Medals Medals Medals!

OOOs no... here we go again!

Seriously it's like you can't stop me from talking about OOOs...

Whether its how awesome the series is, or jumping into one of the many many many debates about the Final Form (Which thankfully is being cleared up nicely by Zi-O!), I always seem to have something to say about it :)

Today we have something which is probably obvious to most people, but for the sake of clarity and having it all in one place instead of scattered around multiple sources, I bring you my comparison of all the different releases of Medals for the OOOs Driver!.

For this, I'll be showing examples of the Gashapon/Candy, DX, Premium release, CSM and Cell Medals. There is another variant available, with a blue edge, but they are identical to the DX Medals in construction, except the edge is blue instead of bronzey gold.

I also won't be showing the Foundation X Medals from the CSM, as they have the same construction as the CSM Medals... oddly :P

I'll start with the simplest ones, the Gasha/Candy Medals.

By far the cheapest feeling Medals available, made entirely from plastic, and using a single piece edge. The colouring is pretty similar to the DX releases, but without the shine. They scan the same way in the Driver, so if you're just looking for one or two medals to complete your collection, and can't justify the reseller DX/Premium prices, they'll do nicely.

In terms of the Medals face and back, the Face is pretty much the same molding as the DX release, but with different screw positions. The back however is entirely different, instead of bars or a cross to denote Driver position or Cell status, they have a simple pattern with a QR code in the centre. What this code is for exactly I don't know as my phone doesn't recognize it, and I highly doubt if there is a companion app that it is still available, or was ever available outside of Japan.

It's worth mentioning though, that if you're considering changing the edging out with scrap Medals to give them a metal edge, they are incompatible with them, the molding is ever so slightly different, mostly around the screw holes. This can be corrected with some created carving, but I wouldn't recommend it as this could, and most likely would, damage the overall finish of the Medal face.

Now to the Cells!

These particular ones come from the Premium release set, I would have used the more widely available ones from the Birth Driver, but they're identical in construction, and lacking a paint job.

Again these are entirely plastic, but feel much more solid in hand than the Gasha/Candy Medals.

These particular ones have a simple silver paint job with a darker grey, almost black in the recesses, this adds a very nice layer of definition to the designs, on both sides. Gives them an almost metal look really. Whereas the regular Cell Medals are a flat light grey... not very appealing to look at :P

Moving along to the DX. These are the most commonly available Medals, they come with the Driver, in Combo sets and in pretty much everything else that gives Medals. For this review I'm using a TaToBa Combo from one of the gift sets, only difference between these and the ones with the Driver is the back, which features a picture of OOOs head instead of the 1/2/3 bars for Driver placement.

These ones come in four pieces, front, back and two parts for the edge. Honestly why the edge isn't one piece, I really can't say, but it would have made way more sense in my opinion. Since these are the mass produced kind, you'd expect some corners to get cut with quality, but really, aside from needing a little more paint to add definition to the molded detail, they are quite spot on.

My only gripe with them is the transparency of the face, with some of the Medals it can make it quite hard to see the molded details. Fortunately these ones with bars on the back in case you can't make out which one is in your hand.

The Premium Medals however, are most definitely what I think the DX ones should have been. With the same build quality, but much better paint work. Well, not exactly better paint work, the added definition comes from a layer of silver paint on the inside of the face and back of the Medals, this allows the thinner part of the translucent plastic, which is the molded detail, to show up as a much lighter colour than the thicker part which makes up the rest of the Medal detail.

As with the DX, they still have metal edges, with a dull gold/bronze colour to them.

Lastly we have the Medals from the Complete Selection Modification set. These should be the best of the best, the absolute best Medal you should be able to find. However, this could just be mine, but most of them rattle... like... badly rattle...

The molded detail and paint work is next to screen perfect, each Medal looks beautiful (I can't tell you how they made them stand out so much, mainly because I didn't want to open them up like I did with the others, I mean come on, if you'd spent so much on a Driver set, would you take a screwdriver to part of it to see how it works? Even just a Medal?)

Now the molded detail is pretty much identical to the previous releases, but the plastic is a much higher quality, a lot thicker with more vibrant colour. The edges are again metal, and slightly golder than the previous releases, or silver in the Foundation X case, and it all works quite nicely together.

However as I said, these Medals rattle... not all of them, but most of them, holding the Medals with a finger on the face and back, shake it... it's like the edges don't quite fit. It could just be mine, or it could be a random design choice to make them stand out, give them a more metal like sound when handled or used in the Driver. Which to be fair, it does.

