“5th Gear!”
You’ve seen our previous galleries of the Drago Knight Hunter Z derived Level 5 forms for Kamen Riders Ex-Aid, Brave & Snipe. But now it’s time for Kiriya Kujou to shift into 5th Gear with his own form based on this Gashat! S.H. Figuarts Kamen Rider Lazer Hunter Bike Gamer Level 5!
Lazer Level 5 is an interesting release because frankly it’s one that many fans have settled for. At the time of it’s announcement, it was the only one of Lazer’s three humanoid rider forms to have been solicited for release. And while it shares elements with his more heavily favored Level 3 form, it’s just not the one that many collectors wanted. Now we know that Lazer Turbo Level 0 is on the way as well, Level 3 seems even more likely to happen in the future. So does this figure merit a spot in your collection? At least ti go with the rest of a 4-player co-op display? Check out our full review to decide for yourself.
We’ve attached the full 70 image gallery to this post, but you can also read the entire review by clicking “Discuss on the TokuNation Forums” at the bottom of this post. We’ll be back next time with a double sized gallery featuring two releases separated by nearly 4 years. It’s been too long since we’ve revisited the Showa Era!
"Claw!"
The last time we got to handle Kujou Kiriya it was in his excellent and unorthodox Rider Machine based Bike Gamer Level 2 form. Fans of Kamen Rider Ex-Aid will undoubtedly know that Kamen Rider Lazer finally received a humanoid rider suit when he attained the Giri Giri Chambara derived Level 3 form. And while that's definitely the figure many fans were hoping for, for now at least we've been treated to one step beyond that with this new release, S.H. Figuarts Kamen Rider Lazer Hunter Bike Gamer Level 5!
This release gives us almost the full 4-player co-op team that defeated the Bugster Graphite. We still don't have a proper Fang Ex-Aid, but for the time being this looks to be the best we'll get. Let's jump in!
Packaging
Themed very similarly to Lazer Level 2's box, Level 5 has some bright, loud, packaging and I still really dig it. With no packaging window as all web exclusives are these days. As with the others the colors really pop and I like the character portrait on the front. That's about all there is to say on this one
Main Figure
A companion piece to Brave Level 5 & Snipe Level 5, Lazer Level 5 brings something old and a little something new to the table. This figure is predominantly new parts; the torso, upper legs, feet, head, all new. The arms and shins are reused from previous Level 5 releases of Ex-Aid, Snipe & Brave. Where Snipe & Brave each had one arm and leg from the Drago Knight Hunter Z armor, Lazer gets the matching set. Honestly this release is the first one in the line outside of Lazer Level 2 to really bring something truly new to the table though with the torso parts.
For the leg components, Lazer Level 5 has his new clawed feet, which while a bit on the narrow side are actually pretty nice and stable. Despite the "Drago" in the name of this forms Gashat, these feet are carried over from the Level 3 form. Again the shin armor parts are reuses from the others, but the upper legs are all brand new. These thicker chunky thighs help sell this bulky form a bit bitter, and to their merit they work well. The issue comes up when you have to deal with the hip skirt armor. The armor is on a pair of ball joints when it should have been on side hinges, and they should have been hinged in the middle to allow greater movement in the legs. As you can see in my photos below, the skirt armor really knocks out a usable chunk of the leg motion that would allow this figure to be way more dynamic otherwise.
While in this area, the Gamer Driver is still great even if the paint apps on mine are a bit shoddy this go around. The Driver handle can still flip shut. The functionality it features is still surprising. As with Brave & Snipe, Lazer has a "dummy" Drago Knight Hunter Z Gashat in addition to his own Bakusou Bike, both of which are removable. You can insert it as with any other Gashat into the Critical Finish slot on the Gashat Holster or a compatible Gashacon weapon. Speaking of the holster there's also what is meant to be the Level 3 Gir Giri Chanbara Gashat in the holster. As with with the others it's sparsely detailed and non-removable.
