Toybox REVIEW: S.H. Figuarts Kamen Rider Tycoon Ninja Form

Release Date: July 2023

RRP: 8250 yen

While there's certainly going to be a lot of Kamen Rider Geats characters and forms Bandai Tamashii Nations never get around to (and what they are doing they've been able to lump together in glorified accessory sets), but at the very least they've managed to get all the main players from the series into the S.H. Figuarts line in record time. At the beginning of the series we enter the Desire Grand Prix through the eyes of Keiwa Sakurai, who after initially getting caught in a Jyamato attack is invited to take part as a Kamen Rider. Now S.H. Figuarts Kamen Rider Tycoon Ninja Form can join the DGP going on in collectors' displays as well, joining Geats and Buffa as the next Tamashii We exclusive release from the series.

S.H. Figuarts Kamen Rider Tycoon Ninja Form comes in a black windowless box that matches the design of the other Kamen Rider Geats releases, adding bright green as the secondary colour to match that of both Tycoon's helmet and Ninja Form. The front of the box features a nice big bust shot of the figure alongside Tycoon's ID core logo, whilst the back shows the figure off further in a variety of different poses. The back also features image of what Tycoon looks like using the blank Entry Form body (sold separately), and what the Ninja Form armour looks like on Kamen Rider Geats. Inside both the figure and accessories are neatly laid out on a moulded plastic tray, with the traditional paper flyer included to explain how the form change gimmick works.

Addressing the elephant in the room first and foremost, when Figuarts Tycoon was first released many fans were quick to point out that the helmet sculpt wasn't quite screen-accurate – leading upgrade companies to quickly produce their own version for sale. While the helmet being not quite right is undeniably a fact, just how much it'll bother you is another question entirely. The design has definitely been squished down but other than shape itself all of the details are in the right place, so it does at the very least look the part. If anything though the first thing you're going to notice on this are the colours though, with the bright green of Ninja Form standing out boldly on that black Entry Form body. The armour is really nicely detailed, with metallic red cogs on the chest piece and even moveable shuriken pieces on the elbows. They're positioned in a way that they would be very easy to break if you weren't too careful, but the fact they can freely spin is just one of those completely unnecessary but nevertheless appreciated S.H. Figuarts details.

As with the previous Geats releases, the Desire Driver can rotate a full 360 degrees to simulate the show's "Revolve On" gimmick and can fit two Raise Buckle accessories. Tycoon of course comes with the Ninja Buckle, which is nicely detailed complete with spinning shuriken part. While it doesn't quite have all the paint apps of the full-sized version, it's a very good approximation for an accessory this size. It's also worth noting that each figure's Desire Driver is unique despite all using shared parts, as they each feature a correctly coloured ID core with the Rider's unique symbol – in Tycoon's case, a green ID Core sporting his tanuki helmet shape. When not in use, both Tycoon's weapons and any spare Raise Buckles can also be stored on the slots on either side of the belt.

Tycoon's body is designed the same as the other Geats Riders, however the design of the armour itself can also have a fairly big impact on articulation. Overall the figure features; 

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

- Swivel hinge shoulders and ankles 

- "Drop down" swivel hinge hips 

- Double hinge elbows and knees 

- Single hinge toe sections 

- Bicep and thigh swivels 

The shoulder pads are also designed in the usual S.H. Figuarts way – attached via levered ball joints which give them some free-range movement from the arm itself. It's better than nothing, but admittedly the design does mean that the arms can't raise very far outwards. Additionally while the neck articulation itself isn't hindered, the way the bar across the top of Tycoon's torso sits means that it repeatedly comes into contact with the head – so the chin either has to kind of rest on it or be tucked behind it. It's not so much an issue with Tycoon himself, but when you play about with Ninja Form on some of the other Riders (particularly Buffa) it becomes a bit more noticeable. But despite a few flaws here and there (the elbows don't have the best bend on them either), you'll still get a good range of movement out of the figure – poseability is much better in the lower half than upper, but you can say that for most Figuarts to be honest.

Tycoon's accessories are a mixture of parts for the figure itself and extra parts meant for use with some of the other Geats releases. Altogether he comes with four additional pairs of hands (closed fists, wide open hands, weapon holding and ninja pose hands to compliment the default relaxed hands), the Ninja Dueler, alternate Tycoon face and mouth plates to use with the Entry Form body and alternate red compound eye Ninja Form mouthpieces for use with other Geats Riders. The twin-bladed Ninja Dueler is a really unique looking sword – beautifully moulded and painted in grey, green and silver as well as complete with a spinning "Shuriken Rounder" part (lots of spinning bits on this release). Though packaged in Single Blade Mode it can also break down into Twin Blade Mode simply by unpegging the two parts at the seam, which gives Tycoon both long and short blades to wield in battle. If Geats did one thing really well, it was coming up with imaginative weapons to go along with these forms.

The release of Kamen Rider Tycoon also adds an additional set of armour to the Kamen Rider Geats gimmick, with the figure able to swap forms with both Kamen Rider Geats and Kamen Rider Buffa. Doing so simply involves removing the torso from the legs (easily done thanks to the different connector peg on these releases), removing the head and then re-assembling as you see fit. In some cases the helmet may need to be taken apart to change the eye colour, but it appears this cannot be done on Tycoon so it's just the mouthpiece that needs swapping. Each Rider also has their own unique suit flourish outside of the helmet, which in Tycoon's case is the green bandage around his right leg. Unfortunately as this piece is moulded onto the legs it means that using any armoured leg parts (such as the Boost legs) wouldn't be show-accurate, which is a shame but then Bandai don't seem to be paying much attention to the lower halves anyway. It's a fun little gimmick which is made significantly better by just how easy it is to swap the parts around – something which on an older release would probably come with far more fear of breakage.

Despite a few obvious flaws here and there S.H. Figuarts Kamen Rider Tycoon Ninja Form is another strong entry for the Geats range, and alongside the previous releases really highlights how much fun this form change gimmick is turning out to be. What once would have been considered a fiddly and best avoided process is now just as straightforward as posing the figures themselves, and as more are added to the line the more fun it's going to be. But even without the other Geats Riders alongside him, Tycoon has more than enough to offer on his own - a colourful and fantastic looking figure only let down by a few (minor) accuracy and poseability issues. Odds are most Figuarts collectors are going to at least want to pick up the main four from the series, and there's certainly no signs of disappointment as of yet.