Review: Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers - Lightning Collection Mighty Morphin Red Ranger

Euya! Finally, wave three! It came out at the end of last year. I had preordered it on Amazon and HasbroPulse but the Pulse orders showed up faster but I wasn't able to cancel my Red Ranger pre-order on Amazon so now I've got two! I'm not complaining tho haha. I'm pleased with this release and I'm surprised it wasn't a part of the first wave. So far, each wave has had a core Mighty Morphin' Ranger. Wave 1 had the White Ranger, Wave 2 had the Pink Ranger, the 3rd had the Red Ranger and the most recent wave that isn't out yet has the Yellow Ranger slated for release in March. I can't wait and I'm so excited to see the teams coming together. I hope Beast Morphers Yellow and Silver come out soon to have a full team. Let's get to it!

Review: Power Rangers Beast Morphers - Hasbro Lightning Collection Beast Morphers Gold Ranger

Still haven't watched Beast Morphers but I do have plenty of experience with Tokumei Sentai Go-Busters. I thought Beet Buster was in interesting character despite his questionable usage of the english language. He was played by Matsumoto Hiroya who played Magi Yellow in Mahou Sentai Magiranger back in 2005. I thought he did well, I watched all of Magiranger and I can say that his acting improved quite a bit between Magiranger and Go-Busters. The design was cool and they were the equivalent of the 6th Ranger, although with Beet and Stag Buster in the team that made the total of 5 members which isn't all too common nowadays. Let's get to it!

Review: Power Rangers Beast Morphers - Hasbro Lightning Collection Beast Morphers Red Ranger

Power Rangers Beast Morphers is the most recent Power Rangers season showing as of now, it's also produced by Hasbro and Saban, I think. Anyway, haven't watched it and I plan to... at some point. I did watch Tokumei Sentai Go-Busters back when it came out and finished. Personally, I loved it, I loved the aesthetic and tone of the season. It was interesting and the leather suits were cool. I was surprised when they announced that they would bring Go-Busters to the U.S... a season that was almost half-a-decade old when that was announced. Still, it was nice to see them and hopefully they'd fit in with the scale of the rest of the rangers... but that wasn't the case since Bandai wasn't in charge of making Power Rangers anymore, man, what a year! Still, I'm surprised it took Hasbro until wave 2 to make a figure of the current season for their collector oriented Lightning Collection line. Let's get to it.

Review: Power Rangers Lost Galaxy - Hasbro Lightning Collection Lost Galaxy Magna Defender

This is the coolest of the second wave in the line, seriously, just look at it. Despite not watching Power Rangers Lost Galaxy to completion, I did watch a bit of it so I'm familiar with the character. I loved the costume although I did think the horns on the helmet were a bit silly. I do like his armor, he looks like a knight, which is appropriate since his character in Seijuu Sentai Gingaman was called Kuro Kishi (黒騎士), which is Japanese for "Black Knight". It's quite impressive that he made it to the line to begin with, especially for a character like this to be introduced so early in the line's lifetime. He has one of the more intricate, if not the most intricate, suits in the series. He was the first figure I found along with the Beast Morphers Gold Ranger at Walgreens.

Review: Power Rangers In Space/Lost Galaxy - Hasbro Lightning Collection Lost Galaxy Red Ranger // In Space Psycho Red Ranger

I had pre-ordered this set at HasbroPulse and it arrived fairly quickly and maybe earlier than the initial release date. It was $39.99 and I believe it's the same everywhere else. I love this set and it was nice to see these two figures. Although I was initially confused as to why they packed these two from different seasons together but a little research showed that they did in fact fight against each other in an episode where they team up with the Space Rangers. I don't really remember that episode but I do remember watching Power Rangers Lost Galaxy when I was a kid. Lost Galaxy was based off of Seijuu Sentai Gingaman which I haven't watched yet but I'll get to it... at some point.

