beautifully sculpted electronic circuitry that runs along the front and back.

That being said, one major problem I have with the main body is that the paint work is just shoddy. It's poorly applied in some areas, like the yellow bands on the blue half which range from acceptable to eyesore. The lines are not crisp at all. But in other areas the over spray of paint is more noticeable. For instance just below his belt you can clearly see red paint over sprayed onto the blue half of the crotch. Or on the red half of the crotch you can see air bubbled under the paint on mine.

My biggest QC concern however is the head. While excellently sculpted and lifelike it's just made so poorly. The seam along the top of the head is just gaping there and it's as if they didn't bother to try and get the paint apps right around it. Again the yellow just runs. Sadly where the clear half of the head is attached is also very poorly done. Just below his left eye you can see where mine was rather hastily trimmed at the factory and simply glued on. It's hard to see in the photos but along the top of the clear half there are just smudges of glue in mine from where it was hastily attached. From a distance these issues largely disappear but I can't help but remember them when I look at the figure. It really has some noticeable flaws that don't appear to be isolated just to my figure for once.

As for the figures design it actually can move a bit more than I'd expected. The range of motion in Kiakaider's hips and shoulder is very nice because there's no bulk or armor around them like many riders to hinder that type of motion. The waist however is a bit limited and the head has some very funky articulation on a diagonal neck joint. It's a less than desirable feature that keeps the head from turning side to side properly.

Accessories
And here's where this release really falls flat. S.H. Figuarts Kikaider includes:

8 - alternate hands. That's it. Just some alternate hands for various poses. 4 of which are incredibly redundant. The barely open fists serve no real purpose, and the second set of splayed open hands are molded at almost 90 degree angles making them mostly pointless as well.

They should have at least included one effect part of some kind, really any kind, with this figure. Even Jiro's guitar would have worked.

Final Thoughts
As I said above myself and many others were excited to have such a classic character in this line finally. But sadly S.H. Figuarts Kikaider falls short of the legend of the character. Quality Control ranges from owner to owner but most have some kind of issue with there's be it poorly applied paint, malformed parts, or loose joints. I love having the figure, finally having most of Ishinimori's classic main characters all together. But this figure falls very short of other modern figuarts. If you can find Kikaider cheaply on the aftermarket I would suggest adding him to your collection only if he's affordable. My nostalgia gets the better of me on him, but I can't say that will be the case for everyone.

I truly hope the lower quality of this release doesn't kill the momentum of Toei releasing older non-rider/non-sentai heroes though. They deserve the spotlight too. And with this release I think they were really just trying to find their footing.