Review – Project BM! 12″ Masked Rider No. 2 The First

Here’s a gem of a figure right out of the popular tokusatsu Japanese genre. Toku… what? Tokusatsu refers to live action films notably from the Japanese film industry. But the term is most popular for referring to monster and superhero driven movies such as Godzilla, Ultraman and Kamen Riders. And Masked Rider No. 2 here is one of the characters out of the popular Kamen Riders franchise. In fact, here is a reboot of the foremost classic riders.

I would think that this long reigning franchise does have certain similarities with Star Wars. Since the release of the Prequels, 2 broad segments of fans have emerged. The older fans adamantly show preference to the Original Trilogy(OT) while the younger fans prefer the CG laden treatment and more ‘modern’ feel of the Prequels.

For Kamen Riders, there are the older fans who swear by the original riders. To them, the newer re-imagined Riders from the start of this millennium hardly measures up to the Showa era Riders. They find aesthetic beauty in the classic No. 1 and 2 riders(something I cannot appreciate. Find their chests weird.).

Then there are the younger fans who are weaned on names such as Kuuga, Faiz and Agito. Riders modeled after grasshoppers and other insects are probably too weird for them.

Nevertheless, both Kamen Riders and Star Wars are still around after decades and are re-imagining themselves to go the distance. Either way, it’s good news for their fans. I look forward to see what The Next has to offer!

On to the review!

 

Bottomline:

Both Masked Riders from The Next series looked awesome in the live action movie. Project BM’s Masked Rider The First No. 2 looks a perfect sculpting translation of the movie version to the 1/6 scale. The sheer beauty of this figure render the lack of accessories a non-issue. However, this figure is rather pricey if you compare quality to quality with other equally splendid comparison figures.

What’s good:

• Excellent sculpting.
• Well tailored costume.
• Good array of hands.
• Real looker!

What could be better:

• Pricey!

Review Details

Packaging

This piece that I obtained came shrink wrapped. Nice simple design for the box art. It’s effective in showing the figure we collectors are about to buy. There is a front flap secured by a small piece of velcro which when opened reveals a glimpse of the figure. The pictures of Masked rider No. 2 on the underside of the box flap provides the buyer some posing ideas.

 

The interior of the packaging is collector friendly – no twist ties or the need for a knife.

Headsculpt/Resemblance

This is probably the strongest point for Project BM’s Masked Rider No. 2. The sculpt of the green-while helmet is dead-on accurate. It looks perfect from every angle. It’s the main reason why I got this guy. The classic Masked Riders were not my cup of tea but these guys from The Next series really blew me away with their beauty!

The feelers for my No. 2 Rider came a little misaligned. The feeler on the left was somewhat pressed towards the right and I had to spend sometime nudging it left.

I wonder if Project BM will release a version with the alternate human heads in the future.

Quality of Product

Masked Rider No. 2 comes fully suited in faux leather. This suit looks splendidly tailored. It’s fitting and hugs the 1/6 body underneath well. There’s a zip at the front of the suit and it is largely covered by the green chest armour. The armour itself attaches firmly to the chest.

 

The Typhoon Henshin Belt is a good 1/6 replica of the belt seen in the movie. The red fan is encased at the heart of the belt. The belt is held with a single clasp at the back. One of the red jewel-like fittings on the belt fell out for my piece. Be careful when you handle the belt and be on a lookout if those little red pieces are still there!

The red scarf comes secured over the neck of the figure. I did find the material used for the scarf rather stiff. It defies gravity when you pull it to the Rider’s side.

BM Project’s Masked Rider is very well implemented. I have only praise and marvel for the finished product. Every part comes together making this figure a real looker!

While everything about this figure is rosy, it can be pretty dear. I would think the main reason would be the limited availability of these The First Masked Rider pair. Definitely not as readily available even for the niche Kamen Rider fans.

Stability

I’m rather neutral about this figure’s stability. Even in an upright position, it did not give me the impression that it’ll stand firmly when left alone. Maybe its cost factor did make me more anxious. Each pose did take me a while to adjust the figure to be stable. Something notable is that the boots are worn rather loose.

There is significant space between the boots and legs when you move the legs pivoting on the ankles side to side. While this pair of boots can be labeled as an ill-fitting implementation, it actually allows the ankle joints to move with greater freedom. This is unlike other 1/6 high boots that are rigid and are a tighter fit which severely limits the ankle articulation.

 

Accessories

Project BM’s Masked Rider No. 2 has the following accessories:

• Extra set of feelers
• A pair of open palm hands
• A pair of clenched fists

And… that’s really not a lot of accessories by today’s 1/6 standards. But when it comes to Masked Rider No. 2, you don’t need any gear if your kick is good enough to obliterate the enemy.

 

Anyway, all the hands are slot-on gloves much like the Marmit Star Wars range. This means that the body underneath does not have any hands. They are stubs up to the wrists. You will have to slot the gloves up onto the forearm. As such, there is no wrist articulation. Not a real problem since there are no swords to wield or guns to grip. And the hands are nicely sculpted making up for the lack of wrist articulation.