For a simplified version of the Contract Beast, I think a little more effort could have been put forward, and then I would have been full of praise. But, other than a lack of show-accurate features, I can’t really find anything outstandingly-wrong with this set.

Video review included!

This toy appears here courtesy of Bandai America.

. . .

Ventara is an alternate dimension that exists behind all mirrors. For everything that exists on Earth, there is a copy of it on Ventara as well, and more. The alien General Xaviax invaded Ventara and began a war to conquer it. To defend themselves, the Ventarans created twelve armored superheroes, the Kamen Riders, who use individual Advent Deck cards to command powerful Contract Beasts for attack and defense. Xaviax defeated all but one of the Kamen Riders and stole their Advent Decks, eventually conquering Ventara as well. Unfortunately, because the Ventaran Riders had all been defeated & Vented (banished forever into the Advent Void), Xaviax had to find the genetic equivalents on Earth since the Advent Decks were DNA-locked. Finding specific humans on Earth, Xaviax disguises himself as a different person each time, and tricks them into serving him. One Advent Deck, however, fell into the hands of a young man on Earth whom Xaviax did not choose, named Kit Taylor. Working together with Len, the mysterious original Kamen Rider Wing Knight, Kit reluctantly uses his own Advent Deck to become Kamen Rider Dragon Knight in order to find his disappeared father, and stop General Xaviax and the ten other corrupted & selfish Kamen Riders from conquering Earth.

. . .

“Kamen Rider: Dragon Knight” is based on the original TV series, “Kamen Rider Ryuki” (仮面ライダー龍騎, "Masked Rider Dragon-knight"), which aired in 2002 as part of the long running Kamen Rider franchise in Japan. It is produced by newcomer Adness Entertainment, Ltd. in close association with Ishimori Production, Inc. and Toei Company, Ldt. [both of which make the original tokusatsu franchise].

Even though Bandai is making the toys for “…Dragon Knight”, they are all completely new remolds from those that they originally released during “…Ryuki”, and so they will all differ in size, features, and materials from their Japanese counterparts.

Drew Lansing first appeared in Episode 4- “A Rider's Challenge”, but is formally introduced in Epsiode 5- "The Power of Two". He is a con-artist on Earth who was recruited by Xaviax to convert other Riders for him. Because he was under threat for his crimes on Earth, Xaviax held that against him to insure his loyalty. If Drew served faithfully, he would become a general in Xaviax’s army after he had conquered Earth. One of his first assignments was to trick newcomer Kit Taylor into thinking that the last surviving Ventaran, Kamen Rider Wing Knight, was actually the enemy of Earth, and that Xaviax was in fact trying to help them all.

As the green & silver-colored Kamen Rider Torque, Drew draws on the power of his Contract Monster- a slow but heavily armed minotaur called Magnugiga. Some of his Advent Card attacks include Launch Vent and Shoot Vent, which use pieces of Magnugiga to form larger-sized projectile weapons for Kamen Rider Torque. To activate his Advent Deck cards, he slides them into his hand-held Magnuvisor blaster gun.

Drew Lansing is played by actor Christopher Foley.

Magnugiga is 5” tall, and is composed of green & silver ABS plastic, with PVC plastic only in the head. As a Contract Beast, it is expected that it should be bigger than a human. Its bulky and sharp-edged armor mirrors that of Kamen Rider Torque’s, again giving it an industrial, heavily-reinforced look like a military machine would have. Though it has the golden horns, bulky [re: muscular] chest, and black angular hooves of a minotaur, the similarities end there. While both shoulders and upper arms are the same, the left arm has a giant pair of silver claws with a gold-painted multi-barrel cannon in between, while the right arm ends in a long single silver & gold cannon barrel. Paint apps are rather sparse, with only silver, black, and gold represented.

. . .

For a 5” figure that serves only as an accessory to another set rather than as a stand-alone, I suppose the restriction on posing is to be expected. The neck, both shoulders & elbows, and the claws are all free-turning single-axis joints.

While a plain-clothes version of Drew Lansing is also provided (see below), this set’s primary function is to augment the 4” Kamen Rider Torque action figure. Like all Contract Beasts, Magnugiga separates parts of itself when commanded to by Torque’s Advent Decks cards in order to provide its master with additional weaponry. For example, the Shoot Vent card turns Magnugiga’s legs into large over-the-shoulder cannons; the Launch Vent separates both of its arms to form a long under-the-arm artillery cannon. All Contract Beasts do this for the Kamen Riders- detaching parts of themselves to augment their masters’ abilities- though this is done in different ways. Sounds cool, right?

Well, the problem is, this set does none of those things! The only augmentation you can accomplish is to separate Magnugiga’s head from its body, fold down a little green cover, and then attach the green peg to Kamen Rider Torque’s right vambrace armor on his lower arm. This, supposedly, gives Torque a crossbow-like shooting weapon… which he does not have in the series [nor in the Japanese version of the series]!

. . .

While separating pieces of itself is a downplayed gimmick in the series (and with the toys), all Contract Beasts can be summoned for a powerful and unique finishing attack, called the Final Vent- where they help their Kamen Rider master destroy a specific target in an overwhelming combined-effort assault.

For Kamen Rider Torque’s Final Vent, Magnugiga appears in front of him, and deploys all of its available weapons. Then Torque plugs his Magnuvisor laser gun into the Contract Beast’s back and pulls the trigger- unleashing an alpha strike of missiles, lasers, and cannon shots.

While all of the other Vent weapons cannot be recreated, the Final Vent can be because it requires nothing to be separated from Magnugiga’s body. Both lower arms are pointed forward, and the claws are opened. Next, a pair of cannons folds out from inside its lower legs. Then, Magnugiga’s silver torso armor opens up to reveal an array of 56 micro-missiles! And finally, you can take the Kamen Rider Torque figure and have him plug his Magnuvisor into Magnugiga’s, well… backside. This is Kamen Rider Torque’s Final Vent, and it is the only arrangement from the show that can be successfully implemented with these two sets.

(FYI: in Japan, there were larger 6” versions of Kamen Rider Zolda and Magnugiga which could swap parts like in “Kamen Rider Ryuki” to resemble the various Advent Card attacks.)

The 3” plain-clothes version of Drew Lansing has him in a dark green t-shirt which shows off his muscular build, and he’s wearing black pants & shoes. Though all Kamen Riders carry their Advent Deck holders on their person at all times, the Advent Belt is not visible. However, here Drew’s blank Advent Belt is visible, with two holes on the side for- um… whatever you want to plug in there.

The figure has only three points of articulation- free-turning single-axis joints at his shoulders and neck. None of the figure is meant to pop-off, so if something comes off, it’s stayin’ off!

(You can tell that the head is the only customized part on this whole figure- the body is generic for use by other characters in other sets. How do I know this? Simple- Drew is not that muscular in the show! He also… doesn’t look much like… Captain Kirk?)

All “Kamen Rider: Dragon Knight” toys carry a unique Advent Deck card related to the character they are packaged with. Then, when you purchase the electronic Kamen Rider Dragon Knight Dragvisor role-playing set (#33971, sold separately), you can take the Advent Cards and insert them into it to create one of 15 unique sound effects!

For this set, you get Kamen Rider Torque’s Guard Vent Advent Card, which provides an additional 3000 defense points against any attack. To use the Shield Vent card, Torque removes it from his Advent Belt and places it into his Magnuvisor gun. This commands his Contract Beast, Magnugiga, to separate the front of its torso to become a giant shield for Torque.

