Even though the figure came packaged as Kamen Rider Black RX and it would be more convenient to review that form first after the introduction in Part 1, I prefer to start with Black instead since RX is the upgraded form of the former.
Following that show design is not necessary at all when playing with the set, but I'm going to follow the aforementioned sequence anyway. ^^ So, right out of the gate, the part-swapping gimmick, one of the main attractions of this S.I.C. set is going to be shown. ^^
Kamen Rider Black RX and the entire S.I.C. set's accessories and option parts.
Then again, the first order of business is actually to equip the antennae to the respective heads of Kamen Rider Black RX and Black. ^^
Two sets of antennae from the sealed plastic bag. Kamen Rider Black RX's are on the right.
Besides a bit of color difference, the straight pegs of Kamen Rider Black RX's antennae are slightly more curved in so they would appear to be bent lower on its head.
Equip the antennae to Kamen Rider Black RX's and Black's heads.
A bit of cement for plastic model kits is used to enhance the adherence of the parts to the heads. ^^
A look at Kamen Rider Black's parts before the form configuration:
All of Kamen Rider Black's parts.
The head.
The four palpus are included to realize part of Kamen Rider Black's "transitional" image during his henshin I think.
The special gimmick of the head part: the mask can be hinged open to give Kamen Rider Black a shouting expression.
As you would expect from an S.I.C. figure, the sculpt work and painting for the opened mouth area is amazing - there are teeth sculpted and painted on not just the upper jaw but the lower part as well. ^^
Parts for the body.
The collar piece.
Body armor.
The armor part is made of soft plastic.
A pair of insect legs in fixed bent pose.
Tiny spines on the two tiny legs. ^^
Kamen Rider Black's belt is made of die-cast part.
Parts for the arms.
Shoulder pads.
The arms.
Made of soft plastic that is quite tough, the spikes behind the forearm have rigid shape but aren't exactly sharp.
Brown claws are new, S.I.C.-only details added for Kamen Rider Black I guess. ^^
A pair of option fists.
Comparing the fists to the default opened hands.
The default opened hands.
Leg parts.
Thigh armors.
Lower legs.
Very fluid, organic-looking sculpted details for the calves.
The spikes behind the legs are similar to those on the arms, only bigger. ^^
Heavy, shiny die-cast parts for the feet.
Detaching Kamen Rider Black RX's parts from the base body for the form change:
The head and shoulder armors are detached first.
The head needs to be further detached from the neck piece.
The body armor is slid off from the base body.
The belt, thigh armors and two sets of limbs are removed from the base body.
A look at the base body:
Closeups on the details:
Rear view:
Even though most of the details are hidden in either mode, they are very well-sculpted, and very realistic according to the anatomy of human muscles. The chest details, complete with green lines are the most obvious to be seen, but the design of the biceps is very well done too. ^^
Comparison between the two sets of parts:
Except for the head and legs, all of Kamen Rider Black RX's parts are visibly bigger than their Black counterparts. ^^
Not shown previously, the knee joints are the common component between the two forms as well:
Equipping parts onto the base figure to form Kamen Rider Black:
The limbs are attached.
Snapping the thigh armor onto the base figure's thighs.
The straight edges on the outer side of the thighs are the vague seam lines between the base figure and the added armor parts.
Attached the henshin belt to the front of the waist.
As with the outer side's edges as mentioned just now, there are a few vague divots in front of the thighs that can be used as markers for the thigh armors' attachment.
Attached the one-piece body armor to the base figure.
The fitting edges on top the chest and on the back can be used to (kind-of) hold the body armor in place. ^^
The two insect legs are attached to either side of the chest.
Snapped the shoulder pads to the shoulder areas.
With no proper marking on the parts, the figure's images behind the box and the rough pictorial instruction are the only guides for the armors' attachment to their right side. ^^;
The neck piece originally on Kamen Rider Black RX is equipped to the collar part of Kamen Rider Black via a set of pegs and slots.
The details between the two parts match up cohesively. ^^
The stretch of green stripe down the side of the head and neck is complete when the head is connected to the neck joint. ^^
The entire head is attached to the top of the chest.
All done for Kamen Rider Black's form change. ^^
The form change is pretty primitive in nature in my opinion. Even though there are designated grooves and divots on the main body to accept the armor parts, making it specific to this S.I.C. set and Vol. 17, the generic design of the main body makes it seem suitable to be used by other figures as well - just slap on a different head, body armor and sets of limbs and that's it. ^^
Then again, I'm quite impressed with the peg-less, label-less connection design of the armors. It's definitely a unique design since it was not implemented on the subsequent releases in the series that do feature form change. ^^ However, I believe the decision to "retire" these two design features has more to do with addressing their weaknesses instead. Loose connection of the armors as a result of the peg-less attachment and confusing assembly due to the absence of any label on the parts are no-brainers. ^^;
More images of S.I.C. Kamen Rider Black coming up in the next posting. ^^
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