S.H. Figuarts Kamen Rider Ghost Ore Damashii Gallery

Let's Go! Kakugo! Go-Go-Go-Ghost!

The latest Heisei Rider has made his debut in Bandai's long running collector's line with S.H. Figuarts Kamen Rider Ghost Ore Damashii! Takeru's 1st basic form, Ore Damashii is the embodiment of his own soul. In figure terms it's also our first outing with this line. So let's see how it'' be be shaping up.

Packaging
For starters the packaging is styled in the now very common slim box popularized during Kamen Rider Drive's run. It's not bad but it doesn't offer much to look at aside from some stock photos on the back. This 1st release of the figuart features a gold foil sticker on the window indicating it includes the 1st run bonus Yurusen figure. Similar to how S.H. Figuarts Sailor Moon had a 1st run sticker indicating the extra faces she came with. But all in all a pretty standard box.

Main Figure
Like many collectors you may be thinking that Ghost Ore Damashii will be a disappointment. And who could blame you? At the time of release this figure got quite a few negative reviews and there were more than a few stories about it's hit or miss QC. However I'll kick off my review by saying that, while Ghost is flawed, it's actually a quite solid figure. And that's coming from someone who hates the show itself, and generally doesn't care for this riders' design.

For starters Ghost is painted in a combination of matte black & orange that while not bad, is lazily applied in spots. Especially around the trim on his Parka Ghost. However the finer details lining the glossy translucent parts of the armor are top notch. No imperfections at all. Likewise the ghost emblem on his chest is spot on and the head couldn't be more perfect. Ghost's head is a gorgeous brilliant orange that captures light perfectly. It just glows at the right angles. And for once I'm sold on those massive black eyes, they really give him a sense of depth and power I hadn't realized before. The Ghost Driver is a pretty bland opaque blue but much like it's DX counterpart this opaque face plate can be removed to expose the toothy monstrous face beneath. An Ore Damashii Eyecon is present but non-removable as it's sculpted in. It is however painted pretty well for something at that scale.

Now lets talk about how Ghost moves. Again, many people have talked about how limited his articulation is. I'd like to dispel some of that myth. Ghost's leg design provides a full range of motion stunted only by the ankle tilts being just a bit limited. If they had a bit more forward/back room to move then they'd be great. But the cuff around the ankle limits that. The hips just need to be pulled down and rotated a little to clear the waste which is a relief, drop down hips are something I'm not a fan of. Here's the biggest issue the figure has though, the waist. While it certainly is possible to rotate it side to side, the flawed design also means you have to apply excessive for to the joint to make it move. This can make a scary loud clicking sound and can in some cases, as sadly evidenced by board member Barricade64, snap the waist in two entirely. I can't quite get my Ghost's waist to rotate that much and I certainly don't plan to force it. Liberal applications of shock oil to that joint seem to be the most popular fix. His jacket contributes to the restriction of the waist when it impacts the Driver, but more particularly it limits the upper body and shoulders.

The arms themselves are actually pretty well thought out. Though mine must be a bad example of quality control. They keep pulling out of the body at the shoulder & elbow joints. It plugs right back together but it gets annoying while posing. The weakest piece of their design is the soft rubber shoulder sections. The "tabs" on the end are made of soft rubber so they don't get in the way while posing, as you can tuck the shoulders sort of up into the torso recesses. But they get bent very very easily. So watch out for those. I have to mention that wrist cuffs also nix just about any ankle tilt. When the hand is plugged on to the wrist it sits nearly flush so there isn't much room to work with. Finally Ghosts' head, as mentioned above, is perfect. But the molded folded down hoodie on his shoulders really limits how it can move. Forcing Ghost to look up when turned to one side or the other. The included normal hoodie accessory fixes that issue somewhat.

Ghost Ore Damashii is more or less the spitting image of his TV counterpart. It's a great scale representation of a suit that I don't particularly care for, that somehow manages to make me like it. Posability issues aside, Ghost is actually a pretty great figure that fits right in with your other Heisei Riders. I've included comparison images with Gaim Orange Arms & Drive Type Speed as well below.

Accessories
Retail releases tend to come with a pretty nice array of accessories these days and Ghost is no slouch:

2 - sets of additional hands. 1 splayed open pair for posing, 1 "holding things" pair for use with his weapon.

