Toybox REVIEW: S.H. Figuarts Kamen Rider Buffa Zombie Form

Release Date: June 2023

RRP: 8250 yen

With easily the most Riders in the entire franchise, if you're looking to have a complete Kamen Rider Geats S.H. Figuarts collection you'd better start saving now because Bandai Tamashii Nations will not be kind to your wallets. And with the initial Kamen Rider Geats releases also showing off a form change gimmick, Bandai have added even more incentive not to stop at just the titular Rider. But of course the important thing is to get all the core characters from the series released first, and after Geats himself what better place to go next than his main rival in the Desire Grand Prix? S.H. Figuarts Kamen Rider Buffa Zombie Form is the first Tamashii web exclusive release for Kamen Rider Geats - a trend which will almost certainly remain for all the characters going forwards.

S.H. Figuarts Kamen Rider Buffa Zombie Form comes in the usual windowless web exclusive packaging, done out in a fitting black and purple colour scheme. The front of the box sports a close-up image of the figure alongside the character name and Buffa ID core graphic, with further images of the figure (in various poses) on the sides and back. The back of the box also provides a closer look at the form change gimmick the Geats Figuarts have, showing off what the previously released Kamen Rider Geats figures look like using Zombie form. Open the box up and the figure and accessories are neatly laid out on a moulded plastic tray, with a paper leaflet included detailing both the accessories and the form changing process.

The first thing to say about Kamen Rider Buffa is that this figure will definitely make any display pop. That gorgeous purple metallic paint catches your eye immediately, perfectly hitting it off with the black under-suit and the orange/silver highlights. Elements like the horned helmet, flowing hair and clawed left hand give Buffa a unique silhouette which really sets him apart from the other Geats Riders. There's just so much to like about the design but the helmet particularly stands out - not just because of the horns/hair but also those four-pronged compound eyes. The Zombie Form colour scheme definitely gives off connotations of Kamen Rider Ryuki's Ouja, so it's not surprising that the two faced off onscreen AND Buffa got an Ouja form in the Geats Hyper Battle DVD. Even though Michinaga turned out not to be that villainous after all, the design has all the right vibes of a "villain" (or at the very least rival) Rider. There's not much else to say other than to commend Bandai on how good of a job they did with this figure looks-wise - the sculpt and colours are just perfect.

As previously mentioned in the Geats review, the Desire Driver features a removable Zombie Buckle as well as slots for Raise Buckles on either side of the belt. The Driver can also be rotated a full 360 degrees just like the real thing, allowing for a proper show-accurate look when playing around with the "Revolve On" element of the Riders' gimmickry (not that a lot of armoured leg parts have been released in the Figuarts line so far). It's also important to note that despite all of the DGP participants using the same Driver this isn't completely identical to the one supplied with Geats, with the sole (but very important difference) being the painted ID core. Each of these features a symbol unique to each Rider, which helps not getting them mismatched when swapping around all the parts. There are also slots on both sides of the belt that can either holster weapons or additional Raise Buckles.

For the most part Buffa's articulation is exactly the same as Geats, which one would expect given that they both share (predominantly) the same body. Altogether this includes; 

- Ball jointed head, neck, torso, waist, wrists and fingers (left hand only) 

- Swivel hinge shoulders and ankles 

- "Drop down" swivel hinge hips 

- Double hinge elbows and knees 

- Single hinge toe sections 

- Bicep and thigh swivels 

As tends to be the case with Figuarts the shoulder pads are also connected via ball joints on raised hinges, giving them some degree of free movement from the shoulder itself. Of course the most unique element here is the individual finger articulation on the Berserclaw, however take warning that it is rather fragile. The thumb seems to move around with little to no problem, however the fingers are far more limited and breakage could easily happen if you aren't careful. However that isn't the only restriction going on in Buffa's top half, with quite a few areas suffering because of that bulky armour. Head movement is limited due to the combination of the soft plastic hair and large shoulder pads, while the elbows have less of a bend due to the thicker forearm gauntlets. On the other hand, articulation on the figure's lower half is much better – with the legs barely unimpeded even with the soft plastic sash over the right hip. But while Buffa's articulation is marginally less impressive than Geats, it's still pretty good overall. The joy of having a massive clawed left hand is that it doesn't need much movement to look imposing, and even with a couple of limitations here and there you'll still find there's more than enough movement to get Buffa's onscreen body language out of it.

Kamen Rider Buffa's main accessories include four additional right hands as well as Zombie Form's signature weapon, the Zombie Breaker. Given Zombie Form's clawed left hand pairs of hands were not required for this release, but although it might seem like you're getting less the hands included are the usual variety of closed fists, open and weapon holding hands. But the crown jewel here is of course the Zombie Breaker, because who doesn't love an oversized chainsaw sword? The Zombie Breaker is beautifully moulded using the same metallic purple and gunmetal colouring of the figure itself, complete with moveable "Deadly Pump" – the foregrip mechanism which increases the rotation speed of the chainsaw. Of course the chain of the Figuarts version doesn't actually move, but moveable parts always make for more interesting action poses. Despite it only being a few accessories, these rather neatly cover Buffa's base move set – although at a push it might have been nice to get an alternate Zombie Buckle with closed doors for display off of the Driver.

With two Riders on hand we can now look at the Kamen Rider Geats' range unique gimmick, offering form changes through easily switchable upper and lower body halves. These pull apart via a thicker and far more manageable waist joint than your average Figuarts, allowing for repeated changing without the worry of ever accidentally breaking the figure in the process. Simply pop the body in half, choose your desired upper and lower halves and reattach the two together. The most involved part of the process is the head sculpt, which not only will need removing but also dismantling to ensure the correctly coloured eye and mouthpieces. Each Rider also has their own unique accessory which may need removing and/or reattaching, such as Geats' scarf or Buffa's waist sash. In addition to Zombie parts and default legs, the Buffa set also includes a set of additional mask pieces (faceplate, eye and mouthpieces). Although the gimmick is a simplified version of what we set onscreen it actually works really well, particularly thanks to that altered waist joint making switching so easy. It allows for some pretty interesting combinations, not all of which will have necessarily appeared on the show itself. Much like the Shinkocchou Seihou Kamen Rider OOO line, it's a great example of Bandai incorporating a form change gimmick into the line without compromising on the things that make Figuarts so great in the first place.

Although there are a few minor gripes when it comes to the articulation S.H. Figuarts Kamen Rider Buffa Zombie Form is a figure that definitely does the character justice, and will certainly impress fans and collectors alike with its impressive sculpt and striking colour scheme.The form change gimmick of the Kamen Rider Geats line adds an extra layer to the figures which will only get better as more characters are released, blurring the line between gimmick change figures and these more collector-orientated counterparts. Given the number of Riders Geats has it's likely Bandai Tamashii Nations are going to put out quite the collection, and they've got it off to a hell of a good start.