Hibiki!

So today I managed to find and by this limited clear variant of Kiwami Hibiki, albeit loose and incomplete. I was lucky to have spare parts from a custom commission lying around and decided to partially paint him so he isn't so completely purple. 

I really like the results of the repaint, I think it complements the clear violet base body well, and works as a sort of transition phase between Hibiki and Hibiki Kurenai.

It's pretty weird for me to actually complete my Hibiki variants or for that matter, other KTs that are hard to find at minimal cost. At this point the only hard to find figure that I haven't bought or owned would be Faiz Blaster form, Nega Den-O and white Momotaros and the Agito Storm x Flame set.

This is probably just good luck at the start of the year haha.

Train, Everyday: Motion Revive Hibiki Review

Hello Day 4. Today we have Motion Revive Hibiki up for review.

Opening thoughts for this figure:

seemed better on paper.

Hibiki as a figure is a very nice rendition of our drum demon guy, retaining all those nice details, making it a good companion to the SIC Kiwami Tamashii. 

But, there are a few flaws with it, in my eyes. 

First of all the accessory count is very small. Aside from the parts that attach to his waist, all he comes with are his drumsticks (Ongekibou Rekka) and a completely silver Armed Saber.

It would have been nice if he came with alternate hands or at least one molded for his "salute" pose. 

He's probably the most detailed figure in this series and that works for him there's a lot of eyecandy, even if there are very basic paint apps. If they used a better shade of violet it might show better. 

Of course the chest and face details are the most extensively painted. Again you see that beautiful semi-chrome silver they've been using, and the dull gold for the oni crest. The red really stands out and helps to mark the borders of his face, which I find really nice. 

But being too detailed can be a bad thing. for one, the way his back and shoulders are sculpted it's impossible to get any good lateral movement on the shoulders. Another thing is that this figure suffers the same flaws as Kabuto: the arms are too long, and the neck seems too short. 

The Armed saber is well sculpted and it's surprising how much more solidly it can be gripped by the hands than the drumsticks themselves which is a shame, really. 

Height-wise, he's the same as Den-o or Momo. Maybe if the neck was longer the height would fare much better. 

 

Hibiki for me is the weakest in this wave, despite how good the toy looks overall. Articulation is a little hindered in places where it counts, and the unineteresting amount of gear he comes with only adds to the gripes I have. I'd stick with his SIC any day. 

Oni works

Just something i'm working on for a friend and fellow rider fan. Actually one of two projects for him. 

Anyway more on this guy, no secret here, he'll end up as this dude:

Good thing there are reviews of the full size S.I.C. I can use as a reference.

He's Well Trained. (A Review of Kiwami Tamashii Kamen Rider Hibiki)

I've recently started watching Kamen Rider Hibiki, and I'm about 4 episodes in (good show, has a lot going on for it, with the musical oni motif with a coming of age story written in as well),and bought Kiwami Tamashii Hibiki on a whim. cost me about 650 php ($15), which is a good price since this figure delivered for me in many ways. originally i had other plans on using the body but decided to keep it since the character has grown on me a bit. who am i kidding, after Kuuga i'm enjoying Hibiki's character now  as well he's a bro among bros, and not some pansy 20 something generic japanese prettyboy. the day they make a KT Kuuga mighty and Kamen Rider Birth (Akira) i'll be able to make a tiny shrine of manliness.

I didn't really pay much attention to the series when it came out but i was sort of attracted to the design of the costume when i first saw it. it's very... unique and almost certainly distances itself from the norm as far as  kamen rider is concerned, but as a henshin hero it's really a very intricate and interesting design, and the SIC version only heightened my fondness of it.

moving on,

The Figure:

this figure is really very detailed with the sculpt being very sharp and  doing well to keep your eyes looking around without getting bored in some places. the sculpt also does a great job of hiding the points on the articulation on this figure and still retains its unity when being posed (gonna come back to that later). 

from the sculpted disk animals on his side, to the holsters for his Ongekibou Rekka drumsticks, no minor detail is left out, or left bare. this is what makes the SIC figures very appealing to its fanbase, and generally the first thing newcomers would notice about the line that separates it from other rider related toylines.

some would call this style grimdark or gritty but it's not really as drastic  a re-imagining as the older and much larger SICs like Amazon or Black. if anything most of the new SIC toys are just hyperdetailed designs of the original concept, which is okay on most of them and works very well with Hibiki's designs.

The Paint:

the paint job of this thing? just wows me continually. the sculpt on the chest is accentuated by the very reflective silver paint that works pretty great with the glossy, metallic violet finish on the body. the red gloves, brown codpiece and detailed bits are a nice touch as well but jesus, that violet sheen! i'm in love with it. 

it's especially amazing in the face, notice how it's a bit darker, and blends into a silver highlight in the middle of the face.

 in the original design that point in the middle of the face was the most pronounced and reflected the most light and it translates well in how they painted clear violet over the shiny silver face but blended it in a way that it fades in the middle, making it look even more shiny. 

so shiny.

The Articulation:

Hibiki has a nice range of motion thanks to how his joints are done which ,while it isn't crazy articulated it still has enough in the figure to pull off believable poses (the swivel-hinges on the ankles really help this out a LOT), and it's done in a way that it doesn't break up the unity of the sculpt itself. in fact it does well to make the joints and their movements blend into it so it becomes very natural looking. 

he also has a killer center of gravity without even needing any diecast on him. 

Accessories:

Not a lot and it really could have been a better selection of parts. for one, alternate hands (even just one that depicts his trademark salute),  and those oni drumsticks as separate pieces.

 but seeing as he was the first ever Kiwami Tamashii figure ever made it's understandable that he has so few things. in fact  he only comes with the deployed drumsticks already attached to the gripping hands--which the tiny demon skull tips detach and also attach to the holstered Ongekibou Rekka drumstick accessory, and an empty holster piece to switch on his waist when he's holding the drumsticks,  his tuning fork that doesn't fold and can't be held and only attaches to a hole on his waist, and a pack of disk animals sculpted as one piece that also attaches to his waist and the other pair of open palms

recap:

1. Ongekibou Rekka attached to the gripping hands.(2x)
2. Ongekibou Rekka demon skull tips (2x)
3. Open hands.(2x)
4. Onggekibou Rekka holstered piece.
5. empty alternate holster piece.
6. Tuning fork.
7. Disk animal holster.

Overall:

Kiwami Tamashii Hibiki is a very nice piece for any kamen rider or 3 3/4" collection even if you don't know who he is. his design is very detailed sculpt and mystical looking design with a beautiful paintjob, his articulation is executed better than most western toys out there in this scale and price tag, he's tons of fun to fiddle around with, and a lot of care and attention went into his design and playability. that makes him well worth the price you buy him at.

i'd really recommend this figure for anyone looking for something different in this scale, and i haven't been so endeared with a toy in a while.