Where as the Spiral Zone Kamen Rider Black was pure toy and The SFG Spiral Zone line proper was a fine balance between toy and model kit, the Spiral Zone Saint Seiya Sagittarius and Gemini were pure model kit.

Spiral Zone Saint Seiya Sagittarius

Where as the Spiral Zone Kamen Rider Black was pure toy and The SFG Spiral Zone line proper was a fine balance between toy and model kit, the Spiral Zone Saint Seiya Sagittarius and Gemini were pure model kit.

From a line of figures that is already obscure to begin with I introduce to you one of the three rarest items in the entire Spiral Zone line, Saint Seiya Sagittarius. I believe Bandai was headed in the right direction when they began to manufacture other character properties using the Spiral Zone’s 36-point articulation Systeminjection figures. 1987 was the third and last year of Spiral Zone production and it was in that year they would introduce to the market three non SFG Spiral Zone figures using the Spiral Zone bodies as the center of the deluxe figure release.

For all I know Bandai only released these three non Spiral Zone deluxe figure sets, but I would not be surprised if we discover more figures of other character properties produced. If I had not seen these when they were originally released in 1987 I would not have even known they existed, as there is still little or no Internet or published information on these figures.

I had always wondered why only Sagittarius and Gemini were released by Bandai in this form but after reading another Collection DX review of the excellent Saint Cloth Myth Sagittarius Aiolos I now understand both Gemini and Sagittarius characters were the main exciting incident characters of the Saint Seiya TV show. I also believe that by Bandai releasing the two Gold Saints chrome gold figures first, it would make a very attractive stand out toy.

Typically, being a Japanese toy collector in the 1980’s we had a lot of great toys available to us but the anime themselves were still quite elusive and expensive to the average American kid. I always admired the look of Saint Seiya armor but other than the armor being made of metal, I never liked the look of the figures that were released at the time as they were completely out of proportion and had the Super Sentai toy curse of the female figures used the same bodies as the males.

So when Sagittarius and Gemini were released with the more accurate and attractive Spiral Zone figures I had to purchase one. Unfortunately I never was able to purchase Gemini, as for some strange reason was nearly double the price of Sagittarius with Sagittarius being priced at $25.00 and Gemini priced at $45.00. Years later I still have not seen one for sale but the sad part is I had Gemini in my hands and to this day I wonder what lucky kid in Los Angeles owns it and will it ever make it into my possession again?

Gemini was a great looking figure and the only Spiral Zone figure released with supernatural appeal, as his head was molded in purple/blue with eyes painted only as white. If you know of a Spiral Zone Gemini offered for sale please feel free to email me at Uplandmod@hotmail.com, it would be much appreciated!

Sagittarius includes: 1X 36 point Systeminjection figure (8 parts to be assembled), 3x screws, 2x pivot washers, 3x Gold plated Chrome sprue, 1x black sprue, 1x instruction sheet.

Unlike the other Spiral Zone releases Sagittarius was released in a model kit style box with a full color lid with two clear windows exposing the chrome parts and Spiral Zone figure. The bottom part of the box is plain cardboard which is a complete let down as Spiral Zone boxes rear artwork is always one of the best selling points of the line. But the cover artwork is well done with Sagittarius in a fighting stance in front of a Greek ruins afloat in space with Gemini glaring down on him.

Before assembling Sagittarius I suggest purchasing a good set of sprue cutters from a hobby shop to get a nice clean cut of the parts off the sprue. Keep in mind that the Sag armor is molded in gold chrome and accordingly the plastic used in molding chrome is a bit harder and brittle than regular plastic found in toys and model kits. A small sized Phillips crosshead screwdriver is also needed to assemble the Spiral Zone figure. Give yourself about a three-hour build time to cut the parts off the sprue and assemble Sagittarius.

For many reasons, as stated previously, Sagittarius is pure model kit. Bandai asks the builder to many things that were not previously asked to do on the other Spiral Zone releases. First off Bandai asks the builder to not only assemble the figure but to paint the figure as well. Spiral Zone figures always came in real cloth uniforms but the Sagittarius figure red under suit needs to be painted onto the figure and the hands need to be painted gold. Normally a second set of “gloved” hands would included molded in the color that was needed and can be switched out with “flesh” hands.

