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Deluxe DriveMax Megazord

Posted 25 January, 2007 - 23:26 by EVA_Unit_4A

Comments

8 comments posted
Not THAT bad, but not great.

I also had some time to handle this toy before It was sent out for review. While I agree with most of your points, I think you are coming off too strong. Is the toy as good as it's Japanese cousin? Absolutely not. Is it good compared to prevoius Bandai America Megazord releases? No. The paint is poor, the plastic is thin and the toy is very... simple. Collectors will hate this toy, and will probably stay away from it. But I think you have to understand that Collectors are not the target market for this toy. KIDS are. Will kids like it? Probably. I think the level of popularity of power rangers is waning due to the show being banished to an obscure digital cable channel might have something to do with the lukewarm reception you received.

Perhaps Bandai is aiming at a lower demographic, and thought the original was too complicated? Perhaps the original was too small to pass US safety standards (some of the small vehicles look choke worthy). We just don't know.

I'm pretty sure my 4 year old will like this toy, and he really won't care about how it compares to the japanese version, etc.. My concern as a parent is that the plastic seems cheap and brittle, and may be prone to shattering if dropped onto a hard surface.

So my opinion as someone not as invested in Power Rangers and Sentai - the DriveMax Megazord is bad for collectors, OK for kids.

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CollectionDX Admin

JoshB's picture
Posted by JoshB on 25 January, 2007 - 15:31
Re: Not THAT bad, but not that great

"Not that bad", he says... -_-;
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It sucks, plain and simple! If you like Jumbo Megazords with a little more articulation, this is for you. Got kids who still chew on things? This is for you. Otherwise, stay the hell away from it!
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BA lost a long-time customer when they did this. With rare exception will I buy any "PR"-related products ever again; I can go Super Sentai all the way now because I know better.

EVA_Unit_4A's picture
Posted by EVA_Unit_4A on 25 January, 2007 - 20:18
Thanks for the warning

Well, Thanks. First and foremost, I saw this thing when it was in 'preview' mode on Wal Mart's shelves and thought it looked different from the Import version. its like Cybertron Starscream only shorter and with more articulation for a scale-up mod job.

Gunpla Rob's picture
Posted by Gunpla Rob on 25 January, 2007 - 22:19
Re: Thanks for the warning

The only improvements I found were- 1) it could grip the Power Sword better, 2) the larger size, and 3) the hips and knees had a better range of poesability but the joints weren't as tight scaled-up as they were on the DX DaiBouken.
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Again, I am still mystified as to why BA did this at all! Did they even try to convert the DaiBouken early on, or did they just decide to do something completely different for the 15th-year anniversary series?
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I recall in an e-mail I got from JoshB shortly after ToyFair '06 that BA had hired someone new to lead their "PR" toy department, and they were planning some cool new stuff for '07. From what I've seen, it's just the same old figures, weapons, vehicles, playsets, and repaints which never actually appear or are mentioned in the show(s). (Should I even mention that only about 1/12th of the original "Boukenger" toys- specifically the Bouken Cell Phone Accellular- have come over so far, and have already been rebuilt...?) I mean, I talk to kids in the aisles at TRU, Target, KayBee, etc., and they also say that they don't like all that stuff either and are getting tired of it. I betcha that if BA focused more on the mecha, weapons, morphers, and used the originals of all, they might get better appreciation from [former] fans like myself? I am not saying that this should be a collector's only series (though it would be nice if they at least acknowledged the older fans & collectors!), but I think they need to pay better attention to the kids out there today. Just because a motorcycle sells well one year doesn't mean that you can just repaint it for the next, add a different figure to it, and people will be satisfied.
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I have an idea or two that I would like to share with Bandai America (though I won't do it here) for a couple of toys just for the "PROO" series, and I hope that they really listen to the other long-time fans. They, too, are a huge contributing factor. Super Sentai continues to be popular on a generational level, and "PR" could be the same if they worked at it. There are people over there who have kids of their own who still collect these toys because they satisfy both demographs! Would it have even celebrated its 30th Anniversary last year if it hadn't done that???
(I got a couple ideas for the show itself, too, if I could share them!)

EVA_Unit_4A's picture
Posted by EVA_Unit_4A on 25 January, 2007 - 23:18
That's not very good for me...

I own a Daibouken too, and first I thought I would wait for the PR version for those other Gougou vehicles (drill, shovel, etc.) Now I think I have to find them here in Asia since those PR toys wouldn't fit my Daibouken. Thank you for your review..

ct2548's picture
Posted by ct2548 on 2 March, 2007 - 21:25
Utter disappointment

Thanks for the review. I only wish I had read it before buying one off ebay. I never thought I’d need to check the reviews before buying a megazord. If you are looking to add a megazord to your collection this is not it! Honestly, I don’t get it. I bought this off ebay because I could only find the triple transforming megazord at my local target/wal-mart. I figured the TTM was the entry level megazord knock-off this year because you could clearly see that it was cheap and not well made through the box. I was beside myself when I saw that drivemax was of the same quality. My 4 year old son has difficulty putting together some megazords due to complexity but he is struggling with drivemax due to cheap design, poor fit and sloppy tolerance. I got hooked on Bandai’s innovative design, attention to detail and superior craftsmanship. My collection includes the main megazord from every PR season and I have started building the complete line (command centers, secondary megazords, etc.) and while I can’t say that I’ll stop with previous seasons I guess I need to go to Sentai from here on out. Bandai should be ashamed.


I assume this is some MBA decision maker who doesn’t understand their customers (young and old). I say this because I have an MBA and I know how easy it is to loose sight of what is important in your product when you start chasing the finances. I also have advanced engineering degrees and I can say that I used to be genuinely impressed by the dedication to the megazord products (even Bandai USA’s redesigns for the most part). Note to product managers: Don’t abandon your high end products, people will pay for the quality!


Does anyone know if there are Sentai episodes dubbed in English?

engineeringgeek's picture
Posted by engineeringgeek on 21 March, 2007 - 16:24
Was this the review you guys were talking abourt?

Leonardo Flores
CollectionDX Staff Writer-West Coast Bureau

Showapop's picture
Posted by Showapop on 28 September, 2008 - 20:37
Yes- this is the

Yes- this is the 'legendary' DriveMax Megazord review we were talkin' about.

Sucks, huh?
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CollectionDX Staff

EVA_Unit_4A's picture
Posted by EVA_Unit_4A on 28 September, 2008 - 23:39