Toybox REVIEW: S.H. Figuarts -Shinkocchou Seihou- Kamen Rider Baron Banana Arms

Release Date: September 2024

RRP: 11,000 yen

In addition to all the usual sculpt and proportion improvements that come with S.H. Figuarts Shinkocchou Seihou figures, one of the most interesting aspects of the Kamen Rider Gaim range is the implementation of the show's versatile Arms Change gimmick. Not only does it add an extra level of play to the range, but also hopefully means Bandai Tamashii Nations will be fairly extensive when it comes to releases. At the very least though Gaim himself will not be alone, with S.H. Figuarts -Shinkocchou Seihou- Kamen Rider Baron Banana Arms announced alongside him for release the following month. Though a little more expensive than Gaim, Baron also comes as a general retail figure.

Kamen Rider Baron Banana Arms comes in the usual two-piece S.H. Figuarts Shinkocchou Seihou packaging, retaining that overly matte feel from the more recent Kamen Rider releases. The front of the box features a head shot of the figure against a white backdrop, with the character name written in silver lettering against a backdrop on each (longer) side. The back/underside then has the usual Bandai stock imagery showing the figure off in various poses, including Baron both locked in combat with Gaim and how he looks with the Orange Arms armour. Inside the contents of the set are spread across the usual two plastic trays – one for the figure itself and then a shallower one underneath for the accessories.

On first glance Kamen Rider Baron appears to have everything you'd expect from a Shinkocchou Seihou release. With the advancements that have been made in sculpting as well as the "true bone carving" method employed when producing this line proportion-wise Baron really looks like a miniature version of the actual suit. The red undersuit has various folds and creases in it to give it more realism, and the armour itself has been reworking to be a touch more screen accurate. But while there's still an argument to be had that the figure looks fantastic, on closer inspection there are a few surprising issues to discuss. To start with, the Banana Arms armour is extremely loose on my copy of the figure and repeatedly unpegs when posing, which while frustrating can at least be resolved and might not be a widespread thing. A more significant point of discussion though is the colouring of that red undersuit, which has been done in flat glossy red plastic rather than the metallic red both the actual suit and original toy have. While it doesn't ruin the figure by any means, it's bizarre to see a line that usually strives for show accuracy omit it. What makes it slightly worse is that there are still some elements of the figure that still use the metallic colouring (such as the helmet), creating a weird inconsistency that could have easily been avoided.

That downgrade in colour/finish is all the more apparent when you compare the Shinkocchou Seihou figure with the 2014 version. While the significant improvements that have been made to the sculpt and proportions are immediately clear, the metallic colours of the original are so much sharper and screen accurate. It isn't like the line has dabbled in metallic paintwork before, so why exactly Bandai have gone this route is confusing. Ten years later the paint hasn't really faded on the original either, so its unlikely longevity was a factor either. There are some aspects to the deco that have been improved on the new figure though, with the outlines around the detailing on the silver leg/arm armour pieces looking particularly sharp.

Baron also features a highly detailed Sengoku Driver with articulated Cutter Arm and removable Lockseed. Also included in the set is a closed version of the Banana Lockseed, with Baron (as well as Gaim or any other character they subsequently release) able to hold either version in a designated hand. Both the Lockseeds and Driver faceplate are beautifully decorated with all the correct detailing, from the Baron faceplate on the Driver to the sharp metallic colouring of the Lockseeds. That said, the Cutter Arm is considerably looser on my Baron than it is on Gaim – obviously I'm not sure if this is just a random bit of bad QC or something more widespread. It's also a shame that Baron doesn't come with a few extra closed ones like Gaim did, but without a holder attached to his belt one can only assume Bandai didn't want to add too many small loose accessories.