But if it's not a design choice, then I gotta be honest, I'm disappointed in the QA guys letting them through...

Now, across the entire Medal range, I give them credit for one thing, function consistency.

Every Medal, from cheapest to most expensive has a chip inside that, when scanned, triggers the sound set from the Scanner.

I won't go into how they Scan, since that would be a LOT of repeating myself, except for Cells, they say King after they're scanned and don't give a Combo.

I'll be honest here, I'm hard pushed to pick a favourite here... CSM would be the obvious choice since they're meat to be the best version of a gimmick, but for build quality and paint job, I'm leaning more towards the Premium set. Though the CSM does have Ankhs TaJaDor.. :P

Wonder what ramble I could do next time for OOOs...

The Tale of Taddle

Such style...
Such elegance...
Such a Taddle Tale!


I mean that in the best way possible, since this is indeed the Tale of Taddle!

Taddle is a recent favorite with me, during the series I could never hear the call out and jingle clear enough to decide if i liked it or not. Then after getting my grubby mitts on it, discovered just how awesome the sounds were, and quickly followed it up with Fantasy and Legacy!

And now we're here, I do apologies :D

Themed after retro RPG games, the motif should be instantly recognizable to... older... gamers like myself, who cut their teeth on those classics!

You have the classic pose of the Hero looking grimly into the distance while holding something. This is usually an indicator that things are about to hit the fan and he/she is going to be in for a very very long haul to make things right again...

Ultimately, Hiiro Kagami (Kamen Rider Brave) had quite the adventure! Fighting against, then along side Ex-Aid, then teaming with [REDACTED] and fighting [REDACTED] then [REDACTED] [REDACTED] [REDACTED] [REDACTED]... ... ... Connection Lost...

Sorry too many spoilers there, I know it's been a few years but hell, there's always going to be someone who hasn't seen it yet!

It's not a rule, but I do try to keep the spoilers to a minimum! (he says laughing at himself knowing what else he has in the pipeline for review!)

So anyway, starting off we have Taddle Quest, the base form for Kamen Rider Brave. Themed after classic RPG game heroes, he comes at you sporting a very very nice sword with a fire/ice blade!

The Gashat itself is a good old single stack, with a bright blue/black case and a traditional white cartridge. The image on the front is the previously mentioned classic RPG styled Hero, the helmet is of course quite similar to Braves level 2 form helmet, i know, its a shock isn't it! :D and the sword is a very nice representation of his Gashacon Sword (not to be confused with Ex-Aids Gashacon Breaker) with its fire and ice blade.

Press the button once and you'll get the call out:

"Taddle Quest!" Followed by brief Orchestral Music, similar to a Royal announcement-

When inserted into the Gamer Driver you get your standard Rider form sounds.

"Gashat! Let's Game! Metcha Game! Mutcha Game! What's your name?! I'm a Kamen Rider!"

Open the Driver to hit Level 2

"Gachan! Level Up! -Orchestral Music- Taddle Meguru! Taddle Meguru! Taddle Quest!"

(As I had to with the last lot of Gashats I rambled about, I did have to go looking for that line...)

For the Level Up (Gashat in slot 2)

"Taddle Quest! -snappy gaming sounds-

While it's a LOT more upbeat than the Level 2 announcement, gotta say, not really a fan... Taddle Anything needs WAY more fanfare than that!

Now, around Episode 19 (fair warning!) we get our first power up for Brave! Taddle Fantasy!

Dual Gears work a little differently from standard Gashats, in that they are two Gashats put together, and in this particular case, you need to pick a side before inserting it into the Driver.

So, turn the dial on the front to pick your side, for now, Taddle Fantasy (Bang Bang Simulations was covered in another Review https://kamenriderreviews.blogspot.com/2019/01/kamen-rider-snipe-gashats.html)

After turning the dial, you'll get a standby sound, this time round it's more Orchestral music with "Let's going, King of Fantasy!"

Insert the Gear into the Driver and you'll get "Dual Gashatto"

Once inserted the standby will continue, open the Driver to level up!

"Gachan! Dual Up! Tadoru Meguru RPG! Taddle Fantasy!"

I love how Taddle is so consistent with Orchestral music, sounds so Regal and high standing...

Shame he's a bit of a jerk! :P

Close the Driver to start your Kimewaza!

You'll get a sudden "Kimewaza!" from the Gashat, followed by electronic standby noise and... "Taddle Critical Slash!"

As with Bang Bang Simulations, you get a Henshin sound from the Para-DX side.