(Regretfully though understandably, they did not make a full-sized version of Torque’s Magnuvisor gun, only Dragon Knight’s Dragvisor. So, when I get the Dragvisor, I will demonstrate the Guard Vent card then.)

The only reason you want to buy this set is because the Contract Beast can interact with the equivalent 4” Kamen Rider action figure. The human figure is only a small bonus, but is too generic-looking to be of any significance beyond simply having the plain-clothes version of a Kamen Rider. If it would have allowed the Contract Beast figure to be more versatile, I would gladly have sacrificed the second figure to get those extra Vent accessories! Why else would you have those Kamen Rider figures with all the extra unused holes if not to attach stuff to them!?

The biggest disappointment for me, by far, in getting this set was that Magnugiga couldn’t separate parts of himself to attach to Torque! I was concerned less about posing since it doesn’t move about much in the series to begin with. While it’s good that you can recreate the Final Vent pose, not being able to recreate the Shoot Vent or Launch Vent really irked me to no end. With a little ingenuity, I’m sure it could have easily been pulled off for the same price! I mean- what in the hell is that head-weapon supposed to be anyways??? If Bandai ever gets around to making a larger version of Kamen Rider Torque and Magnugiga someday in the future (most-unlikely since this is a villain character), I hope they read this review before they start designing it. Despite bashing the Drew figure, I thought the Advent Belt and pants were well-sculpted. (I’m not gonna say anything at all about how that soooo doesn’t look like Drew’s head. Clearly casting for the character had not been completed when they started working on that head…) For a simplified version of the Contract Beast, I think a little more effort could have been put forward, and then I would have been full of praise. But, other than a lack of show-accurate features, I can’t really find anything outstandingly-wrong with the Magnugiga and Drew set.

Compared to the larger [Deluxe] High Octane Megazord, this one makes-up for some of its faults and it benefits greatly from the Retrofire style by slimming it down and making it look like it’s moving even when it’s not.

Video review included!

This toy appears here courtesy of Bandai America.

. . .

"In Power Rangers RPM, in the shining city or Corinth, an elite force of Rangers must learn to drive and operate an arsenal of radically advanced biotech vehicles in order to battle the attacking machine army bent on world domination."

--from inside the cover flap

The High Octane Megazord is a combination of three Zord Attack Vehicles, and is the final line of defense the war-torn citizens of Corinth have against the Venjix computer virus and its giant robotic monsters. Though the tone of the series is rather serious from the past- taking place in a post-apocalyptic world- the individual Zord Attack Vehicles resemble modern-day machines like hot rods and cargo planes with animal-like features and large expressive eyes. In addition to their speed on the ground, the red-colored Eagle Racer could fly through the air. The High Octane Megazord is armed with only a Super Saber and defensive shield. The Zord Attack Vehicles are always at the Rangers’ disposal because Dr. K designed them to appear from the emblems on their chests and be powered by their own Engine Cell cartridges.

The 4” Megazord figure and its weapons are composed of even amounts of PVC and ABS plastics. Other than the weapons, nothing on the figure is meant to come apart; the right shoulder & fist and head can pop off if too much pressure is applied. While paint is minimal to keep things simple (rather than by BA being careless, inconsiderate, or cheap), it is rather lacking along the back and legs of the figure… something I would have paid $1-2 more for to balance it out.

The point of having the Retrofire line is for both the alternate styling of the classic Megazord designs, and the action figure-like poseability which their larger Deluxe-sized equivalents cannot do. To allow a wider range of poses, an easy-to-assemble two-part silver ABS display stand is included in each set, the base of which is shaped like the Power Rangers’ trademark lightning bolt. Because the peg at the top of the stand is angled, the figure will never ‘stand’ upright vertically, only diagonally. (For some action poses, that is fine, but if you want more level poses, just take the figure off the stand.)

. . .

Other than the basic provided display stand, the Megazord has a PVC Super Saber and hollow shield. The sword can only be gripped in the right fist, and the shield can be attached to a hole only on the left forearm.

For the High Octane Megazord, none of the joints ratchet- all free-turn with no resistance other than friction. Its head is on a ball-&-socket joint. The waist can turn all the way around. The arms, despite being nearly identical in appearance, behave in different ways. While the right shoulder can pitch outwards and the right fist can twist all the way around, the left arm is different. The upper left arm twists around but does not pitch outwards, and the left elbow is flexible while the right is not. Clearly the arms were designed to achieve a few specific, on-screen-oriented poses with the weapons rather than act as a fully-capable action figure. The hips are also very poseable- able to swing both outwards, twist vertically, and pitch forward/backwards. The only restriction on the hips is on the skirt armor, which is PVC. The skirt armor is flexible to a certain degree, but it will break or wear out if pressed too hard and for too long. And really, this is the only restriction with the figure that may be unavoidable. And finally with the legs, the knees can also pitch backwards to 135-degrees, and both ankles can pitch downwards a bit as well.

The Retrofire line is an answer to one of my long-held protests, and that is having a poseable representation of a Megazord without having the toy be a Ranger with attachable armored sections or a static-pose 3” figure with just one-axis shoulders & maybe an action feature if we’re lucky. I can completely understand [now] why the Deluxe-sized Megazords can’t be posed beyond just the shoulders, and that is because their size and the complexity of such a design would be prohibitively expensive on a yearly basis. While I wish the Retrofire sets were about 1-2” taller and had slightly better paint apps, I am still quite satisfied with what we have here. Additionally, these sets are a reinterpretation of classic designs without being completely new or reboots or skewed by some random and pointless copyright infringement issues. If a Megazord were to appear in a Japanese anime series, I am confident that they would look just like this (as if jumping out from the screen) rather than big and bulky like their Deluxe-sized toy counterparts. They may not be transformable, but this is just as good- a true action figure of our favorite Megazord!

This Retrofire set is identical in poseability to the Retrofire Mighty Morphin’ Megazord- featuring the same strengths and faults even if their outward appearance is different. Compared to the larger [Deluxe] High Octane Megazord, this one makes-up for some of its faults (most-notably in proportions) and it benefits greatly from the Retrofire style by slimming it down and making it look like it’s moving even when it’s not (thin legs, wider shoulders, smaller waist, etc.). Additionally, the shield is an actual shield with less holes in it rather than the leftover crap from the almost-as-tiny Bear Crawler on the [Deluxe]-version. I also thought some additional paint could have been used on the sides of the lower legs, and perhaps the back of the shoulder armor. However, unlike the larger transforming version- where all of the Zord Attack vehicles had large-yet-clearly-stoned eyes- they are treated as simple headlights that are painted light blue here, which I liked. The Super Saber was also better designed to look like an actual sword rather than a spear or pike, and has a slight curve on it; that was an improvement in my mind without taking away from the original design, but makes now it the longest sword of the three Retrofire sets! Considering how boring the [Deluxe]-sized version is, the Retrofire High Octane Megazord is a breath of fresh air. Highly recommended!

So, this set is a mixed bag of tricks- I like the overall anime-style of the figure and line details, but some of the poseability is confusing & annoying.

Video review included!

This toy appears here courtesy of Bandai America.

. . .

"In the city of Turtle Cove, Wild Zords recruit five young heroes from the modern world and grant them the power to become Power Rangers. To aid the Power Rangers in their battle to save the Earth from the evil Orgs, the Wild Zords descend from their habitat in the sky when the Rangers need them most. With a virtual zoo of animals fighting by their side, the Power Rangers Wild Force prove that when animals and humans work together to save the planet, nothing can stop them."

