Toybox REVIEW: S.H. Figuarts Kamen Rider Meteor

With Kamen Rider Fourze slowly drawing to a close on Japanese televisions to make way for Kamen Rider Wizard, the wait has seemed like an eternity to see the secondary rider of the series in Bandai's Figuarts line. We've already has the majority of Fourze's states (with Cosmic soon to come too), so the release of Ryusei Sakuta's "WA-CHA"-ing alter ego brings a breath of fresh air to a line that so far has only seen Fourze himself. So without further ado, I present to you Kamen Rider Bruce Lee Meteor!

The Meteor design has been a particular favourite of mine since it was first unveiled, so I'm happy to report that Bandai have really knocked it out of the park when it comes to the figure. The constellation markings on the bodysuit are really nicely painted, and there's a good amount of detail on the Meteor driver and Meteor Galaxy. The silver and translucent blue sections stand out nicely against the black body, but the colours work effectively together to give off the space-theme of Fourze.

Meteor is certainly a character who can make the most of the articulation Figuarts has to offer. The double-jointed hips are perfect for recreating a wide variety of Meteor's trademark martial arts poses and moves. The right-shoulder band may initially feel restrictive in comparison to the left arm, it after fiddling around with it for a bit its quite easy to get the same range of motion out of it. The head on my figure feels a little loose (not sure if this is a common problem), but nothing to the point where it falls off or droops downward.

Meteor isn't particularly one for gadgets on the show, instead fighting using his impressive martial arts skill. This is reflected in the toy, who comes with a minimal amount of accessories. Included are seven extra hands (one pair of open hands, one set of posed hands, two thumbs up hands and a left pointing hand), alternate versions of the Meteor Driver and Meteor Galaxy (the former without the switch, the latter with) and two versions of the Hulashaker Foodroid. Its nice to see the Foodroids getting a release scaled with the Figuarts but personally I'd have preferred a planet effect piece to recreate Meteor's limit break. The thumbs up hands are my personal favourite of his hands selection, as it means his iconic "Your fate is mine to decide" pose is doable. No minuscule switches is also a bonus in my books.

Despite his meagre accessory count, I'm in love with Meteor. The Figuarts body is able to pull off the elaborate poses of the character, and Bandai really nailed the sculpt in both design and colouring. If you're one of the people who struggle to get behind the Kamen Rider Fourze design, then Meteor is definitely someone worth your attention as he has a far less outlandish look while at the same time in keeping with both the space theme and the iconic Kamen Rider motifs. A more than worthy addition to anyone's collection.