Review: Power Rangers In Space - GameStop Exclusive Psycho Blue Ranger Hasbro Lightning Collection

This was another figure that I got from the U.K., the other one was the Dragon Shield Black Ranger from a couple months ago. They were a part of the same order but I'm just really bad about getting to these on time. So here we are, months later after all the hype on this figure is over and I feel extra bad since this figure is everywhere and will probably be on clearance in a couple months along with most of the line which is pretty sad. Unfortunately Power Rangers, and to a lesser extent Super Sentai and most Tokusatsu properties aren't popular anymore or at the moment. I wish they were but that isn't the case. As for the character, I do remember watching Power Rangers In Space, I don't know if it was a rerun or if it was a part of Jetix's Power Rangers Generations series that they had. I remember seeing the Psycho Rangers and thinking that they looked so cool! They had pretty awesome designs and I didn't realize until recently that they all shared the exact same design, give or take the male and female proportions, but they were nearly identical. Which is kinda weird since even the Sentai suits have small differences in the costumes besides their color. Denji Sentai Megaranger, which is where Power Rangers In Space takes the source footage, is a great example since the basic base suit is the same throughout the Megarangers but with their color. The helmets are nearly identical until you look at the edges or their visors which is used to distinguish them. Not for these guys and we'll talk more about that on Wednesday!

Review: Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers - Walgreens Exclusive Dragon Shield (Armored) Black Ranger Lightning Collection Hasbro

The Walgreens Exclusive Black Ranger! This recently started showing up in the U.S. but has been out overseas for a couple months now. I got mine a while ago through Comics & Cocktails, based in the UK. I got him and the Psycho Blue at about 20 pounds each plus 20 shipping... however! I didn't realize it was going to be in pounds so I paid about $80 USD. Yeah... well I was pretty happy with the one I received and it's nice to have this all american figure since it's based on Zack from the season finale of the first season, "An Oyster Stew." That used footage that is referred to as "Zyu2" footage since it was MMPR Original footage but instead of being recorded in the U.S., it was recorded by Toei in Japan which explains the quality of the footage and suits, especially the armor. Personally I haven't seen this figure in person yet so I'll probably pick one up if I see another.

Review: Mighty Morphin Power Rangers/Power Rangers Dino Thunder - Hasbro Lightning Collection Fighting Spirit Green Ranger and Putty 2-Pack

Something else that has been out for a while now is the 2-pack with the Putty and the Green Ranger which was a nice surprise. A lot of people were slightly upset that the Putty was in this set because he is an army building figure. As for the Green Ranger, it's not your typical Green Ranger since this is from an episode of Power Rangers Dino Thunder called "Fighting Spirit" where Tommy has to fight his previous forms: Zeo Ranger 1, the White Ranger, and the Green Ranger but with a white holster (on the wrong side) and a silver streak on the helmet. But enough about that, I got this set as soon as someone spotted it at GameStop, I went to a couple and one in a mall near my house said that they'd be receiving one soon so I gave my number and they called me. I also ordered one online just in case I didn't get one and in the even that I'd have an extra Putty and Green Ranger. 

Review: Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers - Hasbro Lightning Collection Mighty Morphin Pink Ranger

Oh the Pink Ranger, it took so long for me to find this one, I searched all over a small portion of New Jersey for about a month, it was pretty easy to find the rest of the wave. I found the Magna Defender, Beast Morphers Red and Gold Rangers within a week. My Wal-Mart pre-order kept getting pushed back so I took matters into my own hands and spent about 3 hours going through different Walgreens, it wasn't until I went to a Walgreens in Route 206 that I found one. The face on Kimberly was pretty good but the visor was alright. It's been a long time coming, especially since I found this figure at the beginning of September.

