Hello everyone. I'm Tamura, in charge of CSM Dark KIVAT BELT development.

Thank you very much to everyone who came to "NARIKIRI WORLD 2023" held at Akihabara UDX the other day!
We are unveiling the CSM Dark KIVAT BELT as an advance exhibit, and starting today, we will begin taking orders.
(Orders have already been accepted in some overseas countries, so some of you may have already seen the information.)

Today we will be giving you more details about the specifications of the CSM Dark KIVAT BELT which is now available for pre-order!

As previously mentioned on the order page, we have now clarified the first and second order periods.
Therefore, if you want to get it as soon as possible, please make a reservation during the first period for delivery in March, but if it is difficult due to reservations for other items, please make a reservation during the second period for delivery in June.
*Please note that if the limit is reached during the first period, orders will move to the second period.

First, please have a look at the page below. After you have read the contents of the page, we will explain the various aspects of this product.
 

① High-quality appearance based on a prop
 


The mold itself is reused from the CSM KIVAT BELT, so the shape and details are similar, but it is painted in a vivid metallic red, giving it a much more solid and sturdy finish compared to the DX version of the time.

One aspect that took a lot of trial and error was the area that was painted metallic red.
The back of the Kivat Bat III was left unpainted in the red dotted areas to prevent rubbing with the Kivat Buckle, and instead had a light embossed finish. However, for the Kivat Bat II, the embossing was removed and the back was fully painted.
At first, I tried making an unpainted sample of this part, leaving only the metallic red molding color exposed, but when viewed as Kivat alone, there was a big difference between the paint and the molding color, and it looked quite unnatural as a living creature, so I decided to paint the entire thing, while somehow battling against scratches.
After much trial and error, we decided to make the area where the Kivat locks onto the buckle (i.e., the contact point) less susceptible to scratches by applying a transparent UV-treated paint over the metallic red paint to prevent the paint from peeling off.
When you hold the UV-treated painted areas up to the light, they may look like they have a thin layer of tape on them, but please note that this is not a paint defect.


The seven golden patterns on the forehead and wings, which are characteristic of Kivat Bat II, have all been reproduced using tampo paint.
Instead of using the DX version pattern, we created new pattern data based on the prop and painted it.

 
Furthermore, the shape of Kivat-Bat II's eyes is different from that of Kivat-Bat III, but these have also been faithfully reproduced and painted based on the prop.
The black paint makes it look like it has sharp edges.

② Painting the whistle


  
*Photo: Left: KIVAT BELT Whistle / Right: Dark KIVAT BELT Whistle
The shape of MASKED RIDER KIVA 's Whistle is the same, but the painted areas are different from KAMEN RIDER Dark Kiva's, so they are painted exactly the same as the prop, and even though the paint colors are the same blue, purple, and green, they are made to match the Dark Kiva colors of the prop.
The gold of the main body is molded in the same color as the DX version. Because it slides into the lower jaw of Kivat-Bat II, if you paint it, you can only paint it in a way that avoids painting the contact area, so the molded color and gold paint will be mixed together.
I made a prototype once, but it ended up looking very strange, so I decided to keep it in the molded color this time as well.
However, we are currently making adjustments to the final version so that it has a more metallic shine than the gold molding color exhibited at the event.

3. Equipped with a voice recognition function that allows you to enjoy conversations with Kivat-Bat II!
As with the CSM KIVAT BELT, it also features voice recognition functionality.
If you pretend to be the transformed character and say things like "Exterminate them" or "Bat-like creatures!", you will hear the voice of Kivat-Bat II based on the voice input.
Also, as an original toy, if you say "Good morning" or "Good night" like you did with Kivat-Bat III, he will reply, so you can feel as if you are having a conversation with Kivat-Bat II!
The reply lines are original, and I recorded new lines for Tomokazu Sugita. (I recorded them all together when I made the CSM KIVAT BELT four years ago, and they are finally seeing the light of day this time.)

4. Featuring a stellar cast of voices and background music, as well as a variety of in-game sound effects!
This time, we will be recording not only the voice of Sugita, who was the voice of Kivat-Bat II, but also the cast voices of the three riders who transform with the Dark KIVAT BELT!
In addition to the voices of the three characters from the series, Otoya Kurenai (Kohei Takeda), King (Shinya Niiro), and Taiga Noboru (Takumi Yamamoto), this time we have also included the voice of Otoya Kurenai who appeared in "MASKED RIDER DECADE."
Also, as a bonus, we have included some audio of Takeda-san talking about Kiva, so please look forward to it!
The dialogue can be played using the dialogue buttons, but it will not sound in the "normal mode" that is initially entered when the power is turned on. You can make the dialogue sound by changing the mode from "King mode," "Otoya mode," "Taiga mode," to "Decade version Otoya mode" using the buttons.

In terms of gimmicks, just like the CSM KIVAT BELT, the Kivat is equipped with an acceleration sensor, which makes a "flying sound" when moved.
In addition to voice recognition play, it recreates the "living thing" of Kivat, which was also important in the CSM KIVAT BELT.
However, this time it does not have a wireless communication gimmick.
Please note that there is no wireless conversation function with the CSM KIVAT BELT or Tatsurot.

In addition, it also includes many of the aura attack sounds used after Dark Kiva transforms, as well as the "Bat Fangire transformation sound" that King makes when he turns into a Fangire!

A total of six background music tracks are included, including "Omenesque" (a song from an overseas commercial music library that is not included in the soundtrack), which was often used when King was fighting or making his entrance, "Tragic Melody," which played after Otoya transformed into Dark Kiva in episode 45, and "Supernova," which was played when Taiga and Wataru fought together in the final episode.
If all goes well, we may be able to add more songs.

⑤ We will also be releasing the package images soon!
Let's start with the surface!

The fangs on the front of KIVAT BELT packaging are facing left, so when placed next to each other they make a matching design!

Next up is the back!

The red moon in the background is characteristic of Dark Kiva, and it stands out against the dark night.

We don't have any printed samples of the packaging so we can't show you photos, but it is coated in the same way as the KIVAT BELT packaging.
There are roses on the surface and a fang mark on the top...look forward to the finished product!

●About price
Even in these times of rising raw material costs and a weak yen, we have managed to set the price this time lower than the CSM KIVAT BELT (29,700 yen) at the time.
This was also mentioned in the developer blog at the time (https://toy.bandai.co.jp/series/rider/topics/detail/1113/?t=blog)
The reason for the CSM KIVAT BELT was that "the metallic red paint did not adhere very well to the extremely soft belt, which made it extremely flexible, and the special manufacturing process required to make the paint adhere to the belt resulted in high costs."
Fortunately, this time the belt design was black, so we were able to omit that cost and keep the price in this range even in the current price-rise environment.


■ Other product developments
Display stand KIVAT BELT Edition

Following Gaim, this is a pedestal series with the Rider Crest printed on the top, and since the crests for Kiva and Dark Kiva are the same, this time it can be used for both KIVAT BELT and the Dark KIVAT BELT.
If you already own KIVAT BELT, please consider purchasing this one.

That's all for today's blog.
This is the first time we have clearly stated the first and second order periods, but if you want to get your hands on it early, please make sure to make a reservation during the first period.
If there are any additional Product Information, we will introduce it at a later date.
We look forward to your reservations. See you!