[TAO's Note: I always think I know a lot about modern toys until Updatedude brings us a review based on something from Japan with which I'm completely unfamiliar. Today is a perfect example, because I never knew this figure existed, and that makes this review even more interesting. So be sure to stop and take a look at this Kamen Rider Drake toy, with the smallest head you've ever seen (keep reading, you'll see).]

Name: Kamen Rider Drake
Line: Souchaku Henshin (Kamen Rider Kabuto)
Manufacturer: Bandai
Released: 2006
Scale: 5.00 in.

 

 

      First off, yes, the main base body has a shrunken head. I'll give y'all a few more minutes to wrap your heads around that. Go on, get it out of your system. There, done? Okay, some people just can't get over the shrunken head, and if that's a deal breaker for you, then you can pretty much stop reading now, because there's no expando-head gimmick here.
     That said, this is an easily remedied problem, since you have 2 helmets to cover the head up. No biggie. The truth is, the shrunken head is not a head, but is essentially, the balljoint neck of the figure.
     Now that we've got the head issue out of the way, let's dive in shall we? Drake uses the standard body used by all the 2006 Souchaku Henshin guys. It's a well proportioned body with nicely sculpted details, especially on the arms and legs, that once you put his armor on, will give you a pretty show accurate toy.
     They torso itself is a little plain, but that's because all the little details are on the armor and accessories themselves. Check out the pics, you can see plenty of sculpted detail on the guy.
     An interesting visual note is that in his less armored Kamen Rider form, you can see a dragonfly motif running from his left shoulder (head) across his torso (wings) and down his right arm (thorax).
     Not only that, but this guy's loaded with diecast. For a little guy, he's pretty hefty.
     Now for the bad news. I said this guy's well proportioned, but unfortunately, the standard of detail and propotions have jumped for Kamen Rider action figures recently. In comparison to the newer SHFiguarts line, Drake looks kinda squat and dumpy. It's not that he looks bad, but the new guys are just much more sleek. Even Drake's articulated hands now look robotic and beefy in comparison.
     His size doesn't help either. He's about in scale with the older Power Ranger toys, but unless you're pretending that the Drake armor is being worn by a 14 year old Japanese boy (not all that uncommon in anime), he's too short to fit in with the likes of your Marvel Legends, even if you consider the size differential between caucasians and asians.
     Nonetheless, in and of itself, Drake is still a cool looking figure with plenty of show accuracy.

Sculpt Score: 7 / 10

 

     Not much to say here. What little paint he has is very well applied. He's mostly casted in the relevant colors, but what's there is all immaculately applied. Check out the tiny shrunken head, perfect paint application for the ugliest and least consequential part of the toy.
     Other than the obvious red here and there, there's also the tampoed logos and the teensy weensy yet perfectly applied minute detailing such as on the guns.
     Really, not much to say here, but what's there to say is nothing but good.

Paint Score: 8 / 10

 

     Souchaku Henshin have very complete and at the time, impressive articulation. He's got all the major points such as shoulders, biceps, elbows, hips and knees, it's a really complete package.
     Things to note is that yeah, he's got articulated fingers, ooooh yes. But as cool as some of his articulation is, they're also a tad dated.
     For instance, he's got a swivel waist (no mid-torso due to armor gimmick) and balljoint ankles, which for the time, was pretty good. But in these days of balljoint torsos and ankles quad-jointed feet, a mere balljoint ankle is a tad limited.
     Additionally, while his shrunken human head is technically a balljoint for his masked form, the range of up/down movement is limited by the shape of the mask itself, so it works closer to a swivel than a full on balljoint.
     Articulated fingers still rock though.   

Articulation Score: 8 / 10

 

     Oh, this guy's loads of fun. Souchaku Henshin figures are what got me into Japanese imports. The whole "Dress Up Barbie for Manchild" thing is awesome in a secret shame sort of way.
     This is also the line that got me hooked on diecast crack (or diecrack, as we in the "biz" call it).
     And the articulation doesn't hurt at all either.
     That said, Drake himself is quite heavy on the accessories, perhaps TOO heavy. This is especially so for his more armored form, which has lots of tubes running all over, which makes posing somewhat unwieldy at times. I've also often forgotten to give him some piece of armor or another. There's just a tad too much to keep track of sometimes.
     But still, even if you never touch him again after breaking him out of the old plastic prison, he'll still give you maybe an hour or so of fun posing and dressing up your man-doll time, as opposed to say, the 5 or 10 minutes for a Marvel Legends or DCUC (This is under the assumption that you just open, play and then dump your toys).

Fun Score: 7 / 10

 

     Having come out before the temporary spike in oil prices permanently raised the price of toys, Souchaku Henshin have been cheap even during those rose tinted days of yore. Especially when you consider how much die cast you're getting.
     As something of a deluxe set, Drake cost a little more than your standard Souchaku Henshin, but he's still way cheap for what you get. I got this guy for less than what I'd pay for a Transformers Voyager at the time. He's totally worth it at that price.
     And given how the Souchaku Henshin line is being surplanted by the SHFiguarts line, I've seen places online dumping 'em on clearance. So shop around, you might find one for pretty cheap.

Value Score: 8 / 10

7 / 10 - Excellent for the time, somewhat out dated but still serviceable now.

8 / 10 - What little there is, is impeccable.

8 / 10 - Excellent for the time, somewhat out dated but still serviceable now.

7 / 10 - I'm not dressing up my dolls, I'm dressing up my ACTION FIGU-barbiedressup-RE!

8 / 10 - If you can get 'em for original retail or less, you're in the black.  

 

78 / 100 - This is a Good Toy

[TAO's Note: This figure is consisently good, and although not fantastic in any given category, it's good enough for fans (or those who are curious) to take the plunge.] 

-Updatedude

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