Kamen Rider Eternal from the movie A to Z/The Gaia Memories of Fate has been updated after 7 years for Bandai’s S.H. Figuarts Shinkocchou Seihou line. But before I get on to the knitty-gritty of things, lets set up first the Eternal Memory and place this inside the slot of the Lost Driver. If you have been following this series, Gaia memories can also be inserted on the Maximum Drive slot. Out of the box, Eternal is already in Strengthening Armament mode. You will be immediately struck by the colorful array of all 26 Gaia memories placed on each part of the sling from the upper body, right bicep and left thigh that were not available on the first release. The blue flames on the arms now envelopes the inner joints and feels like the paint is embossed. On the chest, the top 2 Gaia Memories and their accompanied slots are detachable. I’ll explain more about this later.
I’m very happy and pleased that there are more accessories in this set. There are 12 hands, 2 extra Gaia Memories namely Unicorn and Zone, his Eternal Edge dagger, a cloak (which I am excited about), and replacement parts for all the slings you saw earlier that had a T2 Gaia memory. Just to let you know that the 2 hands in this set are very unique with the pinkie sticking out because Eternal holds the dagger both linear and opposite directions. Almost every open slot in the figure can be inserted with any Gaia memory, which is also the same with the Eternal Edge. The chest, back and the sling on the left thigh are super easy to replace as there are on a peg system. You won’t even make a mistake on putting them into the right direction or angle since both the figure and the bands were molded in such that there is only one way of inserting them. The arm though is different as you need to remove the default bicep by sort of unscrewing from the arm then reattach again his limbs to complete the process. To put in the robe, it was mentioned on the instructions that you need to remove the antennas from the head first, however I do not think it is necessary as long as you put your fingers under the chin in order to separate this from the neck. Next the two upper slots on the chest should be removed, as the pegs underneath will act as an additional support for the collar for a quick snug fit. The cape itself is a fabric with a thin wire within the seams, which means you can bend this in any direction for a more natural wind-swept look.
It feels nostalgic that I am reviewing Kamen Rider Eternal again as my first review was a pivotal moment of my toy review career. This version is now a better representation of the character and as closest it could be in this scale. It is obvious that I have high praises to Bandai as this is indeed a well thought off release as it included all and I mean all you need to have to make Eternal one of the best pick ups in Shinkocchou Seihou. Two points that truly stand out are the fabric cape and all 26 Gaia memories wrapped around the body. Accuracy on everything is key. But this review would not be complete without minor gripes. First is that the flames that extend through the elbow. Remember I said that these seemed to be embossed, which means that it is difficult to bend the arms without the fear of breaking them or scratching the paint apps. Secondly is the cape. Yes, it may have wires but quite a challenge to manage. It does take time to get used to since not most of the time it bends to whatever shape you want. Overall, I give this 9 out of 10.
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