Instead of a second separate sprue being included with the darker bronze colored armor parts of the headdress, skirt armor, heel wings, arrow and bow, Bandai asks you to paint those parts with clear dark yellow. Years ago I wisely made the right decision to not paint any of the parts and it is not an issue if you do not decide to paint Sagittarius as it is still a great looking figure when not painted.

Once the parts are cut off the sprue assembling the armor to the figure is very quick. Be careful not to break off any of the pins into the female side of the armor parts. All the parts hold on well to the figure except the shoulder armor and heel wingtips. They could prove bothersome when trying to display the figure. The gold chrome still looks bright 21 years later and have not flaked off the plastic or faded.

The weapons include a bow and arrow, with the arrow being an extremely fragile part. It is best to keep it in a safe place of the figure holder when not on display. When it comes to Spiral Zone figures 36-point mobility, the ease of display comes down if the owner decides how much they want to loosen the figure as they are quite stiff when one first open the package. Figure mobility is based on that issue, which could pose a problem if you want to display Sag in the arrow firing position and the figure is still stiff.

As stated before with the other character likenesses such as Kamen Rider Black and Yutaka’s Chirico Cuvie Spiral Zone style figure, I like it when Bandai sculpted licensed characters as Spiral Zone Figures and Sagittarius is no exception. Sagittarius sculpt is a great likeness of the character and is about the only feature that I think is superior to the otherwise better produced and current Saint Cloth Myth s Sagittarius figure. An odd feature to note is the two small bumps on the side of the head that the headdress attach to, which is not featured on any of the other Spiral Zone figures.

Most of the build time is spent on building the centaur figure, which I believe is the weakest part of this release. One of the tenants of a Spiral Zone figure is that the set should not need any type of glue to assemble the figure or armor. Although the centaur figure itself is easily built it is completely loose and falls apart quite easily. Putting the armor on is a disaster as the figure quite simply falls apart or the parts fall off the figure. To take the photo for this review was a nightmare just to balance the figure just right and even then I still think I did not get the shot I wanted.

The centaur has no mobility what so ever. One suggestion is to glue the centaur together and I believe it should hold up quite well but as a Spiral Zone release I do not think I should have to do that. I also do not believe the figure represents the strength of the centaur personality adequately. On the positive the figure looks awesome when one puts the headdress on the black centaur figure as it has a cool and creepy look to it.

The great mystery of the Gemini and Sagittarius releases is were there more Saint Seiya Spiral Zone figures released as the box states it is kit “15”? Or is it a continuation of other basic Saint Seiya model kits that were released at the time? Could it be a continuation of the Spiral Zone Acts 1-12 with Kamen Rider Black being kit 13, Gemini kit 14 and Sagittarius being the last kit with 15? But that is based on if Gemini is kit 14 which I do not know at the moment. Regardless I find the “15” quite cryptic.

The pendulum swings wild on this one. If you are a hardcore Saint Seiya collector it is a definite pick up for the collection for its odd historical footnote and extreme rarity involved with the piece. If you are looking for great representation of this figure I guide you to the current Saint Cloth Myth release of this figure that is currently being produced. The new Saint Seiya releases are brilliant in design and look great on the display shelf. Unlike the regular Spiral Zone figures, SZ Sagittarius has been out classed by the current Saint Cloth Myth release of this character. Besides only two figures were released as Spiral Zone figures while new Saint Seiya figures have been going strong, with new releases every few months.

As for the Spiral Zone collector it is a must own as it is another great Spiral Zone Systeminjection figure that needs to be included in the SZ collection. In terms of practicality it is not the best release of the line, but the pure charisma of this released cannot be denied. The iconic history of Sagittarius in the Saint Seiya canon, the beautiful gold plated armor and a great Spiral zone figure should be more than a few reasons to locate this deluxe figure set for the collection.
©2008 Leonardo Flores “ModCineaste” and Collection DX.

The design of Spiral Zone's Act 2: Hyper Boxer has grown on me over the years, mostly due to the fantastic colors the armor was molded in, the lime green combat suit and the protect suits odd features and detailed weapon accessories.

