2021/08/30

The Mystery of Kamen Rider J's Helmet

This post is somewhat born out of frustration. I've always known what color Kamen Rider J is. He is green with green and teal accents. The End.

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But no, I am here to tell you that there is apparently a difference in Kamen Rider J's suit depending on his size. Also...his Jumbo size has a name other than Jumbo? This is upsetting considering I'm 28 years into not knowing what the hell color Kamen Rider ZO's suit is. Is he Green? Blue? Navy? It's something that seems entirely contingent on lighting and who is printing the image. I've learned to live with that. This whole thing with Kamen Rider J is a different story.

The offending publication is here...


I own tons and tons of books on the 90s Rider movies (and Hakaider). Most of them just have the same info over and over again. This one in particular has some beautiful photos, but ultimately runs out of steam and just recaps ZO and Shin. The point of interest lays in this little blurb...


Yes, those helmets are clearly different. The caption merely claims that Kamen Rider J has a slightly different color when he is Jumbo Size, Let's take a closer look...


The antennae are kinda floppy in this one and, while it is likely due to the aggressive flash, the vent is almost white. The greens in the stripe are also a little more distinct. The eyes are also slotted with a clear lens overlay.


The helmet here is a little more refined with full eyes, a deeper metallic look to the vent, and rigid antennae.

This really made me examine the photos in the rest of the book to see if this was consistent at all. 


We're off to a bad start. Maybe the darker vent isn't present here, but the antennae are pretty rigid.


This is the Jumbo version and...how about that? The vent is darker, but this is clearly the stunt helmet since the clasps are on the side and the eyes are slotted and lensed.


Jumbo J again and...wait. This is clearly a hero helmet since the eyes are lit up, but the antennae are floppy and...transparent?? What's going on!? At least the vent is still dark.


Normal J here and...this is a stunt helmet with the lighter vent. His crystal/belt isn't jeweled like it is in the bike photo above. I guess they couldn't be bothered for this stunt suit?

I guess you catch the drift. The J suit has the usual differences between stunt and hero suits, but also some weird variations between normal size and jumbo. This is something that Bandai never acknowledged in the SHFiguarts of Kamen Rider J. 

Oh yeah...there is also this...


What the heck is Kamen Rider J J Power MAX? The caption talks about J's power. I kinda feel like this was a lazy little addition, but on the surface it looked to me like they're trying to give J's Jumbo form this name. I mean, if he has a new helmet...why not??

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That's it for this post. I know this was a strange little topic, but when I posted the image to twitter it seemed like everyone shared in my confusion. I dig little things like this.

OH! I also have yet another Kamen Rider J topic coming up in September. I don't even like Kamen Rider J! Regardless, I have a new post coming up about the guy. I may have some more book posts coming up soon as I explore them a little more closely when I have some spare time.

See ya soon!

-CC

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