Toybox REVIEW: S.H. Figuarts -Shinkocchou Seihou- Kamen Rider Ixa Save Mode/Burst Mode

Release Date: November 2020

RRP: 8800 yen

When S.H. Figuarts Shinkocchou Seihou Kamen Rider Kiva was finally released back in 2019, Kamen Rider fans breathed a collective sigh of relief as they crossed off the figure that had been at the top of wish lists for the best part of a decade. But with a new Kiva on the market, that of course means that the previous figures released from the series don’t quite stack up. And what can you expect - the original S.H. Figuarts Kamen Rider Ixa was released all the way back in 2010. But Bandai Tamashii Nations are back with a brand new S.H. Figuarts Shinkocchou Seihou Kamen Rider Ixa Save Mode/Burst Mode figure, bringing the show’s secondary Rider firmly in the modern S.H. Figuarts era. Though Ixa may have been a Tamashii web exclusive release, like the original release it covers both Save and Burst modes of the standard Ixa suit - making it the ideal display piece for both the 1986 and 2008 versions of the character and any of the nine users it had. The Ixa System got around a lot.

S.H. Figuarts Shinkocchou Seihou Kamen Rider Ixa comes in a box slightly larger than what the range is used to, as there are a lot of alternate parts and accessories to fit onto that tray inside. It is however the same size as the one previously used for the Den-O Sword/Gun Form figure, so there still isn’t huge size discrepancies between all the different boxes. Like that aforementioned figure the top lid features images of the figure in both Save and Burst modes, done up in the usual overly textured style. The sides of the lid feature the character name in silver foil letter, and is careful to mention that the release covers both Save and Burst modes. On the underside of the box you’ll find a nice array of Bandai stock images showing off the figure and numerous accessories, and inside you’ll find the contents neatly stored across two plastic trays - one for the figure itself and then a second one underneath for the accessories. Curiously, the Otoya head is cased inside a second clear plastic tray rather than sitting freely like the rest of the pieces.

Of course it goes without saying that this new Kamen Rider Ixa figure is an improvement on the original in just about every way. Not that the old figure was in any way bad, but ten years of sculpt and engineering improvements are going to make a hell of a big difference. Proportionally this figure just looks brilliant - a heavily armoured and obviously technological suit, but perfectly capturing that holy knight motif that gels so well with Kiva’s monster aesthetic. The slick matte bodysuit is covered in thick white armour with blue lining, along with that heavy duty chest section that has all manner of fine sculpting and paint detailing. Particularly stand out parts include those translucent yellow sections on the shoulder pads, as well as the rope pieces that connect the forearms gauntlets to the fist sections. I’ve never seen anything quite like it on an S.H. Figuarts release before, and it really gives those arms a more premium look (not to mention keeping those fist pieces attached to the figure when you’re swapping the hands. On either side of the belt there are Fuestle holders that can fit all of the Fuestle holders included with the release. However the crown jewel of the look is the head sculpt. The raised gold section around the visor looks amazing, but it’s always been the unique visor shape that’s drawn me to Ixa’s Save Mode. Of course if you prefer a more traditional Kamen Rider look this set also includes an alternate Burst Mode head, where that gold section opens up to give Ixa a more distinctive cross shape and reveal bright red compound eyes. The Burst Mode head looks equally as impressive, especially with how the red of the eyes darkens towards the bottom. This really is a fantastic looking figure even for Shinkocchou Seihou standards - beautifully sculpted and the kind of fine detailing you only really get with technology-based suits like this.

The articulation is equally brilliant, as we’ve all come to expect from the range by now. It’s good to see that some of the more recent improvements have been kept on and will presumably be standard going forward, as Ixa features;

