REVIEW SHFiguarts Kamen Rider Fire Gotchard: Steamhopper, Bandai

This is review of Bandai action figure Tokusatsu SHFiguarts Kamen Rider Fire Gotchard: Steamhopper from Kamen Rider Gotchard series.

Bandai Action Figure Tokusatsu SHFiguarts Kamen Rider Fire Gotchard: Steamhopper Review

The SHFiguarts Kamen Rider Fire Gotchard Steam Hopper is a variant of the normal Steam Hopper, featuring newly sculpted parts on the head, chest, arms, and back, while keeping the base body similar. One notable change is the switch from chrome to metallic paint for the blue areas, giving it a different texture and appearance.

Design & Detailing

Head & Face

True to its name, flame-like accents have been added across the design. The goggles and cheek pieces appear to be engulfed in flames, creating a dynamic and intense look.

The compound eyes feature a gradient effect, transitioning from dark to light outward, adding depth. There was a minor paint defect under the left eye on this particular unit, which is unfortunate.

Chest & Torso

The chest armor has been redesigned to incorporate flaming effects. The fire patterns are crisply painted, and the metallic finish enhances the vibrancy.

Waist & Belt

The belt remains the Gotchard Driver, but with the Gotchar Igniter attached, making it look significantly different. The Gotchar Igniter is removable, allowing for customization.

Arms & Legs

The legs are identical to the normal Steam Hopper. The arms are mostly the same, except for the forearm armor, which has been reshaped and features flame patterns.

The soles of the feet are fully painted, maintaining the attention to detail seen in the normal version.

Back & Additional Features

A new X-shaped booster called “Fire Dokkan” is attached to the back, resembling crossbones. The booster is fixed in place and does not have any articulation.

Accessories & Comparisons

Compared side by side with the normal Steam Hopper, this version has flaming details across multiple areas, and the blue sections now use metallic paint instead of chrome, altering the overall texture and feel.

The articulation remains unchanged, as the joints are the same as the normal Steam Hopper. Despite some armor modifications, movement is not hindered, and the figure retains excellent balance, even for one-legged poses.

The Gotcha Jigan (normal Steam Hopper’s weapon) can still be held.

Action Poses

The figure can hold strong stances, with the waist and neck fully rotatable for dynamic attack poses. The open-palm hands allow for expressive pre-kick charging stances. Sturdiness remains intact, allowing for stable action poses without major balance issues.

Summary

This version of Kamen Rider Fire Gotchard Steam Hopper brings a sleek, fiery redesign with sharp sculpted armor and well-applied fire patterns. The change from chrome to metallic paint makes it more user-friendly, as it avoids fingerprint smudging.

With Fire Gotchard Daybreak as the next release, it will be exciting to see how the two figures look side by side. 

Gallery

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