Toybox REVIEW: S.H. Figuarts Kiba Ranger

I don't think there has been any S.H. Figuart I've been more excited for than this one (well, maybe Oh Red/Zeo Ranger V, but who knows when that will get made). Our final Akibaranger-related Super Sentai is a lot of things - a sixth hero, a Tamashii Web Exclusive and the first child hero in the franchise. Sentai fans will know him as Kou of Howling New Star aka Kiba Ranger from Gosei Sentai Dairanger, but more many he will always be Tommy Oliver the White Ranger from Mighty Morphin' Power Ranger. Regardless of who the character is to you it's the same figure, so here's the review!

In what is perhaps become a trend for future Tamashii Web Exclusive releases, Kiba Ranger is the first Super Sentai figure (excluding villains) to feature windowless packaging. While the front is a rather plain box with a picture of the figure, gold lettering and appropriate logos, the back naturally features a similar aesthetic to the previously released Ryu Ranger. The grey background features a rather nice tiger print, and the Akibaranger image isn't obtrusive from the rest of the design. Since there's no window the box does feature some rather nice spine images, and the figure is inside on a single plastic tray.

Meanwhile Bluefin's White Ranger release features standard window packaging more akin to what they've been doing with the other Mighty Morphin Power Rangers releases. You can see pics of that packaging HERE.

So here we have it - one of the most iconic Super Sentai designs on a worldwide scale. It's pretty impressive that despite being a Dairanger character the Kiba Ranger suit goes well enough with the Zyuranger suits for kids not to notice (as an adult it's a little more obvious). But enough nostalgia, let's talk about the figure itself! True to Kou's appearance in the show, Kiba Ranger is a slightly shorter than the usual Super Sentai body. Rather than be flat white, the figure has a really nice pearly white finish, which shines nicely against the matte black and gold accents on the suit.

Rather than have the shoulder articulation limited, the shoulder pads are both hinged and can be lifted up to accommodate any raised arm poses. While the broken shoulder pad look is technically inaccurate to the actual suit, it's far preferable to having the shoulders be able to do very little despite being capable of plenty. The usual array of Figuart articulation is all present and correct, including double jointed knees/elbows, swing-down hips, hinged toes and a ball-jointed neck, wrists and ankles.

Unfortunately, accessory count is where this guy really disappoints. In grand total we have four alternate hands, Byakkoshinken (or Sabba to Power Rangers fans) with an alternate extended blade and (if you're buying the Japanese release) an Akibaranger accessory. That's it. Initial disappointment aside, Byakkoshinken is really well detailed, and can be stored in the holster by taking apart the sword (as if you were changing the blades), and then slipping the pieces into it before reconnecting.

While admittedly there isn't a whole lot accessory-wise that Kiba Ranger could have come with, its the hands that are the biggest problem with this release. The two additional hands aren't identical (the right is a gripping hand that the left is splayed open) so Kou can't even hold the sword in either hand. Not to mention that there is PLENTY of potential for great hands with the character. He can't pull off the roll call pose, there's no cocky pointing hands, not even any hilarious groping hands. Considering the amount the other recently released Super Sentai figures have been coming with, this really feels like a half-hearted attempt. Of course you COULD use some of the other Super Sentai hands as a substitute, but thanks to the pearly finish they aren't going to be a perfect match either.

As you can see, Kiba Ranger fits comfortably in both a Dairanger and Power Rangers display. Though there is a bit of height discrepancy to keep the figure accurate to the character's appearance in Dairanger, this is easy to hide among the slightly taller Zyuranger figures with a bit of posing trickery. I'm sure many people will want to display the Green and White Rangers together, so you'll be pleased to know they look pretty spiffy side by side.

Of course if you've bought the Japanese release of the figure then you also have an added bonus in the form of an Akibaranger accessory - an Akibaranger logo badge for the chest to turn the character into (A)Kiba Ranger, the additional hero from Gosei Sentai Akibaranger who never saw fame thanks to the show's premature cancellation. Changing over the emblems may seem like an impossibly difficult thing to do at first because there isn't any space to pry them out, but its actually pretty simple. All you need to do is press down on the right-hand side (the figure's left) and the piece should just pop out with ease.

