S.H. Figuarts Hakaider Squad Pre-Production Factory Sample Gallery

Ready for a treat?

I've had the opportunity to own and review some really rare and unique pieces for this site over the last 7 years. Conventions exclusives, unique limited run releases, even special Lucky Draws. This time though, I have the incredible opportunity to share with you all a look inside the production process that results in a retail product. I've recently come into possession of a Pre-Production Factory Sample of the S.H. Figuarts Hakaider Squad! And I'm here to share a full breakdown of what this figure is and how you can tell.

For starters, here's a refresher on the 5 uses of the Hakaider mold we've seen before:
- Hakaider
- Gill Hakaider
- Hakaider Squad (Red, Blue, Silver)

With that out of the way, what exactly do I mean when using the terms Pre-Production Sample or Test Shot? The terms Prototype & Mock-Up also get tossed around for things like this, and are probably applicable here. Essentially in this case what we're talking about is a figure that's nearly finalized. It's something that's gone nearly entirely through the production cycle and is very close to going into full scale production at a factory level. Thanks to the Hakaider figuarts that came before them though, most of the pre-production was complete for the Hakaider Squad already. The original S.H. Figuarts Hakaider & subsequent Gill Hakaider release had already gone through this process. To create the three Squad members meant minor revisions to the mold, mostly paint operations, but yes a few small molded details as well.

Basically this figure is the original Hakaider version of the mold, without the additions made for the Gill release. And I already know what you're thinking, "someone just painted an old Hakaider silver". At first glance, I would have agreed with you. But upon breaking this figure down to it's components and examining the paint in hand. This simply isn't the case. Here's why.

Yes, the entire figure has been painted silver. And while it seems scattershot and lazy at first, this isn't a case where someone just took a can of paint and sprayed this figure. This is a factory quality application of paint, even if it is inconsistent. Compared to the actual Silver Hakaider of the Hakaider Squad the paint has the same finish to it. Now you ask, "why paint it all silver then?" Also a great question. I'm sure by now you've noticed the exposed black plastic underneath some of the paint, on the joints that are exposed when posing, or even yellow paint apps on the thighs and torso breaking through. Well, this silver paint was used (obviously unsuccessfully) as a theft deterrent. It's common practice for samples of this nature to be painted in a similar way to discourage theft. The entire figure has been painted that way, even on top of it's joints. When you disassemble the figure to it's base parts you can see quite clearly the areas where the factory application didn't reach. But the paint is applied in a smooth even way that shows it was done with some intention at the very least.

The yellow paint apps you see peeking through indeed come from this being a standard Hakaider used for mock-up purposes for the Squad release. Any new parts crafted for the 3-pack would have been fitted to the original figure first to test comparability. So the yellow from the hips and even fists comes through still. Interestingly you can even see on his abs where black plastic is coming through thanks to how the belt covered those parts during the paint process. This is really telling because the studs on his ab section would normally have silver paint in the final product anyway. In this case though this pre-production sample has these studs in unpainted black plastic. Showing there was likely a small revision to that section at this point.

It's quite common for pre-production samples to have finalized factory paint operations applied, or even be hand painted as we often see at Tamashii Nations events. Discerning which of these is the case for the yellow paint apps on this figure isn't possible. But it's clear this figure was mocked up with the intention of showing what the Hakaider Squad would look like, before it was painted silver. The biggest tell as to it's proto/mock-up nature is the small hole drilled through the left section of the chest, just under his chest armor. This is a common feature of Tamashii Nations display prototypes whether they be at actual show events or even in the Akiba Showroom. We see them quite often. This is yet another theft deterrence tactic. It immediately marks a figure in a recognizable way that would usually keep it from exchanging hands. Think of it as the "not for sale" marking of a Figuart.

