Release Date: October 2021 RRP: 8250 yen When a brand new Shinkocchou Seihou rendition of Kamen Rider Black was announced for release in 2021, no one should have been surprised to see that his brother Noboyuki wasn't far behind. S.H. Figuarts -Shinkocchou Seihou- Shadow Moon is the third release of the character from Bandai Tamashii Nations (none of which have been web exclusive), further cementing his place as one of the most iconic Kamen Rider villains of all time. But with Shinkocchou Seihou Kamen Rider Black proving to be quite the controversial talking point amongst collectors, is Shadow Moon plagued with the same problems or another winner for S.H. Figuarts' premium sub-line?

These days my favourite months of the year are always the ones that bring along a new box of 66 Action candy toys . With the Ultraman selection strangely quiet at the moment (there's been no new announcements since wave 2 hit a few months back, so hopefully something come forth once Ultraman X hits screens), the series that started this wonderful little line is back for its sixth wave. This time the selection of Kamen Riders   Bandai have on offer include Kamen Rider Mach, Kamen Rider Accel, Kamen Rider Kuuga and Shadow Moon.

With a brand new Kamen Rider Black and a brand new Battle Hopper , it would be wrong not to have a Shadow Moon figure on the market at the same time. The second Century King, stepbrother to Black himself and villain of the show - Shadow Moon is the result of Gorgom's successful brainwashing. Having received a figure back in 2011, Shadow Moon wasn't desperately in need of a renewal like his counterpart and so Bandai have instead settled for a reissue. So without further ado let's take a look at one of the most popular villains in the Kamen Rider franchise. Once upon a time Figuarts boxes weren't all that interesting, and the standard was a silver foil box with black lettering and a picture of the character (rather than of the toy itself). Despite not being a REALLY old figure, Shadow Moon still follows this pattern and given his colourscheme it kinda works. It's nice reflective box but MISB collectors should be warned that the foil finish comes off qu...

Over the past 42 years there have been 24 Kamen Rider  series alongside movies, specials and more. However there are few that have a reputation like Kamen Rider Black does. This 1987 series is currently the ONLY Rider series to have had a direct sequel continuing with the same protagonist is often cited as one of the best that both the Showa era and franchise as a whole have to offer. 26 years later, does Kamen Rider Black still live up to these expectations? The show that DIDN'T become Saban's Masked Rider Just like the original Kamen Rider  series, Black continues the tradition of our hero being an augmented human originally created for evil. However telling the same story all over again would be boring so there's quite a different angle to it. On the night of their 19th birthday, stepbrothers Kotaro Minami and Nobuhiko Akizuki are kidnapped by the evil Gorgom cult. The two are considered to be the "Century Kings" and subject to cybernetic surgery - w...