So here they are, literally minutes after being freed from their plastic & twisty-tie prison, it's S.I.C. Volume 42: Kamen Rider Den-O Sword Form & Momotaros Imagin in all their plastic and metal glory.

As most know by know we're going to be in for a flood of Den-O-related S.I.C. figures in the near future, with a Gun Form/Ryuutaros two-pack coming our way in September. Rod Form & Axe Form (also in a two-pack, currently "Limited" and only through third-party sellers online here in Japan) are due as well, and Zeronos has recently been confirmed. The latter will doubtless feature Deneb in some shape or form. And even though there's been no word about them, Urataros & Kintaros have to be made in some capacity. I mean come on. It's the Imagin; they'll find a way to do them all. If not in general release form than at least exclusives. It'll happen some day, trust me. And beyond that... well, let's not get ahead of ourselves here.
Obviously, the biggest, most important S.I.C. release of 2008 (and possibly all time) that I was waiting for already happened back in early June, but that's for another long-overdue review. This set, which I also greatly anticipated, just hit shelves this past weekend, and as is fairly normal for S.I.C. releases lately, it does not disappoint.
I'm not going to dwell very long on the politics surrounding Den-O lately other than to say that yes, Den-O is still extremely popular, and yes, there will be a lot more Den-O stuff in the foreseeable future, so either eat it up or just try to deal with it. However, I don't think the release of this set necessarily has anything to do with any of that; apart from how quickly we got it (compared to how long Blade fans had to wait for their S.I.C. figures, or more recently, how long X-Rider fans have had to wait!) Den-O & company would have gotten the S.I.C. treatment sooner or later; the fact that it happened in the same year that the show ended ain't too bad (but isn't entirely unprecedented either.) And no, I'm not going to comment on the possibility of a third movie right now other than to say I've read and seen things... good things...
S.I.C. figures have gotten to the point where if you "get" the basic deal with them, they invariably all turn out pretty awesome. What I mean is, if you can overlook the stylistic changes being made to the characters. For more show-accurate versions, there's things like the Project B!M figures and to a degree SĂ´chaku-Henshin & FiguArts, but with these guys, there is always a certain degree of artistic license taken. At the least, it means they lean more towards their comic or production art designs, but with the sensibilities of a real 3D costume over a 2D drawing. At the most, it means they look like they've been put through a blender, set on fire, punched in the face repeatedly, etc., but somehow still come out looking like who they should. Mostly.
In this case, we have Sword Form looking a bit grittier and rougher than the more fantastical look of the real deal. This is a Den-O with visible rivets and intricate etching, looking more like a handcrafted suit in places and yet still resembling the actual costume where it counts. I mean, you can tell who it is no problem, and all the key elements are still there. One thing I discovered just now (literally as a I type this) is that he's even a bit asymmetrical; the wrist armor is slightly different on one arm. Huh. Momotaros on the other hand pretty much looks like Momotaros, with the main difference being that he appears a bit meaner and tougher-looking. Maybe it's just the shorter horns and rounder head, but at the end of the day he still looks like you'll expect him to look.
There's some neat new details that only S.I.C. would try to get away with. The clear flip-down pads on Sword Form's legs covering the "thigh armor" are a cool idea and an easy way to keep secure parts which would otherwise probably fall off somehow. Momotaros has a lot of semi-translucent red plastic being used for his "armor", and it looks great.
Highly poseable, the joint system for these guys makes use of the innovations seen with the recent S.I.C. Agito & Machine Tornader. The swappable hands plug in and out of the wrist sockets with ease, and all the other joints on my samples are tight and sturdy. And there's so much going on with just the feet and legs that standing shouldn't be a problem, and they can do pretty much all the important poses you'd want them to do. I currently have Den-O doing the "Ore Sanjou!" pose, and Momo with his big sword resting on one shoulder.
As for the accessories, well... S.I.C. figures have always scored high in this area, even back when they were just mostly unmoving statues. So there's plenty to mess around with here. The crown jewel of the set has to be the Den-Gassher, which as the early pics showed is assembled from the various parts (which can be stored on the sides of the belt) to make the all-important sword. There's even a detachable blade so it can either have the big red blade (which detaches when used for the famous killing moves) or the smaller silver one seen when the Gassher is in pieces and stored on the belt.
And yes, the parts can be arranged to make the Rod Mode & Axe Mode of the weapon, or at least how they appear before they magically change size and all that. Gun Mode also works, sorta, although the diagonally-positioned handle doesn't really have a clean place to plug into. I guess if you messed about with it you could come up with something, but I'm thinking that when Gun Form comes out the pieces for the Den-Gassher will be slightly retooled.
There's also a Rider Pass, extra parts to turn Sword Form into Plat Form, and for Momo, his beloved coffee mug & saucer (with one of Naomi's special concoctions, natch) as well as his own big 'ol sword, known apparently as the Momotarosword. Haha.
Of course, a late-breaking bit of news concerning this set was that Bandai would also include a diecast version of the sword, and sure enough, they did. I believe this is an offer limited only to the original production run of figures, so chances are if you want to get these guys in a few years, they might not include the metal sword, so if you think you want them, get 'em now and play it safe. The unpainted sword comes in its own package with an S.I.C. 2008 catalogue showing a few of the other upcoming goodies (re-releases or otherwise) for the remainder of the year.
Lastly, there's the requisite bunch of extra hands. You get all the essentials (closed fists, open, gripping) plus some neat specific ones such as a thumb's up for Sword Form (it's for pointing at himself for the "Ore Sanjou!" pose, of course.) And Momotaros has a great one for daintily drinking his coffee like the big lovable lug that he is.
So all in all, a pretty good set and a clear sign of things to come, since the next few S.I.C. releases that aren't Classics will be 1) from Den-O and 2) based off of what we've seen here. Given the show's overwhelming popularity in Japan, I wouldn't be surprised if we see most, if not all of the Den-O & related Riders made. At least, I'm positive we must be getting a Nega Den-O/Negataros set some day, probably as a pricey exclusive. But then, being where I am, I can now get most of the pricey exclusives, so I ain't complaining!
I could list off people I'd recommend this too, but you know what? Chances are, if you're reading this, you've either already got the set or have it coming in the mail. For the rest of you who hate Den-O, well... that X-Rider/Apollo Geist Set? I like it even more. No surprise there, though.
More cheap quick photos taken at my desk:






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Man, I am practically salivating for mine to get here from HLJ now.
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