Spiral Zone Act 2: Hyper Boxer

The second SFG Spiral Zone deluxe figure protect suit set to be released by Bandai in 1985 was Act 2: Hyper Boxer. Compared to the other protect suits, Act 1: Bull Solid and Act 3: Sentinel Bear, Hyper Boxer was the medium weight armor and weapon set of the Spiral Zone line.

I originally bought Hyper Boxer new from Pony Toy Go Round back in the late 1980’s for $25.00. According to the product box, Hyper Boxer was produced for combat in the then future date of 2002 AD.

The design of Act 2: Hyper Boxer has grown on me over the years, mostly due to the fantastic colors the armor was molded in, the lime green combat suit and the protect suits odd features and detailed weapon accessories.

Act 1: Hyper Boxer package includes the following: 1x Systeminjection 36 Point articulation figure, 1x Helmet, 2x chest armor, 1x belt armor, 2x shin armor, 1xgenerator backpack, 1x real cloth suit, 2x rubber boots, 2x file cards, 1x instructions, 1x grey vinyl sprue, 2x rubber bands, 2x gloved hands, 1x clear visor, 1x headphones, 1x backpack parts sprue, 2x shoulder armor, 4x arm armor, 1x buckle, 2x shoulder armor pins, 1x weapons armor sprue, 1x black parts sprue, 1x rubber hose, 1x antenna, 1x display name.

As with most all of the Spiral Zone box art, I admire the Autumn green and brown colors of the splinter camouflage on the box and the impressive oil painting on the back of the box of a squad of HB on patrol under a foreboding green smoked sky near some abandoned skyscrapers.

As the entire Spiral Zone action figure line was a balance between model kit and toy, one should take about two hours of build time out to assemble the armor parts and fitting them to the figure. I suggest purchasing a good set of sprue cutters from a local hobby shop for getting a good clean cut of the parts off the sprue.

As stated before there are some great features that are included with the HB set. First off HB includes two weapons, a sub-machine type Laser Hand gun and a well detailed M50 40mm Grenade Launcher. The Grenade Launcher seems to be the weapon of choice for HB combatants as the HB squad on the back of the box is featured carrying only Grenade Launchers. I really love the look of the Grenade Launcher as it is one of the most impressive pieces of artillery in the entire Spiral Zone line and looks great when any of the figures are displayed with it.

Perhaps because of complaints from customers who bought Bull Solid, many of the connecting belts and other fragile parts were redesigned to be less prone to breakage for HB. For example the fragile easily broken antenna that was included on Hyper Boxers helmet were replaced with soft rubber parts for HB’s helmet parts. Also the belt connectors on the protect armor were redesigned using a pin system that puts less stress on the armor’s plastic loops. This is great when your taking the figure apart and putting it back into the box, as I am always extremely stressed out when taking Bull Solid apart but with HB I have no worries.

Two of the most rememorable features most collectors remember about HB are the leg armor shields and shoulder armor. The leg armor humorously reminds collectors of armored leg warmers. On the whole, with the black kneepad protectors, the leg armor looks good with the over all concept of the figure. Remember to double check if the two black kneepads are included with the set as they are most always missing when I see them up for auction. The large football pads style shoulder armor also builds up the look of the figure, the best feature being the left armor pad has two rubber hoses that attach to the backpack for nice integrated armor and backpack look.

Some more armor features include four parts of armor that snap on the upper and lower arm with the nice touch of a trench knife being fitted to the one of the pads. But keep in mind they have a tendency to come off the arm and in my opinion the only feature that could be bothersome when displaying the figure.

The fine paint details of both the chest armor and helmet look great and like all the other Spiral Zone releases the helmet features a thin clear lens that looks in scale and gives the figure that extra little detail that I love about the entire Spiral Zone line. Headphones are included to help keep the helmet snug to the head but are not needed unlike the Bull Solid figure.

While Bull Solid was predominately two colors of grey and Olive Green, the color spectrum of HB is made up of black, grey, lime green, dark green and silver, making for a very subtle but colorful figure. The color spectrum of Spiral Zone figures would reach its zenith with Act 3: Sentinel Bear, but HB is a fantastic effort.