--from inside the cover flap

The Wild Force Megazord was the first megazord in the Power Rangers saga to be made of actual living Earthly creatures rather than non-living machines imitating the shape & movement of animals. While each Wild Zord contributed a separate attack feature when combined in Megazord form, it also used the Blue Shark’s tail as its basic-use sword, and its final Mega Roar blast to finish off giant Org monsters. The unique quality of the Wild Zords, however, is their ability to share their bodies and powers with the Megazord, allowing it to take on those powers in the form of numerous special weapons & upgrades- some examples of this being the Wild Force Megazord Sword and Shield Mode, …Predator Mode, or …Spear and Knuckle Mode. When not being used, the Wild Zords all reside on the flying Animarium island hidden in the clouds above Turtle Cove, and are summoned when the Rangers use their Crystal Sabers.

The 4” Megazord figure and its weapons are composed of mostly ABS and partially PVC plastics. Other than the sword, nothing on the figure is meant to come apart; the right fist and head can pop off if too much pressure is applied. While paint is minimal to keep things simple (rather than by BA being careless, inconsiderate, or cheap), it is rather lacking along the left arm and back of the figure... something I would have paid $1-2 more for to balance it out.

The point of having the Retrofire line is for both the alternate styling of the classic Megazord designs, and the action figure-like poseability which their larger Deluxe-sized equivalents cannot do. To allow a wider range of poses, an easy-to-assemble two-part silver ABS display stand is included in each set, the base of which is shaped like the Power Rangers’ trademark lightning bolt. Because the peg at the top of the stand is angled, the figure will never ‘stand’ upright vertically, only diagonally. (For some action poses, that is fine, but if you want more level poses, just take the figure off the stand.)

. . .

Other than the basic provided display stand, the Megazord has a PVC Shark Sword. The sword can only be gripped in the right fist. Due to the materials used for the right hand, you have to wedge the Blue Shark’s jaw open a little in order to get the sword in there; once in place, it grips very tightly.

For the Wild Force Megazord, none of the joints ratchet- all free-turn with no resistance other than friction. Its head is on a ball-&-socket joint, but sits so low on it that it can really only turn side-to-side. The waist can turn all the way around. The arms- unlike the other two Retrofire sets- behave in only a slightly different way from each other. While the right fist cannot twist at all, the left arm is different and the left fist can twist all the way around. Both shoulders only pitch up-and-down all the way around, but both elbows can only twist sideways! Clearly the arms were designed to achieve a few specific, on-screen-oriented poses with the weapons rather than act as a fully-capable action figure. The hips are also very poseable- able to swing both outwards, twist vertically, and pitch forward/backwards. The only restriction on the hips is on the skirt armor, which is PVC. The skirt armor is flexible to a certain degree, but it will break or wear out if pressed too hard and for too long. And really, this is the only restriction with the figure that may be unavoidable. However, in keeping with the design of the ‘real’ Wild Force Megazord, there is no skirt armor along the back of its hips since those joints were already exposed. (This allows a clear view of how the hip joints operate, compared to the other two Retrofire sets which have the same joints but are then completely covered.) And finally with the legs, the knees can also pitch backwards to 90-degrees, but both ankles cannot move. The feet of the Megazord, oddly, are angled slightly upwards, so getting it to stand upright on its own is sometimes a challenge!

The Retrofire line is an answer to one of my long-held protests, and that is having a poseable representation of a Megazord without having the toy be a Ranger with attachable armored sections or a static-pose 3” figure with just one-axis shoulders & maybe an action feature if we’re lucky. I can completely understand [now] why the Deluxe-sized Megazords can’t be posed beyond just the shoulders, and that is because their size and the complexity of such a design would be prohibitively expensive on a yearly basis. While I wish the Retrofire sets were about 1-2” taller and had slightly better paint apps, I am still quite satisfied with what we have here. Additionally, these sets are a reinterpretation of classic designs without being completely new or reboots or skewed by some random and pointless copyright infringement issues. If a Megazord were to appear in a Japanese anime series, I am confident that they would look just like this (as if jumping out from the screen) rather than big and bulky like their Deluxe-sized toy counterparts. They may not be transformable, but this is just as good- a true action figure of our favorite Megazord!

I have to say that, of the three Retrofire sets, this one is the most irritating. While the others have up-and-down motion in the head, this one does not. The arms are annoying too- only able to swing forward/backwards at the shoulders, and slide side-to-side at the elbows. While sculpted just fine, I don’t see how a lack of movement in these arm joints helps any- it’s very restricting, and I would say that the Deluxe Wild Force Megazord was more effective here! Similarly with the feet- I found that slight tilt on the bottom of them as completely unnecessary, despite the style of the figure overall. By contrast, what seems like an error I actually appreciated, and that is the exposed hips in back. While not exactly the same as its larger counterpart, it does make more sense to expose them than give it additional skirt armor because it’s emulating slightly how the transformation works. As was the case with the other two sets, this one could have done with a little more paint- notably on the left arm and the lower legs. So, the Retrofire Wild Force Megazord is a mixed bag of tricks- I like the overall anime-style of the figure and line details, but some of the poseability is confusing & annoying.

Aside from the oddly-chosen way the arms behave compared to each other, the minor limits with the skirt armor, and the rather-noticeable lack of paint on the back & arms, this set is definitely something you want to collect.

Video review included!

This toy appears here courtesy of Bandai America.

. . .

“A dozen millennia ago in a distance solar system, an ancient battle of good versus evil pit Zordon, a kind and wise sage, against Rita Repulsa, an evil sorceress seeking absolute control over the universe. Zordon managed to trap Rita in an intergalactic recycling bin… until two lunar explorers opened the unmarked dumpster and unleashed the most evil sorceress the universe has ever known. With Rita’s full-fledged assault upon the Earth, Zordon trained and armed 5 teenagers with fighting vehicles modeled after the ancient dinosaurs, towering machines known as Dinozords. The original Power Rangers thus united to protect Earth.”

--from inside the cover flap

The Mighty Morphin’ Megazord is the first megazord that we saw in the Power Rangers franchise, making its debut in the series’ premier “The Day of the Dumpster” in 1993. It was a combination of five Dinozords which could form an Attack Tank Mode, and was armed with the Power Sword & Mastodon Shield and a forehead blaster. Towering 333’-tall and weighing 570 tons, the Megazord rocked the world and gave Rita Repulsa frequent migraines as it pounded through her foolish plans and clumsy monsters. When not in use, the separate Dinozords are hidden in far-off areas like forests and deserts, and they are repaired there by Zordon and his robotic assistant Alpha-5.

The 4” Megazord figure and its weapons are composed of even amounts of PVC and ABS plastics. Other than the weapons, nothing on the figure is meant to come apart; the right shoulder & fist and head can pop off if too much pressure is applied. While paint is minimal to keep things simple (rather than by BA being careless, inconsiderate, or cheap), it is rather lacking along the back of the figure... something I would have paid $1-2 more for to balance it out.

The point of having the Retrofire line is for both the alternate styling of the classic Megazord designs, and the action figure-like poseability which their larger Deluxe-sized equivalents cannot do. To allow a wider range of poses, an easy-to-assemble two-part silver ABS display stand is included in each set, the base of which is shaped like the Power Rangers’ trademark lightning bolt. Because the peg at the top of the stand is angled, the figure will never ‘stand’ upright vertically, only diagonally. (For some action poses, that is fine, but if you want more level poses, just take the figure off the stand.)

