To mark the 10th anniversary of the broadcast of Kamen Rider Gaim and the 10th anniversary of the birth of SHINKOCCHOU SEIHOU, KAMEN RIDER GAIM ORANGE ARMS and KAMEN RIDER BARON BANANA ARMS have been released! As they are made from bones in SHINKOCCHOU SEIHOU series, the proportions are truly exquisite, and they also feature an arms change ver. A.N.I.M.E., allowing you to switch between Orange Arms and Banana Arms, making them a true item of the technical capabilities of SHINKOCCHOU SEIHOU 10th anniversary. This time, we invited Nagashio, who has been in charge of the prototypes since the birth of SHINKOCCHOU SEIHOU, to talk about the new Kamen Rider Gaim series and the 10 years of the SHINKOCCHOU SEIHOU series.

■ SHINKOCCHOU SEIHOU Kamen Rider Gaim series

--First of all, please tell us why Kamen Rider Gaim was chosen for the 10th anniversary SHINKOCCHOU SEIHOU.

Nagashio:Strictly speaking, Masked Rider Armor was not chosen as the 10th anniversary, but as we proceeded with the planning and development of the SHINKOCCHOU SEIHOU series, it was decided that we would dare to hit the 10th anniversary. Armor-Man was a masked rider that was broadcast on TV the year SHINKOCCHOU SEIHOU started. At the time, it was a turning point for the S.H.Figuarts and KAMEN RIDER Series series, including the development of the SHINKOCCHOU SEIHOU series, and the regular S.H.Figuarts series was also very good. That's why there were some people who said, "Is it necessary to make Armor Rider Shinkocchou?

Planning staff:From the planning conception stage, the development of the SHINKOCCHOU SEIHOU Kamen Rider Armorbu series has started in order to realize all of the Arms Change. In the past S.H.Figuarts Kamen Rider Armorbu series, we could not reproduce the Arms Change, but in the SHINKOCCHOU SEIHOU Kamen Rider Armorbu series, we can suddenly make the dream Arms Change with two figures of Armorbu and Baron, which I think is the most attractive point of this time.

Nagashio:As part of our 10th anniversary spirit, we have always felt that we have to surpass all previous Gaims. However, while there were arm-changing ver. A.N.I.M.E. in KAMEN RIDER OOO OOO and MASKED RIDER DEN-O O, this Gaim was extremely difficult. At the beginning of development, we had heard that the Arms Change system was already in place. In fact, the Arms Change was being used in the show, and there was a series of toys released by the Boys Toy Division at the time of the show that reproduced the Arms Change, so the system itself should not be flawed. However, when we actually started development, there were many difficult points.

Planning staff:Actually, at the time, I was in charge of the Boys Toy Division's Arms Change series. The armor was able to reflect the figure to some extent, but unlike boys' toys for children, this time it had to be attached to a more realistic human body. First of all, we discussed what would happen to the Arms if they were separated from the human form, and how we could change the Arms.

Nagashio:The challenge was how to make the arms change happen without going bankrupt.

Planning staff:At that time, Arms Change was also reproducing the fruit state, so it had a deformed feel for convenience, but with SHINKOCCHOU SEIHOU, we prioritized reproducing the appearance from the movie and the real thing. Of course, the parts of the armor can be separated from the body, so it is possible to rearrange the armor and change the arms of Gaim and Baron respectively.

Nagashio:We have carefully developed the blank body itself. With SHINKOCCHOU SEIHOU, we try to recreate the scenes in the movie as much as possible. I think the most difficult part was inside.

Planning staff:There is a part that looks like a protector on the body itself, but that is a part that was not available in the Arms Change series at the time. However, in the movie, the color of the protector part changes depending on the arms change, and the protectors of Gaim and Baron are rearranged, so the hurdles for compatibility were higher than expected when matching the settings.

Nagashio:It's the so-called undersuit part.

Planning staff:In the movie, the undersuit changes in accordance with the Arms Change to make it look even cooler. While considering ver. A.N.I.M.E., we noticed some changes and faithfully reproduced them.

Nagashio:I can also feel the power of the shooting scene in this area. Internally, I also struggled with my face. The armor, or so-called exterior, changed in Oars, etc., but in Gaim and Baron, the compound eyes inside the helmet (helmet) also changed to match the arms change, so it was quite difficult. The way the eyes look changes depending on the angle, but the boys' toys of the time were very well made in that respect. I wanted to recreate that.

Planning staff:There's actually a protrusion on the side of Baron's face, but when he changes arms, it gets caught on the side armor on his head if he's a Gaimu. As for Baron, a head part for arm changes is included, excluding the protrusion on the side of the face, allowing you to reproduce all arm changes.

Nagashio:With SHINKOCCHOU SEIHOU, all arms (armor) can be replaced without failure. We put a lot of thought into developing it, so I think it's fun to play.

--How do you feel about the design?

Nagashio:For the patterns on Baron's arms and legs, I needed to add a subtle gradation between the silver and the engraving, and if it were left white it would lose its three-dimensional effect, so I wanted to add a little shadow. However, this did not go well and was very difficult. This may not be easily understood by the users who pick it up, but I am very satisfied with the result.

--There is a difference in body shape between Gaim and Baron.

Nagashio:Regarding that, I talked with the person in charge of planning about doing something that would make a difference. After all, Baron is bigger in the movie.

