Summary of Zi-O SG Watcher: Vol.42

From the archive of Bandai’s candy toy blog series for Kamen Rider Zi-O, with tidbits about safety the introduction of the Another Riders.

The man currently in charge of candy toy development goes by G, and in honor of Zi-O, he is now going by the name Gi-O.

Gi-O begins this blog with a continuation from last time. GrandZi-O is brought back to demonstrate an important discussion of safety measures. Because SO-DO is a toyline that many kids play with, they strictly adhere to safety standards to prevent harm or misuse.

The first of this is the use of PVC, or soft plastic. The purpose of this plastic is to prevent injury from sharp parts. The spikes on GrandZi-O’s shoulder armor, as well as the outlined portion of his helmet, are made of PVC.

The second safety measure are the pins added to various parts of the figure’s back. These have been present on the heads of the figures for some time now, and have now been added to GrandZi-O’s forearms. These prevent misuse, presumably so that they aren’t swallowed.

In this way, Bandai manufactures products that consider safety in various ways. Later in the post, Gi-O suggests that the talk of safety measures was brought on by questionnaires for SO-DO, where fans wanted more inside stories.

With that, the blog moves on to its main reveal.

Thus begins the coverage on SO-DO Gaiden Kamen Rider Zi-O: ANOTHER 1. This post focuses on Another Faiz and Another Gaim.

There are various talking points about the figures as a whole. The first is that the heads are fully painted – this is because the Another Riders have an “organic” designs that call for PVC. Gi-O explains that stickers are not suitable for PVC, so paint was used instead. Likewise, they feature sharp parts that need PVC for aforementioned safety reasons.

Since these are being sold for 850 each, the use of PVC molds seemed acceptable.

Another point of discussion are the hands. Among the things fans have requested in their questionnaire were “I want gripping hands without holes!” – this refers to the fists that typically have a peghole to hold weapons. Since Another Faiz does not have any accessories, the fists have no hole. Since Another Gaim has a sword, he comes with the standard fists with pegholes.

The third talking point for the Another Riders is the lack of stickers. Since there are relatively few colors on the designs, there are less stickers, especially since the heads are painted. Though there are no display stands included, they have included stickers for those who have one available.

Gi-O remarks that stickers are an eternal struggle. It is difficult to add stickers if they’re too big as a result of encompassing multiple parts, but are also difficult if they’re too small and segmented. Likewise, reducing the amount of stickers reduces stress, but also reduces accuracy, and increasing the amount of stickers has the opposite effect.

This wave is somewhat different from the conventional sticker setup, so Gi-O encourages those who make use of the stickers to send their feedback via the questionnaire.

Images of Another Faiz.

Images of Another Gaim.

Gi-O ends with what seems to be a teaser, but…

… goes on to reveal SO-DO Gaiden Kamen Rider Zi-O: ANOTHER 2. Slotted for an October 28th retail release, the set includes Another Den-O, Another W, Another OOO, and Another Fourze. ANOTHER 1 would see a July release date.

Source: Bandai Candy Staff Blog