Review: Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers/Power Rangers Zeo - Hasbro Lightning Collection Armored Red Ranger and Zeo Gold Ranger Jason 2-Pack (San Diego Comic Con Exclusive)

Okay, so I didn't go to San Diego Comic Con so how did I get this set? Did I pay outrageous prices online for this? I almost did! And I thought that $110 for this set is fair since the set itself is $49.99 and that doesn't take into account travel, hotel, and the ticket for the event so suddenly anything over the original price isn't so outrageous. Thankfully I didn't have to do that, I did however, pay the Hasbro Pulse Premium Membership for about $50-$60 to buy this but I didn't just get this set, otherwise it would have been fine just getting this through eBay. I also got the Marvel Legends 80th Anniversary Vintage Series Hulk, the Collector and Grandmaster 2-pack, the Luke Skywalker 3-pack, and the Sith Trooper, so I got a pretty good deal honestly. I did miss the Boba Fett because... I forgot honestly and I think I'll be okay without it since I care about accurate live action appearances anyway, but it will haunt my completionist side forever... I might get it in the future but not anytime soon. Anyway, I got standard shipping and it came within a couple days after I purchased it. I know a lot of people were upset that this set sold out as quickly as it did but it's to be expected, I consider myself lucky that I did get this since it sold out within minutes!

Review: Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers - Hasbro Lightning Collection Goldar (GameStop Exclusive)

Goldar! Rita's right hand man! Finally a good representation of a very iconic Sentai and Power Ranger's villain. Goldar is the adaptation of Grifforzer from the 16th season of Super Sentai, Kyoryu Sentai Zyuranger where he looked pretty silly honestly, the sculpted face on this figure looks a lot more intimidating. I always saw him as more of a canine-like creature, like a wolf but I guess I see the flying monkey inspiration in the design. This figure was a surprise and a lot of people were disappointed that it was an exclusive figure for such a popular character. This one was a GameStop exclusive, and there were some issues regarding his release. He was supposed to be released around mid-August, about August 10th, but a lot of people started receiving theirs before then. For others, like myself, had their orders cancelled for some reason (mine said there was an issue with the payment but I doubt that). I had to go to the store personally, a lot of them told me that the figure wasn't to be released until October which the website clearly contradicted, and then finally at one of them they let me order one from the store and I finally received it.

Review: Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers - Bandai of America Legacy Collection Armored Red Ranger (GameStop Exclusive)

The last release from Bandai of America for the Legacy Collection line, the Armored Red Ranger, and honestly, it wasn't very expected. Especially since a bunch of figures were cancelled like the other remaining Psycho Rangers, the Thunder Rangers from Power Rangers Ninja Storm, the Silver Space Ranger, and all of the Ninja Steel Rangers. I guess it wasn't that surprising since all of these parts are re-used but it's not a bad figure considering that the two figures used to make this were pretty good on their own. The two being the Red and Green Mighty Morphin Rangers from the first wave. I had pre-ordered, him on the GameStop website when he was listed, thanks to Tokunation for letting me know (I just check the website regularly). I didn't end up getting the online order but I did buy it in store since I saw it there before my pre-order shipped so that's lame when you pay extra to get the figure shipping when it re-releases. Either way, let's get to the figure.

Review: Power Rangers Dino Charge - Hasbro Lightning Collection Dino Charge Red Ranger

I had to watch Power Rangers Dino Charge in order to watch this review because I didn't really watch it. I'm so far behind in seasons that it's hard to catch up. I did watch all of Zyuden Sentai Kyoryuger before, I loved that season! Most of the recent seasons of Power Rangers are a little hard to watch, this one however wasn't bad. I enjoyed some parts of it, especially when he tried to take out a weapon from his bag but besides that I thought the acting was eh. I was slightly surprised by the fact that they decided to skip a Sentai season to adapt into Power Rangers. I thought Go-Busters was great, and especially since the morphing sequence included "it's morphin' time!" I thought it would be a great season to bring here but also the merchandise wasn't that much, a couple zords and a few rangers with very few modes. Kyoryuger on the other hand had 10 Rangers, 10+ Zords, a bunch of batteries which was the gimmick of the show while Go-Busters didn't have much of a gimmick. Still, I saw the Dino Charge toys in stores and I actually got a fair amount of them, I didn't get all of them unfortunately but I did get a couple. And S.H. Figuarts also had their core team completed plus the Armored Might Rangers were pretty cool. We didn't get any more recent teams with the Legacy Collection which was okay, but it would have been nice to see the Ninja Steel Rangers or even the Super Megaforce Rangers in that form but it was cancelled after Hasbro bought Power Rangers. To my surprise they put the Dino Charge Red Ranger in the first wave which wouldn't be my first pick but honestly, who cares? Let's take a closer look!