■10th anniversary SHINKOCCHOU SEIHOU

――How about looking back on the 10th anniversary SHINKOCCHOU SEIHOU?

Nagashio:First of all, I really like action figures. When it comes to action figures, I believe that the finished product is the best form. It's difficult to play properly, including joint movement, unless it's a mass-produced item from a factory. I'm really happy to be the first to experience it. I'm really lucky to have been able to do this as a job for 10 years.

--How did SHINKOCCHOU SEIHOU come about?

Nagashio:Based on the planning and development period, that was more than 10 years ago. The person in charge at the time asked us to create a new version of MASKED RIDER KABUTO as a renewal of S.H.Figuarts. It was right around the time of "KAMEN RIDER WIZARD" and "KAMEN RIDER FOURZE", and at that time, past Masked Riders had been made into S.H.Figuatrs to some extent, so I think the renewal project came up.

--What kind of renewal plans did you have at that time?

Nagashio:It was, "I want you to make a realistic Kamen Rider. Actually, that was all we wanted. I think we were shown a rough illustration. It was a Kabuto inspired by a live-action image, and it was very realistic, including the proportions. To begin with, S.H.Figuarts had as a predecessor the "SAINT SEIYA Seigai Mythology" body. It was initially a bit slim because it was based on the body with the ver. A.N.I.M.E. holy robe attached to it. I think the development team was trying to make it thicker from there, but it was difficult to make bold changes. So now I'm wondering if they needed new "blood" like mine.

--How did the concept of Shinkocchou, which is ``made from bones'', come about?

Nagashio:Originally, sculptors had a methodology of partially creating shapes from bones. The chest and pelvis in particular have a large effect on the surface of the body, so the method is to only sculpt the bones there and then cover them with the body. I've been doing this for a while, but I thought it would be a good idea to take it one step further and make the whole body from bones SHINKOCCHOU SEIHOU. It all came from this idea. We create the bones, create the muscles, attach the skin, and then create the undersuit. When I showed the person in charge the progress I was making, he was really amused. The `` SHINKOCCHOU SEIHOU'', which is made from bones, was born. The good thing about this method is that the structure is the same composition as a real rider, so it looks "realistic". The proportions are hard to mess up. I think that's why it looks "real".

--We've now got SHINKOCCHOU SEIHOU No. 96 KAMEN RIDER GAIM ORANGE ARMS, and No. 97 KAMEN RIDER BARON BANANA ARMS, and we're finally close to the 100th figure. Is there any item that you've made that has left a strong impression on you?

Nagashio:If you really notice, there are like 100 of them. I really like Hibiki, Oars, and Kiba. Basically, I like Kamen Riders whose bodies are covered with something other than an undersuit. I like designs that are covered but still show off the body lines. I think Hibiki, W, etc. are well done because of that line.

--Did OOO have an influence on this armor replacement?

Nagashio:ver. A.N.I.M.E. and proportions of OOO were really well done. Especially the proportions, OOO is still the basis for a lot of things.

--What do you think about item that received great feedback from users?

Nagashio:It's Den-O and Faiz. In particular, I think this is the result of Den-O being used by users who have never used the manufacturing method before. Once again, I realized that this is a very popular work. Thanks to that, in addition to Kamen Rider, I was also able to create Momotaros and Imagine, which was a lot of fun.

--Do you have any particular preferences as a sculptor regarding SHINKOCCHOU SEIHOU?

Nagashio:Personally, I think it's about not neglecting the expression of the human body. From the beginning, SHINKOCCHOU SEIHOU has been described as "a series that expresses realism by creating from the inside," but strictly speaking, it's not just that. We don't stick to a single definition, and we set themes for the shapes and ver. A.N.I.M.E. depending on the series of works, so I think there are things that can expand from there. It's nice to know that people have high expectations of us as a high-end brand.

--Is there anything you would like to try in the future?

Nagashio:In addition to pursuing realism, I also think that there is also an expression of "high quality" that is unique to SHINKOCCHOU SEIHOU. In the case of Kamen Rider, in order to keep the original design as intact as possible, we have expressed it so that there are no gaps, but even though it moves so much, I think it's possible for there to be gaps. I think it would be good to have SHINKOCCHOU SEIHOU of anime works.

――In the anime, there is also a `` FUUTO P.I.'' version of W.

Nagashio:I think that's interesting too. The proportions have also been reconsidered, and I think it's possible to use SHINKOCCHOU SEIHOU to create anime scenes.

--How do you think SHINKOCCHOU SEIHOU will evolve in the future?

Nagashio:I think there are many different patterns, such as SHINKOCCHOU SEIHOU, which is extremely expensive but has the most beautiful coloring. However, it is difficult for us to imagine the flow of evolution. As a sculptor, I have to have a “theme”. Sometimes it's a theme from the planners, or it's a theme born from the voices of users. I'd be in trouble if the topic wasn't so outrageous (lol). I also believe that new Kamen Riders will always be able to teach us the "themes" around that. As long as Kamen Rider continues to evolve SHINKOCCHOU SEIHOU will continue to evolve as well.

──Thank you very much.

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©石森プロ・東映

* The images displayed in the article are of prototypes. They may differ from the actual finished product.
*Each of the S.H.Figuarts products mentioned in the article are sold separately.