1 - Gan Gun Saber. Once again this figure manages to surprise me and sell me on something I didn't like from the show. I felt the Saber looked clunky and silly in action but it scales well with the figuart and is surprisingly semi-functional. Now it can't replicate it's multitude of forms for various Ghost Changes like in show, but it can manage to do 2 of them. The default Blade Mode as well as Gun Mode. Just split the blade in half, plug the removed portion back on backwards, & fold the grip down to form the Gun. This is an unwieldy mode for it that thanks to the figures arm & shoulder design means it's difficult to 2-hand hold, but it's got a shotgun vibe to it that I like.

1 - hoodie (up). Intended to replace the default folded down hoodie, this piece can be used by removing the standard one as well as a small panel on the top of Ghosts' head. Then just plug this hoodie down on. Weirdly this hoodie which totally surrounds his head provides far far better neck movement. It's free floating so it's not attached to anything but it completely covers the head. I don't particularly care for his look with it on, but I applaud the fact that it was executed so well.

1st Run Bonus
Yurusen with display stand. This diminutive little Ghost is the perfect kind of accessory to include with this figure though I question why it's first run only. It feels essential to me that Yurusen would be included with Takeru. In any case he's very nicely sculpted in his standard mischievous pose and looks almost as though you could tuck an Eyecon between his hands. Though none are included with this release to try that. The provided stand is a basic base with pole that plugs into his back via balljoint. It's nice and tight and allows for 360 degree rotations and the ability to angle him in or out somewhat. So despite being an essentially static piece you can get quite a lot out of Yurusen.

Final Thoughts
All in all S.H. Figuarts Kamen Rider Ghost Ore Damashii is something I'd give a mostly positive recommendation for. The somewhat obstructive jacket, poorly executed waist rotation, and limited neck range hold this figure back from being truly great. But it still has enough good qualities to make it a keeper. And with the now discounted prices you can acquire him for he's more than worth it. This was a mold I was very skeptical of but now it appears I was wrong. It's actually quite a bit nicer than I'd expected. I'm planning to pick up Specter while he's on discount as well and I'm actually considering getting Boost. If you're a fan of this series then you'll definitely be a fan of this figure.

Part 2!

Wow did not think you do a gallery for ghost. I remember when the figuart was announce you did not care too much for it and when you said the show needs to really do something.

Guess you had a change of heart.

Also I have an extra Boost on preorder would you like to take one of my hand let me know I don't care for the show anymore.

This guy's looking good, but the design's not for me.
New camera takes good pictures though

I have definitely had a change of heart about the figure. My opinion of the show however remains very, very, low. But this is a pretty well designed figure given the limitations the design presents. I think they did a great job with him.

As for boost I'll probably do what I'm doing with Specter, get him while he's on discount at amiami after release

Thanks! I've been worried about how the new photos were looking but I finally figured out how to balance out the settings with this gallery. I've shot another galley to be posted this weekend that's even better

I like the gallery!

I don't know how caught up on Ghost you are (and I'm a few weeks behind, myself, so perhaps you're even more so.) I was ready to give up on the show early on, but I felt it improved dramatically after its first story arc. It might be worth revisiting if you gave up. Then again, if you're caught up and still not liking it, I totally understand.

The shoulders are so interesting. You can get perfect, gapless shoulder alignment, but only with the arms in specific positions. My only real complaints are the ankles and wrists, but that's not a complaint specific to this figure: MANY Figuarts suffer from hands molded in a way that limits how much you can do with the ball joint. Some Figuarts are perfect, but others are shockingly limited, and it's wholly unnecessary.

Like you, I enjoy this figure significantly more than I'd expected, although it's not perfect. I'd nitpick the limited range of additional hands - non-SS Rider Figuarts have not been great about expressive hands, lately - but that clamshell is FULL. Still, I don't love the idea of waiting for an additional form to get should'a-been-basic hands like "focusing" hands.

This is also the second release I've picked up that contained more accessories in a taped-on baggie, the other being Lord Baron. I'm not a fan, even though I see the necessity in both cases.

My favorite part of your galleries is always the shots toward the end. So clever!

TBH while I hate Ghost if they make a Mugen SHF I'd buy it in a heartbeat THAT FORM IS SOOOOO GOOOOOOD

I imagine Mugen would wind up being a pretty decent figure based on the Ghost/Specter mold being better than expected. But to be honest it's just such an ugly form XD I just don't know that I could bring my self to buy it.