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Deluxe Drive-Max Megazord, Part 2 [contains strong language]

I think I taste something nasty in my mouth...

I just saw early-release photos of the upcoming Deluxe High Octane Megazord from the 2009 series, "Power Rangers R.P.M.". (For those in the know, this is the English-equivalent of the DX Engine Gattai Engine-Oh from the 2008 Super Sentai series, "Engine Sentai Go-Onger", which I covered for CDX.)

I'll be short, and to the point:

God-dammit, Bandai America! You F'ing did it again!

And Bandai Creation? Don't think that you're any-less guilty- this is being shot your way as well. Did you guys learn nothing from your poor sales from all those toys still sitting on the shelves two years after they came out because no one would buy them!?

Ya see, you badly burned a lot of your best customers in 2007 when you crowned your little franchise's 15-year anniversary with inconsistent toy lines. You failed to release the Dlx. Flashpoint Megazord (aka DX Siren Builder) because it would have meant making a brand new one to conform to the mess that you made earlier in the year- the rebuilt Deluxe Drive-Max Megazord. Then, you turned around and released the Dlx. Battlefleet Megazord (aka DX DaiVoyager) in the original scale, but it couldn't interact with the 'Gag-Max' Megazord either!
To this day, I can go into a Toys-R-Us, and I still see Battlefleet Megazords and even a few Gag-Max Megazords still sitting in pristine condition on the shelves because you attempted to deceive the customer base in order to save a buck.

But this time, things are a little different...

Now I know ahead of time because I was one of those customers you burned, and I am one of those people who knows better than the average parents who just wanna get their kid the latest thing. So, do you know what I am going to do now?
Whenever I go into a Toys-R-Us or a Wal Mart or a Target or even The Disney Store, I'm gonna tell those ignorant parents that what they're about to buy is not worth it in the slightest way.

I'll tell ya- you guys are really pissing me off now.
I gave you full marks and high recommendations on your "Transforming..." line of Zords from "Power Rangers Jungle Fury" because they were scaled down and yet remained completely faithful in both appearance & function, and in quality. I even wrote your company to say as much. I hadn't praised a PR toy like that in years- I was swayed and highly impressed with them at a mere glance!

And now, you turn around and do this!?

. . .

So, since I can't provide any pictures at this time, what did they do...?

The High Octane Megazord stands about an inch shorter than the Engine-Oh. Like the Gag-Max Megazord before it, this one is also a completely new design. New molds, new materials, new coloring, different paint applications, the whole shebang. Also like the previous Gag-Max Megazord, the proportions have been radically altered. The eyes are all squinty (like the Zords are mad at the kids who play with them!), the yellow Bear vehicle has lost its ears but gained a great big connection pedestal, the coloring on the blue Lion vehicle are no longer golden, but rather yellow and red, and what used to be shiny plastic has been replaced with dull equivalents. (It's probably that flexible-crap we saw on the Gag-Max too!) A simple shield now has enormous gaps in it because of the distortion. Ironically, you actually improved the sword by making it thinner while still being able to collapse it down... just like the Gag-Max's.

The electronics, as I suspected, were all completely removed from the Engine Soul cartridges. While I can understand that as a cost-saving measure (that's debateable either way), what I cannot understand is why it is that you then turn around and make them flat like pancakes when they are clearly not in the original footage?

Bandai America- you make me look like a fool now! I praised your work on the "Transforming..." line, and you turn around and do this! Wh- what the hell am I supposed to think now!?

...and you have the arrogance to wonder why I take my money overseas.

Attention all CollectionDX.com readers:

Do Not buy the Deluxe High Octane Megazord. I strongly recommend that you instead buy the original DX Engine Gattai Engine-Oh.

Posted 27 November, 2008 - 23:35 by EVA_Unit_4A

Comments

10 comments posted
Thanks for the warning. I

Thanks for the warning. I already have an Engine-Oh but it's good to know that it was the right decision (although Hobby Link Japan seem to be taking forever to get Jumbowhale in stock, might have to see if I can source one elsewhere). Out of everything it's the removal of electronics from the engine souls that really surprises me - if anything I'd have expanded on that collecting gimmick with new souls and new products that use them.

James O's picture
Posted by James O on 29 November, 2008 - 13:20
Re: Thanks for the warning. I

I wrote to HLJ last month about the long delay for Jumboale (I've been waiting since June!), and they said that their Super Sentai lines are often some of the most popular, and they are indeed having trouble filling those back-orders. The guy who wrote me said that I should keep the order open until the last possible moment, but start looking elsewhere for one.
I've found a small supply of them at CS-Toys International and Toys N Joys. Jose from Kicks-Hobby Japan (whom I know personally) may be able to get me one as a favor, so I have that wheel spinning as well.

