We’re heading to the CR to examine everyone’s favourite video-gaming doctor; S.H. Figuarts – Kamen Rider Ex-Aid Action Gamer Level 2!

Check out my video review below!

Hi guys, Sharp-O back once again with another Mint in Box and today we’re looking at the S.H. Figuarts release of Takeru Tenkuji, the man whose life shines bright: Kamen Rider Ghost Ore Damashii!

Ghost continues the Figuarts line’s shift to a more stream-line package format and as I’ve said previously, I love this as it’s more ergonomic and saves space for collectors who keep the packaging like me.

Inside the packaging you find the figure itself, an extra hood piece, three pairs of interchangeable hands and the Gan Gun Saber.

Also included within this release is Yurusen, the Ankh-like ghostly assistant to Takeru but without the charming anger issues and floofy hair. He comes in one piece, features a head-swivel and has a stand to help him float around Takeru.

Ore Damashii form, translates to ‘My Soul’ and basically means Takeru’s wearing a jacket made of HIS OWN SOUL and it looks fantastic! The slick black with orange highlights is totally my jam and his short sleeved hooded soul-jacket makes him look like a right brawler.

The spirit-hoodie, while looking amazing, is made of a hard rubber that severely hinders the poseability of the upper torso and, to a lesser extent, the shoulders and upper arms which is pretty disappointing.

I’m digging the inverse helmet design that has the compound element all over the face while the eyes are a glossy jet black, a big departure from the norm which lends to Ghost’s unique look. To change out the hood pieces, you just have to scalp poor Takeru by taking a chunk out of his skull, removing the down hood and slipping the up hood over his head and pegging it in.

The Ghost Driver is realised very nice though the handle doesn’t move but it does include a removable faceplate so you can see that monstrous cyclops face that the real Driver has so that’s a nice touch.

The interchangeable hands are swapped out as easily as most other Figuarts, but unfortunately the range of movement is pretty hindered by the silver cuffs, somewhat limiting the range of movement and, by extension, the overall poseability.

The Gan Gun Saber, or Eye Gun Saber, is a nicely rendered version of Ghost’s primary weapon and, in a break from the Figuarts standard of bundling two weapons for different modes and this actually transforms. It comes packed in blade mode but by splitting the blade, and pegging it back in reverse then tilting the hilt to put the weapon in gun mode. It’s a nice solution to a problem that people have hated about Figuarts for a long time.

I’m a little disappointed in Ghost Ore Damashii because while it’s a great looking figure, it’s mired by the same adherence to the suit design that makes it look great but, regardless of that fact, I do kinda recommend picking this guy up because the unpopularity of the Ghost series itself (and it’s baaaad) means that the Figuarts are pretty cheap and I’d say this guy is worth 24 quid of any Kamen Rider fans money just because of how he looks next to his compatriots.

As always, I’ve been Sharp-O, this has been the SH Figuarts Kamen Rider Ghost Ore Damashii and my life will burn bright on the next Mint in Box!

Mint in Box revisits Zawame City for a bite of this delectable forbidden fruit! Oren Pierre Alfonzo is one of the many Armoured Riders who star in Kamen Rider Gaim but unlike many others, this effeminate man mountain has no ties to the Invess game; in fact, he hates it. A former soldier turned pastry shop owner, Oren demands the very best in every field and this leads him to clash swords with the young Beat Riders using the Durian lockseed and becoming Kamen Rider Bravo!

Kamen Rider Bravo was a Tamashii Web Exclusive, befitting of a man who is to extravagance what Mitsuzane is to betrayal, meaning he’s a little tougher to find and demands a high price on the secondary market (but not as much as Gaim’s secondary Rider oddly…). This premium feel extends to his box which, while stylistically similar to Gaim’s, foregoes the window box for a glossy photo image. His packaging even comes in a custom brown box for extra protection!

Mister Dangerous is damned impressive right out of the packaging. Four pairs of interchangeable hands, a special holding hand, a closed Durian lockseed, his signature Duri Noko chain swords and, to top it all off, a tiny wine glass! Truly, a man of exceptional accessories.

The figure itself builds on the already amazing frame that Gaim had but casts it in rich metallic greens, purples and silver. The paint is astounding as usual but if there’s a downside, it’s the plain green joints that stand out against the metallic lime-green of Bravo’s limbs. It’s a very minor nit-pick on an otherwise astonishing visual treat! (And yes, he’s missing a back spike from his right pauldron. I did buy him third-hand.)

Bravo’s accessories give him a wealth of personality, which is perfect for the larger than life Oren. As a natural showman and a fair maiden at heart, his hands and articulation allow you to make the figure excessively expressive. Whether it’s the shy demeanour reserved for his beloved Melon (Kamen Rider Zangetsu), the showmanship of a gladiator or even the distinguished mannerisms of a renaissance man; Bravo will look fantastic no matter how you pose him.

His tiny lockseed is just as minuscule as Gaim’s and will never leave the packaging again after this review. His wine glass on the other hand will see lots of play because just look at him! He exudes class and respect despite the inherent stupidity of trying to drink wine through a helmet!

Size-wise, it feels like Bravo is a little smaller than Gaim and that’s just wrong, not only because their respective actors are on opposite ends of the height scale but because Bravo should feel like a bigger figure. He should be a brute! Until it’s time to sexually harass the others — then the size would only make the kabe-don even better!

Finally; we come to the Duri Noko, Bravo’s signature twin chain swords. They’re cool enough and certainly fit with his aesthetic but are ultimately just props. It’s a shame they don’t connect into one weapon like the show and like Gaim’s naginata weapon mode.

Overall, I love having Bravo in my collection. He’s a fantastic character and all that awesome translates to his toy well! If you can put up with the minor colour discrepancies on his joints and your fingers feeling like you’ve pleasured a porcupine after prolonged posing — Pick him up! I can guarantee you will not be disappointed!

