Kamen Rider Black RX Roborider
Welcome back to Kamen Rider Black RX!
Already in progress.
“Telly-chan! Hang in there!”
“R…Rider-san… you… tried…”
“T…Telly-chaaaaaaan!!”
“…”
“HA HA HA! If it weren’t for your heroic nonsense, that innocent young girl would still be alive! How does it feel knowing her death is on your conscience, Kamen Rider?”
“Shocker! I won’t forgive you for this!!”
“HA! Your heavy heart has made you weak!”
“Eh?!”
“And sloppy!”
“GYAAH!”
“HA HA HA! Look at how your anguish has left you a powerless against me! Face it, Kamen Rider! Your human heart is your undoing!”
“Telly-chan… I don’t want your death… to be in vain!”
Just then something inexplicable happened! The sadness in Kotaro’s heart resonated inside his cyborg body unlocking new powers within him!
Kamen Rider Black RX was transformed!
“Wh-what have you done to yourself, Kamen Rider?!”
“I am the Prince of Sorrow!”
“R!”
“X!”
“ROBORIDER!!”
And now a word from our sponsors:
Roborider was the first alternate form of Kamen Rider Black RX and marked the first time a Rider had such a distinctive transformation outside of his normal state. The Figuarts rendition is an all plastic figure that stands a stately six inches tall. As a series, Kamen Rider Black RX started to take on several aspects of the Metal Hero shows that had effectively replaced the famous bug men in the interim and this especially evident with the design of Roborider. In this form, Kotaro trades agility for a huge increase in both power and defense.
While the figure loses some of the bulk of the on-screen costume, it still expertly captures the look of Roborider as an more stylized Figuarts. He even has the extra circuitry patterns molded onto his hip and thigh protectors.
Back when I reviewed the original S.H. Figuarts Kamen Rider Black RX ,I was chomping at the bit for a matching Roborider and Biorider. In the several years since then, Black RX was given a makeover with a Renewal figure that brought the character up to modern Figuarts standards. I still have my old Black RX and even with the changes in style, I think he still matches up well enough with the new Roborider. However, it is easy to see how recent Figuarts a lot more “suit accurate” than they used to be.
Roborider is a well detailed figure who sports the requisite compound eyes and molded “R-2” logo on his chest. His antennae are made of solid plastic and do not bend. Note the red markings under his eyes that are meant to look like “bloody” tears streaming down his face.
His belt features fully painted “gears” set behind a clear plastic piece. Also note the even smaller details picked out with paint just above the waist. All this extra care makes this Roborider about as good as you can get at 1/12 scale.
Articulation wise, Roborider has more than enough to emulate the stiff, robotic movements of the character and poses far beyond that. He has all the S.H. Figuarts staples like pull down hip joints, hinged toes, a multi-jointed neck, shoulders that swing forward out from the body, and an extending abdomen joint so he can lean his upper body forward. Even his shoulder pads have some extra engineering so they can remain close to his body without impeding his arms in any way. In addition to his fists, Roborider comes with a pair of splayed hands and an additional accessory specific hand.
Much of this articulation is meant to allow Roborider to mount his trusty motorcycle, the Roboizer. That has not been released yet so please enjoy this shot of Kotaro riding an invisible bike.
And we now return you to the show…
“Bah! No matter what form you take you’re still too pitiful to defeat me!”
“Prepare yourself- AAARRGH!”
“Haaa… Such power… But it will take more than a single punch to stop me!”
“VORTECH SHOOTER!”
Roborider uses his new found abilities to summon the Vortech Shooter. This compact energy pistol is faithfully reproduced on the toy and is his only accessory besides optional hands. It fits snugly into the designated pistol holding hand.
“…”
“Hooh!”
*Decepticon laser blast noises*
“GYAAAAAAAAAH!”
“Telly-chan… I have avenged you!”
No matter what challenges Kamen Rider Black RX may face, the human heart that beats within his cyborg body gives him the strength to defeat even the most powerful foe!
The S.H. Figuarts Roborider is a thoroughly satisfying figure. While he is rather bare bones in terms of accessories, that is true to the character. Everything about him is solid and needs no further enhancement. My only issue with this figure is when swapping his right hands the wrist joint tended to come out along with the appendage. This doesn’t damage the figure and isn’t happening with the left wrist so it is a minor quality control issue to me. Other than that, this is exactly the Roborider figure I was hoping for years ago. I am glad Bandai finally got around to covering Black RX’s iconic secondary forms and it makes me excited to finally see a new Biorider!