As I said above, I am not surprised that the electronics were removed. That would have been a cost-saving measure that I would not have argued [heavily] about. Changing all shiny plastic, also, would not have been a big deal since they do it all the time anyways.
My guess is that they're shrinking it down so that the Engine-Oh G12-equivalent isn't 16" tall and weighing more than 5lbs. (Seriously, just Engine-Oh G6 weighs a lot even without any die-cast metal or the Engine Souls inside it.)
But it's the complete remodel and ensuing suckiness that I have the problem with! I mean, the remodeled Bear vehicle is so small that you can't even put a data chip in there, but you can insert one for storage into the just-as-sucky shield. But the hilarious thing is that all the remade Engines now look like they're stoned! XD

And you should well-know by now that all of the morphers and weps will be remade as well, so using the existing Engine Soul cartridges would have become pointless. They may have built-in electronics, but they'll be simplified, generic, and they might allow you to remove those data discs-or-whatever-they're-called (but I seriously doubt the latter).
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CollectionDX Staff

EVA_Unit_4A's picture
Posted by EVA_Unit_4A on 29 November, 2008 - 13:53
It SUCKS that the zords this

It SUCKS that the zords this year isn't compatible with Enjinoh. I would've considered buying them if they were, easier way of getting G12

Decade010's picture
Posted by Decade010 on 29 November, 2008 - 23:01
don't see a problem..

i don't see a problem with it, yeah i was expecting the engine oh mold (also the 40.00 price tag) truthfully i hate motors and sounds in my toys. To me the soul cards have a obnoxious sound and why would i want to plug talking credit cards into my bot? Heck this might even be part of a smaller line just like the transforming set for jungle fury. the beast master megazord came out first so maybe this is a cheap alternative for parents afraid of a bad economy, also if you buy the japanese versions anyway why fuss?

jzorn's picture
Posted by jzorn on 30 November, 2008 - 17:07
Well one of my problems with

Well one of my problems with it is that here in the UK any costs made in production will NOT be passed down to the consumer.
The $40 price tag will translate directly to £40 because that's what Bandai UK have always charged for primary Megazords. So people will be paying more than I did for an actual Engine Oh, for a highly inferior product, two years later (yes that's right we won't be seeing them on the shelves until January 2010 by which time we'll all be discussing the disaster Bandai America have made of the Shinkenger mecha).

James O's picture
Posted by James O on 4 December, 2008 - 05:02
i see

like i said before you already have yours. as for the shinkenger mecha im importing one but in irony BoA might make it better to spite me when it comes to the U.S. all in all sorry for the high price tag on the crappy versions of the mechas.

jzorn's picture
Posted by jzorn on 9 December, 2008 - 08:18
i would like too see more dx

i would like too see more dx (not) megazords from this line. if theey were just like theere japanise counterpart engineoh just missing a few paint details then i would buy it and if they did that then it would be a cheap way of getting engine oh g12 but if bandai amarica were holing the dx megazords back and werent thinkg off putting transforming high octane megazord on the box to make us think that it aint dx or transforming then bandai your starting too suck again bandai i also prais you for your transforming megazords from jungle fury. but the one thats downsized and has the bear being a hammer head at least it transforms like engine oh witch is a much improvment over the gaymax. i like the look of the micro zords for rpm looks like there commig with wepons and look better then the transmax and the micro jungle fury zords this ends my disscusion

jordanB's picture
Posted by jordanB on 1 January, 2009 - 14:32
The High Octane Megazord.

I have bought it, and guess what. It's just like Engine-Oh, except for a few MINOR flaws.
1. Electronics are removed. (It happened to the MMPR Season 3 Falconzord when it was broght over to the U.S., and it was still pretty nice.)
2. Openable hands are not there (But a lot of Megazords couldn't, so that's not a problem.)
3. Missing chrome (Whatever. We can all deal with that.)
But seriously. It's not as bad as you're making it out to be, EVA. Dude. And don't get on me about it's size. It's only kinda smaller. That's not really a flaw in my book at all. It was decent, and I bought the High Octane instead because it cost me less money than importing Engine-Oh would. It's just as good to me. Everythong else is just an extra gimmick. I'm just saying, It's not a piece of crap, It's actually nice. That's all.

RPMSilverGreen's picture
Posted by RPMSilverGreen on 7 March, 2009 - 20:14
Re: The High Octane Megazord.

Well, you need to understand that this blog post was written just after it had been revealed, not after it was on the shelves, so all of the differences had not been explored.

Since this posting, I have changed my opinion about the Dlx. HOM. Indeed, it wasn't until the 2009 NYTF video that Josh posted when I changed my view on it. In that video, the BA rep says that the redesigned HOM was made to be affordable in this current financial crisis, which makes a ton of difference IMO, and negates many of my complaints.

Rest assured- I DO have a Dlx. HOM in my possession as I type this, but I cannot review it at this time as I have other priority reviews to cover first. No doubt the review will have a different tone from the one displayed above.

Thank you for your comment and concern, and for reminding me of my own words!
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CollectionDX Staff

EVA_Unit_4A's picture
Posted by EVA_Unit_4A on 7 March, 2009 - 23:38
Re:Re: The High Octane Megazord

Okay, then. I'm sorry if I sounded to mad about it, but I was a little offended that you said that about it, since it was a nice toy, or display piece, overall. I made a few color apps on it myself, to make it look more like the Engine-Oh, and I gave my BearRV a hairdo color. So sorry about not considering it sooner.

RPMSilverGreen's picture
Posted by RPMSilverGreen on 8 March, 2009 - 17:01