"Dual Up! Satan appeared! Taddle Fantasy!"

Personally I don't see him as Satan, more of a... This Hero is about to kick your backside from one side of the game zone to the other!

With style!

Dual Gashats are by definition, chunky, they're two Gashats stuck together, so of course they stick out more than the regular counterparts.

As a change from the Taddle Quest Blue, you get a dark red and dulled silver with bright yellow on the dial. A definite change from Quest, but it does carry the theme that Para-DX had, but that had a darkish (royal?) blue case with a yellow dial. So maybe that would have been better suited for Fantasy to be in... but then you'd also have to wonder what case would be better suited for Perfect Puzzle...

OK forget i said anything about changing the Gashats colour, it's just fine as it is!

The picture on the side of the Gear has the same theme as Taddle Quest, however this time the Hero is looking a lot darker, with red tones, and instead of holding a Gashacon Sword, he appears to be holding a ball of light!

Can't help but think, the Hero is crossing over to the Dark Side a little here!

The Cassette that shows the Rider image inside the Driver is a little different from your single stack counterparts. Instead of showing a lit outline, it shows a lovely colour image!

But! Regardless of the side you choose, Fantasy or Simulations, you get the same image. That image being both Rider forms split top and bottom, with Fantasy facing up, and Simulations down.

And now... for our feature presentation! I give to you...

Taddle Legacy!

Gleaming white and glistening gold! you'd be forgiven for thinking it was some random Angel form!
If you just had visions of the Angels from Neon Genesis Evangelion, you're my new best friend!

The Legacy appearance is unique among Gashats. Not because of its colour scheme, Miho Kirishima, better known as Kamen Rider Femme from the Ryuki series, also had a white and gold scheme. But because of the very... hazardous appearance it has. I honestly don't know if its damaged, unfinished or trying to assimilate me! With exposed wiring and chunks of case missing, not to mention a blade like grip on the side, Legacy really does stand out! Maybe for all the wrong reasons, but personally I love how it looks.

Should mention though, the DX version released to the public, does look ever so slightly different from the screen version. On the screen version, the exposed sections and damaged parts are way more prominent, the wires are actually wires and the damaged areas look burnt and blistered. On the DX they're simply molded and have very limited paint jobs with very little definition...


Still not complaining though! It's a beautiful Gashat!

Onto the sounds!

To start, press the button!

"Taddle Legacy!" More Orchestral music!

Insert into the Gamer Driver

"Gashat! Let's Game! Metcha Game! Mutcha Game! What's your name?! I'm a Kamen Rider!"

Open the Driver, brace for level up!

"Gachan! Level Up! Tadoru Rekishi! Mezameru Kishi! Taddle Legacy!" With even more Orchestral in the background, I'm sensing a pattern here!

And Level Up some more!

"A Gacha! Tadoritsuita Sekai! Kamigami no Legacy!

I admit... I have to thank the Kamen Rider Wiki for those last two, I couldn't have attempted to spell those out myself...

For the Kimewaza, we have a very simple

"Taddle Critical Strike!"

Taddle definitely loves its Orchestral music! But it's all in keeping with the Gashat theme, that being a medieval fantasy hero with a passion for pointy things!
Just... what's not to love?

I definitely think that Taddle Fantasy and Bang Bang Simulations should have been individual Gashats, and Legacy should have had a Dual to itself (like Mighty Brothers XX, Mighty Doctor etc)
Legacy definitely could have done with some more praise, glitz and glamour.

But it was a great form for a jerk Rider who ended up with a heart of gold :)
Or rather, ended up being less of a jerk :P

Kamen Rider Snipe Gashats

Today we have something a little different.

Instead of a straight up review, we have a comparison between Rider gimmicks for a series!
Now this specific Rider had 3 Gashats in the series, however one of them didn't have a Rider form shown, and was only used in his weapon, as such, it's not included today!

So, what do you get when you mix a grumpy Doctor with an anti social attitude, and the power to become a Kamen Rider...
Well you get Kamen Rider Snipe of course!

To start, we have Bang Bang Shooting!
Taking the form of a gun toting wierdo with a cape, Kamen Rider Snipe certainly has the attitude to be a side switching last second hero in any series.

But we're not here to talk about the Rider himself, just his gimmicks! And of course the mantles they spawn. Full Rider breakdowns might be a thing for the future.

Sporting a very dark blue, almost purple colour scheme, this base form Gashat doesn't really appear too special. I know that sounds harsh, but when you look at how bright and standyouty all the other Gashats are, this one kinda fades away... Especially when you consider, Legend Rider Hibiki is the only one close to a comparable paint job, and even then its way brighter!