. . .

Other than the basic provided display stand, the Megazord has a PVC Power Sword and hollow Mastodon Shield. The sword can only be gripped in the right fist, and the shield can be attached to a hole only on the left forearm.

For the Mighty Morphin’ Megazord, none of the joints ratchet- all free-turn with no resistance other than friction. Its head is on a ball-&-socket joint. The waist can turn all the way around. The arms, despite being nearly identical in appearance, behave in different ways. While the right shoulder can pitch outwards and the right fist can twist all the way around, the left arm is different. The upper left arm twists around but does not pitch outwards, and the left elbow is flexible while the right is not. Clearly the arms were designed to achieve a few specific, on-screen-oriented poses with the weapons rather than act as a fully-capable action figure. The hips are also very poseable- able to swing both outwards, twist vertically, and pitch forward/backwards. The only restriction on the hips is on the skirt armor, which is PVC. The skirt armor is flexible to a certain degree, but it will break or wear out if pressed too hard and for too long. And really, this is the only restriction with the figure that may be unavoidable. And finally with the legs, the knees can also pitch backwards beyond 135-degrees, and both ankles can pitch downwards a bit as well.

The Retrofire line is an answer to one of my long-held protests, and that is having a poseable representation of a Megazord without having the toy be a Ranger with attachable armored sections or a static-pose 3” figure with just one-axis shoulders & maybe an action feature if we’re lucky. I can completely understand [now] why the Deluxe-sized Megazords can’t be posed beyond just the shoulders, and that is because their size and the complexity of such a design would be prohibitively expensive on a yearly basis. While I wish the Retrofire sets were about 1-2” taller and had slightly better paint apps, I am still quite satisfied with what we have here. Additionally, these sets are a reinterpretation of classic designs without being completely new or reboots or skewed by some random and pointless copyright infringement issues. If a Megazord were to appear in a Japanese anime series, I am confident that they would look just like this (as if jumping out from the screen) rather than big and bulky like their Deluxe-sized toy counterparts. They may not be transformable, but this is just as good- a true action figure of our favorite Megazord!

It is with great and welcome nostalgia that I possess this set. The anime styling lends itself well, and brings the ‘character’ to life in a way that the original Deluxe-sized set could never have achieved. It is also nice to see that some of the subtle styling of the right foot and both shoulders more closely resemble that seen on-screen in season one of “Mighty Morphin Power Rangers” rather than on the Deluxe Megazord toy from 1993. Aside from the oddly-chosen way the arms behave compared to each other, the minor limits with the skirt armor, and the rather-noticeable lack of paint on the back & arms of the figure, the Retrofire Mighty Morphin’ Megazord is definitely something you want to collect. Highly recommended!

This toy is one of EVA_Unit_4A's three choices for 'Hottest Must-Have Items' for the 2008 Christmas shopping season!

Bandai Creation has come forward with their newest offering. Considering how poorly they performed with the Deluxe Drive-Max Megazord the previous year, I swore never to buy products in the “Power Rangers” franchise ever again...

Multi-part video review included!

The Transforming Fury Megazord Set is one of EVA_Unit_4A's three choices for 'Hottest Must-Have Items' for the 2008 Christmas shopping season!

Ten thousand years in the past, the evil golden dragon creature Dai Shi declared that animals should rule the planet, not humans. And so he began a terrible war for dominance. Channeling the power of animals and using special pai zhua martial arts techniques, the Order of the Claw was established to fight against Dai Shi and his Rinshi Beast monsters in the Beast War. The Order was successful, and Dai Shi was trapped in a diamond to be watched over forever. Unfortunately, in the year 2008, Dai Shi was accidentally released and he escaped. Now, three students from the Order of the Claw must hide alone in the city of Ocean Bluff, and fight to protect the people of Earth, while learning new techniques to counter the Rinshi Beasts.

All those who practice pai zhua in the Order of the Claw learn to harness their inner Animal Spirit, which is unique to each individual. From this, they can harness and summon incredible personal power. And with the right training, an Animal Spirit can be drawn out of the body, and made into a physical form which stands taller than several houses on top of each other! These larger Animal Spirit forms can attack a Rinshi Beast directly, or can combine into incredible humanoid forms which a Ranger can then pass into, and fight like giant warriors!

There are nine Animal Spirits included in this set:

Red Tiger Spirit Zord

This is the Animal Spirit that resides within Casey Rhodes, the Red Jungle Fury Ranger.

Blue Jaguar Spirit Zord

This is the Animal Spirit that resides within Theo Martin, the Blue Jungle Fury Ranger.

Yellow Cheetah Spirit Zord

This is the Animal Spirit that resides within Lily Chilman, the Yellow Jungle Fury Ranger.

Purple Wolf Spirit Zord

This is the Animal Spirit that resides within Robert “R.J.” James, the Wolf Jungle Fury Ranger. R.J. is also skillful enough that he can summon the Red Tiger and Blue Jaguar Spirit Zords at the same time that his Wolf Spirit Zord is active.

Green Elephant Spirit Zord

This is the Animal Spirit that resides within Master Phant, the Elephant Spirit Ranger. However, Master Phant shares this Animal Spirit with Lily so that she can use it as well.

Violet Bat Spirit Zord

This is the Animal Spirit that resides within Master Swoop, the Bat Spirit Ranger. However, Master Swoop shares this Animal Spirit with Theo so that he can use it as well.

Cyan Shark Spirit Zord

This is the Animal Spirit that resides within Master Finn, the Shark Spirit Ranger. However, Master Finn shares this Animal Spirit with Casey so that he can use it as well.

Black Lion Spirit Zord

This is the Animal Spirit that resides within Jarrod, who is in-turn possessed by Dai Shi. Though Dai Shi is a golden dragon, the Lion Animal Spirit comes from Jarrod who was one of the most powerful students in the Order of the Claw before he was possessed. (It appears not even a handful of times towards the end of the series.)

Emerald Chameleon Spirit Zord

This is the Animal Spirit that resides within the Rinshi Camille, who is Dai Shi’s loyal servant from the Beast War thousands of years ago. (It appears not even a handful of times towards the end of the series.)

The key thing that I must impress upon you before I continue on is that this set is not a part of the normal Deluxe-class series of transformable Zords. Every single part, paint application, feature, and- most importantly- physical size is completely different from the Deluxe sets. In other words, these are completely new toys that imitate the larger & fully-featured versions...

The most obvious difference- other than size- is the elimination of the one electronic feature from the Red Tiger Spirit Zord. The motorized action has been intentionally left out so the Megazord doesn’t have that stupid giant black fanny pack that holds the batteries on it. This allows a significant reduction in mass & cost. The fanny pack is, however, represented as a far smaller, non-functional, and unpainted ‘hump’ molded directly as part of the Red Tiger’s back.

[If you know the toys from the originating Japanese series, “Jyuken Sentai GekiRanger” (2007), then you also know that the light-up feature was completely removed from the Deluxe-sized Tiger component anyways for its US release, but the motorized feature remained.]

The three wildcat Spirit Zords controlled by the core-three Rangers are very close to their Deluxe counterparts. While some paint features are not present (one example is the Jaguar and Cheetah’s pale spots along the black stripe on either side of their bodies), almost all of the moving features remain. One common gimmick among the three is that their tails (made of stiff PVC) are mounted to their backsides on ball-&-socket joints, and can swivel around a very limited amount. Like their larger counterparts, the tails are unique to each Spirit Zord, but [again] are not painted their respective color (red, blue, yellow).

