Kamen Rider Den-O! Part II

And now my further thoughts on all the new toys related to 2007's Kamen Rider. If you don't have a clue what I'm talking about, the pics are linked in the previous post. All release dates are tentative and subject to change.

-The Henshin Belt this year is the DX Den-O Belt which will be able to play "Hassha Melodies" (Hassha being the "Departure of a vehicle") and feature 13 sounds in total, plus the usual blinky lights. The belt plays a role in transforming into the different forms, and the main circular part (which I'll call the "Typhoon" for nostalgia's sake) can change color according to the forms. The "Rider Pass" is combined with a "Rider Ticket" (it goes into the Pass, I believe) and is swiped over the front of the belt (as opposed to being inserted into it) to activate everything. The belt will also play a role in initiating the final attacks via something called "Full Charge" (kinda like Faiz.) Comes out in the latter half of February.

-The two thingies on Den-O's sides form his weapons, and you'll be able to do the same with the DX DenGassher (or whatever it's supposed to be, we'll find out eventually.) The parts can be combined in different ways to form the 4 different modes; Sword Mode, Rod Mode, Axe Mode, Gun Mode. Comes out in the latter half of February.

-Cheaper versions of both of the above come in the Kamen Rider Den-O Complete Transformation Set. There's also a Kamen Rider Den-O Helmet (which does not cover the face and is meant for kids, people) and a punching bag, if for some reason you feel the need to sock Den-O in the face (I never quite understood putting heroes on the punching bags, but whatever.) All of these come out in late January.

-Rider Hero Series Soft Vinyl figures of all four forms are on the way, of course. Sword Form comes out in January, Rod Form in February, and Axe & Gun Forms are slated for March. Apparently, Rod and Axe will be appearing in the series the same months the toys come out, but Gun Form is not appearing on TV until April (If I read that tiny text right.)

-The big thing this year is the DenLiner Series, scaled-down versions of what I guess will be Den-O's train thingie DenLiner, hereafter referred to as "The Justice Train" on this blog, because I said so. The initial set of DenLiner Series 1~4 "Gouka" (don't quote me on the name, it's tough to make out) reflects Sword Form and gives you nearly everything you see in that wild promo pic. The different cars feature different action gimmicks, and later add-on sets will do the same. The initial set comes out in later March, which will also see the release of DenLiner Series 5 "Isurugi", reflecting Rod Form. Mid-April will be the release date DenLiner Series 6 "Kouki", the Axe Form cars, and late April is when DenLiner Series 7 & 8 "Ikatzuchi" comes out, reflecting Gun Form, and has some kind of transforming dragon gimmick. Maybe Den-O gives Ryuki a lift? All of the train toys come with "Rider Tickets" which work with the "Rider Pass" that came with the Henshin Belt. So in other words, if you buy the belt, you're probably gonna want to get these too for even more fun. As I said earlier, I don't know how the DenLiner idea will work on the show, but it looks like it'll at least make for some neat toys.

-Now for the really good stuff. A DX Kamen Rider Den-O figure, which can change between any of the 4 forms, comes out in late April. I imagine this is like the successor of the C.O.R. Series. The Sôchaku-Henshin Series is on the ball a month earlier with Kamen Rider Den-O Sword Form. Lastly, a Bike & Rider set gives you both the main man and his motorcycle (glad to see he's got one, considering the whole train thing!) and comes out in later April.

I think that's about it. Most of the Kanji in the "Story" box on the first scan is really hard to make out, but from what I can see, there will be some dimensional-hopping accomplished via the trains (for some reason, this reminds me of the Gummi Ships from Kingdom Hearts) Also, the usual "defending people from Kaijin" jazz, which is fine by me. I hope the villains are cool, considering how much stuff Den-O already has, they'd better be!