Searching, destroying, all done at mach speed! And this time Kamen Rider Mach has a little bit of help, today we’re taking a look at the recently released S.H. Figuarts Ride Macher!
The Ride Macher is both the companion piece and sort of the successor to the Ride Chaser and these brother machines share a base in the Honda NM4. At their core the figures are quite similar as well. The Ride Macher trades out the Chaser’s dark theme for a bright futuristic look that definitely syncs up with Mach’s own racing motif. The Ride Macher also includes many more accessories than the Ride Chaser in the form of 2 new Advent Signals and their accompanying Signal Bikes; Tomarle & Kaksarn! As with the Chaser a 1st run bonus accessory is also included, the Funky Spike Effect! Sadly of course this bike can not form the mighty Ride Crosser with the Ride Chaser, unlike the DX’s they simply aren’t capable of it.
We’ve attached a selection of images to this post but check out our full discussion thread by clicking “Discuss on the TokuNation Forums” in order to see the full 40+ images of the S.H. Figuarts Ride Macher & the Funky Spike Effect Bonus!
It's time to do things at mach speed once more! And this time Kamen Rider Mach will get a little bit of help in the form of his personal Rider Machine, S.H. Figuarts Ride Macher! This may be a new bike but a bit of a disclaimer is that this thing share most of it's basic design with the previously released Ride Chaser. Which is purposeful considering the story elements that link these 2.
Packaging
Ride Macher comes in a very similar box to the Ride Chaser. The basic design and layout are identical, right down the way the bike is in a diagonal tray. Seriously the packaging is barely different aside from the artwork.
Ride Macher
The main event so to speak is the bike itself. While there are some accessories to break down further below, for now let's talk about the Ride Macher itself. Again, at it's core the Ride Macher is the "brother" unit of the Ride Chaser. The two share some familial ties being based on the same Honda NM4 model bike. As with the Chaser the Macher frankly doesn't do much. It's a bike. It's gets the job done having working rear suspension and a turning front wheel. But as far as functionality is concerned that's it.
Outwardly the bike is gorgeous, even if it doesn't do much. The Ride Macher trades out the Ride Chaser's dark motif of black purple and skulls for a more futuristic super bike styling. It's very angular and modern looking. While the bike has no serious ornamentation like the Chaser's skulls it has some really gorgeous blue visors that break up some of that white. By the way to complete the bikes basic look you'll need to pop on that rear part/bumper/monstrosity that hangs off the back. In show this part serves a purpose by eventually being the cockpit for the Ride Crosser, here it just looks a bit ugly.
Sadly there's absolutely no indication at all that this bike can combine with the Ride Chaser to become the Ride Crosser. There are no moving parts or removable bits at all on the Rider Macher, aside from the Tail piece that has to be added when you take it out of the box. So my speculation would be that the Ride Crosser could be released as it's own stand alone vehicle, if it were to happen at all. The production & sale of such a thing would be entirely dependent on the sales numbers for the upcoming S.H. Figuarts Tridoron. For now if you want a combining version of this bike I suggest picking up the DX Ride Crosser set which is quite cheap these days.
Accessories
Unlike the Ride Chaser, the Ride Macher shares it's riders penchant for accessories and includes several:
1 - Wheel base. As with most modern S.H. FIguarts bikes this is the standard accessory to include. Though like the Ride Chaser this one is much larger than the norm to accommodate the wider tires and the additional weight of the larger bike.
1 - tail/bumper section. Again this is just the cosmetic rear end of the bike being packaged seperately.
1 - Signal Advent Tomarle. For use with the below accessory. Just exchange this for the default Advent on Mach's chest.
1 - Tomarle Signal Bike. For use in the mach Driver, just remove the default signal bike and peg this one in!
1 - Signal Advent Kaksarn. For use with the below accessory. Just exchange this for the default Advent on Mach's chest.
1 - Kaksarn Signal Bike. For use in the mach Driver, just remove the default signal bike and peg this one in!
Frankly that's more accessories than some web exclusive Figuarts riders come with. The Ride Macher includes all it needs and much more for it's separately sold rider than just about any Figuarts vehicle ever has. Bravo.
Final Thoughts
While I commend Bandai for taking the time to include so much with the S.H. Figuarts Ride Macher, and truly appreciate how good it looks, ultimately it's a pretty boring release. After having the Ride Chaser in hand it's easy to say I like it more. Of course anyone would because of the additional detailing. But ultimately both bikes are a bit boring, but that's to be expected as most S.H. Figuarts bikes look great but rarely do much on their own. The Ride Macher though is at least serviceable in that it includes many more accessories for it's rider than most bikes ever would.
And the Funky Spike Effect Bonus!
I think it was so fucking lazy not to include the Rider Crosser combination. It has some of the parts already molded in, there just aren't any hinges or joints to let them swing in to position. There wouldn't be that many moving parts, so it couldn't have been that hard.
I would have paid another $10 each for that ability
For that you already have the gimmick toys, and you can see how badly out of proportion the two single bikes are to make the combination work.
They can make more money by making a separate Ride Crosser later though. However thanks, this has now sold me on buying the Ride Macher now. I want the extra effects for Mach.
Full Thread: S.H. Figuarts Ride Macher & Funky Spike Effect Bonus Gallery
Not a member yet? Join TokuNation Now!