Just like Drive before him, Mach is presented in a rather stylish matte black box that’s much thinner than previous S.H. Figuarts releases. Unlike Drive however, Mach packs a ton of goodies into this slender package!

Included in the standard release are five paris of interchangeable hands, two interchangeable scarves, the Zenrin Shooter – Mach’s signature weapon, and the Margarl Signal Bike and Signal Koukan plate. A big step up from Drive right out of the box.

Kamen Rider Mach is just gorgeous. His matte white makes all the other paint details pop even more. Every application is fine and crisp and the palette is spot-on to his onscreen counterpart. The details of the figure are even up to the S.H. Figuarts standard. The Mach Driver Honoh has great silver paint apps and even has a functioning chamber for Signal Koukan goodness!

Articulation wise, he’s much the same as Drive but with the added hand count, you can pull off some really expressive poses, which suits the character to a T.

The Zenrin Shooter (Front Wheel Shooter) can be held in either hand and is nicely detailed and is one solid piece. I’m sure someone would’ve liked the wheel to spin freely but that person is crazy. I might have liked some blast effect parts but considering the playability here, I can live without it.

For the Signal Koukan parts, the change between the default load out and the included Margarl parts is pretty simple but due to the small parts involved, it can be fiddly. Still, it’s pulled off well and you’ll have Mach pulling of bending shots in no time!

Next to his partner in crime-fighting, Mach looks fantastic! The balance of colour and contrasting vehicular themes make them quite a pair to own.

And as I race to the finish of this review, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention one of Mach’s most interesting features, executed perfectly in Figuarts form – the V-Helm. Since Mach is clearly based on a motorcycle racer, his visor lifts, allowing Mach to vent excess energy from his faceguard. It looks so cool in motion and I’m happy they included it on the figure.

Overall, Mach is highly recommended! Even more-so than Drive even because Mach beats him in nearly every way in my eyes. He looks better, he has more accessories and his design is more conducive to pulling fun poses. But Drive isn’t completely shafted by Mach because he was nice enough to bring a present.

The First Run Bonus that comes with Kamen Rider Mach is the Funky Spike tire for Drive. While nothing outlandish cool, it’s one of the series’ mainstays and part of Drive’s default loadout.

TIRE KOUKAN! FUNKY SPIKE! The tire lives up to it’s name by being a fantastic metallic green but also really spiky so watch your fingers. It’s not my favourite tire but it’s still nice to have it.

Again, Kamen Rider Mach is a must-buy, both as a stand-alone figure and as part of Kamen Rider Drive’s trio of heroic Riders!

S.H. Figuarts are Bandai Japan’s action figure line du jour, it covers a wide range of Super Sentai, Kamen Rider and anime series past and present. The line is defined by its tag line; Simple Style and Heroic Action. What this translates to is detailed paint apps, lots of articulation and more accessories than you could possibly use at one time! But enough rationalising and setup.

Zyuden Sentai Kyoryuger Kyoryu Red was released earlier this year and is also my very first Figuart. Prepare for an immense amount of gushing.

The packaging is great, it’s a window box which showcases the figure and many of the accessories and evokes the overall aesthetic of the show and team.

The back features many of the poses this figure can pull off and before you even get it out of the box, you know this trounces most of Bandai of America’s efforts.

The tray inside is clam shelled so those pesky small bits don’t fall out but just look at the amount of stuff you get! Four pairs of interchangeable hands, an Armed-On arm, Gaburevolver, Gabucaliber, Gabutyra Fang and a tiny little Zyudenchi (Beast Battery) that I’ve only taken out once for a pic then put right back in the tray for fear of losing it.

Out of the package and I am in looooooove. Just the feel, the weight and the details are perfect. Unlike Bandai of America’s ‘roided up Power Rangers, Figuarts go for authenticity and how the suit actors look, even moulding clothing wrinkles. If I have one thing to knock, it’s a personal issue with the left knee. When I move it, it squeaks. That’s it. That is the only complaint I have and I’m sure it’s not a wide spread issue.

When dealing with Figuarts, the accessories really add so much bang for your buck! Ever messed with an action figure and thought “It’d be great if this figure had something other than this dumb weapon holding hand.” Well, you can swap that out for a fist or a posed hand or even an alternate weapon holding hand and the various combinations can reveal some fun poses.

The weapons have just as much detail as the figure, with intricate moulding and show accurate paint applications.

The Gaburevolver is the Morpher and sidearm for the series and has a fun aesthetic to it. It’s counterpart, the Gabucaliber is the standard sword and favoured weapon of KyoryuGreen, it’s pointy and sharp so watch out!

When the cylinder chamber of the Gaburevolver is rolled against a Kyoryuger’s right arm, this unlocks their Armed On forms and grants access to their signature weapons, in this case, the Gabutyra Fang. This T-Rex themed knuckleduster is equally as detailed as the other weapons and even gets a cool glossy red. Word of warning though, the first couple times swapping the arms out was pretty harrowing but if you apply an even pressure of bicep and torso, you should be fine. Also keep in mind the positioning of the joint assembly. First time I did it, the assembly ended up upside down and the articulation in that shoulder was a little screwy until I put it right.

Hear my roar! As my introduction to the line, Kyoryu Red is a fantastic entry point into a world of dynamic poses and exquisite detailing. You pay for quality and that’s what you get in spades. You can find many Figuarts online for pretty cheap so if this review has piqued your curiosity, be sure to check those out and if you’re on the Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers 20th Anniversary kick, there’s Figuarts available right now for the Red, Green and Pink Rangers on Amazon!

Thanks for reading and I’ll catch you guys next time on Mint in Box!