But! Redeeming factor for the outward appearance, the picture is brilliant! The pixelated shooter in bright yellow and blue, added gunshots, its the perfect low res version of Snipe!

The light on this Gashat is a very nice shade of blue, which shows up very nicely in the Driver.
For the sounds, you have your typical Rider intro, calling out the name of the Gashat, followed by music.

With this, you get the following:

Press the button once, "Bang Bang Shooting!" followed by rocky music

Insert it into the Gamer Driver, "Gashat! Let's Game! Metcha Game! Mutcha Game! What's your name?! I'm a Kamen Rider!"

Level Up! "Ba-Ba-Bang! Bang-Ba-Bang! Bang Bang Shooting!" followed by more rocky music
Providing you have somewhat fresh batteries in there, you'll get very clear sound, as with 95% of the Gashats, this is entirely dependant on battery power.

As with most single stack Gashats, Bang Bang Shooting also operates in the second slot on the Driver, though I don't recall this being used in the series (please correct me if I'm wrong on that). For the level up sounds, you get an alternate version of the standard Bang Bang jingle, it's along the lines of " Gan gan gan, Gan gan gan, Yes! Ba-Bang Bang-Ba-Bang! Bang Bang Shooting"
I still prefer the level 2 jingle :P

Now the second Gashat that Taiga uses is a Dual Gear, which shares a form with Kamen Rider Brave.
Bang Bang Simulations!

I mean come on, who doesn't want to walk around with a Battleship on their shoulders?

Just me then?

Darn...

Alright then, Gashat Gear Dual Beta is a twin Gashat, takes both slots in the Driver and contains two games. One for Kamen Rider Brave, and one for Kamen Rider Snipe. Both are level 50 forms, their first major power up in the series (or in Snipes case, his only real power up if you leave out Bang Bang Tank which as I said, only saw use in a weapon).

Dual Gears work a little differently from standard Gashats, and even Double Gashats (See Mighty Brothers XX). Gear Beta even works differently when compared to Gear Alpha (Knockout Fighter/Perfect Puzzle) in that you need to pick a side before inserting it into the Driver.

So, turn the dial on the front to pick your side, for this review we're going with Simulations (obviously, if you thought it was Fantasy you haven't been paying attention to my rambles! :P)

After turning the dial, you'll get a standby sound. Drumbeats and a voice, honestly to my ear it sounds like he's saying "I ready you're a Battleship!", which makes more sense to me given the mantle is that of a Battleship sitting on your shoulders!

But no, the standby actually says "I ready for Battleship!".

Insert the Gear into the Driver and you'll get "Dual Gashatto"

Once inserted the standby will continue (the perks of a Driver thats there just to trigger noises in gimmicks!), open the Driver to level up!

"Gachan! Dual Up! Scramble da! Shutsugeki Hasshin! Bang Bang Simulations!"

I admit, I hunted for that... I knew what it said but stood no chance of writing it!

So congratulations! You're now Kamen Rider Snipe Level 50, Bang Bang Simulation mantle! -happy dance-

Ha try dancing with a Battleship sitting on your head!

Close the Driver to start your Kimewaza!

You'll get a very urgent sounding "Kimewaza!" from the Gashat, followed by electronic standby noise and... "Bang Bang Critical Fire!"

Whoops, you just took out half the city with that explosion :P

I'll be perfectly honest though, I much prefer the Henshin sound from the Para-DX side of things.
"Dual Up! Enemy is coming! Shoot down their Bang Bang Simulations! " with way more intense music!

Oh yeah, the gear works without a Gamer Driver, but we're not here for Para-DX :P

Visually, the Dual Gear looks fat. Well of course it would, it's two Gashats stuck together, you'd look fat too if you were stuck to someone identical to you!

Red, silver and a touch of yellow on the dial, unlike Bang Bang Shooting, this Gashat certainly stands out, as much for its colour as its size.

You'd be hard pushed to lose it! He says having done just that... Don't worry! Found it :D

The picture on the side carries on the same theme as Bang Bang Shooting, with a pixelated version of Snipe, this time wearing an Admiral hat and saluting, surrounded by Battleship turrets. But instead of the writing being in yellow, this time it's in red, and looks a fair bit more menacing!.

Now, another major difference with the regular Gashats is, this one doesn't have the standard silhouette when inserted into the Driver. Instead of a basic lined version of the Rider or add-on, it's a lit image of both Bang Bang Simulations and Taddle Fantasy. When inserted into the Driver, Taddle Fantasy is facing up, while Simulations is upside down. This does not change based on which form is picked.

