Review: DX Kabuto Zecter & RHK01 Kabuto

3 posts in one day? Can you believe it!?

Henshin Belt DX Kabuto Zecter & RHK01 Kamen Rider Kabuto Rider Form

A double whammy of the first Kabuto merchandise! "Cast Off!"

What it is: Back when 2006's series Kamen Rider Kabuto was still on the way, the first wave of merchandise hit shelves the day before the premiere. Being in Japan at the time, I picked up both the deluxe, electronic Henshin Belt as well as the standard Rider Hero Series-style soft-vinyl figure, and did them in one review because 1) they are (well, were) new and everybody's always excited to hear about new stuff, and 2) I'm just that lazy. Try not to mind if I slip back and forth between past and present tense a lot, this thing was originally written back in 2006.

What's the deal: After a year of tuning forks, whistles and bracelet Henshin devices, the iconic Henshin Belt was back in Kamen Rider Kabuto, although once again it required an external means to activate. We've seen card decks, we've seen cell phones, and we've seen... well, more cards, but this time, it was a flying robotic beetle thing, the actual "Zecter" of the set. As we all know by now, the Zecters are able to move around independently and arrive when called for. We also know that the Kabuto Zecter would eventually be joined by a virtual army of other flying/hopping/jumping (not to mention spazzing-out-ing) bug thingies, but let's not get ahead of our selves.

After being brought online (thanks to two batteries) the Zecter can make several sounds when the silver buttons on one side are pressed. These include the phrases "Danger!", "Here I am!", and a buzzing noise that sounds like the wings of a beetle flapping (never heard that before? The beetles grow pretty big in Japan, you'll hear it if you hang around there long enough.) It's worth noting that the Zecter also has opening wing panels, which is pretty neat and show-accurate. Do keep in mind though, it can't actually fly under its own power, and if you throw it and hope to see it take off into the sky... well, just don't do that, okay?

As with most of the other DX Rider belts, the actual belt part is fairly easy to assemble, but unless you're either really slim or one of the kiddies (who these things are made for, even though adult fans buy them too) it'll be really hard to put on, if not impossible without some modification. I'm lucky that the belts with wider buckles (like the Delta Driver) can fit me with some effort, and the Kabuto belt just made the cut too. With the belt in place (or even without, you don't need to be wearing it for this thing to work) you slide Zecter into place, and are treated to more sound effects, including the voice saying "HENSHIN!". Kabuto's belt speaks in a voice that reminds me of a slightly more understandable & advanced version of Blade's belt, but your mileage may vary.

Once that part of the process if over with, you can shift the lever (Kabuto Zecter's horn) from one side to the other, and it's "Cast Off!" time. The belt also says "Change Beetle", which was amusingly familiar-sounding back then if rather standard fare now, in this post "Change Punch Hopper!"-world of ours. In the process of this, part of Zecter moves forward to reveal all the pretty flashing LEDs beneath. Hey, when they said these belts had "Lights! Sound!" and all that back in the old days, they weren't kidding.

Now comes the real fun part. Press the three buttons on top, in order (they're labeled 1, 2, & 3) and the belt calls out "ONE!", "TWO!" and "THREE!" as more lights on the font ignite. Pull the lever back so you have it in Masked Form position (with the gold part of the lever hidden), then pull it back again one more time into the way it was after you Casted Off. You're treated to an array of lights, sounds, and the belt yelling "Rider Kick!" Nice! Try to do it as quickly as possible, just like the main man often did.

Shifting the lever back into place without doing the Rider Kick charge-up and removing Zecter gets you a "Put On!", and flipping Zecter's horn when it's not attached to the belt results in "Mistake!" As far as other role-play items go, the DX Kunai Gun can be attached to the belt's side with its own included holster, and I think you can figure out how the Hyper Zecter, etc. would work out.

As for the RHK01 figure, it's Kabuto in his slimmer, speedier Rider Form (Masked Form was also released... but who doesn't know that by now, right?) It's pretty nifty and nicely detailed, and like all RH figures moves at the arms and waist. He doesn't include anything aside from a data card, but hey, if it forces kids to use their imaginations and remember just how cool it is that the old Riders could simply punch a guy so hard he explodes, than more power to them.

Final Vent: Well, I guess the best thing to ask first is "Did you like Kabuto or not?", and second, "Did you already buy one as a result of reading this review the first time?" If your answers are "Yes" and "No", then do yourself a favor and pick these up, they're loads of fun.

Where to get them: Given that it's now 2007 and the current Rider is some guy called "Den-O", finding these now will be tough, but not impossible. ebay or various other retailers that I don't know about are good options, and maybe there's a couple fans looking to trade in their Kabuto Zecters for the scratch to buy this year's belt-o.

The RHK01 figure should be a bit easier to come across, but who knows, you might want to hold off on that one, cuz I heard a rumor that a certain Kamen Rider-themed web site that begins with "I" is having a contest this spring/summer. And among the prizes are a couple of RHK figures...HINT HINT.

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