Review: Power Rangers S.P.D. - Hasbro Lightning Collection S.P.D. Shadow Ranger

Power Rangers S.P.D. was one of the few seasons I remember watching from beginning to end. I loved the theme songs and the designs of the helmets and suits. It used footage from the Tokusou Sentai Dekaranger, the 28th season of Super Sentai. I also thought that Anubis "Doggie" Cruger had a pretty cool design, and he actually had a much better design over his Sentai counterpart, Doggie Kruger, whose design I'm getting more and more used to. It was also the first season I actively tried to complete a team... and that never happened. I did get the S.W.A.T. mode of the Shadow Ranger and I still have him somewhere over there. Seeing that he was going to be a part of the  Lightning Collection I was excited especially after all of the Dekarangers were released as Figuarts and the S.W.A.T modes were revealed but never released which was very sad. This was one of the two figures I was able to find in stores along with the White Ranger. While Shadow Ranger is a pretty cool name I think Dekamaster is much cooler.

Review: Power Rangers Dino Thunder - Bandai of America Legacy Collection Build-a-Megazord Thundersaurus Megazord // Red, Blue, Yellow, Black, White Dino Rangers

 Once I moved to the states I started watching Power Rangers Dino Thunder and I was excited, another Dinosaur team which I thought had better and more streamlined designs for their suits. It was based of Bakuryuu Sentai Abaranger which was the 27th season for the Super Sentai Series. They kept the diamond motif, they kept the main three dinosaurs that they had in Zyuranger and two kept the same color. I really liked the white outline for the visor and the more stylized "jaws" that the visor shape kept. The lack of silver lip piece is much appreciated. I did find it interesting that they decided to reuse the white diamond pattern that Zyuranger had. I thought the dino footprint design on the chest was pretty cool and back then I did think that this was the superior dinosaur design but now it's pretty hard to choose. I'm not sure which one I like more, both are so similar yet so different. Initially, the Red, Blue, and Black Dino Rangers were released before Hasbro acquired the rights to Power Rangers. They weren't hard to find, I found them easily along with all of the male Zeo Rangers. White and Yellow... didn't have the same luck. The female Zeo Rangers shipped in August of last year and there was almost no trace of the Yellow or White Dino Rangers. At one point the White Dino Ranger did show up at Walgreens so Yellow was left... that was until the Legacy Collection had a very sudden re-release of all of the previous, current, and remaining waves so I nabbed it!

Review: Power Rangers Ninja Storm - Bandai of America Legacy Collection Build-a-Megazord Storm Megazord // Red, Yellow, Blue Wind Rangers

Power Rangers Ninja Storm was the last season I saw before I moved to the United States and every other season I watched was in English. It was right after Wild Force had come out and I loved that season, especially since Lions and Red were two of my favorite things so you know it is. I did think that the theme song was a little strange and different from what came before. It was also an interesting season in which the wirework and CG was funky but I didn't care, I was 7. I did have a couple toys that my dad had sent from the U.S. but no transforming mecha, I had a big zord where you could put a Red Ranger that came with it and I loved it! Unfortunately, earlier this year Pua Magasiva passed away. This was also the first full team to be released by Bandai in the Lightning Collection line and the only set of three rangers to build a Megazord. Although Dino Thunder was a team of three they used all five of the rangers to build that Megazord. Power Rangers Ninja Storm was based off of Ninpuu Sentai Hurricaneger from the Super Sentai Series in Japan.