Now as to how you can determine it's a later Hakaider Squad test shot, and not one for the original Hakaider or Gill. That's something you really have to look for and know what you're looking for to determine. In this case the initial giveaway is the arms. An area you likely wouldn't have noticed before now. The upper arm just above the bicep swivel on Hakaider & Gill features a yellow band marking that goes around the arm. This area is molded in and painted over. On this test shot however, what we have is a perfectly smooth surface. Something which is only shared by the three Hakaider Squad figuarts. Pointing to this being an original Hakaider with newly molded Squad biceps for mock-up purposes. While I'm on the arms it also appears as though Tamashii was possibly going to revise the fist size from the previous Hakaiders for the 3-pack release. The left fist is actually smaller than the right, both have partially exposed yellow paint apps on the fingers as well as the exact same design. It's an interesting quirk I didn't note until very far into my work with this figure.

Finally, the aspect that really shows the true nature of this figure is the head. You'll undoubtedly notice that it's missing the brain cap. When I came into possession of this figure, no brain cap or any of the other accessories that would normally have been packaged as separate pieces were included. In all likelihood there is a test shot set of the Hakaider Squad weapons in someone else's collection or office somewhere that goes with this figure. Anyways, the unique thing is that the brain on this test shot can accept the brain caps from Hakaider or Gill Hakaider, but it isn't molded with the deeper groove that would allow the Hakaider Squad cap to fit. The original 2 Hakaider caps were notorious for being easy to knock off. The Squad versions of the cap had a deeper extra tab that could plug into a newly molded slot in their brains. Apparently that kink and the next one were still being worked out at this point in the process.

As I said above it's the head that really seals the deal on what this figure is. Specifically, that's the face. The Hakaider Squad members do not have the molded in tribal markings next to their eyes or the molded mouth that the original two Hakaiders did. Instead each of their faces is framed by three central lines. One down each cheek and one across where a mouth should be. Their tribal markings are just paint apps so the molded details from the previous two aren't there. This figure features a pre-finalized version of this new head. While it does have the lines which would frame the face, they are not nearly as pronounced, especially the mouth line. It would seem at this point in the process that Tamashii was still figuring out how pronounced these facial features really needed to be. Compared to the final product Hakaider Squad that I own, this face still doesn't quite match up. ANd obviously the brain had yet to be finalized as well, so this entire head is still just a working model.

I should also note that the joints on this thing are incredible flexible, not loose mind you. Simply very free and flexible. This is a figure that has been posed numerous times for study. So at the end of all of this, what I believe we have, is the genuine article. This is a true blue Pre-Production Sample/Test Shot of the S.H. Figuarts Hakaider Squad. One used for mock-up purposes to determine the finalized look & design of the figure.

Final Thoughts
It's not often, or really ever, that I've had the chance to handle something like this. A pre-production/test shot/prototype/what have you of this nature has never made it's way into my hands. But the process of breaking it down and learning everything I can about it has been a fascinating little adventure. I'd love to be able to share similar work in the future, if and when I can. If for any reason, any of you out there reading this ever stumble across a prototype of this nature, please let me know. I look at this figure as owning a piece of history. As an avid fan of Kikaider & Hakaider it feels really special to own something that was a part of the production process, and to be able to share it with you.

Damn... that's really something else, I've never seen a prototype in this stage of development in private hands. I don't really go out of my way to look for them either, but still, that's so interesting to see. It looks surprisingly cool as well, like some "blank" robot prototype of Hakaider.

Thanks for showing it off!

Holy shit man, can't imagine how excited you were when this arrived

Reminds me of Bio (Rider) Hunter Silva.

Thanks for sharing this!

I've seen things like it before, but I've certainly never had the opportunity to own one myself. Somehow it just worked out that I came into a prototype of a mold and character from a franchise I love. If this had been something from Winspector I'd have paid literally almost any price to own it. As is though, this Hakaider was fairly affordable given it's nature.

It's kind of my goal now to find more stuff like this and share the process of these figures with the community.
Unbelievably. I had to wait about a month for it to arrive and when it finally did I was just grinning ear to ear. Very pleased with this purchase.

Dang, that's a very nice grab, indeed. Cool parts breakdown, as well.

Well hot damn dude that's awesome.

This is something really cool to see and read about. Thanks for sharing!

I love that you could swap in the dome from a standard Hikaider. It lends itself well to potential Kikaider photo stories.

Frankly I want to buy an extra Hakaider just for the dome to put on this guy