Toy Review: S.H. Figuarts Zectrooper, Zectrooper Shadow Ver. and Neotrooper

One of the first batches of soldiers in S.H. Figuarts is the Zectroopers. But lets differentiate three 2009 releases which are the first Zectrooper, Shadow Version and Neotrooper. All of these figures share the same mold and basic essentials like the Zect logo on the shoulders, buckles and crumpled or folded PVC clothing. Their helmets do have the bug theme but the over-sized sculpt also reminds you of Star Wars Storm Troopers.

Of course, to set them according to their military hierarchy, acrylic paint applied for each is changed accordingly. The first Zectrooper sports a purely black gear; Shadow has silver details on the helmet, a dark Zect emblem on the belt and yellow stripes on the sides. Neotrooper looks better in reversed silver on the chest, arms and a blue strip that runs down in front.

Each figure has 4 hands and their own Machine Blade Gun but some colors have changed to point which accessory belongs to which trooper. Using the gun entails removing the default fist inserting the arm through the cylinder. It is a hard task to place these in the ball joint because of how deep the hole is. A few tries will get you through this.

Among the three, only two of them has the Bandai Collectors Shop tag since most collectors has given these three a pass but recently the price has gone lower. Nevertheless, these are good figures in the Kabuto line and easy to manage. I believe that the creases and folds on the frame are quite over the top but at least they don’t suffer from warped legs like some of the Kabuto riders that were released in 2009. It would be better to pose them if you also have Kamen Rider The Bee in the mix. More to this from the video review below.