Relatively recently, S.H. Figuarts released yet another subline, Shinkocchou Seihou. If I understand correctly, this line focuses on giving classic characters and figures a second chance at life with improved engineering. My guess is that this also some sort of tester line to gauge interest in IPs before throwing down and doing the entire thing.
One of these lines hopefully getting a full reset is the Super Sentai line, which apparently didn't sell particularly well. Bandai has has wisely chosen Gokai Red as the flagshp entry, because in Japan, Captain Marvelous seems to be the most popular Sentai ever, which is fine by me as he's a much more interesting character than Tommy Oliver.
Interesting thing, while it was near impossible to get a Japanese preorder in, and I don't think that P. Bandai got any in for the US crowd (it's not even on sale at BBTS), this figure appears to be readily available in Hong Kong, at the very lease, which says to me Bandai Asia made this a common release.
Retailing for about 8,800 Yen, I GUESS this is a more prestigious release? Came in a shoe box rather than typical windowed box, and the contents separated into two layers, all in all looking like if I popped open the latest iPhone.
Contents include:
- 1 x Main Figure
- 15 x Posing/Gripping Hands
- 1 x Henshin Device (Closed Form)
- 1 x Henshin Device (Open Form)
- 3 x Ranger Keys (Open, Folded, Insert into Weapons)
- 1 x Gokai Saber
- 1 x Gokai Gun
I can't remember if this was more than the original figure, but I can say that's a good number of accessories. The reason for the large number of hands is there are dedicated hands for the Henshin Device, for holding the Ranger Keys, and for Captain Marvelous's trademark arm cross. The Saber and Gun also have different grips, so there's two pairs for that.
Weapons do not appear to be reused from the old figures.
Right out the gate, you'll notice that Gokai Red isn't a toothpick. I mention this because, well, the OG is basically a toothpic. It's slightly more bulky than the suit actor, but it's certainly much more believable than many of the Bandai of America releases. In addition to better proportions, right out the gate I noticed that the shoulder design is completely different. The Gokaiger suit has that "vest" that goes all the way up and over the shoulders, which looks nice but is difficult to replicate on a figure and not affect articulation.
They've taken this part of the outfit and reduced it to paint apps on the butterfly joint. It's not as pretty, and I wish they had simply gone for a pliable rubber, but doubtedly the articulation of the arms greatly improves because of this change. This softer rubber is also present on the collar, makes up the belt and coat tails (which just floats there) as well as the groin cover itself, allowing the leg more range of motion without relying on a pull down hip or other similar technology.
If you've never watched the series, this team travels across the universe collecting Ranger Keys and looking for the ultimate treasure. The keys allow team members to transform into various Sentai from the past (which keeps increasing as newer teams are created), and the key is also critical to unlocking the full potential of their weapons. The Saber and Gun actually come with a working receptacle for the key, which is neat (and I think it was present on the OG as well).
As I live in constant fear of dropping things and never finding them again, I took a few quick pics with these tiny, tiny parts and put them right back into the box.
Articulation of the figure quite good. Male Figuarts bodies are pretty robust these days, and this one is no exception. Double jointed elbows and knees, swivels, it's all there. Really only lacking an ab crunch. Butterfly joints are uninhibited thanks to the costume redesign, and as mentioned, the soft rubber groin allows for improved range of motion. The character is also designed that there is some decent balance, so overall you should be able to get into a variety of action poses, made even better by the fact the hands actually hold what they're designed to.
Paint Applications are nice. They're very clean on the body, but it's on the weapons that you see the precision and cleanliness people with actual skill can produce. Even if the buttons on the Henshin Device are decals, that's still better than I can do. Overall paint and decal work across the board appear to be superior to the OG, which isn't surprising, given improved quality over the years, and of course, the significantly increased price point.
Build Quality is quite good. Your run of the mill Figuart is pretty good, but can occasionally have issues with a bad joint, or hands that don't hold things. Everything here works just as designed. Joint stiffness is on point, there's not fragile parts. The only flaw I could find is I guess the head was attached while the collar was still wet, and as a result I lost a bit of paint on the inside of the collar. Very nicely manufactured and assembled. No rough edges or poor finishes.
It's nice to see a great character like Captain Marvelous finally get a great figure, with a body that can actually do the trademark poses. It'll be interesting to see if sales warrant the rest of the team, and if so, will they release the Team Cannon. So a great figure overall, just kind of confusing why sourcing one was more difficult than your run of the mill figure.
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