- Ball jointed head, neck, torso, waist, wrists and hips

- Swivel hinge shoulders and ankles

- Butterfly hinge shoulders/pecs

- Double hinged elbows and knees

- Single hinge toe section

- Bicep, elbow and thigh swivels

The main addition I’m talking about here is that additional elbow swivel, which proved a bit of a fragility issue on the Kamen Rider OOO figures but seems relatively sturdy here. It doesn’t feel like it’s about to break but might be wise to show a bit of caution just in case. The hips do feel a little restricted but overall it’s a pretty solid array of articulation, and even the arms don’t seem too bogged down by the shoulder pads (which as usual are on their own floating ball joints to give them some individual movement). But the most curious bit of design choice on this figure are the wrists. While there isn’t anything different about the wrist joints themselves (other than the pegs maybe being a little thicker, which certainly isn’t a bad thing), those rope pieces that connect the fist guards to the arms completely neuter that ball joint movement. You can still move the hands in a hinged motion, but any more than a little rotation results in either the rope pieces getting bunched up or the guard just popping off altogether. It isn’t a huge impact on the figure since you can still get some incredible poses out of it, but it does limit the hand movement compared to that of a free-moving ball joint. It’s a case where Bandai clearly chose look over functionality and whilst I don’t necessarily blame them for it, it’s strange that they didn’t consider an alternative considering that particular area of articulation hasn’t changed on the line since day one.

The Ixa can be split into its two separate components, as well as removed from the belt piece entirely. Should you choose to display Ixa wielding the Knuckle as a weapon, then you can replace the piece entirely with an alternate one that’s both better proportioned for the fists and removes the exposed pegs that hold the pieces together. As per the usual standard for the line it’s an extremely well-detailed transformation device, but also a pretty unique choice of weapon that stands out far more than just another gun or sword. The Ixa Knuckle also has a slot for the various Fuestles included with the figure to fit, the most notable of course being the Knuckle Fuestle which is used to activate the Broken Fang attack.

Ixa also comes with a whole host of other accessories, making him easily one of the most packed releases we’ve seen from the Shinkocchou Seihou range. On top of the alternate Ixa Knuckle parts and Burst Mode head there’s also seven additional hands, six different Fuestles (Knuckle, Calibur, Riser, Garulu Fake, Basshaa Fake and Dogga Fake), the Ixa Calibur and alternate parts to switch it from sword to gun mode. These parts consist of an alternate cap piece that goes in the place of the blade and an extended grip/magazine section. Switching the parts is an incredibly simple and stress-free process, making both modes of the weapon a lot of fun to pose and display. Much like they were with Kiva, Ixa’s Fuestles are gorgeously detailed - especially the three “Fake” ones with their metallic colouring. It’s a shame slotting them into the Ixa Knuckle doesn’t show them off quite as much as plugging them into Kivat does, but they look great lined up in the belt holders nonetheless.

But the piece de resistance of this whole set, as well as the accessory absolutely no one expected to get) is an additional alternate Otoya Kurenai head. Now Ixa may have had multiple users over the course of Kiva, but Otoya was undoubtedly the definitive user in the 1986 story line and the only one in the cast to actually have unmasked scenes in the suit. The only civilian head sculpt we’ve had for Kamen Rider in recent years was the Takeshi Hongo figure, so to get another on something as left field as Ixa is a really pleasant surprise. It might not be the best likeness of actor Kouhei Takeda, but it’s certainly close enough to make him instantly recognisable. When the figure was initially released there were some reports of the poor QC on this head, but my copy is pretty spotless so I can’t really comment on just how widespread that was. With this head you can fully act out all those fantastic scenes from King of the Castle in the Demon World where he fought alongside Kiva. Plus you can even slap it on your Kamen Rider Grease figure for a bit of fun as well! This is a really cool accessory that makes the set that extra bit special, and it’s a shame it’s not the kind of thing we see more often on Kamen Rider Figuarts. I’d really like to hope that when G3/G3-X gets the Shinkocchou Seihou treatment we’ll get a Hikawa head with that one as well.

The Shinkocchou Seihou range just keeps delivering hit after hit so it can genuinely be difficult to keep up with which ones are the best of the best, but S.H. Figuarts Kamen Rider Ixa Save Mode/Burst Mode is definitely a contender for that title. A fantastic sculpt, exquisite detailing, tons of accessories and multiple head sculpts make this an all-inclusive packaging that’s well worth its slightly higher price tag. I may not be a huge fan of Kamen Rider Kiva as a series, but between this and Kiva himself these suit designs are proving to be among S.H. Figuarts’ best. I have no doubt Dark Kiva will meet the same high standard later in the year, as well as any other figures from the series Tamashii decide to produce down the line. Kiva Emperor seems like a given, but maybe this will finally be a chance for Kamen Rider Saga to escape prototype hell and have his moment in the spotlight.