[Toys] Souchaku Henshin Series: Kamen Rider Den-O Sword Form

This SANJOU'd at my place yesterday morning, a week ahead of its estimated delivery, and I was pleasantly surprised by it.

This review's photographs will be a bit different as I've managed to get some fairly acceptable photo quality from my phone. This is good because otherwise there's not many pictures of this figure online aside from packaging pictures.

So, let's begin the climax.

Den-O is one of those things the SH Figuarts toyline seems to be hesitant to make figures of (Along with my two favorites, Hibiki and Blade...), for whatever reason. They made New Den-O, the Imagin and have even decided to make Den-O Climax Form, but not any of Den-O's base forms. My reasoning for this is that perhaps they figure the Souchaku Henshin version is just good enough to be a fine substitute for Figuarts?

Let's get to the actual figure...

Like all Souchaku Henshin figures up til this point, he comes with attachable armor. By this point in the line they really started to shape up. Not only did they rid themselves of the awkward pinhead syndrome that comes from the removable helmet gimmick, but they've also added a bit of... for lack of a better word, complexity to the armor assembly, so that it's not so easily popped off.

The armor is not simply just a front piece and back piece. The shoulderpads are on hinges which are then attached to the chest piece, allowing a LOT of freedom in the shoulder articulation. On top of that, the back piece has hinged bits which wrap around the torso and attach to the front, making a sturdy assembly. Then a back piece is added on to hide those hinges. The helmet lens is then attached to the face, reminiscent of how Den-O's transformation looks in the show. It's a little bit more work than older figures might've done, which makes me feel like I'm doing more work for a sturdier figure; I like that. It feels like a very, very simplistic model kit. Also, even if the belt buckle is already attached, it can be removed, just so you know.

Also included is the Den-Gasher! For those unfamiliar with the name, the Den-Gasher is Den-O's weapon system. It's four pieces of whatevertheyare which combine in different ways to form different weapons to go with his different forms. Can you guess which weapon Sword Form uses? The sword itself looks very nice and well painted, my only nitpick is the handle seems a bit thick as he can JUST grip it, his hand is wide open as he does so.

The Den-Gasher is stored on both sides of the belt, and they included a separated version of it that goes on the belt. They're removable for show-accuracy purposes. I was concerned that it might be hard to remember which piece goes where, but was pleasantly surprised to see that the pegs have shapes! So you CAN'T screw it up. A nice thought.

Den-O doesn't come with that many accessories apart from his sword and his sword in storage form as you saw. He also comes with a Rider pass - two, in fact. It's small and stickered, and fits in his hand which is nice given how thin it is. It's a nice addition!

Den-O has some very nice articulation. As I understand it, the SH Figuarts line hadn't started until 2008, with this figure coming out in 2007; and it shows that this is what Figuarts evolved from. This guy has a lot of the very same articulation Figuarts has today, even has swappable hands, lacking only the balljoint wrists (the extra hands have a hinge joint though) and the multiple joints in the feed (here they are only a simple ankle balljoint but it has RANGE). The articulation is impressive for such a figure. If I had to nitpick, I feel like the neck can barely move up and down because it's bulky, but I haven't found that to be a major problem as of yet.

While there may not be a proper Figuarts release for Den-O yet, but given the quality of this piece, he shouldn't stand out too greatly among your Figuarts collection. If anything, he's a fine substitute until a proper release comes out. Unless they reveal a Den-O within the next few weeks, I can say without regrets that you won't be dissatisfied with this guy.

So, overall? Den-O's a fine toy. If you like Den-O, get him, but be cautious about the price. Don't spend more than you would for a Figuarts release because, well, this guy is only worth about as much AS a Figuarts release, so overspending is something I would advise you avoid. However, he's got nice paint, everything Den-O needs to come with, and enough articulation to give off plenty of personality (And Den-O is someone who has a lot of it.) Definitely check this guy out if you're looking for some climax action for your desk.

That said, this climax has come to an end, for now. Who will I purchase next? That depends on if I fee like breaking chains or dialing a number. We'll see...