Going back to what I know best... Import toys!
This time I am doing an S.I.C figure from Bandai.
History:
S.I.C
"The S.I.C. product line is made up of 1/10-scale action figures (typical height is 7"/18 cm). The line debuted in December 1998 with its first figure, Volume 01: Kikaider. Popularity grew for S.I.C. due to its reimagination of the original comic book character. S.I.C. pays homage to the late Ishinomori Shotaro. The designs of S.I.C. reinterprets the original artwork by Ishinomori. The first ten volumes were only statuettes that were mounted on a stand but Volume 11: Side Machine and Kikaider marked a milestone for S.I.C. The figure was given very articulate joints because this set included a figure and a bike."
Kame Rider Kiva
"Twenty-two years after the disappearance of his father, Wataru Kurenai lives in an infamous "haunted house" where he is destined as Kamen Rider Kiva to fight life-draining monsters called Fangires, the very race his father fought years ago before his disappearance. Wataru must also deal with Kamen Rider Ixa who is part of an organization seeking to destroy the Fangire menace, as well as the Fangires' own Rider, Kamen Rider Saga. The story is split between the actions of Wataru in the present (2008–09) and his father Otoya in the past (1986–87), slowly revealing the link between the Fangire Race and Kiva."
Package:
Nothing special really. I do like the nice big window on the front, displaying everything included. The pictures on the back do the figure justice. Its nice that its not artwork and all images of the figure as well.
A pretty good amount of accessories, but not overwhelming. You have is violin, Bloody Rose, the violin bow, Kiva (the small bat) with no mouth, the full Kiva (to hold), the chrome Kiva, six hands, two wings for his Rider Kick, and six Fuestles, small whistles he uses to change between forms, do his Rider Kick, or call Castle Doran. He can hold all the Fuestles on his belt, each with a small peg. I would of liked to see some of the weapons for his different forms or at least the statuette of them you see through out the show.
Articulation:
This is one of the strong point for this line of figures. You can tell her has double elbow joins but he also has double knee joints, ball joint neck and single joint legs and shoulders, and both ankles are jointed as well. His hands are on hinge join pegs, so they can move up and down as well as left and right. His shoulder pads are the main issue with movement. They don't very much, so you can't get full range of motion with his arms because of them.
Size: This figures is big! He stands at over 7" tall making him about 1/10 scale. I don't mind the size, but I can see why some people may have an issue.
Extra: This figure has some cool features to it. The shoulder pads, bracelets, knees, right leg covering and all the chains you see are all die-cast. This does add some weight, but he stands very well with out any helps. Kivat is able to hold the Fuestles in its mouth to reenact scenes from the show. Kiva can also be posed to preforms his Rider Kick. To be able to do this, you have to remove the covering from his right leg and attach the wings to his leg. He can also hold and pose with his violin, one of the main reasons I wanted this figure for so long.
Overall I am very happy with this figure. It does have its downfalls, but I can get over them. Its such a great looking figure and has just about everything I would hope for. If your a fan of the show or a S.I.C collector, I would recommend picking this up.
Hope you enjoyed this review and it was helpful.
Leave a comment if you have any questions and ill get back to you as soon as I can.