Toybox REVIEW: S.H. Figuarts -Shinkocchou Seihou- Kamen Rider 1/Takeshi Hongo (Kamen Rider: The Next)

Release Date: December 2024

RRP: 9900 yen

In 2024 Bandai Tamashii Nations began a countdown to their 100th Kamen Rider S.H. Figuarts Shinkocchou Seihou figure, with fans all over the world speculating on what this milestone release could be. The reveal itself was one many had considered, but perhaps never thought would be reality. All the way back in February 2008 the S.H. Figuarts line began, and now its very first figure has been reborn in Figuarts' premium "true bone carving" range. S.H. Figuarts -Shinkocchou Seihou- Kamen Rider 1/Takeshi Hongo (The Next) breathes new life into a figure that has been long forgotten by many, despite being the foundation for everything the line has done since. If that's not the perfect reason to make it the 100th Kamen Rider release, then I don't know what is. A Tamashii web exclusive release, the lead Rider from 2007's Kamen Rider: The Next is a new twist on a classic in a number of ways.

Despite being a landmark release for the line, Kamen Rider 1 comes in the usual S.H. Figuarts Shinkocchou Seihou two-piece packaging. The top half featuring a rather striking side profile of the figure alongside the usual Bandai Tamashii Nations/web shop logos, while the sides feature the character name ("Masked Rider 1/Hongo Takeshi (Masked Rider: The Next)" means its never looked more crowded) in silver lettering against a black backdrop. The underside of the box then features a variety of images showing the figure off in various poses, and then inside the contents are spread across two plastic trays. The standard sized tray houses the figure itself, and then underneath is a smaller tray containing all of the accessories.

2005's Kamen Rider: The First and its sequel Kamen Rider: The Next are film reimaginings of both the original Kamen Rider and Kamen Rider V3, and as such this figure is a reimagining of Kamen Rider 1. Whereas the more recent Shin Kamen Rider stuck fairly closely to the look of the original suit but incorporated some modern detailing, The First/Next version of Rider 1 in comparison is much sleeker reinterpretation that slims down both the helmet and body armour whilst also incorporating a more biker-esque look into the design. For all the flaws the films themselves have (and there are many), the suits are definitely not one of them – this is a fantastic update of Kamen Rider 1 that continues to stand the test of time even now. While The First's suit bases its look off Rider 1's blue first appearance suit, The Next in turn bases its colour scheme on the Sakurajima suit – adopting dark green colouring as well as the more familiar blood red compound eyes. Additional battle damage was also added to the helmet in the film – giving Rider 1 a more battle-worn look as he continues to be on the run from Shocker. None of this detailing has been lost on the Shinkocchou Seihou line's first entry from these films, with all the various scratches and paint wear on the helmet still visible on that dark green helmet. The metallic paint Bandai have used for the lighter green parts of the suit (such as the torso and helmet jaw/mouthpiece) really shine against that matte black bodysuit, which itself has been detailed with various bits of moulding to give the impression of fabric. The Typhoon belt, though a slimmed down version of the original, still features sharp paint apps and a red turbine housed behind a clear plastic pane. As per most of the Shinkocchou Seihou Showa Rider releases, the scarf/muffler has been done with wired soft goods to give a more realistic look without sacrificing poseability. Wrap it all up over those human-like proportion that come from the "true bone carving" method of sculpting, and you have a pretty fantastic looking figure.

While sadly I don't have the original S.H. Figuarts release of Kamen Rider 1 (The Next) to make a direct comparison to, I do have The First version (along with The First's Rider 2 and The Next's Shocker Rider) which is a repaint of the same mould. Given that The First/The Next figures were some of the earliest Figuarts releases it goes without saying that the difference between them is astounding, highlighting just how much the line has come in the last 16 years. While the originals were great figures for their time, the proportions are way off in comparison. Whereas the old figures just look like toys, the Shinkocchou Seihou release has the human-like proportions and superior detailing that makes it look like a miniature version of the onscreen suit.

And although the sculpting and proportions have changed over the course of S.H. Figuarts' lifespan, another significant evolution of the line has been the articulation. The original releases are still very well articulated given their age, but the engineering of the time has led to certain areas (particularly the hips) being far more fragile 16 years later. A lot has changed in that time, and its particularly evident when comparing them with this new Shinkocchou Seihou version. Altogether this new Rider 1 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, glove and thigh swivels

While none of this is particularly new or revolutionary to the Shinkocchou Seihou line, what is a whole new experience is seeing it applied to this design. The base Rider 1 was fairly straightforward to begin with, but The First/Next's more streamlined look allows you to get even more out of it. For example, the bulky torso armour has been slimmed down into a sculpted piece, making the butterfly joints in the shoulders far less restricted. Speaking of which, the shoulder articulation on this figure is absolutely delightful – with full 360° rotation as well as the hinge and butterfly movement, you can lift those arms right over the figure's head. The lower body articulation is equally as impressive, with those swivel hinge hips perfect for getting the legs into all the action poses you could ask for – most significantly that iconic Rider Kick. As previously mentioned the scarf is made from wired fabric too, added to the realism of poses as you can move the scarf to your liking.

While it may seem that there aren't a lot of accessories you can include with a Rider 1 figure without delving into effect parts (which wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing), Bandai have really gone the extra mile here to make this a particularly special release. Included here are three additional pairs of hands (giving him closed fists, relaxed hands, posed open hands and knife-strike/transformation pose hands in total), a spare pair of antennae and finally an alternate Takeshi Hongo head. The hand selection is basically what you'd expect from a Rider 1 figure, covering all bases when it comes to signature poses. The spare antennae are likely to be left untouched by most collectors but their inclusion certainly doesn't go unappreciated – they might not look as fragile at the ones on the Showa era Rider suits but it still might not take much to break them. But of course the real treasure here is the head, depicting Takeshi Hongo as portrayed by Masaya Kikawada. The likeness of the head is excellent, capturing Kikawada's face without that weird uncanny valley look a lot of Figuarts' live-action human heads often have. Better still, the heads swap really easily – despite being attached to a reasonably firm ball joint both the helmet and human heads pop off easily, making swapping between them a dream. Each head also has its own back hairpiece which sits on the neck joint to complete the look. Attaching the Hongo head not only allows you to give the figure a whole different look, but the helmet can then be carried around as an accessory! While technically onscreen the helmet lacks the mouthpiece when it isn't being worn, that doesn't make this look any less effective. However if you do want the screen-accurate version, the mouthless helmet is included as an extra accessory with the new version of The Next's Cyclone. I suppose technically Bandai could have included here rather than throwing it in with the bike, but as far as "extra accessories packed in with other releases" go it's one of the less egregious. If Bandai do produce more characters from these films, I hope they continue to pack the human heads in with them.

While one could argue that there were plenty of other more worthy contenders for the 100th Shinkocchou Seihou Kamen Rider figure, S.H. Figuarts -Shinkocchou Seihou- Kamen Rider 1/Takeshi Hongo (The Next) is undoubtedly the most fitting. This is the character that helped launch a toy line that's gone far beyond that of just Kamen Rider, and this new rendition propels it to among its very best. While the film it comes from may not be especially remarkable this figure will undoubtedly give collectors a new appreciation for its suits, which stand as a perfect update to the timeless classic. Finally, the addition of the Hongo head makes it the full package. My only hope is that Bandai see the full potential of this mould and produce all the suits from The First and The Next, because it would be a leave to leave this solely as an (albeit very special) milestone release.