The 36-point articulations Systeminjection figure included with HB is another remarkable face sculpt with its youthful anime looking face and fashionable Brit-pop haircut. Like all the other Spiral zone sets, HB comes with grey plastic molded hands to simulate grey gloves, that can be attached when the flesh colored hands are removed. The hands also feature the famous Spiral Zone moveable trigger finger, so it can grasp the gun correctly.

The backpack is surprisley smaller and compact when compared to both Bull Solid and Sentinel Bear. I like the small details of the simulated cloth and zipper WWII style pouch on the backpack and the stretched sprue plastic radio antenna that is included with the set.

Overall I think Hyper Boxer is one of the most even and well though out protect suit design in the entire Spiral Zone line and these days expect to pay between $60 and $120 for a Hyper Boxer figure. It is a great looking figure when assembled and displayed and does not have all the breakage points that Bull Solid is known for. Another legendary release from Bandai’s SFG Spiral Zone line that is a must for the Spiral Zone collection.

© 2008 Leonardo Flores ModCineaste and Collection DX.

Act 6: Bull Solid “Machinehead” was the second and last recolor of Bull Solid. I bought my Machinehead armor from Pony Toy Go Round back in the late 1980’s for $20.00.

Spiral Zone Act 6: Bull Solid “Machinehead”

From a line toys and accessories that are already difficult to locate, SF Spiral Zone’s four protect suits extra uniform sets are the hardest pieces of the line to locate. The extra protect suits were designated Act 4 through Act 7, two of them recolor of Act 1: Bull Solid and the other two, a recolor of Act 2: Hyper Boxer. No recolor armor was made of Act 3: Sentinel Bear.

Act 6: Bull Solid “Machinehead” was the second and last recolor of Bull Solid. I bought my Machinehead armor from Pony Toy Go Round back in the late 1980’s for $20.00. There was some odd issues when it came to Bandai pricing the extra uniforms. I would assume that most kids and collectors would bypass the $20.00 uniform sets and purchase the deluxe sets that come with an action figure for $25.00. An extra figure sold for $15.00 meaning purchasing an extra figure and extra protector suit set would cost $35.00. The extra protect suit sets were also not as attractive as the regular sets, three of sets being released with a silver threaded uniform, although I think the silver suit works well for Machinehead.

The Spiral Zone package consist of:

1x helmet, 2x arm pads, 2x armor plates, 1X Real cloth suit, 2X rubber boots, 3X sprue (1x vinyl, 1x silver, 1x blue), 1x backpack, 1x rubber hose, 2X grey replacement hands, 1X clear vinyl, 1X belt buckle, 4X rubber bands, 1x instructions, 1X file cards, 1x name tag.

If you have read my Act 1: Bull Solid review, the Machinehead set has the same issues as Bull Solid as it is simply a recolor minus the Spiral Zone figure. I like the color match of navy blue armor and the silver real cloth suit. In fact I believe Machinehead might even be a Navy version of the Army Bull Solid uniform as its logo is an armored lobster and the colors might work for a maritime soldier.

Unlike the silkscreen painted logos on Act 1: Bull Solid, Machinehead comes with a set a stickers to apply to the armor and backpack, I suggest cutting them out with a fine X-acto blade so no clear film is shown. Over the years the stickers have come loose, so I would suggest not applying them to the figure’s armor. I do like the Machinehead logo on the backpack.

I am only missing three of the twelve Spiral Zone Acts and the three Acts that I am missing are the extra uniform Protect suit sets. Because of the unusual price point the extra protect suit sets had, I do not believe many were sold and every set that I have seen for sale is always missing important pieces, perhaps pirated for parts to make one complete set. Extreme caution and a sharp eye is needed when picking one of these sets up and always double check with references before purchasing one.

© 2008 Leonardo Flores “Modcineaste” & Collection DX.

Bandai’s SFG Spiral Zone released only three optional weapon sets for their Spiral Zone deluxe figure sets and optional Coating Armor sets. Acts 8, 9 & 10 would be allocated for those releases.

