It’s been even longer since I’ve taken a look at stuff from Tamashii Nations, so let’s take a peek at those…
From this year’s Kamen Rider Wizard, both Kamen Rider Beast and Kamen Rider Wizard Flame Dragon are getting a nice pair of Figuarts. Each is slated to come with a selection of Tamashii Stages, each one for a different Kamen Rider from the Heisei era, or one for their specific figure. These stands will be spread across three releases, and cover each series from Kuuga up through Wizard.
Also included for this campaign is Kamen Rider Wizard’s bike, the Machine Winger. I believe this is the first bike to be released as a main-line figure for several years, which is fantastic for those of us not living in Japan. It actually makes me wish I was watching the series, since I own several Kamen Riders and well, nothing for them to ride…
Since Bandai can’t seem to get enough of him, Kamen Rider Den-O is getting a new Figuart, in the much underappreciated Liner Form. Liner Form is, in my opinion, his best incarnation, so it’s nice to see him get some representation in this scale! I’d rather see this than some weird new movie design, but that’s just me.
At long last, Bandai’s releasing another Rider from the Showa era, this time, Kamen Rider X. X is FAR from one of my favorite classic Riders, but it’s nice to finally see him get released after being previewed alongside all of his brothers several years ago. He looks like a lot of fun, but ultimately nothing to really be surprised from with the old Riders in SHF form.
Switching gears to giant robots (of course), Bandai is finally releasing two more Gundam Wing Robot Damashii figures: Gundam Heavyarms Custom (TV Version) and the Aries. Heavyarms comes with the dual-gatlings to go with Sandrock, Altron, and Wing Zero. It seems that the suits from the first half of the series will be webshop exclusives. The Aries is a welcome addition, since it’s gone without official merch for far too long. I believe we’ll be seeing a Noin Custom version at some point in the future, too.
In a move that surprised nobody, the Unicorn Mode versions of Full Armor Unicorn and Banshee Norn are coming as well. There isn’t much to say here that hasn’t been said when I covered the Gunpla preview, so moving on…
At long last, Grendizer will be joining the Super Robot Chogokin lineup! As one of the world’s most popular giant robots, this figure will prove to be a HUGE seller (my friend calls him “the soccer of giant robots”—popular everywhere in the world except America), I think, and something tells me he won’t be hard to find. I’m glad Bandai’s finally rounding off the three Mazingers with this release. Now they just need to give us Getter Robo in some form. Come on, I’ll even take New Getter at this point!
While not as exciting as the upcoming Gunpla for this year, the Tamashii Nations offerings promise to be lots of fun. Make sure to look for yours at FPNYC!