The White Ranger is my childhood hero, and this S.H. Figuarts release certainly does the character justice. The sculpt is superb, the pearly white finish lovely and the "shield" implemented in a nice way that it's actually part of the figure and not done like the Green Ranger shield. However simply because of the horrific accessory count, I refuse to call Kiba Ranger a perfect release. They could have easily thrown a few more hands in with this guy, and foreign buyers are clearly going to be getting a lot less while paying more (unless you in the US and buying the Bluefin release, but then no Akiba piece for you!). Make no mistake this is a wonderful figure and absolutely deserving of being in anyone's Super Sentai and Power Rangers collection, but with how good Sentai Figuarts lately I have to draw the line on perfection somewhere.

Toybox REVIEW: S.H. Figuarts Hurricane Red

The last of the Akibaranger tie-in S.H. Figuarts releases takes things out of the 90s and moves us forward to a series that this year celebrated its 10th anniversary. After brief visits to the 16th and 17th Super Sentai shows its time to revisit the 26th - Ninpuu Sentai Hurricaneger and Hurricane Red. Hurricane Red is the only Hurricaneger to be receiving mass release in Japan, with Blue, Yellow and the Gouraigers following as web exclusives in December/January (Shurikenger is still unannounced). This figure has also been released in America by Bluefin under the Power Rangers Ninja Storm banner, with an alternate box that displays "Red Wind Ranger" instead.

Figuarts boxes have been getting pretty good lately, but there's a few things about Hurricane Red's box that I especially like. Firstly the siler/red combo works exceedingly well, just like the silver arms on the suit itself. The little shuriken icons add a little more "ninja" to the mix, and the back is laid out really nicely (with the Akibaranger window not clashing for once!). Finally, special praise has to go for the use of the Hurricaneger wind logo which even makes its way onto the inside backing card! It's not very often we see themed backing cards on a Figuarts release, and I for one welcome it on more in the future.

While the Hurricanger suits may be predominantly one colour, there's a notable amount of bands and decoration to break up the solid red. Most importantly are the silver arms, which are nicely textured to replicate the mesh material of the actual suits. On top of that there's plenty of gold and black, as well as the striking white symbol on the chest. The Hurricane Gyro looks absolutely fantastic for something at such a small scale, and the Hawk symbol on the helmet has a level of detail that even puts Zyuranger's bucklers to shame.

The articulation is the usual fare for a Super Sentai Figuart, but just how much more manageable the shoulder joints have become in recent toys makes the lack of a bicep swivel far less of a drawback. The separate pieces merge into the torso well enough to make it feel like a single piece of clothing, while the double joints and swing down hips are just as perfect as ever. The back of the figure has a small hold to peg the sword sheath into, and the sheath itself has a removable hilt should you want to keep it there while using the sword for extra accuracy.

The highly impressive accessory count of Ryu Ranger is a tough act to follow, but Hurricane Red certainly doesn't do badly in this department either. In total we have 13 hands, the portable ninja sword Hayatemaru (both sheathed and unsheathed) and finally Red's personal weapon - the Dry Gun (which looks pretty damn good for a gun based off of a hair dryer). Hurricane Red's hands are particularly good because there are quite a lot of unique ones such as ninja gesture hands and widened open palms. The accessory count isn't perfect however - the most notable absence is the Hayatemaru in combined gun formation, but a red parasol to recreate that iconic roll call wouldn't have gone amiss either.

And of course, last but not least there's the figure's special Akibaranger bonus - although this is probably the most lackluster one of season two. Included is a snap on Shurikenger vest which Akiba Yellow makes in an attempt to help Hurricane Red remember who he is. It doesn't appear in the show for very long, and doesn't quite have the same effect the Powerful Ranger or China Red parts do. Still, it's a nice little bonus for fans of Akibaranger (note: this is not included in the Ninja Storm release of the figure).

Hurricane Red is the first Super Sentai figure I've bought that I had almost zero attachment going into. With Hurricaneger mostly unsubbed (I haven't resorted to HK subs yet) and Ninja Storm my least favourite Power Rangers season, I can't honestly say I was looking forward to him as much as the Zyurangers of Ryu Ranger. However credit where credit is due, Bandai have absolutely knocked it out of the park once again with this figure. The sculpt and finish are fantastic, there's a great selection of hands and an acceptable (if slightly incomplete) accessory count. I'm enjoying this figure so much I'm suddenly tempted to collect the rest of the team to go with it. It's a shame that this is the last of the Akibaranger tie-ins, because these last four have undoubtedly been the finest Super Sentai figures in the S.H. Figuarts line.