Spiral Zone: Act 9 Bazooka Pack

Bandai’s SFG Spiral Zone released only three optional weapon sets for their Spiral Zone deluxe figure sets and optional Coating Armor sets. Acts 8, 9 & 10 would be allocated for those releases. They are:

Act 8: Personal Floater
Act 9: Bazooka Pack
Act 10: Type Scout III Monoseed

Act 9: Optional Backpack Unit Bazooka Pack was a “Monopole Accelerative Rail Gun / Missile Launcher” that was developed in 2005 that fired a 70mm round. The entire unit carried 20 rounds total with four being carried in the breech and the other 16 in the backpack storage area (as stated on the box). Although all the Spiral Zone figures can use this backpack, it is colored for Act 1: Bull Solid of dark OD green.

Typical of all the Spiral Zone release the front of the box has clear windows that display some of the parts and the other side of the box illustrates a beautiful painting of Bull Solid in action with the Bazooka Pack.

The small box contains: 2x green sprue, 1x preassembled back pack, 1x barrel, 2x metal springs, 1x rubber hose, 1x thin plastic wire,1x red wire, 1x sticker sheet, 1x instruction sheet, 1x file card.

I bought this toy from a dealer for $15.00 at the San Diego Comic Convention back in 1987 and it had already been assembled. This purchase was also my last Spiral Zone toy purchase for many years until I bough an Act 12: Figure Type II (Brown) from Ebay about two years ago.

Assembly of Bazooka Pack is almost pure model kit with some nice added touches that take it to Spiral Zone levels. I suggest buying a good pair of sprue cutters to cuts the parts off the sprue. Some of the great features are metal spring tubing that connects the gun to the backpack and the twisted red wire that is very simply assembled but very effective in scale. I also love the antenna that comes from the top of the unit.

The Gun also has some nice features as well such as moveable handles for better positioning the Spiral Zone figure with it. When the Bazooka is not in use it can be folded in half and fit neatly into the backpack unit. The bazooka is held to the backpack with a folding arm from the backpack.

My only problem with this backpack is how the gun tends to fall apart in the middle when you are folding it in half. That can fixed with a couple of drops of glue, but I elected to keep together without glue.

Later a very cute looking Gashapon version of Bazooka was released that also fitted on a small Gashapon Spiral Zone figure that could be placed on the figures hand and being able to fit into a backpack that also connected to the Spiral Zone Gashapon figure.

This is one of my favorite Spiral Zone releases, as it looks great when displayed with a Spiral Zone figure. It is an impressive looking gun when deployed and I like to think that one of the parts on the side of the Bazooka is a small machine gun, which gives it even some more play value. I do not see the Bazooka Pack for sale that often on either Ebay or Yahoo Japan Auctions, in fact the last one I saw for sale was the one I bought back in 1987 that I used for this review. A great toy definitely worth picking up for the Spiral Zone collection!

© 2008 Leonardo Flores & DX Collection.

After releasing four SFG Spiral Zone extra Coating Type uniforms without figures, it would be expected that Bandai would release basic figures to go along with their coating armor sets. Spiral Zone Act 11 Figure Type 1 (White Man) and Act 12 Figure Type II (Brown) would fulfill those expectations.

Spiral Zone Act 11: Figure Type 1 (White)

After releasing four SFG Spiral Zone extra Coating Type uniforms without figures, it would be expected that Bandai would release basic figures to go along with their coating armor sets. Spiral Zone Act 11 Figure Type 1 (White Man) and Act 12 Figure Type II (Brown) would fulfill those expectations.

Leonardo Flores (MonCinesate)

Two Spiral Zone figures were created to be paired with one of the four Coating Type extra armor uniform sets. While the other three figures looked Japanese in their face sculpts, Bandai choose to release two figures with an African ethnicity and European ethnicity.

Spiral Zone Act 12: Type II Brown

SFG Bandai’s Spiral Zone toys can be split into four categories:

Deluxe Figure Kits (Acts 1-3)
Coating optional Clothing sets (Act 4-7),
Vehicles & Optional Backpacks (Acts 8-10)
Super Real Action Figures (Acts 11 & 12)

This review will focus on one of the two optional figures and last Spiral Zone release Act 12: Figure Type 2 (Brown).

Leonardo Flores “Modcineaste”

Special Forces Group Spiral Zone was a very short released series of action figures and equipment manufactured by Bandai in 1/12 scale in 1985. Not many pieces were released with only 12 releases, which were numbered on each box as “Acts”, with Bull Solid as Act 1.