Overall, I absolutely love the Bang Bang series of Gashats, I think Snipe got cheated by only having two forms (3 if you count Proto, 4 if Tank had a mantle, but it didn't so it doesn't count :P)

Now like I said before, there are much more impressive looking Gashats out there, but when you're that badass, do you really need that little extra flash? :)

Review: Necrom Ulorder

Tengan... Necrom! Mega Ulord!

-Dances to the rocking music-

Oh... hello there! Don't mind me :D

Today we have a lovely little wrist mounted Driver!

Throughout Kamen Rider and Super Sentai, I've got to be honest, I adore the wrist mounted gear... I know it's not for everyone, but I love them!


This time round though, is the Mega Ulorder for Kamen Rider Necrom. Tertiary Rider in the Ghost series with a very different Driver from the others.


The Ghost Driver had a little style to it, and I did have it in my collection for a while, with every single Eyecon I could get my hands on, but recently sold it to jump on the Ex-Aid wagon! Definitely the right move :D

While not sporting the face the Ghost Driver had under that rubbery plastic cover, the Necrom Brace still carries the Eye theme, by being modeled after an... eye dropper!


Yeah, I know, random, but it works! Honest!

Primarily black and green, with shades of silver on the Eyecon housing, and a drop of orange on the dropper -ba dum tish...- the Brace is both subtle, and standyouty (That's a real word! I swear!)

The Necrom Eyecon shares the paint scheme, with a black body, green details and lens and a silver frame. Really makes it pop against the rest of the Eyecons! Which is you know, the one time you want your eyes to pop...

I'll stop now :P


We also have here Grimm and Sanzo! Eyecon 14 and 15, while 95% of the Eyecons don't interact with the Necrom Brace, these two have little pegs on their underside, which trigger alternate sounds in the Brace.

You see, the Brace itself just cycles sound, unless one of the buttons at the bottom of the Eyecon well is pressed. If neither of them are pressed, it just assumes a regular Eyecon is inserted, so gives you the line "Tengan...Ghost... Mega Ulord!" and not much else!


Necrom presses both of these buttons, Grimm the right, and Sanzo the left, all 3 have their own sounds from the Brace, though Necroms are also from the Eyecon itself.

The Brace has a funky little light show when you press the dropper to complete Henshin or Attack sequences. Reminds me a little of 90's disco's! #Datedreference

To operate the Driver, you'll want to strap it to your forearm using the two straps provided with the set. Of course you'll need tiny arms for them to fit, so you're best off getting extenders or replacing the straps entirely.

Hit the little on/off switch on the right side (right side when dropper is pointing towards your hand), then if using Necroms Eyecon, press the button once. You should get an evil sounding "Standby", if you don't, cycle through till you hear "Destroy!", then the next press will be "Standby".

Drop (not literally) the Eyecon into the great big hole in the middle of the Brace, and push it down till it clicks, there are little clasps on either side that hold the Eyecon in place.

Press the big green button on the side to start the Henshin, if using Necrom the Eyecon will shout out "Loading!", and the music will change to what I can only describe as Techno, so easy to dance to!

Next step isn't essential, it operates in both positions, but you can either leave the Brace flat, or twist it upright (this method was used during the show, only time Necrom was activated without twisting the Brace was in Kamen Rider Ghost RE:BIRTH: Kamen Rider Specter when using the Yujou Burst Eyecon). After you decide which position, simply press the button on the dropper.

Tengan Necrom! Mega Ulord! -music music music- Crush Invaders!

Really the light show is just gorgeous :)


You can follow that up with the final attack. Just press the green button on the side again, if using Necrom you'll get "Destroy!" but with a loading kind of noise. Press the dropper and you'll hear "Dai Tengan... Necrom! Omega Ulord!" followed by some rather screechy sounds, which I assume to be attack noises.

So roundup time!

It's a Brace, massive tick in the box, but as I said, you'll need small arms to get the straps round, easily replaced though!

It's black and green with hints of silver, not a pattern you see very often with Riders!

The sheer number of Eyecons available can be really offputting, but as only 3 interact with this Driver, the rest are all just generic noise, it's not really an issue!

Also for giggles, try using the Mugen Eyecon with this... it looks so daft!

Evil voice... always a good sign in a Driver! But definately needed more work... things do feel ever so slightly basic...

You know, forget everything I just said, i'm biased towards tertiary Riders, they always end up being the most badass in the series!