The Jaguar and Cheetah, while having very similar body shapes, retain their subtle differences- the Jaguar can bow its head low and has thicker lower legs, which the Cheetah can only lower its head about half-way, and has thinner legs. The orange stripes beneath both are also different (three and two, respectively). The non-painted/raised spots of both wildcats are also different, showing that the main bodies are indeed of similar design, but retain unique characteristics. Another feature that was removed from these two is that their mouths can no longer open. And, the Blue Jaguar’s red sunshades (which humorously cover its actual blue eyes because- wait for it- he’s a cool cat) cannot be raised, being a fixed part of the head mold as well. All coloring other than yellow and blue (and black tails) is painted on, with an additional loss of the transparent-orange plastic. Both necks are fully poseable up and down on one joint- one ratcheting at the base [which will become part of the megazord’s ankle(s), and needs to be tighter], and then the Cheetah has an additional free-turning one at the back of its head which the Jaguar lacks. And all four knee joints flip up/down with friction due only to how they transform. However, they loose the use of their forward shoulder joints, which are now solidly-molded as part of the main body along with the back upper legs.

As mentioned earlier, the battery fanny pack has been reduced to a red lump on the Tiger, and so a new base for its tail was created. However, for whatever reason, from a side profile its hips hang lower on this toy than they do on the regular Deluxe version. (I’m not sure why this is; perhaps they shortened the length of the thighs...?) The same flexibility is available at the ratcheting shoulders, hips, & knees, and free-turning ankles & wrists. Unlike the two smaller wildcats, however, the mouth can still open wide due to the fact that this is needed to deploy the Megazord’s face later on. Unlike the Cheetah and Jaguar in this set, the Tiger retains its transparent-orange paws; however it looses the transparent-orange plastic on its chest in favor of a painted equivalent. All plastic- save for the megazord’s face & horn, back lower legs, and front paws- are completely red with all other detail then being painted in. (Oh, BTW, the back paws are also transparent-orange; they just painted them over with red & silver.)

Jungle Pride Megazord

One of the biggest complaints I heard is that while it was cool to have the motorized spinning torso feature, one of the problems with it was that when not in use the waist twisted too easily, so getting into some poses could be tricky. That problem has been eliminated with the removal of the motor, and now there is a lot more friction in the waist joint. (Hey- the fact that this set even retains the swiveling waist joint is pretty fantastic!) But this means that you have to now put some effort into turning the waist joint for both its upper-body Savage Spin and lower-body Super Kick attacks/finishers. And because the motorized feature was removed, so too were the activating triggers along its upper back and- um... crotch.

Range of motion is still the same: two ratcheting joints in each shoulder (pure awesomeness for a transformable Megazord), free-twisting wrists [and now waist] (double sweetness), and- with the feet rotated downwards- forward pitching of the hips to only 45° and backwards 90°. (Honestly, I don’t see how they could have gotten around the absolutely-moronic placement of those feet on the front of the thighs...) Officially, you cannot bend the knees with the Cheetah and Jaguars in place, but if you fiddle with it carefully, you can get it to about the 45° mark (though it won’t ratchet in place, so it’s a judgment call there).

With the three tail parts, you can still make the megazord’s only hand-to-hand weapon- the Jungle Setsukon. And again, you have to attack the Red Tiger’s middle section through the clawed fist before you attach the other two tail segments. The Jungle Setsukon can be wielded in either fist, but is still not nearly as flexible as its on-screen counterpart.

The Wolf Spirit Zord is a remold of the Cheetah, but has its own unique characteristics while retaining a similar body shape. The base of the tail- and the tail itself, for that matter- have been completely worked so that it now hinges up & down. The head and neck have also been reworked, including a poseable mouth (again due to how it transforms later on). The Wolf, however, does not have any identifying spots like the Cheetah and jaguar have, opting instead for the far-larger bushy tail. All parts- save for the tail and jaw- are purple, and have all other details painted on.

Jungle Pride Megazord with Wolf Power
or Wolf Pride Megazord

These two names actually belong to the same mecha, but it all depends on who’s controlling what. When R.J. first joins the Rangers in battle, he replaces Lily in the Jungle Pride Megazord due to her earlier injuries, and this forms the Jungle Pride Megazord with Wolf Power. (Seriously, that’s what they call it in the series. I guess they got tired of calling every modification with an accessory Zord “....Mode”.) Then later, when the three Rangers upgrade to their more powerful Jungle Master forms, and create the Jungle Master Megazord, R.J is sufficiently skilled and powerful enough that he can utilize the Red Tiger, Blue Jaguar, and Purple Wolf Spirit Zords by himself in order to create a second combination on the battlefield at the same time, the Wolf Pride Megazord.

In effect, this is just a limb-swap with the Cheetah; whichever way you choose name it. (Officially, this is the only limb-swap in the entire series; a nice change from the last six years, huh?) The Wolf Pride Megazord brings one new feature to the table: that bushy tail. Since the Wolf can hold its tail in its mouth in Spirit Zord mode (play fetch, anyone? He does!), the same can be done with the Wolf Pride Megazord for a powered up version of the Super Kick. So, basically the Megazord plays soccer with this boomerang.

[The reason for this- which is not mentioned in “PRJF”- is that Geki Violet from “GekiRanger” uses a specialized form of kick-boxing for his fighting-style, and so most of the Geki Touja Wolf’s attacks are kick-based. Kick-boxing is also used by R.J. (aka the Wolf Ranger), but it is not identified as such or is played down as too violent for the eyes of American children...]

As opposed to all of the limb-swapping that’s been going on almost non-stop since 2002, “PRJF” goes off in a new direction with armor upgrades that each have a specializing weapon.

The Elephant is the first accessory upgrade for the Jungle Pride Megazord. This particular one seems to have a fixation on soccer because it comes with its own 1½”-diameter ball. The ball attaches to the end of the trunk of the Elephant. The button on top of the Deluxe-version’s head to swing the trunk up-and-down is absent here, so you rely solely upon the flexibility of the light-gray PVC trunk and its accordion-like design. Due to how it transforms, the Elephant’s mouth is always shown a-gap. Several key areas of the paint scheme are missing- mostly additional black-painted stripes. Otherwise the entire set- minus the trunk- is molded in blue-green ABS & PVC. The legs are only poseable forward & backwards, and ratchet in either direction in approximately 45°-increments at each hip. And the PVC ears can also swing forward a bit.

Jungle Pride Megazord with Elephant Power

While the Deluxe Jungle Pride Megazord was balanced well-enough to activate its motorized spinning feature without problem, the upgrade with the Elephant posed a serious problem which plagued only it. And that is the large flail weapon it carries in its hand- it makes the formation very off-center when it spins. Now, while the waist can still spin, it isn’t motorized, so that it not a problem any more. However, you must still contend with the fact that the flail weapon prevent the arms from swinging outwards away from the body.

There is another issue which may be a manufacturing flaw on mine, but I’m not certain. When the tusks on either side of the Megazord’s head are turned upwards, this flips its new silver-&-red face down. However, with mine [at least], the tusks can continue upwards too far, and the eyes are suddenly hidden in the- shall I say- “brim” of the of the helmet’s forehead. So, even though it can twist farther than needed, I just stop twisting by choice at the half-way point.