Review: Power Rangers in Space - Bandai of America Legacy Collection Psycho Red, Black, and Blue Rangers

One thing I wish Legacy Collection had more of would be villains, yes the Green Ranger was a villain for a little bit in the show but that doesn't really count. The closest we got to it were the Psycho Rangers. That was something I remember from the show, I remember really liking their faces, very alien looking, there was also the Silver Psycho Ranger which was created for Power Rangers In Space. In Denji Sentai Megaranger they were Jaden Sentai Nejiranger or "Evil Electricity Squadron Nejiranger" which explains why they have an "N" on their belts. Unfortunately we didn't get Psycho Pink and Yellow but we got Psycho Silver and Green which were exclusives. It should be easy to customize Pink and Yellow but more on that later.

Review: Power Rangers In Space - Bandai of America Legacy Collection Build-a-Megazord Astro Megazord // Space Red, Black, Blue, Yellow, Pink

Power Rangers in Space was one of my favorite suit designs I had seen. Although they look pretty simple, white boots, long cuffed gloves, simple suit design with the colors of the rangers on the chest and the white along the shoulders I loved them! Even the helmet which was one of my favorite then, the visor with the circle up top and the silver mouthplate made them look "alien," which made sense because they're "in Space." They're based off Denji Sentai Megaranger which was actually a video game themed season. I think it works really well and it was weird having a Megazord that wasn't composed out of 5 different vehicles or machines, the entire ship was the Megazord. I did skip out on this part of the line, and honestly I regretted it. I saw them at Wal-Mart and passed, then at FYE and considered but the $27.99 per figure scared me off thankfully. I waited until they re-released in order for me to finally get them. I ordered the Red Ranger at the store but they gave me Mighty Morphin' Red so I had to go back and exchange him only to find out that all action figures were 25% off and I did try to get that deal but they didn't follow through with it unfortunately... Let's get to it...

Review: Power Rangers Zeo - Bandai of America Legacy Collection Gold Ranger

Even though Jason left the team in season 2 of Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers he came back for Power Rangers Zeo as the Gold Ranger. In Choriki Sentai Ohranger, Kingranger was a kid and the symbol on his face is the kanji for king (王) which they use to represent the number 6. Ever since the Green Ranger or Dragonranger the design for the 6th ranger has been pretty standard. It's a different color with little to no aesthetic changes. Dragonranger was just a green version of the Zyuranger suit with a helmet that resembled Tyrannoranger's and additional armor. Kibaranger was a white version of the Dairanger suit with a chest piece and no gold trim that went down the center of the chest. Kakuranger had no official 6th ranger but they had Ninjaman or Ninjor which counted as extra hero. This version of the Ranger in the Legacy Collection line had a lot of controversy due to the way the prototype was painted, but we'll get to that later.

Review: Power Rangers Zeo - Bandai of America Legacy Collection Build-a-Megazord Zeo Megazord // Zeo Red, Green, Blue, Yellow, Pink Rangers

After Mighty Morphin' Power Ranger's three seasons and a mini season called Mighty Morphin' Alien Rangers, Saban decided to try replacing all of the zords, villains, and suits for the first time. It does continue the story from the past three seasons and keeps the main cast but with upgraded powers. Power Rangers Zeo was a successful season, based on Choriki Sentai Ohranger, Super Sentai's seventeenth season. As you can see there is no black ranger, I honestly don't remember the explanation that they gave for that but I do remember a lot of it especially the villains. A lot of my memories of Power Rangers Zeo come from Jetix's Power Rangers Generations where they would show episodes from different seasons of Power Rangers. Zeo Ranger 5 (Red), Zeo Ranger 4 (Green) and Zeo Ranger 3 (Blue) had been released as part of the 5th Wave of Legacy Collection figures by Bandai of America. It was one of the first few waves that I had bought in store. I remember I got 4 figures when I checked my local Wal-Mart, the one I had been going to since I was a wee lad and spent $80 that night which I wasn't proud of but now it's not the worst thing in the world. The girls were harder to find since they were some of the last few figures to be released, I had pre-ordered them on GameStop.com back in February of 2018 and didn't get them until August I think, I found them in store first and forgot to cancel my pre-order so now I have two of each.