Act 1: Bull Solid

Special Forces Group Spiral Zone was a very short released series of action figures and equipment manufactured by Bandai in 1/12 scale in 1985. The figures were only produced for a couple years and were quite expensive for their day and now rare and highly sought after Japanese toy today. When GI Joe figures went for 2.95 each Spiral Zone figures were $25.00 and in 1986 that was a lot of money. Not many pieces were released with only 12 releases, which were numbered on each box as “Acts”, with Bull Solid as Act 1. Spiral Zone was one of the first hi-brow toys that were geared towards adult collectors rather than children.

The Spiral Zone package consist of:

1X Systeminjection action figure, 1x helmet, 2x arm pads, 2x armor plates, 1X Real cloth suit, 2X rubber boots, 3X sprue (1x vinyl, 1x silver, 1x green), 1x backpack, 1x rubber hose, 2X grey replacement hands, 1X clear vinyl, 1X belt buckle, 4X rubber bands, 1x instructions, 2X file cards.

Building Spiral Zone figures is very straightforward. Although following the instructions should produce a great end product, I believe since Bull Solid was the first release there are a couple of engineering problems that if you are not careful you can break some weaker points of the figure.

My friends little brother also attacked my Bull Solid when I was in school one afternoon and broke off the head, this was finally repaired a few years ago with Yutaka’s own Spiral Zone body reissues which Ninja uses the exact same molds as the original Spiral Zone figures of the 1980’s.

© 2008 Leonardo Flores “Modcineaste”

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Pony Toy Go Round, Los Angeles California - circa 1986: I was given a choice by my parents to make the decision to purchase one of two Spiral Zone toys that was needed for the collection: Monoseed or Sentinel Bear. Both were priced at $45.00 which was a lot of money those days. I correctly chose Monoseed but for the next 20 years I always dreamed of owning the third Spiral Zone figure Sentinel Bear.

Spiral Zone's Sentinel Bear:

Pony Toy Go Round, Los Angeles California - circa 1986: I was given a choice by my parents to make the decision to purchase one of two Spiral Zone toys that was needed for the collection: Monoseed or Sentinel Bear. Both were priced at $45.00 which was a lot of money those days. I correctly chose Monoseed but for the next 20 years I always dreamed of owning the third Spiral Zone figure Sentinel Bear.

A Hong Kong toy dealer has been listing original 1985 Bandai Spiral Zone figures on Ebay recently and up went a N.O.S. unassembled mint copy of Sentinel Bear. Seven days later and $100.99 less in my paypal account it was headed to my door step from Hong Kong. Here was a great chance to do a review of a 20-year-old unassembled Spiral Zone action figure.

SFG Spiral Zone #3 Sentinel Bear was the third and most heavy armored and armed of the first three figures. There were many unique features that Sentinel Bear had over the other releases. One such unique feature was that the other two Spiral Zone figures, Hyperboxer and Bull Solid, armor was recolored and issued three times each, Sentinel Bear armor was only available through this release. It appears that a brown Sentinel Bear armor was photographed for promo reasons but it was never released.

The Sentinel Bear full color package includes:

• 1x System injection 1/12 scale 36 point articulated figure
• 1x real cloth uniform
• 1x sticker sheet
• 2x hoses (rubber & plastic)
• 3x sprue ( 2x plastic & 1 vinyl)
• 3x paper inserts (2x file cards & 1x one color instruction sheet)
• 2x rubber boots
• 1x clear visor sheet
• 4x rubber armor parts
• 9x Armor parts (1x shield, 1x Helmet, 1x backpack, 2x body amour, 2x shin armor, 2x wrist armor.)
• 2x extra “gloved” hands.

Like all of the Spiral Zone releases, Sentinel Bear’s full color packaging is a sight to behold. The back of the box reproduces a beautiful oil painting of a unit of Sentinel Bears on patrol through a barren wasteland with smoke fuming out of their backpacks. It’s great to read some of the stats on Sentinel Bear the back of the box. It appears that the SB Armor was first issued in 2004 AD and the armor weighs 117kg wet! It is also good to note that the box is wider than the other two figures boxes; most likely because of the extra parts needed to assemble the figure.

