Hello everyone. This is Funasen, in charge of CSM planning and development.
Today is the 10th anniversary of the broadcast of "KAMEN RIDER GAIM"! Congratulations!!

Let's celebrate with fruitcake tonight.
The commemorative item from BANDAI is the CSM Genesis Driver!
First, please see the following page. Please also check out the video featuring Kubota-san.
After you have seen it, we will give you various explanations about this product.



Here are some modifications to the SENGOKU DRIVER Driver, a belt that is even more meaningful to turn into a CSM than the Sengoku Driver!

① Grip movement without squeaking noises



This has been a dream of all Gaim fans for the past 10 years. The internal structure and materials have been revised to allow the grip to return quietly and slowly. This makes the "pouring sound" that was barely audible before clearly audible!


② The liquid pouring is expressed using approximately 100 LEDs!
This is the gimmick that BANDAI put the most effort into this time.
In the DX version, the movement of the grip and the physical lid part inside the cup are linked, and the liquid is expressed by an upward-facing LED light, and as the lid slowly rises up, the LED's illuminated area expands, expressing the increase in the liquid. This was a well-thought-out toy gimmick, and I think it was an incredibly interesting one.



On the other hand, in the TV show, the cup was rendered using CG to express the dynamic movement of the liquid. When making the CSM version, I thought it was crucial to make the cup look more realistic, so the first thing I did was...
"Can't we use real liquid?"
That's it. Conceptually, there is no better answer than this. There are many toys that contain water in the world, so I researched them and ran a simulation to incorporate them into the structure of the Genesis Driver, but...
●It is difficult to make the liquid visible or hidden in the cup part while maintaining the exterior design and size.
●Even if the liquid could be poured, the space is narrow and small, so it would be difficult from a physical standpoint to pour the liquid into the cup with the force that was shown in the CG. (It would not even ripple.)
●No matter how completely you seal it, the water level will drop after a few years due to evaporation. (For example, baby bottle toys)
If you can fill it with water yourself, like with a humidifier or iron, you can prevent the water level from dropping, but if the liquid leaks, it's all over. You may also accidentally get it wet.
As a result of discovering various issues such as these, we gave up on using real liquid.


So the alternative was to use a large number of LEDs. We discussed whether we could take the 64 LEDs used in "Demon's Driver" to the next level and apply them to this expression, and we proceeded to verify what would happen if we placed LEDs over the surface area of a cup. If there were fewer LEDs, the gaps between the LEDs would be visible, creating a grainy look, and the reduced number of dots would reduce the resolution of the animation, so we settled on the current specifications of placing around 100 LEDs.

*The image below is under development. The number of LEDs may differ.
 

*If this were an LCD, for example, it would definitely result in gap-free "surface emission," but since the brightness of an LCD screen is limited, arranging the LEDs facing forward would enable a brighter, more flashy effect.

The video featuring Kubota-san is still in its early stages of LED effects, and the animation has a slightly hazy feel rather than a liquid feel, but it has now been brushed up to have a more liquid feel, with interesting movements on the water surface and the carbonation rising from the bottom to the top. This will be introduced in a short video on X (twitter) sometime next week.

And! Not only the cup but also the tube on the left side is illuminated!



Here, LEDs are placed at the inlet and outlet of the tube and light up from the top at different times, giving the appearance of the colors moving and stretching.
Also, in order to make this tube glow beautifully, it has to be made into a proper tube shape, so the design has evolved from the DX version.
The DX version had a half-split shape and hollowed-out parts as shown below,



At CSM, we made this part into a solid circular tube with no hollowing out, which allows the LED light to pass through the inside and make it look like it's shining brightly.



To eliminate the hollowing out, it would take time to adjust the mold and a long time to mold the product, so it would be quite difficult with the products currently available at the time of broadcast. However, CSM is a product that can be made over time and at a cost, making this possible.


3) Improved appearance quality
It's hard to tell from the photo of the Genesis Driver, but the details have been brushed up to match the suit prop. The actor's prop is a reuse of the DX version, so there are holes and screw holes, and in the case of the Lockseed, there is a protrusion from the central locking part, but we've reviewed all of the shapes for the realistic mechanisms of these toys and created a beautiful design.



You may have already seen the evolution of the Energy Lockseeds in the Lockseed sets that have already been released, but the changes to the Melon and Lemon are particularly significant this time. First of all, the protrusions of the locking mechanism on the flesh side have disappeared, exposing a beautiful sealing surface.

   

Please note that screws have been added to the top of the Melon Energy deployment surface, but this is because it is a necessary design step to eliminate the locking mechanism in the center of the sealing surface and lock it in a different position.
The paint colors and areas of paint have been renewed, and they all look closer to the props. Please compare them with KAMEN RIDER Encyclopedia. The part of the Dragon Fruit that corresponds to the hinge at the bottom was molded black in the DX version, but in the CSM version it has been changed to a clear light pink.
Melon Energy also covers the cutouts on the expansion surface.



