[Den-O]

Rounding out our series of Showa Kikaider galleries is the final (so far) release in the line! S.H. Figuarts Double Machine! The personal ride of Kikaider 01 and brother unit to the original Side Machine.

Befor checking out the below gallery, please be sure to check out all of our previous Kikaider related galleries as well!
S.H. Figuarts Kikaider
S.H. Figuarts Hakaider
S.H. Figuarts Kikaider's Side Machine
S.H. Figuarts Hakaider's White Crow
S.H. Figuarts Kikaider 01
S.H. Figuarts Gill Hakaider
S.H. Figuarts Hakaider Squad (Red/Blue/Silver)


Packaging
It's all business as usual with this release. The Double Machine comes in the same type of box as all of the other Kikaider & Hakaider releases in the line. Same gorgeous minimalist art on the box and sleek packaging all around. Only difference here is the size. Due to the Double Machines' size the box is basically about as large as the Hakaider Squad 3-pack.

Main Figure
The main event so to speak is here! The Double Machine itself is an impressive follow up to the older model Side Machine. Both Machines clearly share basic design choices that unite them in the same family of vehicles. The Side Machine was of course based on a Kawasaki GT 500 Mach III, though the Double Machine's heritage is a bit more dubious to my knowledge.

The Double Machine comes packed as one gigantic piece. The only assembly necessary is the 3 spoilers that are included detached. 2 of them plug onto the sidecar and one on the main bike. With that little bit done we've got the completed Double Machine! Obviously the immediate take away is that this sucker is huge. Significantly larger than even the Side Machine which is itself a huge bike. Both of them share the unique honor of being the only side-car bikes in the entire S.H. Figuarts toyline. On top of this the Double Machine simply is a more extravagant vehicle. There are quite a few more ornamentation's and paint apps applied here than on most Figuarts bikes. That's just a product of the time in which this bike was designed. 70's toku is a hell of a drug.

As is though the Double Machine is just gorgeous. And frankly mine is flawless. Very impressed with the QC on this thing. The paint is crisp, the molding is sharp. No scratches on the windshield. The Kikaider 01 emblems look gorgeous. And all the right details are sculpted in. The Double Machine is likely the best detailed bike I've seen in the S.H. Figuarts line. It just screams 70's in all the best ways and looks even better when you put Kikaider 01 on it. Obviously this is just a bike so it doesn't do much on it's own. If you don't own 01 then there's not much point in having this. But with at least a driver on board it looks fantastic. The side car can accommodate pretty much any other S.H. Figuart you want it to as well. I had fun putting Kikaider in there.

Accessories
Just the 3 above mentioned spoilers. No hands or extra handlebars or any of the usual stuff. This is an extravagant bike all it's own and Kikaider 01 already came with the hands he needed to hold the handlebars. So this is a pretty much complete package already.

Final Thoughts
I've been more than happy to throw myself whole-heartedly into the Kikaider subline of S.H. Figuarts. I've devoured every successive release and been left wanting more. Bandai could crank out as many Kikaider releases a year as they wanted to and I'd take them all. In the course of the last 11 months we've gotten 8, at roughly 1 new release every month or so I am totally pleased with that pace. Considering how Sentai Figuarts seem to struggle with releases and sales, I'm shocked Bandai wound up so dedicated with Kiakdier.

If the quality continues at this upward trend I doubt I'll be disappointed any time soon either. While Kikaider himself was in my eyes a fairly substandard release, Hakaider was an improvement. And the trend continued from there until we're here with the gorgeous S.H. Figuarts Double Machine! While I could continue to profess my love for Kikaider figures all day long I'll just say this, a bike like this is for a completionist or a true lover of the franchise only. If you don't have an immediate and reactive desire to own the Double Machine, then you don't need it. I needed it, and I'm happy to have it for the impressive piece of toy it wound up being. If this is the last releases that Bandai chooses to end the Showa Kikaider line on then I'm certainly not disappointed. But please give us more Bandai, there are so many figures and vehicles left to do. I'll buy every one.