Posted January 16, 2014 by Mikael Angelo Francisco in Collectibles

TOY REVIEW: S.H. Figuarts Space Sheriff Shaider

Here’s a special review of a particularly memorable action figure. Just in time for #TBT, our guest writer Leandro Polidario sits down and talks about the absolutely awesome S.H. Figuarts Space Sheriff Shaider action figure – a Tamashii Web Exclusive. Take it away, Kokoy!

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If you were a Pinoy kid raised in front of the TV back in the 1980s or the 1990s, you would easily recognize this shiny blue superhero out of a line-up of Throwback Thursday pictures. Known locally in the Philippines as “Shaider, Ang Pulis Pangkalawakan,” this Tagalog-dubbed Japanese show probably filled many of your lazy weekend afternoons with weird villains, over-the-top action stunts, stock footage explosions, and hypnotic special effects.

The actual Space Sheriff Shaider TV show ran from 1984 to 1985. It was first shown in the Philippines at around the same time, and was frequently replayed until the mid-1990s. It stuck so well in the consciousness of Pinoy audiences that its tropes are a frequent topic of parody in local TV productions, even up until this decade.

In Japan, however, Space Sheriff Shaider is just one of the many superheroes in a series of live action Metal Hero shows.

He was recently revived to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the Metal Hero series which began in 1982 with Space Sheriff Gavan (locally known as Sky Ranger Gavin). Shaider was among those featured in “Space Sheriff Gavan The Movie,” which was released in 2013.

In line with this movie, S.H. Figuarts, Bandai’s premium toyline for action figures, announced the release of Space Sheriffs Gavan, Sharivan, and Shaider in 2012 as Bandai Tamashii Web Exclusives, and the trio was completed in November 2013.

As luck would have it, I was one of those 1980s kids fortunate enough today to be able to order one from Japan through a middleman. Here’s a closer look at the S.H. Figuarts Shaider.

PACKAGING

Shaider arrived in a danbooru protective case – a standard corrugated box bearing his complete name: “Space Sheriff Shaider.” It’s a nice touch, considering these exclusives are more expensive than the usual Figuarts releases.

The actual Figuarts box does not have a clear window. You wouldn’t be able to tell if it were lacking in accessories until you open it. However, the box does have large pictures of the action figure all around it. It also bears the theme of this toy line: “pursuing character expression through humanoid action”. This really teases the mint-in-unopened-box collectors to OPEN this treasure!

Shaider lies on a clear vacuformed plastic tray with his interchangeable accessories, held in place by a clear plastic lid created in the same manner.

Swappable body parts are:
1 alternate head with glowing (Shaider Scope) eyes
1 pair of sword holding hands1 pair of gun holding hands
1 pair of open palm hands
1 pair of fists

Swappable Weapons are:
1 Video beam gun (Shaider Blaster)
2 swords – 1 silver bladed and 1 translucent blue bladed to depict the Shaider Blue Flash final attack

CHROMES

A quick turnaround of this 14cm tall figure gives the impression of die cast parts. On the contrary, Shaider does not contain metal parts for his combat suit at all; this polished “metal” look is chromed plastic.

His colors are accurate and the surfaces are smooth, which greatly helps to create the illusion of having metallic parts. The shiny parts are complemented by the flat paintjob on his armor markings, and contrast nicely with his black plastic parts.

SHOKETSU!

I played around with his transformation poses, and S.H. Figuarts Shaider pulled them off convincingly. His joints held the poses well.

A lack of die cast metal in his feet – a typical feature of most S.H. Figuarts – makes balancing for extreme poses a bit more challenging. This is especially noticeable when he shifts his weight solely on either his left or right feet.

CLOSE-UPS

I took a series of photos based on his poses from the first episode of the TV show. The close-up photos clearly show how much attention was given in recreating the curves of the armor and the muscles of the Shaider stunt actor. All that’s needed are the decals from the actual combat suit!

ARTICULATION

The Good:

Shaider has the standard set of S.H. Figuarts joints. A combination of balljoints, swivels, and pivots enable Shaider to depict the iconic action poses from the TV show.

The most notable set of articulation is Shaider’s shoulder and crotch joints.The shoulder joints are double balljoints, which allow the arms to move freely, even with the deltoid armor fixed in place.

The crotch joints are balljoints on swivels. They can be pulled down to allow the thighs to move forward and put Shaider in a sitting, kicking, or even a splitting position.These complicated articulation schemes prevent unnecessary rubbing between the chrome plastic parts which may tarnish or chip off the shine, while giving the figure great and natural poseability.

The Bad:

Sadly, what’s awkward about this figure is the articulation they gave his waist, ankles, and toes. His waist is on a balljoint which can be pulled up for his more extreme poses. Unfortunately, doing so exposes a huge gap in his armor, making it look like he got sliced in his midsection. Ouch!

His ankles are also severely hindered by his armor design. Shaider has swivel balljoints in his ankles, but his flared ankle armors do not give them much space to move. His toe joints are loose and move too easily. Both the ankles and toes make it tricky to balance him in extreme dynamic positions.

These odd articulation points seem like a creative compromise due to Shaider’s original design, but sadly detract from an otherwise solid poseability.

TIME SPACE WARP

I went outside and took photos of Shaider under natural lighting. I wanted to see if S.H. Figuarts Shaider truly looked like the real thing (read: as he was portrayed in his stunt fights on TV).

After all, even if the show has been long cancelled on TV, what’s stopping us from re-imagining and recreating his adventures in the 14-centimeter scale?

CONCLUSION

While I was taking a photo outdoors, one of my neighbors saw what I was taking a photo of, and immediately identified the figure as Shaider. I was pleasantly surprised; I ended up having a quick chat with them about the old TV shows we watched in our youth. Talking about childhood TV heroes didn’t feel awkward at all. This definitely validates Shaider’s status in Pinoy pop culture.

To sum it up:
1. The kid in me is satisfied seeing my old superhero idol;
2. The collector in me wasn’t disappointed by Shaider’s modern action figure rendition; and
3. Other people (my neighbors, whom I assumed were not of a geeky disposition) still recognize who Shaider is.