4. Gorgeous voice acting, cast voices and background music!
This time, we will be recording the voices of seven riders who transformed with the Genesis Driver as "new voices for CSM"! Sorry, only Tyrant will be included.
Lines from the time Takatora, Mitsuzane and Kaito were wearing the Genesis Driver in the series will be included. There will also be that line from Big Brother in the special combination with ToQger! For a series where multiple characters transform with one belt, the CSM is just as spectacular as it gets. As for the sound, there are also sound effect buttons for the "belt removal and attachment sounds" that were also recorded for SENGOKU DRIVER, and the buttons have been placed in a position that is naturally pressed when holding the device in your right hand, so try touching it and see how Takatora and the others hold it in the series.

The BGM includes not only the Gaim soundtrack, but also songs from overseas commercial music libraries that were not made specifically for Gaim, such as "Covert Coverup," which was frequently used in scenes with the Genesis Riders, and "Evil Lair of Evil," which was used in the Gaiden Duke. I would like to add more songs, and I am currently investigating whether I can use the song from that scene, so if it goes well, I will add more.

⑤ Kill process!
And here's the biggest fun item this time: the Kill Process Activation Device!
The Genesis Driver will be destroyed without question via infrared communication! (A destruction sound will be heard and it will stop functioning.) After it is destroyed, the buttons will not respond if you do not restart the power. However, please note that you can still physically press the Lockseed pin by operating the grip, so the Lockseed side will still be able to hear the transformation sounds and the like.
Of course, the voice-over for Ryoma's line, "Kill Process," is also included!



This is an item that you probably won't have a chance to look at up close, so take a good look at it. They developed HENSHIN BELT like this, but they still had the retro antenna attached to the remote control!

●About price
Many people may have felt that it was expensive compared to the "CSM SENGOKU DRIVER." Of course, due to the difference in the number of Lock Seeds, the driver body equipped with a large number of LEDs (Sengoku has zero LEDs), and the kill process, the base cost is higher than SENGOKU DRIVER, but in addition to that, the impact of the times three years later is very large.
If it could be released three years ago, like the "CSM SENGOKU DRIVER," it could have been several thousand yen cheaper than the current price even with these specifications. However, with the current situation of 2023, where the cost of raw materials is rising worldwide and the yen is extremely weak at about 150 yen to the dollar, all costs have risen, resulting in a price of this magnitude. We are sorry, but we ask for your understanding. And we sincerely hope that the yen will continue to appreciate in the future.


■ Other product developments

●CSM Genesis Driver - Buckle Edition



As explained in the previous blog, this product is just the driver and belt. It has the same position and composition as the "Project Arc Edition" that was available with SENGOKU DRIVER, and is intended to meet the demand of those who want to display the belts of the four Genesis Riders side by side. (I often saw them in DX.)
However, because the specs of the driver itself for this CSM are extremely high, it is priced at this price even though it does not come with any transformation items.

- CSM Energy Lockseed Set



This product contains only five types of Energy Lockseeds. It is sold for those who only want the Lockseeds, and if you have a CSM SENGOKU DRIVER, you can transform into Jimber Arms without having to buy the CSM Genesis Driver.
The package design will be "KAMEN RIDER GAIM Gaim Jimber Lemon Arms", which is different from the Genesis Driver.

● Display stand related products (4 items)










The rider mark printed pedestal series, which has been developed since last year, is now available not only for the Genesis Driver but also for SENGOKU DRIVER. The Sengoku pedestal has the Gaim mark, and the Genesis pedestal has the Zangetsu mark.
Furthermore, as a new attempt, we will also be releasing a set product that contains only the top surface part on which the mark is printed. This product was prepared in consideration of the work "Gaim", in which the riders transform into various riders with the same belt. Each rider has one mark, and since we could not commercialize all of them with the pedestal attached (because the number of purchases would be divided), Contents allow you to obtain only the part with the mark printed on it. If we could prepare a product for each rider, there would be the advantage that each pedestal could be in a personal color, but when there are as many characters as in "Gaim", there would be arguments and dissatisfaction even if you selected them, so we decided to keep the base color the same and select black, which matches every rider, so that every rider's mark could be attached to the pedestal.
Another benefit of the black version is that it can be attached to the belt bases that have been released in the past. Gaim and Zangetsu are the main products that come with bases, but the top parts of the other riders can be completed using the belt bases that you already have, so there is no need to purchase multiple new bases this time.
On the other hand, we think there may be some people who would like to increase the number of pedestals to go with this, so we have decided to resell the blank pedestals as well! Please feel free to use them.


That's all for today's blog. Unlike regular CSM, this time we have set a long order period of about 3 months. We hope you will get your hands on the Gaccha after the New Year holidays.
In addition, we will continue to add Product Information as appropriate.
We look forward to your reservations!