Review: H.G.C.O.R.E. Kamen Rider Part 3

And now, Part 3, which saw a release back in August and is notable for being a sort of "Flashback" companion to the next set. Well, they both have a V3 in them, anyway.

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High Grade Collectionfigure Of Real Entertainment: Kamen Rider Part 3
In which we get something old, something new, and the Best. Riderman. Ever.

If you've read the reviews of the previous two H.G.C.O.R.E. sets, you know the drill by now. Clear eyes, improved detailing, chase figures. This time around, Bandai combined the "figure with optional parts" and the "variant 1/3 assortment thing" figures into one. Additionally, we got two related figures, one of whom is an old favorite and another of whom is a long-awaited villain, as well as the (then) fairly-new Rider, and some "Gallery" figures to round things off.


Kamen Rider V3

Like Rider 1 and Rider 2 before him, V3's seen a lot of Gachapon incarnations so far. At least 3 basic V3's, a "Rider Kick" version, and a "Gallery" version. Kazami Shirô even got a shot way back in Part 8 of the original High Grade Kamen Rider line. The most recent of these, from a set 30-something (which was also notable for featuring the "cutaway" Rider 1 and both versions of Kamen Rider Blade's enemy Cerberus) looked to basically be the definitive version of the character in this scale for a long time. It was just that good. In fact, I'd say that this latest one just barely manages to edge out that version. Just barely.

It's mostly down to the pose and details. While that V3 is in more of a "battle stance", the C.O.R.E. update is literally a new take on the very first HG V3 figure from way back in Part 1, in one of his famous poses. Also it's a bit of an odd pose, and looks to me sort of like V3's surfing (a trend which will continue in the next C.O.R.E. set.) It looks a bit strange from some angles, but from others, looks pretty cool, and when put next to the Riderman from this set, looks quite dynamic. As for details, the prior V3 was pretty revolutionary for including everything, and I mean everything— buckles on the boots and gloves, ridges on the hands, an actual sense of a real boot heel and not just a big chunk of plastic, etc. This version includes all that, plus new upgrades like seperately-molded scarf pieces and clear eyes. So I think we all know who wins out in the end.

Another thing I love about this V3 is that his hands are painted just a slight shade of grey. This is true to the actual costume, where the hands tended to get a little darker than the rest of the glove due to all that punchin' and stuff, so good job there, painter guys.

So best V3 yet.? Tough call, as the last normal HG one was pretty good too. Compared to the figure below, which is pretty much a clean sweep, this one's actually a tough call. Still, considering it looks like we're getting all the old Riders in new C.O.R.E. versions, this is one to add to the pile of "good updates that should last us a while."


Riderman

Awwww, yeah. Now this is what I'm talking about. Our prior three HG Ridermen were good, with the rather clunky original (with Rope Arm), the improved one (with Power Arm) and the "Gallery" one, which is just in a neutral stance and has a regular, silver-gloved arm.

But this guy? He blows them all away. But before we dive into that, let's cover the really important thing. There's 3 versions of this figure, which are identical save for they include a different alternate arm. All three come with the silver-gloved arm seen here, as well as one of Riderman's Attachment Arms, those being 1) Rope Arm (Hook), 2) Rope Arm (Sickle), and 3) Power Arm. You have equal chance of getting any of the arms, and I've managed to get all three a few times over.


Shown here is the hook-type Rope Arm. So there's the interchangeable aspect to it. Simple enough, right?

Now let's get to what I love about this figure. The pose is great, an iconic Riderman stance that looks good with any of the arm variations. We get seperately-molded scarf & even ches armor pieces, which looks great upon close inspection. The details on the rest of the suit, the boots and the belt are great too. This figure has some of the most detailed belt pouches of any Riderman toy ever.

And then there's the head. The clear eyes work as well as they have on the other Riders thus far, and even better, the helmet and the face below are seperate pieces. This means that the edge of the helmet sort of covers his nose like the real thing, but you still get the sense of it being a helmet and not one big piece of plastic. This is a really awesome touch and shows just how far we've come since the first Riderman figure.

So yeah, I'm calling this the Best. Riderman. Ever. I see no need for an update anytime soon unless it's an Action Pose figure or includes more arms, or something. Because Bandai really outdid themselves here. Riderman fans, you're gonna want this.


Zariganna

Fittingly, in a set which features both V3 & Riderman, why not feature one of their most famous foes? While this means we go Shocker Kaijin-less for a set, what we do get more than makes up for it. Zariganna, Marshal Armor's mutant alterego from the final two episodes, sees his first incarnation in plastic in a long time. I'm pretty sure the last one was a bottlecap figure!

There is one notable thing missing from this figure though, and that's the big 'ol shell he's seen wearing on his back in most pictures. And you might remember him having it in the show itself, when he used it like a folding chair and bashed Riderman over the head, and later when he broke it up into chunks and threw them at V3 like a lot of people back in 2000 did when they broke their Playstations into chunks and threw them at the TV when they couldn't figure out how to unlock that "Breakout"-style minigame in the Kamen Rider V3 PSX game.

To their credit, Bandai did address this issue, citing that this is the "first appearance" version. As yes, if you go back and watch episode #51, the first time Zariganna appears, he's without his big shell. So I guess that sorta covers their asses gives me hope for another versions some day.

As it is though, I can't really complain. I mean, it's Zariganna! And as the saying goes, some Zariganna is better than no Zariganna.

Okay, I just made that up.


Kamen Rider Zeronos (Altair Form)

Hey, now this is different: a kneeling/crouching figure. We get them every once in a while. Rising Pegasus Kuuga and TheBee Rider Form have yet to gain standing versions, but we already know a standing Action Pose version of this guy is on the way, so this is a pretty neat little figure as it is.

The pose is dynamic, the details and clear eye/mask parts are all there, and even better, the crossbow weapon is removable. This is a pretty cool feature, as the next review will show...


Kamen Rider Den-O Sword Form

Remember what I said about there being a Sword Form in this set? Well, here he is! In "Gallery Form" no less. And along with...







Kamen Rider Den-O (Gun Form)

...they complete the 4 main Den-O incarnations. They look quite spiffy altogether. Gun Form, like Axe Form, doesn't use any clear plastic for the mask. But Sword Form, like Rod Form, does. And both of these guys have the detachable Den-Gasher parts seen in their Part 2 compadres.

So that's 3 sets down the tube. Part 4 will come soon, but first, a foray into Action Pose territory, as we got one of those between the release of C.O.R.E. 3 & 4.

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Bonus:

The alternate ad/insert for this set, featuring Zeronos as the main selling point.