As described in the auction Sentinel Bear was N.O.S. condition as none of the parts bags have been opened and all the parts were in original condition. One issue that all Spiral Zone collectors should take note is that the rubber the boots are made out of have some kind of chemical reaction with the Styrofoam packaging tray. All of my Spiral Zone figures boots have eaten through the Styrofoam and my Sentinel Bear is no exception. I suggest taking the boots out of the tray placement and put them in one of the plastic Baggies provided when not on display or long-term storage.

The molds were crisp on the figure and sprue although some of the waist armor had to be cleaned up on the very fragile tabs in order for it to fit in the holes on the belt. This has been the only time I’ve experienced minor flash on a Spiral Zone figure.

One of my favorite features is that, besides the brown wrist and shin armor, Sentinel Bear armor is molded in three shades of light blue-grey that gives it somewhat of a subtle patched up look and is aesthetically appealing to the eye. No small detail went unnoticed with Spiral Zone figures.

Assembly is straightforward. Give yourself about an hour of build time and I suggest some good sprue cutters available from most hobby shops to get a clean cut for the parts. I had some trouble with putting the barrel cap of the hand Laser gun on the rest of the gun. I had to file down the peg for it to fit properly. Another feature unique to Sentinel Bear was that the SB Laser Gun Is not held by the figures’ hand but has a peg inside the gun that when the hand and wrist armor is removed the peg inserts in its place. That gives it a nice solid connection for display. But even better Bandai included the extra hand and wrist armor parts so if you would like to display Sentinel Bear without the laser gun, it will still look complete.

Assemble of the armor and backpack is straightforward. Just be extremely careful when putting the armor plates in the holes on the belt and squeezing the belt tabs onto the body armor. Bull Solid had somewhat of a design flaw in the body armor tab area that was fixed with Hyperboxer and Sentinel Bear. Also be very careful when attaching the backpack to the tabs on the body armor. This can be broken as well if forced onto the body armor. Keep in mind that these toys are made of plastic and 20 years old. Plastic becomes very brittle over the years so handle accordingly.

The backpack is huge with many crisp molded details. 4 holes are provided for the hoses from the laser gun and helmet. Another hose protrudes from the bottom of the backpack.

Sentinel Bear also includes a shield that is unique to this figure that snaps into one of the wrist armor. There is a bar for the hand to fit around for that High Complete look.

The helmet is full of many wonderful details that are expected from Spiral Zone figures. Three hoses come from the helmet, one goes to the chest armor and two go to the backpack. A clear sheet of plastic is provided for the visor. Again no detail to small for the designers at Bandai. Please note that the helmet doesn’t drop down on the head of the figure but most be angled in to fit around the head. SB comes with headphones to make the helmet fit more snug. This is definitely needed for the Bull Solid figure but not needed with Sentinel Bear, as it’s a tight fit as is.

Sentinel Bear’s figure is one of the best sculptures of the line. He appears older than the other figures and looks like he’s ready to get down to business. In short he’s one bad hombre and perfect for the role of the baddest of all Spiral Zone armor. Because of the heavy armor, the figure is less articulated when the armor is on the figure.

When Sentinel Bear is fully assembled it is one of the most appealing toys I have owned over the years. Any more details the figure would look over designed any less it would look like the two other SZ figures. Sentinel Bear is in a class of its own.

Was Sentinel Bear worth waiting 20 years for? As a young lad it was the mysterious figure I never owned. As an adult, when I finally purchased it, Sentinel Bear fulfilled every expectation I had of it and more and worth every penny I spent on it. In fact I can honestly say it’s one of the best toys Bandai has ever made.

Leonardo Flores “Uplandmod”

I believe Bandai was heading in the right direction with their 1/12 scale SF Spiral Zone line when they began to manufacture some of their other Bandai licenses as SZ figures. As far as I know only three figures would be made: Kamen Rider Black, Saint Seiya Sagittarius and Saint Seiya Gemini.

I believe Bandai was heading in the right direction with their 1/12 scale SF Spiral Zone line when they began to manufacture some of their other Bandai licenses as SZ figures. As far as I know only three figures would be made: Kamen Rider Black, Saint Seiya Sagittarius and Saint Seiya Gemini.