Of all the Spirit Zords that are provided in this set, the Bat is perhaps the most heavily modified from its original Deluxe-sized counterpart. Because the wings are smaller and made entirely of one-piece PVC, they no longer have additional joints mid-wing. The wings also cannot rotate the large silver edges up-&-down for the same reason. The all-PVC head cannot be lifted up-&-down anymore, and the tiny legs cannot pivot upwards as they, too, are now a single PVC part. The two arrow-like missiles on either side of the head remain, and are still push-fired, but they are not painted orange anymore. The only other poseability is in the one set of wing joints, which still ratchet at every 45°, can swing both forward and backwards for a total range of 180°. The purple stripe along both silver leading edges of the wings have been eliminated, and the mid-wing paint with an additional set of orange triangles has also been removed on both sides.

Jungle Pride Megazord with Bat Power

With all of the reductions in flexibility when the Bat is alone, this formation suffers because of it. Because the all-PVC wings are so limiting compared to the Deluxe-sized counterpart, the megazord no longer has the ability to grip handles (which are no longer there) like a parachute or hang glider. However, the arms can still be easily splayed to look as if they were gripping the wings... even if they come nowhere near them now. The closest you can get is to bend the wings forward 45°, then you have to bend its shoulders the same way to fit, but even then they still won’t touch unless you’re willing to stress the wings’ joints. Both missiles are still accessible in this mode.

(Oddly, even though the activation bottom on the back of the Tiger was removed, there is still a space on the back of the Bat to accommodate the phantom trigger...)

Wolf Pride Megazord with Bat Power

This was a one-time combo, used in a tag-team effort between R.J. and Theo. Nothing special happens here- just a leg-swap with the Wolf, and an unnamed flying version of the Super Kick. (It was the Rhino Steel Megazord that was credited with the final blow, however.)

The biggest change for the Shark is that the electronic light-up feature was removed. So, the three slits of the gills have been painted in their respective red, yellow, and blue. Mostly, a lot of black stripes were neglected to be painted in here, as was the dark blue areas along the top of the head. The three wheels are still present along the bottom of the body and single extended ventral fin, making the Shark the only rolling-capable Spirit Zord in the set. The two side fins still turn around 360° because of how it transforms, but they cannot tilt up-&-down anymore because the extra joint has been eliminated. (Oh, BTW- those two PVC fins were really hard to get onto those pegs! I fought them for about two minutes each!)

Jungle Pride Megazord with Shark Power

Of the three accessory Zords provided in the set, this one gives me the most problems (which- all things considered- it a relief in this set). And this is mostly concentrated in how it combines with the megazord. Gone are the handles along the two halves of the Shark’s tail. So, the only thing holding these tail parts to the arms are two rotating parts which slip over pegs under the forearms. This is most likely a minor & unavoidable manufacturing flaw, but the hole that fits over that right peg is really difficult to fit on there! They don’t show it in the instructions, but the two halves of the tail are held together- in addition to a snapping tab- by five pegs around the periphery, so splitting it apart the first time is tricky. (Truthfully, I thought they could have gotten rid of about three of those pegs; some of them seemed excessive for what they’re meant to do.) In any case, getting those tail parts/arm blades to stay on there while moving the arms about it tricky because they shift about, and the very connector points that hold the tail together in Shark form are more hindrances when combined with the megazord! Also, whereas the tailfin could tilt up-&-down during the transformation, that is no longer possible, as the joint has been removed, and the fins are now molded as part of the tail itself.

Oh, and it’s really tricky the first few times to re-insert the tail back into the body.

As of the posting of this review, this last one has not appeared in the series yet, so I have no idea what the combo will be called... (I've read, unreliably, that it will be the "Ultimate Megazord".)

In “GekiRanger”, the combo is seen twice- once about 2/3rds of the way through the series, but it made its debut in the non-cannon movie, “Jyuken Sentai GekiRanger: Nei-Nei! Hou-Hou! Hong Kong Decisive Battle” (2007). It is called the Goetsu Doushu Jyuken Gattai Geki-Rin Touja (trnslt: “United Foes Beast-Fist Fusion Geki-Rin Touja”). In both cases, the [bad guys] merged with the GekiRanger’s mecha only because they were offended by a common enemy; not because they were willing to end the war between the two martial arts factions. In both cases, as soon as the common enemy was destroyed, the [bad guys] thanked the GekiRanger for their help, and then in the next episode they were fighting each other again.

How this will play out in “Power Rangers Jungle Fury”, no one knows yet (obviously except for the PR production team).

. . .

The only change on the Lion that I have found is that some of the painted gold stripes along the front & back of the belly were removed... and that’s it! The level of paint applications and the detail involved is spot-on. The mouth is still poseable (which- considering how many other times they were removed in this set- is surprising), and the legs & ankles still ratchet up & down and their various angles. The tail is the only PVC part on the entire Lion; even the stylistic extended mane streamers above are hardened ABS, though they cannot be removed from the head.

The small green Chameleon has a little black paint missing from the curled tail, and that’s it. But here’s the part that I like: on the original version, the small black tongue would shoot forward when the button behind the head was pressed, but it couldn’t shoot out like a projectile (more like an extendable spike). But here, the tongue is now a real spring-powered missile! (That is an awesome change, and greatly appreciated too!)

[Ultimate Megazord ???]

Rather than being a repaint of the way the Elephant attached to the Megazord, the Lion acts in a similar manner- still forming large shoulder armor with the main body & legs- but does it in its own way. And rather than forming a new mask/helmet like the Elephant, Bat, & Shark do when they’re combined, the Lion’s head attaches to the chest, which explains the need for those long gold-painted streamers above the head- they attach to the same points on either side of the megazord’s head that the Shark does. One big thing that was changed was how the sword’s handle works. On the original, there was a peg about halfway up the blade that would mount to the shoulder armor, and that was the only thing that would keep it in the hands of the megazord. And then, if you wanted it to actually hold the sword, you had to attach a separate accessory handle that could fit into the fist. Here, however, the handle is already incorporated in the weapon, so there’s no need to attach an extra part! So it will always hold the sword... like a sword. (For some strange reason, though, the holes in the shoulder armor are still present even though there is now nothing to fit into them...) The Chameleon still attaches to the left fist via a fold-down peg, but the peg is located in the curled-up tail now rather than the underbelly.

[Ultimate Megazord with Wolf Power ???]

Like the Wolf Pride Megazord with Bat Power, this is a one-time combo that appears towards the end of the series. No big deal- just swapping out the megazord’s right leg for the Wolf Spirit Zord. Done.

(In “GekiRanger”, this combo was called the Geki-Rin Touja Wolf.)

Now, here’s the interesting thing: this is not the first time during the 2008 season that all of these have appeared on the shelves!

With the help of CDX-member Gareth Infinity, I have been able to find and isolate all of the sets (yes, plural- “sets”) that have been released thus-far which are linked directly to the Transforming Fury Megazord Set reviewed here:

• Transforming Jungle Fury Megazord- contains the Tiger, Jaguar, and Cheetah
• Transforming Roar Max Megazord- contains the Elephant, Bat, and Shark
• Transforming Battle Megazord- contains the Wolf, Lion, Chameleon, and Claw Cannon-hybrid remold

In all three cases, these are still not Deluxe-sized sets- they are all the same completely-original designs which are featured within this article save for one. So far as I can tell, only the Deluxe Jungle Pride Megazord and Deluxe Jungle Master Megazord are the same fully-functional and –sized sets which originated from Japan in the “GekiRanger” line (the DX Jyuken Gattai Geki Touja and DX Jyuken Gattai Geki Fire, respectively). All of the accessory mecha from the “GekiRanger” line, however, did not make the transition to PR audiences. Which means, the three sets above, and the Transforming Fury Megazord Set, were the only ways to acquire the accessory mecha through the “Power Rangers Jungle Fury” brand in 2008.

