S.H. Figuarts Kamen Rider Black RX & Acrobatter Renewal Gallery

After an SDCC induced hiatus we have returned! A follow up to our previous gallery of Kamen Rider Black & Battle Hopper today we present S.H. Figuarts Kamen Rider Black RX & Acrobatter Renewal!

**Post #2 contains some additional action & bonus shots & the Acrobatter part of the gallery.

Much like the Black/Battle Hopper Renewals the RX/Acrobatter Renewals seek to improve upon their original release counterparts and for the most part succeed in doing so. Here's the breakdown.

Packaging
I no longer have the original S.H. Figuarts RX & Acrobatter for comparison but the packaging here is hands down better. The original RX was released at a time when S.H. Figuarts were generally packed in plain grey boxes with black lettering and a shot of the character across the front. As the line has expanded so has it's creativity, so the boxes for both RX & Acrobatter Renewal both feature quite a bit nicer art and far more color than the originals did.

Main Figure (rider & bike)
Kicking things off let's take a look at Black RX himself. As with the original release of Black, the original release of Black RX was in sore need of accessories. Moreso than Black Renewal, RX Renewal gets the job done. The figure also attempts to update the design of the figure with the more modern complexities that SHF line enjoys today.

Going with the trend Black RX Renewal features some of the same type "real suit" detailing that Black Renewal had. Folds in fabric that give the suit a very realistic feel. Where Black did it very well, I feel RX isn't quite as nice. It may simply be that looking at RX I don't see as many of these details being present, or it may be even as simple as the details looking better on the all black suited Black, but I don't think RX pulls it off as well. The waist are has the look down, but the arms and legs seem to feature this detail only half heartedly.

Now also as with Black, Bandai sought to improve on the articulation of the orignal RX with this renewal. As with Black I feel this is a mixed bag. Some people disagreed with me before but I still definitely feel that Black has some clearance issues, and RX is sadly no different. It's undeniable that the overall figure captures the look and feel of the character more truthfully than any other toys of RX ever has. However his movements feel very robotic on this figure. On my copy at least the joints are a bit too stiff to feel comfortable enough to move properly.

While on RX the shoulders aren't as bad as they are on Black, the armor is still a little cubersome. The only real issue I have with the arms is that they can barely achieve, and I mean they have to be bent and forced, into his signature poses. The intended use of the alternate Revolcane and Sunriser belt parts is to replicate RX literally pulling the sword out of his belt. Because the arms can't swivel as properly to the side as they should this can be quite difficult to achieve.

My other gripe is with the legs. What have you done Bandai? Despite continuing to improve hip design over the years, RX Renewal feels like a total step backwards. Even when compared to the original RX SHF. Compared to Black Renewal I have to wonder who designed the legs on RX Renewal. He has a serious case of diaper crotch. Rather than going with a smooth integrated hip that wouldn't break up the design (similar to nearly EVERY Ryuki rider) they instead chose to have drop down hips, but the ugliest ones I've seen. They just are not pleasing to look at. Otherwise the sculpt on RX Renewal is absolutely gorgeous, but I do think the legs are an eyesore.

Acrobatter Renewal is nearly identical to the original release. Albeit with minor tweaks to the paint job. Not even a remold that I can see, Battle Hopper renewal at least had that.

Accessories (rider & bike)
As I mentioned above Black RX Renewal succeeds in finally including a nice selection of accessories. A grand total of 5 extra sets of hands are included to allow you to replicate a variety of action and signature poses. Compared to the original releases bare minimum of hands these are like a dream come true.

Also included are two deconstructible versions of the Revolcane, Black RX's trademark sword. One version is fully painted in accurate colors while the others is cast in all translucent blue. This version is meant to replicate it's formation as it's pulled from within RX's Sunriser and powerful attacks. However BOTH versions of the Revolcane can also be swapped around to create an accurate version for nearly any scene. A short version of the energized blade is included to further and more accurately replicate the Revolcane's birth from RX's belt. And being able to switch out the full length blades, if you so choose, lets you replicate signature attack moments when the Revolcane is fully powered up.

Rounding out RX's accessories is a slightly altered version of the Sunriser. You can remove the original (with a little difficulty) and use this version to replicate the moment when he begins to create the Revolcane from the belt. A small peg on it lets you link up either version of the Revolcane handle to the Sunriser to further this recreation. A very nice touch indeed. Bewtween the two versions of Revolcane and the extra Sunriser RX has basically everything he could possibly need!

As with Battle Hopper Renewal, Acrobatter Renewal really doesn't bring much to the table for accessories. In the old days a bike like this would have included alternate hands for the rider to grip the the handlebars. Seeing as most riders and bikes come out roughly the same time these days the rider usually already has the proper hands to accomplish this. So Acrobatter is reduced to merely including a clear "wheel base" and a tamashii stage adapter for jumping or flight poses.

Final Thoughts
In another bid to improve upon where their line has been before Bandai/Tamashii have tried to make this this all in one RX/Acrobatter package. They mostly succeed in that. I'd actually say like 95% succeed if I had to put a number on it. S.H. Figuarts Black RX Renewal is excellent despite the molds flaws. While I do tkae serious issue with his hips and slightly limited arms, the overall look of the figure just captures the true essence of RX. Mine suffers from a rather nasty QC issue under his right compound eye so there's a huge dark spot visible, but that's not relevant to the figure's quality. Eve if I just took the accessories into accoun this figure is clearly superior to the original release. So I give Bandai a big thumbs up on this one.

S.H. Figuarts Acrobatter Renewal however is a bit of a cop out. At least when they did Battle Hopper the figure was given a more accurate paint job and a remolded head. The original Acrobatter had a pretty accurate paint job already and this one isn't much different, and to my eye at least I see no visible remolds. It should be noted that under the bike armor the two are literally 100% identical. They share the exact same basic bike frame underneath the plastic shelf of bug armor.

In conclusion, as a set I say definitely pick these two up. I have some issues with them but on the whole they are excellent additions to anyone's "Showa" riders collection.

Post #2
Additional action & bonus shots and the Acrobatter part of the gallery!

Out of curiosity, what is that stand set with RX and the MMPRs? It looks good and ancient.

It's a Saint Seiya myth stage.

Cool

Great photos. I was gonna pass on this guy but seeing how he looks with the MMPR figuarts is making me think twice.

For anybody interested in another reference to the Masked Rider/MMPR crossover, I also have the Masked Rider #1 comic which features this...

So was is the Ferbus ZERO for this release?