Articulation is identical to that of Gaim, which is turn pretty much consistent with what the Shinkocchou Seihou line has been doing for years now. Kamen Rider Baron features; 

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

- Swivel hinge shoulders, hips and ankles 

- Butterfly joint shoulders

- Double hinge elbows and knees 

- Single hinge toe sections 

- Bicep and thigh swivels 

Both the shoulder pads and back panel of the armour are also hinged where they connect to the collar piece, which is particularly important when it comes to moving those bulky banana pieces to pose the arms properly. The back panel being hinged is more intended for ease when removing it, but on my copy is very loose and prone to falling off quite often (it is however easy enough to clip back on). Even though the armour is bulkier on the Shinkocchou Seihou release there isn't any major impact to Baron's poseability – it's not the easiest to make full use of the butterfly shoulder movement but Bandai's stock photos suggest more movement is possible than I could manage. Baron doesn't even have the neck limitations Gaim has, so can turn his head quite comfortably. Again if you're familiar with any semi-recent Shinkocchou Seihou (or even general Kamen Rider S.H. Figuarts) release you'll know exactly what to expect here, and that's a very expressive figure that lives up to the line's high standard.

Baron's accessories remain largely the same as the previous figure, only with a few extra bits thrown in to go with the new Arms Change gimmick. Altogether he comes with 11 additional hands, a closed Banana Lockseed, the Banaspear, an alternate Baron faceplate (for use with the Orange Arms parts) and an alternate Gaim visor piece (for use with the Banana Arms parts). The hand selection here is identical as the one included with Gaim – so much so that he even comes with hands intended for use with the Musou Saber! Much like the figure itself the Banaspear has had a nice little boost when it comes to proportions in comparison to the 2014 figure, but the quality of the paint job remains the same (which for the record is excellent). Bandai have also slightly changed how the extending gimmick works on the weapon – on the original it was two different parts which plugged onto the hilt, while here it is the extension piece itself (the gunmetal coloured piece) which is removable. Simply take that away and reattach the other end to create the shortened version. As the Lockseed doesn't interact with the Banaspear there isn't much else to talk about in the way of gimmicks/interactivity, but overall its exactly what you'd expect from a base form Baron figure.

As with Gaim, even before getting into the full extent of the Arms Change gimmick all of the armour can be removed to create a "blank form" Baron figure representing his mid-transformation state. Removing all the armour is exactly the same process as it is on Gaim – pull the head off the body, lift off the torso armour from the body and then disassemble the head to remove both the inner visor and backpiece. The visor piece is quite firm but can be pried away fairly easily if you can get some tweezers underneath. Although it's unlikely to be anyone's first choice of display option, it is a nice little addition to the overall possibilities the figure has. It's a shame that the armour can't also fold up for a proper mid-transformation look, but understandably that's almost impossible to do alongside the correct suit proportions.

But with two figures in hand we can finally see how the Arms Change gimmick holds up on these figures, and despite the added fragility concerns that come with (expensive) S.H. Figuarts releases it proves just as fun as it did on the old Arms Change figures released during Gaim's original run. Bandai have learned all the right lessons from how they handled the Kamen Rider Geats' line's form changes, with a straightforward process that doesn't ever feel like you're about to break the figure doing so. Naturally Kamen Rider Gaim Banana Arms is the highlight here as it's a form that appeared in the show itself (and never received a standard S.H. Figuarts release), but Kamen Rider Baron Orange Arms works really well too. Note however that both forms use Baron's silver torso part, so if you want to display them together you need to compromise a bit with Gaim and use his default torso part. While it isn't all that noticeable in the grand scheme of things, it is a bit of a shame that a second set of silver torso pieces wasn't included so both could be accurate (not that Baron Orange Arms was ever in the show) at the same time.

S.H. Figuarts -Shinkocchou Seihou- Kamen Rider Baron Banana Arms is a figure I feel slightly conflicted about. In terms of sculpting and proportions there's absolutely no denying this is an improvement over the original 2014 figure, and the Arms Change gimmick is a really fun addition that will only continue to improve as more Gaim figures are produced. That said, there a few ways Baron falls slightly short of Shinkocchou Seihou's very high bar. For this range and price point (for reference, Baron costs the same price as Kamen Rider Saga), the decision to do flat red colouring instead of metallic is baffling given that it isn't screen accurate (and also makes me concerned for other Gaim Riders with metallic suits, such as Ryugen or Bravo). The loose armour also feels like a step down in quality compared to Gaim, though admittedly that could just be my copy rather than a widespread issue. So while Shinkocchou Seihou Baron is still a great figure and still an upgrade in some aspects, I find myself not quite as impressed here in 2024 as I was with the original in 2014.

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