Also included in the Transforming Battle Megazord set is an original figure based on the Rangers’ hand-held Claw Cannon finishing weapon. The toy could act as a shoulder cannon for the Jungle Pride Megazord, but- of course- did not appear in the series as such, even though the Claw Cannon itself did.

. . .

It was actually the absence of the Claw Cannon-hybrid Zord which helped to clue me into the reason why Bandai of America may have created this alternate toy series of transforming Zords...

Looking at the underbelly of the Wolf, Cheetah, and Jaguar figures in this set, there is a new hole in each between their back legs. The Deluxe versions lack these, as do their original Japanese counterparts’ The only function these three ever served was as leg components for the Jungle Pride Megazord. So, why are they there?

The title of this Set was the answer. There are, as I stated above, four Sets- including this one- which use the term “Transforming ----” rather than the traditional term “Deluxe”. There are, also two additional sets with the phrase ”Transforming” in the title:

• Transforming Beast Master Megazord
• Transforming Jungle King Megazord

While the latter (albeit with a new head design) is just a repaint of the former, they both share one thing in common- they both limb-swap, and they are both original Zord designs from Bandai Creation which do not appear in the series. The White Puma and Black Leopard Spirit Zords with the Beast Master Megazord are very similar to the Cheetah, Jaguar, and Wolf seen in the series. And, the two new Zord figures have shoulder connection joints in exactly the same place as the Cheetah, Jaguar, and Wolf figures...

I have determined that the entire “Transforming -----“ Zord system is designed to limb-swap within itself even though the original Deluxe-sized sets could not! This adds a new level of play to the system, so that you can take the legs of the Transforming Jungle Pride Megazord and use them as arms with the Transforming Beast Master Megazord set!

But, I wonder... If this is a completely original system of Zords... and they’re designed to be compatible with each other... then is it possible-?

Yes-! Yes it is possible! The arms of this version of the Jungle Pride Megazord can be separated from the torso- which reveals a joint system identical to the one on the Beast Master Megazord!

The way I see it- the Wolf and Claw Cannon-hybrid are supposed to serve as the arms for a new version of the Jungle Pride Megazord which is only possible in toy-form. The reason I say this is because, even though the Cheetah and Jaguar are just as compatible, the Claw Cannon-hybrid cannot transform into a leg component for the Megazord. And unfortunately, BoA left one key thing out of this set- the Claw Cannon-hybrid itself! It is not mentioned in the instructions for this set; and from instructions I found online of the Beast Master Megazord, the limb-swapping option is not discussed there either. So this remains a completely original feature which is not addressed by the very company that makes the toys!

The only way I could have missed this surprising feature is if BoA had not included a picture of the Claw Cannon-hybrid on the back of the box for this Set...

Every single year for over a decade now, Power Rangers has become a marketing nightmare- on the shelves, you very rarely get to buy what you see on the screen; and even then, it is modified in some fashion, or is a repaint from an earlier season. And almost every single year, you see the previous year’s unsold & shunned leftovers heaped in with the newest offerings, which just encourages the degrading cycle. Fortunately, while the Deluxe-sized Zord sets have remained largely oblivious (amen!) to heavy alterations (missing paint apps notwithstanding), there have never been any completely original, fully-transformable sets of equal standing. The 15th Anniversary of the franchise, “Power Rangers Operation Overdrive” (2007), saw the first venture to break this barrier, and try to provide parents & collectors with a cheaper original alternative to the average-$50 Deluxe sets: the highly-controversial and very-disappointing Deluxe Drive-Max Megazord.

So now, Bandai Creation has come forward with their newest offering. Considering how poorly they performed with the DMM the previous year, I swore never to buy products in the Power Rangers franchise ever again pending extenuating circumstances; that disaster having been the straw that finally broke the camel’s back. I was enraged, confused, bewildered, and frustrated with the direction Bandai was taking a childhood favorite of mine in bringing it to future children & collectors. In addition, I was rather let-down with the mecha offering from “GekiRanger”, and planned not to import any of the transformable sets like I usually do (but that’s a whole different issue for another review). And so, you must understand that I took an enormous risk and leap-of-faith when, by chance, I found this set on the shelves and decided to get it to see what it was about with no prior research on the matter.

You know what? This set is absolutely fantastic! No question about it- significant changes were made, and Bandai Creation pulled an absolutely wonderful bouquet of flowers out of their hat. None of the joints are too tight or too loose, things come apart and go back together with far more ease & consistency, paint applications and molded surface details are not lacking & remain very consistent with the original toys, I am not afraid of dropping it and breaking or accidentally detaching something, the elimination of the electronic features is not missed in any way in favor of the new limb-swapping option, and- most importantly- the figures remain completely faithful in spirit to their full-sized counterparts both in English-speaking countries and their Japanese predecessors. Hell- they even improved on previous problems! That alone is noteworthy! And, I’ll even go so far as to say this: if an equivalent-scaled version of the Jungle Master Megazord comes out before the series ends, I’m gonna go and get it too for exactly the same reasons.

To Bandai of America, consider this an apology for my earlier harsh words about your competency. You heard what the fans said, you heard what the parents & kids also said, you wisely considered your options, and you completely turned it around to deliver a fantastic toy. Even though I balked at the designs from the original series, what you presented and delivered convinced me to buy your product; I can think of no higher compliment than to say that you convinced me to buy something I was not interested in getting in the first place! Therefore, I give my full and highest recommendation for the Transforming Fury Megazord Set. It’s cheap, and it’s right on target.

... And, if you can make any more sets just like this, I may have to change my mind about getting them too.

When a toy is marked down by nearly $40, are you getting a great deal or a piece of garbage?

Read the review, and watch the video, to find out....

The Manticore Megazord was released in 2006 and comes from the show "Power Rangers Mystic Force". I decided to take the plunge and pick one up when seeing on clearance at Toys R Us, marked down from $49.99, all the way to $10.98. I figured that at those savings it was worth a look. But unfortunately the reason it was on sale was simply that it's not a very good toy.

The Manticore Megazord is the result of the combination of a Phoenix Zord and a Lion Zord. Taken on their own, each Zord is really pretty boring and neither has much individual play value.

Phoenix Zord

Lion Zord

It is only when they are combined do they start to get even a little bit interesting. The Phoenix Zord is able to sort of "dock" with the Lion Zord and connect to it's back via three magnets.

Believe it or not, I actually prefer displaying the toy in this fashion instead of in Megazord mode. That does not bode well for any toy when it's main attraction is not shelf worthy.

Now, when you want to transform to Megazord mode, the toy features a battery operated "Auto-Morph Action". Basically, this means it transforms by itself. To do this, you have to turn the wings of the Phoenix Zord down so that it can stand upright, allowing the Lion Zord to roll along the ground until they connect. When they do, the tail of the Phoenix Zord will compress a small button on the Lion Zord, alerting it to stop rolling and start transforming.

Phoenix Zord prepared for docking

One of the biggest problems with this feature is how difficult it actually is to get the two toys to line up properly. Bandai included a thin cardboard placemat that you can use a starting reference point, but even with it's help, the transformation does not always work. Of course, that doesn't stop the toy from continuing to roll along, knocking over the Phoenix Zord and running into it on the ground and basically being a pain in the neck.

