Toybox REVIEW: S.H. Figuarts Kamen Rider Revi Rex Genome

Release Date: February 2022
RRP: 3850 yen

50 years strong and no signs of slowing down, the legacy of the Kamen Rider franchise continues with Kamen Rider Revice! While admittedly it took a few months from the series' premiere back in September 2021 Bandai Tamashii Nations finally launched the Revice range in February 2022, kicking things off with a double team of Kamen Riders Revi and Vice! While a double-pack of the human/demon pair might have seemed the most logical release, Bandai have largely kept things to their usual pattern – with S.H. Figuarts Kamen Rider Revi Rex Genome arriving as a more affordable release whilst Vice comes at a more typical price point for the line.

A colourful Rider deserves some colourful packaging – and they don't come much more colourful than Kamen Rider Revi! The figure comes in a vibrant blue and pink box to match the suit colour scheme, with the front of the box also displaying the character name, a large posed image of the figure and of course a window section to show off the figure inside. The majority of the packaging is standard S.H. Figuarts fare – pictures on the sides and back, moulded plastic tray etc., but there is one curious little change that's been made. Rather than include instructions for figure on a loose paper leaflet, Bandai have instead printed them on an inside flap of the box. Given the figure doesn't have many parts that need specific instruction it's a good way to save on paper, but it'll be interesting to see how often this is done on releases going forwards.

Credit where it's due – the Shinkocchou Seihou range might be considered the cream of the crop when it comes to S.H. Figuarts but some of these newer releases really narrow the gap in quality between them and the standard range. Kamen Rider Revi Rex Genome is the perfect example of that, immediately dazzling with its striking pearlescent pink and metallic blue/purple colouring. It's not the first colour scheme you'd think of for a dinosaur-themed Rider but it just works so well, with all of that moulded detailing on the sculpt brought out all the more by it. But if there's one thing more striking than the colouring it's that helmet – complete with those wide compound eyes and giant toothy grin. It's so distinctly unique, but at the same time immediately recognisable as a Kamen Rider.

When a new series Rider finally joins the line it's always exciting to see how Bandai will handle the Driver, and Revi's is definitely one of the most intricate (not to mention fun) there's been in some time. The Revice Driver features two distinct parts – the Vistamp Go Slot and the Oninjector, both of which are moveable. The Vistamp Go Slot can be swung to the side so that the Vistamp sits horizonally, while the Oninjector section can be swung forwards so that the stamp pad faces upwards. In addition to all this, the Rex Vistamp can be removed from the Driver to give the figure the full range of poses when it comes to showing off its functionality. Each aspect of the Driver is perfectly detailed, from the intricate sculpting and paintwork of the Vistamp to the Rex symbol tampograph on the Ohinjector. The Driver even has the "50" markings visible on the two parts as well! After a few years of Drivers that have been missing the finer details, it's amazing to see one where Bandai have made sure to tick all of the boxes.

Despite entering a new "series" of figures as such there's been no significant changes to the engineering/articulation since the Saber range, although you could argue that Revi's more streamline design makes for a slightly more expressive figure. Altogether it features; 

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

- Swivel hinge shoulders and ankles 

- Butterfly joint shoulders 

- Drop down ball joint hips 

- Double hinge elbows and knees

- Bicep and thigh swivels 

- Single hinge toe sections 

The shoulder pads are also connected to the arms via the usual raised ball joint that allow them to move around separately from the arm, though they do seem to be a little stiffer than usual. Nevertheless it’s a design that doesn't really have much getting in the way of it achieving a full range of movement, with even the waist joint not too concerned with having a clunky Driver wrapped around it. The new style drop down hips they've been using on the Reiwa Riders continues to work really well here, offering an excellent range of movement without the unsightly gaps they left on the older figures. Overall just a very fun figure to mess around with and pose.

Now that we're quite a few years into S.H. Figuarts releasing titular Rider base forms at a reduced price, it shouldn't be any surprise to hear that Revi's only accessories are three pairs of alternate hands (unless of course you want to consider the Vistamp as an accessory as well). While Saber might have been an exception to the rule since he came with his Kaenken Rekka, that sword was so integrated into the design that there was no way Bandai could get away with not including it. But as disappointing as it may seem that there's no sign of the Ohinbuster50 here, Bandai were smart enough to include it (in both modes no less) with the simultaneously released Vice – and if you care enough about getting the weapon, odds are you care enough to get them both as well. So when it comes to cutting corners to keep the price down, this is one time I'll give Bandai a pass for it. It also helps that the hand selection here is actually really good, including a range of posed open hands as well as a pair that can comfortably grip the Vistamp. This gives the figure plenty of options for poses even without the inclusion of a weapon – the combination of the separate Vistamp and moveable Driver parts being a particular highlight.

While I'm still a little surprised that Bandai didn't release the two Revice Riders in a lavish 50th anniversary two-pack as well as individually, it's hard to complain about having to buy them separately when S.H. Figuarts Kamen Rider Revi Rex Genome is this good. Whereas usually these cheaper "introductory" figures seem to sacrifice some sort of detailing that lowers the line's typically high standard, Revi feels like the complete package even without many accessories – perfectly sculpted, vibrantly coloured and with a functioning Driver that hasn’t skimped on any of the detail. This is a figure that definitely exceeds the expectations of its price point, and is sure to satisfy even the few collectors out there who don't necessarily want Vice to go with him.