Toybox REVIEW: S.H. Figuarts Ryu Ranger

With Zyuranger now safely covered until the remaining four members (plus power up form) are released, it's time to move on to the next series we saw in Akibaranger...which funnily enough is also the next Super Sentai show chronologically. Representing Gosei Sentai Dairanger we finally have Ryo of the Heavenly Fire Star, aka Ryu Ranger, available in S.H. Figuarts form. Power Rangers fans will note that these are the only post-Zyuranger costumes to not have appeared in the show (save for Kiba Ranger), as only the mecha footage was adapted. However if the trailers are anything to go by, these costumes may finally be appearing in the forthcoming Power Rangers Super Megaforce.

Admittedly I feel the packaging is a little on the boring side, but it's very in-keeping with the early nineties look of the show. It's mostly muted-red colourscheme is decorated by gold lettering and images of the figure, the spines opting for black-outline designs. The back is perhaps the best part, it it features a Chinese dragon drawing as the background for the obligatory "various poses" images. Due to the sheer amount (and size) of accessories Ryu Ranger comes with, the insides features two plastic trays.

As far as costume design goes, Ryu Ranger could easily be a dud. Despite being a predominately red suit with gold highlights, its broken up by an entirely white torso with a multicoloured badge logo. On paper that sounds pretty ridiculous, but as you can see in execution it actually looks rather lovely.  The gold highlighting is great, but particularly pops on the helmet where it has the black visor and silver mouthplate to work against too. The articulation is what you'd come to expect of a typical Super Sentai Figuart (i.e. very very good), but there is a little mould change worth talking about. While the shoulder joint remains the same, the plastic covering is noticeably bigger, matching the baggier shoulder parts of the Dairanger costume. It doesn't photo very well and looks a bit off, but in person it looks much better and actually works better than the standard shoulder. It rolls around the joint much easier, and the enlarged size actually makes it look all the more convincing.

An additional deco worth praising is the tampographed Dairanger logo on the right holster, which could easily be missed if you aren't paying close attention.

So earlier I mentioned that the box contents actually came on two trays. Why's that? Because Ryu Ranger includes a REALLY impressive array of weapons and accessories. Altogether we have 14 alternate hands, 2 Star Swords (full-sized and holstered), 2 Star Cutters (full-sized and holstered), Dai Buster, bladed Dairen Rod and finally his two Dairinken . That's a grand total of EIGHT weapons to play around with. The only minor gripe would be the lack of detachable blade on the Dairen Rod, and it was often used without it. Still, it's hard to complain when you can pull off this much variation when having fun with your Ryu Ranger.

Of course being an Akibaranger release that also means bonus accessories! What's even better is that Ryu Ranger's are a little more substantial than the ones included with Dragon and Tyranno Ranger. After the Akibarangers mysteriously become an official Super Sentai series at the beginning of season two, Gosei Sentai Dairanger is shunted off to the depths of obscurity - becoming restaurant mascots China Sentai Chinaman! Included in an alternate China Red head, featuring the painted on eyes also seen in the original Dairanger concept art, and a different badge for the vest. The badge perhaps wins the award for smallest Figuarts accessory yet, with Bandai even taping it inside the packaging to make sure it doesn't get lost. For fans of Akibaranger these are some really great bonuses and the kind of thing that would make you buy the figure even if you haven't seen Dairanger...or just buy him twice I suppose.

S.H. Figuarts are REALLY spoiling us Super Sentai fans lately. I thought the Zyuranger figures were near-perfect, but then Ryu Ranger came along and set a new standard for the line. In reality, other than your preference of suit/series the only thing better on the figure itself is the shoulders, and unfortunately that's probably not something that can be incorporated into other Sentai heroes. What REALLY makes this package is the superb amount of accessories, which is something making it really special for both Dairanger and Akibaranger fans alike.

Funny, I had absolutely no intention of getting all six Dairangers but after handling this guy I'm REALLY eager to see how the remaining five turn out. Guess we'll find out with Kibaranger incoming at the end of September!