So, it's difficult to do. But even when it works, the robot does not completely transform. You still have to rotate the Lion Zord's paws into order to reveal the robots fists. And then you have to remove the Phoenix Zord's tail and transform it into a weapon.

Of course, perhaps the most visually obvious downfall of this gimmick is how badly the Manticore Megazod ends up looking because of it. Everything beneath the waist is just one big lump of plastic, with no articulation or play value whatsoever. Frankly, it just looks AWFUL. So the main featured gimmick barely works, doesn't work completely and makes the toy look terrible. Great. Just great.

I know I would give up an action feature in favor of a nicer looking design and some poseability. The only thing on the Megazord that can be posed is the arms. They move up and down and side to side (a little).

The completed weapon is pretty stupid, too. The robot really can't even hold it. Instead, it holds a small handle that is connected to it and the bottom rests on his right foot, often falling out of the hole it's meant for anyway. The weapon does spin around when the Manticore Megazord rolls forward.

When finally completed, the Manticore Megazord has a big space in between it's head and chest. There is a small black panel that you can use to fill in this space, but when it's in place, you are unable to transform it back into the separate Zords. So I just leave it down. You barely notice the emptiness from the front anyway. The lion head can also be pulled out and placed onto the separately sold Titan Megazord to form the "Ultimate Titan Mode".

The black panel on the inside front rotates up

So, what exactly does this toy have going for it? Well, it's colors are sort of unique for a robot. And....uhhhmm... that's about it. Unless you are just a total Power Ranger or Sentai completist, I can't recommend that you buy this one. Even for the $11 I paid. $11 will get you a large cheese pizza in most places. And if I could swap this thing for a large cheese pizza right now, I'd do it in a heartbeat.

(Thanks to Eva_Unit 4A", for reminding me of a couple of features I forgot about!)

Another unique sculpt for the US market, MechaGodzilla is a bargain for the kaiju collector.

The second of Bandai Creation's 12" Classic Godzilla vinyls is MechaGodzilla and this time, he stands a legitimate 12" tall. At first glance, it's a more impressive looking toy than the Godzilla, but I think that after owning both for a few days I've come to like the Godzilla just a bit better. Most of that may have to do with the fact that I have about 10 other Bandai Godzillas of various sizes and styles and am now displaying them all as a group, which looks pretty cool. But it is also because MechaGodzilla is molded with his left foot placed out in front of his right. It looks sort of awkward to me and there is no joint at the hip you can use to correct it.

I think if it weren't for that, it would definitely be the better looking toy, especially if you happen to like this version of the character, which hails from the 2002 film "Godzilla Against MechaGodzilla".

This soft vinyl toy has 5 points of articulation, at the waist, neck, shoulders and tail. It looks like there is a second joint in the tail, but mine does not move at all.

I wish I had more to tell you about this one, but it's just a big, vinyl MechaGodzilla. The pictures tell the whole story really. Like the Final Wars Godzilla, this is on clearance at Toys R Us now for $15.99 and at that price, any kaiju fan should grab it.

Not as big as advertised, but this large size Godzilla figure from Bandai Creation is a real bargain.

Bandai Creation has released quite a few 6.5" figures from the Godzilla universe in the last couple of years, but 2008 marks their first foray in 12" kaiju. This Godzilla comes from "Godzilla: Final Wars", a film from 2004. I guess in the grand scheme of things it might be a bit weird that you should see merchandising four years after the fact for a movie that really didn't get a wide release in the first place, but you won't find me complaining.

Other than it's increased size, this toy is not really any different from the previous offerings by Bandai Creation. It's a unique sculpt for the US market and is made entirely of soft vinyl. Good old soft, squishy vinyl.

"Final Goji" here has 8 points of articulation, with 3 of those coming in the tail. The neck, hips and shoulders also turn. The paint job is simple but effective, with the best effect being the blending of the black and yellow on the claws.

Although advertised as a 12" figure, this toy actually only reaches about 10.5" in height. I don't wanna hear anyone complaining though. This is a substantial Godzilla figure that you can pick up for very cheap money. Although I tried to list as accurately as possible it's original release price (only thing I could find online was $26.95 from Amazon), I got mine on clearance at Toys R Us for just $15.99. I recommend that you hurry out and get one before they are all gone. Look for the 12" MechaGodzilla while you are there, too.

As she was ready to leave, she pulled a tattered VHS tape out of her purse and handed it to me. It was a well-worn copy of the original black and white Rodan movie...

Rodan occupies a special place in my heart. This Rodan is not the Rodan of my childhood, but I guess I will talk about it here.

I haven't seen my Mother in years. She's around, somewhere, but we travel in very different circles. Every once in a blue moon we connect, but the occasions are few and far between. The circumstances of our situation I will keep to myself, but let’s just say it affects me to this day.

On one such meeting a few years ago, I had my mother over to see my new baby. It was the first time I had seen her in a while. It was an emotional time, but this wasn’t about us, it was about the baby. As she was ready to leave, she pulled a tattered VHS tape out of her purse and handed it to me. It was a well-worn copy of the original black and white Rodan movie. She said “I saw this at a flea market and thought you might like it. I remember you watched it on Creature Double Feature when you were little”.

And then she left. We’ve crossed paths at funerals and such over the years, but that was the last time we ever had a moment. That stupid Rodan tape. I don’t really even remember watching Rodan as a kid. Each time I see that tape, or anything with Rodan it in, I remember that moment.

For better or worse.

This Rodan, from Godzilla Final Wars, is my first Rodan toy. I like to think that buying this toy means that I have been able to let go, to move on, but I am not sure. It means SOMETHING, but what that something means I don’t know.

I gave this rodan toy to my kids, and they play with it often – it resides on the shelves that are OK to play with. My hope is that my kids will have a much different connection with Rodan than I did.

Here's a surprise. Unlike most other Bandai Creation vinyl kaiju, this Hedorah is a significantly different toy the the regular Japanese Bandai release.

Normally I don't bother with these Bandai Creation Godzilla vinyls. Don't get me wrong, they're a great value and it's awesome to see Japanese soft vinyl kaiju available cheaply here on US shores. But the fact is that I happen to live in an area where some stores carry the original Japanese versions for not much more money. The US and Japanese releases are quite similar, but the Japanese ones tend to be better quality, in my opinion. But when I stopped at a KB Toys last weekend and saw Hedorah on their shelves, I could immediately tell that the Bandai Creation version was VASTLY different from it's Japanese counterpart.

At first, my impression of it was that it was much, much worse than the other, but I gotta tell you, I've really warmed up to it since. It's got a more massive frame that makes it stand out more than the Japanese version, and it's significantly taller too. I like how the arms point straight down too. Somehow it reminds me more of the old school vinyl style, while still retaining a movie accurate sculpt.

Another minor advantage that it has is that the tail curls back around to the front. This would make it easier to display in a group since it's less likely that another vinyl behind it will have to stand on it's tail.

It does, however, have one really bad flaw. The seam that connects the top and bottom parts of the toy is really unsightly. And it's really quite pointless too, because the toy has exactly ZERO points of articulation. So there's a big ugly seam and you can't even turn it there anyway.

Still, this is a great deal. A decent Hedorah vinyl for about $10 and easy to get. Besides KB Toys, I've also seen this line of toys sold at Toys R Us and even CVS. Maybe soon you won't be able to go anywhere without feeding your habit!! HAHA!