Review: S.H.Figuarts Shinken Red

My Sony DSL is currently down so I had no choice but to use my backup camera. Doesn’t make a difference though, not as if I am gonna produce any good pictures anyway? *shrug*

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封印させない、御前を倒す！

ショドウフォン、一筆奏上!

＊火＊

シンケンレッド、志葉 丈瑠！参る！

The early stage of Shiba Takeru was atrocious. He is a very self centered red ranger whom I really feel like punching if given the chance. What’s with the “OMG I am the red ranger, I have to fight the battles all by myself!” theme? This has been overused and old habits sure are hard to die, I guess. But I came to like this character as days go by simply because even though he isn’t as “up there” as I thought he would be, especially so when Shiba Kaoru came by and he was found out to be the “pirated red ranger” that kind of stuff, yet despite all the odds I will still prefer him to be the destined one.

First Impression

A well anticipated release, I supposed. When I first saw this, I love the color finishing, especially the red color chosen for the entire body. It kind of reflects the light, giving the figurine an extra very hard-to-explain glow. It works when you put it under yellow light. And the best part is this is a normal release!

The Head

The eye guard on the helmet forms a kranji, meaning ‘fire’. I love the design simply because it fits nicely. The head is sculpted closely to that from the show, being rounded. The black color used to fill the eye guard is shiny black, allowing little light to be reflected, giving the eyes a very special effect. Try staring into it and you will know what I meant.

I can’t help it… It looks like moustache! AHAHAHA~

The Body

The body looks a little bit skinny. Probably because of the way the shoulder articulation is being designed, I find it weird looking. But I like the Samurai Logo located on the left side of the chest area. It is actually painted on. Whoever done this really deserve a good praise.

Yet I feel that the whole body looks choppy. It seems to me that everything is in segments and doesn’t look like a whole.

The Belt

Except that it doesn’t open up, I really like the way it is being done because of the detailing. However, I really hoped that the gold color can be brighter. That would be perfect!

The Shodophone pouch located at the right side of the belt looks surprisingly nice. I am actually quite happy that Tamashii is willing to put in so much effort to a detail as small as this!

The Samurai Logo is so small yet it is sharp and clear. The pouch looks leathery because of the sculpting contrast between the black and the red area. And the phone resting inside the pouch marvelously tells you that Shodophone is a flip phone.

Shinkenmaru rests quietly at the left side of the belt. I find the length of the blade just nice. The sculpting of the sword is really very detailed and it is separable from the holster. And the best part is, you can play around with the Shishi Disc as it is detachable from Shinkenmaru!

The only sad thing is that it can’t spin…

The Upper Limb

As I’ve mentioned earlier, the design of the shoulder articulation may put you off but that’s the initial part. I have played around the figurine long enough to find out why Tamashii settled down with this design and here are the few reasons I can think of.

A samurai holds the sword near to its body, and to achieve that, the shoulder must provide and inwards articulation. And that’s probably a strong argument point when the figurine starts to hold the Rekka Daizanto with the given correct articulation and balance.

The Leg

I feel that the thighs look a little bit feminine while the calves looks just nice. And just like any other release, the articulation existing all the way from the hip to the legs grants this figurine a wide range of posing ability.

I like the cloth crisp detailing which you can spot at the boots. A plus point because it adds on to the feel of the entire leg so that it doesn’t look out of place no matter how you put it.

The Accessories

This release comes with a very pleasing number of accessories:
1. A pair of weapon holding hands.
2. One right hard for holding Rekka Daizanto.
3. One right hand for holding Emblem.
4. One right hand for holding Shodophone.
5. A pair of clenching hands.
6. A pair of relaxed hands.
7. One (super tiny) Shishi Origami.
8. One Emblem.
9. One Shodophone.
10. One Shinkenmaru.
11. One Rekka Daizanto.

*Do note that the right hand for holding Shinkenmaru and left relaxed hand is currently used on the figurine.

Just want to share something…

When I first saw the right hand which is meant to hold Rekka Daizanto, I was puzzled simply because I thought it was an extra hand and didn’t know what to do with it. If you notice Rekka Daizanto, it has a black trigger at the hilt (if you recall that Rekka Daizanto can be transformed into Ozutsu Mode, which is the gun mode), and that is what the hand is used for.

And also the right hand given to hold the super tiny Shishi Origami which I will introduce later, Tamashii is really making us spend our money willingly.

How nice of Tamashii!

Before I say anything about how disfigured my emblem is (which I just did, sorry), I just want to say that it is a good job done getting such a small piece of emblem nicely done. It couldn’t have been done better just that I hope mine could have been through a rather more thorough quality check.

And yes, I always find this pose cool! Lets flood the monsters with all the kranji characters I have yet to master! Ippitsu Shojo!

Rekka Daizanto is so beautifully sculpted! The only thing you may want to ask for more is probably the Ozutsu Mode which is sadly not included in this release despite having more airing time as compared. Posing wise, you have got to be careful because the blade is obviously heavier than the hilt and guess where all the weight goes to. And here, I prefer to use the hands meant to hold the Shinkenmaru so that Rekka Daizanto is more secure.

And the Shishi disc is detachable…

And maybe you want to let it rest on the shoulder so that it is more stable.

The Shishi Origami is so small and looks exactly similar to that from the TV series! It makes me wonder how Tamashii even does that! So small and yet so detailed. Oh yes, it has articulation at the front legs, mimicking that from the show. Cute!

Conclusion

Shinken Red is a very solid release. As a huge fan of Shinkenger, I have embark on a journey of no return to collect them all. By owning this release, it makes me happy and I couldn’t ask for more. I do hope that Tamashii comes out with Rekka Daizanto Ozutsu Mode so that it feels more complete. Nevertheless, I find my money worth spent.

Time to feed the dog! Thank you for reading 😀

~Tulcus