I bought my example of Kamen Rider Black in the 1980’s at Los Angeles’ Little Tokyo hobbies and animation shop Pony Toy Go-Round for $23.00. Few Spiral Zone / Chogokin collectors know that SZ Kamen Rider Black even exists and if I did not see it in 1987 I would have not known either. Over the years, because of its uniqueness and rarity, it has become one of my most cherished figures in my collection.

Kamen Rider Black was the 11th incarnation of our favorite sentai bug eyed rider. Played by Tetsuo Kurata and stunts by Jiro Okamoto, KRB ran for 51 episodes from October 4th 1987 to October 9th1988 and also spawned three motion pictures.

Just like the Spiral Zone proper, Bandai spared no cost with Kamen Rider Black’s packaging. The full color box features windows displaying the unbuilt figure of lead character Minami Kotaro, cloth under suit and Rider Mask. By this time Bandai started to refer to SZ style figures as 36 Action System injection and is prominently printed on the box. But the back of the box is a sight to behold. A beautiful, full color oil painting reproduction of Kamen Rider Black in classic sentai pose with some of his beaten down monster foes at his feet. Right on Bandai! We haven’t even opened the package yet!

Kamen Rider Black package includes: 1x Minami Kotaro (10x parts to be assembled), 1x rider mask (4x parts), 1x cloth suit, 3x sprue of various armor (2x Black, 1x gunmetal), 2x sticker sheets (1x vinyl 1x cloth), 3x screws, 1x full color instruction sheet.

Unlike the SF Spiral Zone figures, which are packaged pre assembled, Kamen Rider Black’s figure needs to be assembled. This is easily done with the screws provided but you must supply your own small Philips screwdriver. KRB only comes with black detachable “gloved” hands unlike SF Spiral Zone figures that are packaged with both flesh colored hands and “gloved” colored hands. KRB’s head sculpt is well executed with a superbly rendered anime version likeness of actor Tetsuo Kurata looking extremely tough.

The complete Kamen Rider black armor is actually a quick assembly. Just put the Kotaro’s suit on, assemble his Kamen Rider Black armor around it and your just about finished. His armor might look a bit chunky for some, but I think it speaks volumes of where Japanese toy design was at in 1987. It’s not perfect like many currently available highly detailed Japanese and American action figures but it still holds up very well for being a 20 year old figure design.

Kamen Rider Black’s helmet is just another sight to behold on this figure. The two colored stencils are sharp and the sculpt is top notch and captures all the wonderful oddness we love about Japanese toys. But unlike Yutaka’s SZ Chiro Cuvie figure where one has to pull the head off the figure and replace it with a “helmeted” head, the Rider Helmet snaps in two parts around the figures head. I suggest clear portions of the plastic stickers provided for the helmet be trimmed so the stickers can fit comfortably around the high angled contours of the helmet.

Bandai executed a great design feature when they made KRB’s antennas detachable from his helmet. I wish they could of made it with softer rubber like SF Spiral Zone’s Hyperboxers helmet. But in the 20 years I have owned this figure I never had a problem with his antennas breaking. That’s saying something because I did play with it as a kid in the 1980’s.

Another unique feature is the cloth stickers that are provided which are not seen in any other Spiral Zone releases. These stickers are provided for the color stripes on his cuffs, pants and kneepads and neck. As the cloth suit doesn’t go up to his neck Bandai provided a black cloth sticker for the figures neck. Bandai could had easily asked the customer to paint the neck black but instead provided a cloth sticker. Nice.

Super Sentai type characters and poses are perfect for the high pose ability of Spiral Zone figures and definitely Kamen Rider Black is no exception.

What is the drawback of this figure? That Bandai did not make more of these! What I’ll give for a Spiral Zone JAK-Q, Kamen Rider X or Dynapink. Or a 1/12 scale Battle Hopper or Road Sector motorcycles to go with their SZ Kamen Rider Black.

But that’s the essence of the entire Spiral Zone line for you. It just feels unfinished. The possibilities were endless but at least they made hero Kamen Rider Black.

Additional information of Kamen Rider Black can be found at the following websites:

• http://incolor.inebraska.com/stuart/riders/
• http://www.freewebs.com/basrisite/