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!

One thing I love about the packaging for this figure is that the window motif mimics the given fruit theme of the Rider, in this case, having a segmented orange pattern while the back has a very ornate, Japanese theme to it.

The tray inside houses five pairs of interchangeable hands, a closed Orange Lockseed, a Musous Saber and Orange Arms’ signature weapon, the Daidaimaru.

Kamen Rider Gaim is my favourite S.H. Figuarts release to date, and that just by messing with him straight out of the packaging. This is a brand new style of figure with a fantastic detailing, gorgeous paint and some new quirks to the articulation. His hips are more akin to Marvel Legends and the posts for his interchangeable hands are smaller yet feel much sturdier. Unfortunately, the holster for his Musou Saber isn’t as sturdy and is prone to popping off the belt.

Accessories-wise, I better talk about the smallest first with the Orange Lockseed. Gaim’s ‘open’ hands can hold it comfortably with a little coercing or it can be stored on the Lockseed holster on his right side. There’s an open version on his Sengoku Driver, which features tons of detail and chopping action with the knife, allowing you to replicate actions from the show.

The Musou Saber is the standard side-arm weapon for a quartet of Riders on the show and has some great paint apps. It’s a combination sword/pistol, much like the Ixa Calibur from Kamen Rider Kiva. The Daidaimaru is the signature weapon for Orange Arms, looking like a segmented orange slice as a blade.

You can combine the Musou Saber and Daidaimaru into its Naginata Mode by plugging one into the hilt of the other. This combined weapon can be further added to by plugging the Orange Lockseed into the blade’s cross guard.

Compared to the Arms Change line, the S.H. Figuarts release is a gorgeus delight which is superior in all but one way, the AC gimmick. Yup, no swapping armours between figures but you know what? I can live without it when they look THIS good!

As a whole, I LOVE Kamen Rider Gaim and having a Figuarts this gorgeous and this poseable is the cherry on the cake and this release gets a massive recommendation!

Might Morphin’ Black Ranger is an import of Mammoth Ranger, with a more western friendly box. No changes were made apart from this but its still a damn impressive release.

The box is actually nothing like the Japanese release, being a window box and being rather generic. Unlike the Kyoryu Red box, this doesn’t really have any outstanding features or aesthetic similarities to Mighty Morphin’ but it still works pretty well.

The Black Ranger’s accessories include the standard assortment of interchangeable hands (one of which is specifically for his roll-call pose), a folded Blade Blaster, a Thunder Slinger, his signature Power Axe and a couple others that you’re probably curious about but I’ll get to later.

Like all S.H. Figuarts, Black Ranger is articulated up the wazoo! Seriously, it has 4 points of wazoo articulation. From pulling off his roll-call pose or beating on baddies, you can pull off all sorts of great poses. If there’s one thing I had to complain about, it’s another leg issue that I don’t think is wide spread. The thigh moulding on the right side is a little off, meaning it’s not quite as uniform as I’d like but I can live with that.

Size-wise, Figuarts are a couple inches taller than Bandai of America’s recent 4″ action figures and look far less ‘roided up, making the Figuart far more accurate to his onscreen appearance.

Coming to the accessories, the Blade Blaster will spend its entire life in the holster on the Ranger’s belt and can’t be held easily. The Thunder Slinger (I had to wiki the name) is a holdover from the Japanese release of a weapon that I don’t recall the Rangers ever using but I’ll let it slide. What I won’t let slide is the fact that the Thunder Slinger doesn’t sit comfortably in any of the provided “holding things” hands. You’re staying in the tray!

Black Ranger’s signature weapon, the Power Axe, is perfectly replicated and looks absolutely fantastic! People have asked why I chose Black instead of the more popular Red, Green or White. The answer is simple, his helmet was always my favourite as a kid and his axe is FREAKIN’ BADASS! Swords, daggers and lances are cool but when you see a big meaty axe coming for your head, you move! It’s also a blaster! Unfortunately, it’s slightly inaccurate but there’s a reason for that.

With the releases of Black, Blue and Yellow, will come with remoulded versions of the Rangers’ signature weapons that can combine into the iconic Power Blaster. Black comes with Red and Blue’s components but I’m not sure which follow up will include Black’s axe in blaster mode.

As with my previous S.H. Figuart review, I am thoroughly impressed with this figure and highly recommend picking it up as either a stand alone, or as part of the Mighty Morphin’ team!

It’s great that Tamashii Nations and Bluefin Distribution are bringing more and more S.H. Figuarts over to the west. You can currently find most of the Mighty Morphin’ S.H. Figuarts over on Amazon UK and through other online retailers.

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!