Toybox REVIEW: S.H. Figuarts -Shinkocchou Seihou- Kamen Rider V3 (Legendary Showa Masked Riders Edition)

Release Date: September 2026

RRP: 11,000 yen

Now that all seven of the original Showa era Kamen Riders have been released in the S.H. Figuarts Shinkocchou Seihou line, surely the most obvious thing for Bandai Tamashii Nations to do is to release Skyrider and Super-1 to fully complete the line-up right? Of course not, it's instead time to re-release them all and start the whole process again. But with Bandai also making the bizarre decision to release four of them as Tamashii web exclusives rather than at retail, maybe reissues aren't such a bad idea after all. Following on from the success of Kamen Rider 1 and Kamen Rider 2 at the end of last year is S.H. Figuarts -Shinkocchou Seihou- Kamen Rider V3 (Legendary Showa Masked Riders Edition) - revamping the previous release from 2022 with new colours, new accessories and a slightly higher price tag. 

S.H. Figuarts Shinkocchou Seihou Kamen Rider V3 (Legendary Showa Masked Riders Edition) comes in the larger two-piece boxes most recently seen on the Legendary Showa Kamen Rider 1, Akarenger and Ultraman 60th Anniversary Edition releases - the increase in size a necessity to fit the added display base into the box. The artwork on the top half is reworked to include an image of the figure on said display base alongside the usual bust shot, with the sides featuring the name of the release in silver and gold foil lettering (silver for the character name, and gold above it for the version tagline). The bottom half of the box shows the figure off further in a variety of poses, and then inside both the figure and all its accessories are neatly stored on a moulded plastic tray. Underneath the tray is the display base, stored in its own semi-translucent bag. 

The Legendary Showa Masked Riders Edition of Kamen Rider V3 is a reissue of the original Shinkocchou Seihou figure from 2022, so while the deco has been altered the base sculpt remains exactly the same. That previous version was still an absolutely fantastic rendition of the onscreen suit so the same can be said again here. From the sublime sculpting on the torso armour and the Double Typhoon Belt to the detailing on the mask and antennae, the Shinkocchou Seihou figure really is a cut above the original S.H. Figuarts version from 2012. V3 was also one of the first Shinkocchou Seihou Kamen Rider figures to feature pliable soft goods scarves - which went on to become a staple on the subsequent Showa Rider releases. The bendable wire running through them allows for far more option and realism when it comes to posing them, making V3 the perfect package when it comes to looks.

The Legendary Showa Masked Riders Edition revitalises the Shinkocchou Seihou figure with a reworked colour scheme featuring brighter shades of green, red and white. Whilst the colours of the helmet have remained largely the same, the Legendary Showa version sports brighter green compound eyes to match the rest of the costume. Despite being a pretty subtle change in the grand scheme of things, it's still substantial enough to be immediately noticeable - particularly the red which is now a very bright shade compared to the original's muted tones. But which one is more screen accurate? Whilst the brighter colours of the Legendary Showa version feel truer to V3's later crossover appearances (which feel like what these editions are trying to emulate most), the original's paler colouring feels a better match to how V3 appeared in his own series when also taking the overall look of a 1973 television show into account. But then again, certain promotional images from around that time also have the brighter costume so it's hard to say one is more accurate than the other. So really it's entirely up to the buyer which one they think is best - they both have their merits, and it's nice that Bandai have been able to cover these different bases between the two releases.

With any changes between the two versions (at least as far as the core figure is concerned) being purely cosmetic the articulation remains unchanged from the original release, which still stands as a particularly good offering from the Shinkocchou Seihou line. Altogether V3 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

Like the Double Riders before him, V3 also has articulated breastplate pieces to give the arms a little bit of extra leeway when moving them forwards. As per the previous version of the figure, the raised sculpting of the shoulder pieces can make getting him into certain poses a little tricky at first (most notably his signature V-sign pose), but it does get easier with a little bit of practice. There's still all that great leg articulation here too, which has actually been enhanced in some ways thanks to one of the newly added accessories. Perfect for signature poses, Showa era style grandstanding, somersaults and of course Rider kicks - V3 gives Rider fans everything they could need from a poseable figure.

All of the accessories from the previous version have been carried over to this one, which included a pair of replacement antennae, five pairs of alternate hands, the V3 Hopper and a replacement belt pouch without the Hopper stored. On top of all that the Legendary Showa Masked Riders Edition then adds a further five hands (two additional pairs and an additional right hand, giving V3 15 hands in total), two different pairs of replacement plastic scarves (one standard, the other windswept) and a replacement hip section with billowing jacket parts. Once again I find it both interesting and amusing that after the line made the hard switch to soft goods scarves it's now returning back to providing plastic ones for these new versions, but it's great that Bandai have given collectors the choice. Simply pop off the epaulettes and switch accordingly. The new add a new motorcycle-riding pair to go with the concurrently released Hurricane, as well as some other new hands to cover even more signature poses. The alternate hip section has also been included so that V3 can pull off a better bike-riding stance, but the raised jacket pieces also mean there's better movement in the hips for crouching poses as well. Everything else included here is just as it was in the original release - a pair of spare antennae to have in case of emergency, a nice selection of alternate hands and the V3 Hopper mini-satellite. Even though there's nothing especially extravagant here, that original array of accessories already covered all the bases off nicely - so getting even more this time around definitely helps justify that raise in price.

Rounding off the accessories is the new Kamen Rider V3-branded display base - a large black display base (big enough to showcase multiple figures) featuring V3's insignia in the centre in metallic red lettering. The base sports three Tamashii Stage sockets along the top, allowing you to pose the figure on his motorcycle or about to launch a Rider kick. Although the V3 insignia isn't quite as detailed or impressive as the Tachibana Racing Club emblem on Kamen Rider 1's display base, it still makes for a nice little extra and now regular inclusion on these Legendary Showa Masked Riders Edition releases.

With Bandai making the strange decision to make most of the Showa Riders web exclusive reissues like this are going to be many collectors' best bet at getting their hands on them if they missed out first time around, and S.H. Figuarts -Shinkocchou Seihou- Kamen Rider V3 (Legendary Showa Masked Riders Edition) feels like a good example of how to do such a reissue right. The new colour scheme is subtle yet substantial, offering fans a different interpretation of V3 without necessarily invalidating the old one. Similarly there's a nice assortment of new accessories on top of the old ones that definitely enhance the play value of the figure, but may not justify a repurchase for those that already own the original. Most importantly of all though, V3 is just a damn good figure - and the more people that get to experience it, the better.