GE-28: Den-O Platform & Momotaros Imagin

Review… Sanjou!

I was going to go with my current format of reviewing by categories, but since we’re doing a review that involves Momotaros (the red one), I’ll start this off with a climax!

This set rocks. If you see it for an affordable price, buy it. For various reasons that we’ll get to now. First up, is:

Platform

Before I get into Platform, I’ll state that when I got this set, I was still a SHS newbie. I’m hardly a vet, even now. My first experience with SHS was with Kamen Rider Blade. Those figs were awesome, and I’m pretty sure the last SHS I bought prior to this set was Kamen Rider Blade’s “King Form”. So as you may imagine if you’re familiar with the series, my expectations were high.

Perhaps too high. I admit, I was disappointed with Platform initially, because I was expecting lots of die cast metal parts. I was expecting his body armor to be wearable die cast, instead, it was this plastic clip on armor. Oh sure, I knew that he couldn’t have had that much armor going for him, his design is very utilitarian for a modern Rider. Although it’s definitely one of my favorite designs. So I put Plaform aside and played with Momo. We’ll get to Momo in a bit, but playing with Momo made me realize the awesomeness of this set. I came back to Platform and lo and behold, yeah, Platform is da bomb.

Like I said, Platform’s one of my fave Rider designs. Its simplicity grants it sleekness. He looks good while obviously being a Rider. He’s almost old school. And while his armor might not be metal, at least he’s fairly well proportioned as a result of the thin plastic bits. He’s also got all the accessories you could reasonably ask for Platform. The only thing they could have added would have been a broom, and that’s just a total fanwank (In the pilot, Platform briefly wielded a broom. Despite only being on like, 3 seconds, the broom has affectionately come to be known as the “Rider Broom”).

He’s also articulated out the wazoo! The Den-O body type is a step up in most directions over previous SHS bodies. It only has one fatal weakness which is not at all a factor for Platform. Meaning Platform has no weaknesses at all. Okay, maybe the joints feel kinda soft, but they still work just fine. Platform, like Momotaros, is pretty much articulated in pretty much every place you could want. He’s got the double jointed knees and elbows. Neck, torso, wrists and ankles are all articulated. But the two points of note are the shoulders and the hips. The shoulders use a system similar to the double balljointed shoulders of the Motion Revive Series, but in addition, the outer balljoint is a hinged balljoint. So Platform can lift his arms out to the sides with little restriction. The hips are also of my fave variety. It’s balljointed on the hips, but there’s an additional joint right below. It’s not as well hidden on Platform as with Momotaros (where it blends seamlessly), but still, it’s a good hip system.

So overall, Plat-Form is good. He might not be flashy, but he’s a good toy regardless of your inclination.

Score: **** out of 5.

Momotaros

So that brings us to Momotaros. Obviously the star of this 2-pack. Personally, I’m glad we got a Momo/Ryotarou (Platform) set. Those two have always had great chemistry.

Personally, I would rate this as the definitive version of Momotaros. As of this writing, the Super Imaginative Chogokin version of Momotaros is already available in some places. But although the SIC style would have been perfect for Momo, from the pics that I saw, they decided to stylize his mask/face in a way that just seems… off, to me. The SIC version reminds me more of a stage/opera mask or one of those guardian dogs at temples. I would have been fine if they simply embellished the hideousness of the figure, as they’ve done with previous toys. There are of course, plenty of other articulated as well as barely/non-articulated versions of Momotaros that are more true to the TV version. But those give me the impression of a suit actor.

This Momotaros just feels like the real McCoy. They way he’s meant to look, while still maintaining show accuracy. I won’t go into much more detail, except to say that he’s got some nice detailing, he hides his ample articulation very well, and he’s appealing overall. Even if you’re not familiar with the Den-O series, Momo is definitely a great addition to anyone’s collection. I mean, let’s face it, he looks like the frickin’ devil! He’d make a great villain, or if you are familiar with Den-O, a great hero. As well as a display piece in general.

If Momo has any shortcomings, it has to do with his lack of accessories. If he had his sword, he would have been perfection incarnate in plastic. If he had his sword as well as a cup of coffee, he’d be beyond perfection.

It’s been said that Momo is the “missing link” between the Souchaku Henshin and the Figuarts line of toys. That certainly rings true, as like the Figuarts, he’s a standalone figure without wearable armor pieces. He might lack the toe articulation of the Figuarts, but he’s actually superior in terms of articulation as in addition to having extra hands, he does come with a set of hands with articulated fingers (a staple of the SHS line, but not Figuarts).

Score: ****3/4 out of 5.