“Cast Off: Change Beetle!”
Toku Toy Box is taking a look at another new premium style release from Tamashii Nations! Recently released as a Tamashii Nations 2016 event exclusive S.H. Figuarts Shinkocchou Seihou Kamen Rider Dark Kabuto follows up S.S. Gattack and S.S. Kabuto as the third release in the Kabuto line. You may recall that last month , we also did a gallery of the Original Release Dark Kabuto, well let’s just say that the Shinkocchou Seihou is a massive improvement.
Just as with S.S. Kabuto & Gattack, Dark Kabuto features the brilliant body type that began the entire Seihou line. Once again this figure proves just how incredible the engineering for premium releases like this is. We recently glimpsed prototypes of the infamous Hopper Bros from Kabuto at Tamashii Nations 2016 as well, so the Kabuto lineup of S.S. releases is really starting to shape up nicely. For now though Dark Kabuto is another fantastic addition that includes the perfect accessories to compliment his gorgeous design and paint scheme.
We’ve attached a selection of images to this post, but you can view over 50 images of S.H. Figuarts Shinkocchou Seihou Kamen Rider Dark Kabuto in the full gallery thread. Just click “Discuss on the TokuNation Forums” at the bottom of this post. We’ll be back in two more days with another Toku Toy Box gallery!
"Cast Off: Change Beetle!"
Late last month we took a look back at an older release in anticipation of this one. Several years ago the original S.H. Figuarts Kamen Rider Dark Kabuto was released. An inferior figure fitting for a time when this line had yet to achieve the levels of accuracy and proportionality that it has today. The original Dark Kabuto suffered from all the ailments of the original Kabuto line. But now we get to examine the long awaited successor to that figuart, today's subject is S.H. Figuarts Shinkocchou Seihou Kamen Rider Dark Kabuto!
Packaging
The wonderful premium Shinkocchou Seihou packaging returns! If you've seen either of my recent reviews for Seihou Kuuga Ultimate or Seihou Gattack then you know I love this packaging, but it also isn't very different from release to release.
Main Figure
Frankly this review will be very similar to that of Seihou Kabuto (which I reviewed well over 2 years ago) and my Seihou Gattack review from earlier this month. Dark Kabuto shares the exact same basic body with both of these releases. But of course is most similar to Kabuto as a straight up repaint of him.
Looking back at my review of the original Dark Kabuto release there were some big & persistent issues. Issues that make those original Kabuto figures kind of eyesores in a modern collection. Straight to the point Shinkocchou Seihou Dark Kabuto fixes every single one of them and looks dead on show accurate while doing it. Even after this molds' 3rd outing (with possibly 2 more coming up in the teased Hooper Bros) it still brings the S.H. Figuarts lines' A-game.
Unlike Gattack, I wasn't particularly excited for Dark Kabuto. More just perplexed that it took 2 years to get such an easy repaint to release. But I still couldn't be happier with this figuart. Just like Kabuto, the articulation is nuts on this thing. The style of hips originally implemented in this mold provide a wide and balanced motion that allows you to replicate some of Dark Kabuto's most iconic poses & attacks. Though I do still think any standing kick looks pretty goofy in figure form. I would say the hips are limited only by their design as they do impact the waist assembly a little more prematurely than I'd like. The arms are free of nearly all obstruction thanks to wonderfully hinged shoulder pads. The waist/ab area has incredible flexibility as well. The lower abdominal plate can actually angle out & forward a decent amount which is still weird but really cool. The pectoral plates can also twist and angle up in a way that I can't say I've found beneficial yet, but is still really interesting.
The same type of peg style hands featured on Kabuto & Gattack are present here. They're still odd, I still don't like them, and I still don't get why they are so infrequently used. Not every S.S. Figuart has them, just the Kabuto line releases. And both Gattack & Dark Kabuto don't even include the hand tree to store them. As I said way back when with Kabuto, I just don't the benefit of this type of hand. They're fine, they get the job done, but I can't help but feel something is lost without a ball joint in the wrist. But that's a very minor nitpick I have with these figures.
The final redeaming traits of this release, that truly set it light years ahead of the original release are the paint apps and the head. The intricate panel details on the front and back torso armor are just fantastic. The original release painted these red lines in a very flat red, whereas here Bandai has opted for a very nice metallic color. And the designs themselves appear to be much more accurate this time. As for the head, wow. Just like S.S. Kabuto this head is dead on. The original Kabuto & Dark Kabuto releases had undersized, narrow & improperly colored heads that just made you laugh. Now we have the proper full form helmet with the correct compound eye colors. I swear in the right light that Dark Kabuto's eyes literally glow. It's eerie how the evil riders like Dark Kabuto & Gold Drive have such fantastic eyes....
Accessories
The exact same breakdown as S.S. Kabuto save one item:
3.5 - sets of additional hands. All straight repacks of what Kabuto included, just no hand tree to store them on this time for some reason.
1 - ZECT Kunai Gun (Gun/Ax Mode). Generally associated with the Masked Form of a Rider, this weapon is still a nice inclusion. It easily could have been overlooked. But as with everything else about this figure, it's a straight repack & repaint of Shinkocchou Seihou Kabuto. The Ax mode is literally the gun flipped sideways so it doesn't do anything, nor does it need to. This version is a slightly different but much more accurate mold compared to the original release with more paint apps.
1 - ZECT Kunai Gun (Kunai Mode). The most used version of this weapon, the Kunai mode looks the best as well. It tends to be the standard weapon used by both Kabuto & Dark Kabuto, when they actually bother to use weapons at all. This version is a slightly different but much more accurate mold compared to the original release with more paint apps.
And that's it. Not terribly surprising given the nature of this release as a pure repaint. It includes a complete repack of S.S. Kabuto's accessories minus the hand tree for storage. Not a a bad assortment at all.
Final Thoughts
At the end of the day this is an incredibly solidly built figure. One that is so so deserving of a place in your collection. If you have the means to track one down I would HIGHLY recommend picking up S.H. Figuarts Shinkocchou Seihou Kamen Rider Dark Kabuto. Don't waste your money on the original release, even as cheap as it is now, not when you can own this wonderful upgrade instead.
Part 2
I love the Dark Kabuto suit, although I love evil versions of Rider suits no matter what Rider it is
He's my favorite dark rider. He was always a cool character concept and his figuart really captures that.
Ahhh Kabuto. Probably one of my favorite Kamen Riders of all time and his dark counterpart is no exception.
Always loved the colors of this guy. He's simply a recolor, yet he looks so different. Difficult to pull that off, but it works.
As far as black repaints go this is one of the better ones. The red circuit-esque detailing really makes this stand out.
A cool exclusive figure of an interesting character, but I passed on it since I already own Kabuto himself, don’t really need a repaint, no matter how good it looks.
I liked your first Dark Kabuto gallery and this one captures how improved this version is compared to the first one. It's a repaint but a well done one at that.
Wasn't this an exclusive, or was it retail?
My god, the old Figuarts looks like a terrible bootleg in comparison to this guy.
But the figure itself looks very impressive. The detailing on the armor gives it a little more flair and elevates it beyond simply being a Kabuto repaint, and the colors just work extremely well. If Kabuto was a series I'd watched, I think I probably would have wanted to get this figure.
Keep reading: S.H. Figuarts Shinkocchou Seihou Kamen Rider Dark Kabuto Gallery - Page 2
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