This review is for Bandai Premium Fashion’s Go-on Black official jacket from Engine Sentai Go-Onger. It was released in 2008.

Go-on Black is designed to look like a racing jacket. It is made from a combination of padded mesh fabric and pleather. The pleather is sectioned off with gold trim, and there are also character specific patches all over the jacket, including the back.

Calling them patches is a misnomer, because most of the lettering is actually embroidered onto the jacket. This can be seen on the sleeve detailing.

Embroidery is sturdier and has a longer lifespan than patches, so this is a particularly nice touch.

Another detail I really appreciate about this jacket is the arm slots for the Transformation Brace Shift Changer. Let’s Go On!

All pleather jackets are prone to peeling over time (their typical lifespan is 3-5 years). It has been seven years since the release of the Go-onger jackets, and on many of the jackets the pleather is deteriorating badly. This particular jacket is in overall good condition, but you can see where the pleather is peeling on the shoulders. This is typical for any Go-onger jacket with even minor wear.

Some of the pleather issues could have been avoided by better design. One of the first places that will start to show wear on the Go-onger jackets is inside the collar due to sweat and rubbing against skin. It’s an extremely poor design choice especially considering that the outside of the collar is polyester. This jacket was simply not designed to last.

I really like overall design and the detailing on this jacket, including the complex embroidery and the arm slits. It’s a great looking jacket. However, the design flaw with the collar and the age of the pleather make it a poor value for collectors.

If the year was 2008, this jacket would receive four stars, but in 2015 it’s not a question of if the pleather will degrade, but when. I would recommend this jacket, but only to fans of Go-onger who care more about wearing it, and less about keeping it in pristine condition.

RATING
Value		Pleather has a short remaining lifespan on a jacket this age.
Detail		Great embroidery details & trim
Quality		Excellent embroidery and stitching
Sizing	True to size	Compared to other Bandai jackets
Recommend with (Serious) Reservations Disclosure: This jacket was currently for sale by reviewer when reviewed.

Procrastiranger

Procrastiranger wears many hats. She owns Japan Hero Collectibles and in her spare time enjoys cosplaying and collecting Bandai official items. Her first cosplay was an official Fourze set (Tomoko) and she's been hooked ever since!