Friday, March 25, 2011

Horny Boy Toy: S.H.Figuarts Kamen Rider Double CycloneJokerXtreme

Kamen Rider W was one of the more unique entries in the Heisei-era line of Kamen Rider shows based solely on the fact that the titular Rider was made up of two guys in one body. The fact that they look like girly men (though this seems to be the recurring trend in tokusatsu shows in recent memory) doesn't help in quelling the yaoi-undertones but both leads turn-out to be badasses in their own right despite their questionable fashion sense (hair clips?) and half-boiled (I sure hope it ain't the balls) decision making. However, once you go past all of those eccentricities, Kamen Rider W is in my opinion, one of the best Heisei-era series (and Riders) ever made.

Kamen Rider Double CycloneJokerXtreme

The S.H.Figuarts toy line has already been a staple (cash cow) when it comes to Rider merchandise and W is no exception with all his different forms accessed through USB-like devices called Gaia Memories. Kamen Rider Double CycloneJokerXtreme (CJX for short) is Double's ultimate form (in the TV series since a Gold version pops out in two movies) acquired through the use of the Xtreme Memory which attaches itself to the Double Driver. The Xtreme Memory allows Philip's (clip boy) and Shotaro's (half-boiled boy) bodies to merge into one (I can almost hear the fan girls scream).

"XTREMEEE!!!"

As for the toy itself, one thing to note about the SHF CJX is that it's... skinny, at least compared to the CJX on the show which was quite bulky. It's obvious Bandai has been reusing the SHF molds for their W line-up and while the bodies themselves have excellent articulation and build quality (especially when compared to the OOO ones), not all forms of Double (or even the other characters) go well with them. Nonetheless, articulation-wise, CJX is quite poseable and all of the signature moves in the show are easily replicated.

"Prism Bicker!"

CJX comes with his signature weapon, the Prism Bicker which is kinda' like a shield with a sword that's not quite as long as a sword. There's nothing special about the Prism Bicker accessory and a better paint job on the inserted Gaia Memories on the shield would've been nice, but at a scale this small, it's understandable.

Design-wise, CJX is a hit-or-miss for most, considering he's not exactly the coolest looking Rider out there. The head looks like a rip-off of NEW Den-O's Vega Form and the X and W motif is a bit distracting and off-putting for most people. The silver banding (supposedly with glitters but the toy doesn't have those so -1 for accuracy) down the middle is called the Crystal Server and is a link that connects Double to the Earth's knowledge bank (or whatever that's called), but apparently the suit designers weren't using their own knowledge banks when they slapped it right on the middle of Double.

The ankle joints are much much better than that of the OOO line (yeah, blame the shit economy for cost cutting), particularly since they didn't use ball-joints for Double. In fact, pre-OOO, the ankles of the S.H.Figuarts toy line were one of the best, if not the best, ones in the articulated figure world since they offered greater mobility and stability than the usual joints found in other competing products. It's quite hard to explain the complex mechanism of the ankles but it's easy to say that the mix of die-cast materials and the ingenious design allow for unmatched flexibility while retaining a solid feel.

"Bicker Charge Break!"

"Double Prism Xtreme!!!"

So is CJX a worth it buy? Personally, I'd recommend getting the basic CycloneJoker version if you're not into the design of CJX. The proportions of CJX are also less accurate because of the lack of bulk, but other than that, you're still getting a quality toy with excellent poseability and play value. Being Double's perfect form, it's also a good investment if you're planning on recreating some of the defining scenes of the show (e.g epic final battle against Utopia Dopant). Overall, CJX, despite its numerous flaws, is still a nice, if unspectacular, figure to have (it also helps that it's going for a relatively cheaper price compared to other SHFs).

"Saa, omae no tsumi o kazoero!"

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