The torso is by far where the most new work went into this figure. Where we had a lot of body part reuse with all the previous Ex-Aid releases, this torso is all new. Surprisingly, this torso is the best one in the line. The lower and upper halves of the body both have a really nice fluid range of motion and they don't really impact anything that hinders their movement. The backside of the torso has a new shrunken down version of the Level 1 form head as well as the Level 2 engine block. Excellent detailing as always even with paint that's a bit spotty this time. The actual head on the body is brand new though, but it's one we know we'll see again too. Both in show and toy form the Level 5 Lazer head is reused for his Level 0 Lazer Turbo form. The head feels about the right size with the bulk of this Level 5 body, and it should be just the right amount of over-sized for the Level 0 body. I'm really pleased with how that sculpt turned out. One negative to the upper body though, even though we have both of the improved Drago Knight arms from Snipe & Brave on this release, and even some nice hinged shoulder pads on top of them, the vestigial handlebars of the Level 2 form really get in the way. In fact I was worried I'd broken one when I moved the shoulder pad and it made a nasty click against the handlebar. Just be careful.
Limitations aside I'm quite happy to have this form. I know plenty of people dislike it compared to Level 3, but I honestly don't like 3 or even 5 all that much. Lazer Turbo is where it's at for me. But it's only a matter of time before Lazer Level 3, the one everyone wants, happens. Now that we have the torso and most of the legs for it with Level 5, it would really be a no brainer to give us this one.
Accessories
Unfortunately, Lazer Level 5 only includes a few sets of hands. 4 sets of hands to be exact. Open excited hands, calm open palms, posed half pointing hands, and oddly, a set for holding weapons. They're perfect for handlebars or weapons like the Gashacon Sparrow that comes with GenM Level X. But Lazer Level 5 doesn't come anything they're useful for. And it's nearly impossible to get this figure up on Lazer Level 2 to ride it.
I'm really baffled as to why this release didn't include the same plastic word bubbles that Snipe & Brave did. Those inclusions really helped sell those figures to me personally. Though I think it's fair to say that the nature of this figure being the only announced humanoid Lazer at the time, helped sell it in pre-orders. But it should have come with more. Anytime a figuart only includes extra hands, it's difficult to contain my disappointment.
Final Thoughts
All in all this is a pretty solid release taking some of what we've already seen and tossing something new into the mix to keep us interested.The neutered leg articulation is a real bummer, but Kiriya's personality still shines through with this release as well. It's a bit of a win/lose situation, but I'm pleased. S.H. Figuarts Kamen Rider Lazer Hunter Bike Gamer Level 5 is one of those releases you can probably live without, but if you're a fan of the character like me, I recommend him.
Part 2
- 4-Player Co-Op!
Great shots bro!
Can you swap Ex-Aid Level 5's limbs with the Level 2 to get Fang Mode? I'd love to see that setup for him along with the other three DKHZ figures.
This guy looks pretty good. Probably my least favourite Lazer form, but a great representation.
Great gallery
I can't even guess the odds on whether we'll Chambara Gamer. Although I certainly assumed it'd be his "base" humanoid form when Ex-Aid debuted, the form essentially went the way of most early-season upgrades. Worse, the sales of this figure will most likely determine whether Chambara gets made.
I don't even know how to gauge how well Lazer stuff is selling. His bike form is on Mandarake for around 120,000 yen. Yikes.
Despite that I don't love this form - I'm pretty sure Dragon Knight Hunter is my least favorite Gamer - those four-player co-op photos are really satisfying.
Is anyone a fan of this suit? The head is way too small and the Blade and Gun arms' colors don't match with the rest of Lazer at all. Of course the next Lazer suffered from his head being too big...
Design-wise, it's really the closest to what I wanted out a humanoid Lazer. None of that extraneous samurai crap from Chambara, no uninspired Ex-Aid recolor like Turbo. Just a big beefy bike boy. The Hunter armor isn't ideal as limbs, but it's nondescript enough to work for me, and I actually think the colors work well for the most part. Blue is already an accent color on him, and the yellowy-green color on the Gun half is ok. The only part I wish wasn't there are the dragon feet (and I guess the claws, though they're not as glaring as the feet). Overall though, I'm a fan of how the figure turned out.
So...hopefully Turbo drives the price way down. And hopefully Chambara Gamer comes out too to drive it down even further.
Keep reading: S.H. Figuarts Kamen Rider Lazer Hunter Bike Gamer Level 5 Gallery - Page 2
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