If Bandai still made them like this, I would still collect Sentai.

I'm not going to even try to describe what the series was about. For that, check wikipedia.

What I can tell you though is that this figure is very cool, and one of my favorite releases from Wild Force / Gaoranger. The Deluxe Animus Megazord is based off of the Deluxe Wild Force Megazord. While the design is similar, very few of the parts are actually the same.

The Deluxe Animus Megazord consists of five power animals:

Saw-Shark

This shark features wheels on the bottom, a moveable jaw, fins, and a detachable tail.

Lion

The lion appears to be the same as the one used in the Deluxe Wild Force Megazord, aside from different coloring.

Condor

The condor features a new head and tail unit, redecorated wings, and metal feet.

Bison

The Bison is similar to the Bull used on the Wild Force Megazord, with different detailing, coloring, and different horns.

Leopard

The Leopard is similar to the tiger used on the Wild Force Megazord, with different coloring.

The combination is similar to that of the Wild Force Megazord, with a few notable exceptions.

On the chest of the Animus Megazord, the wings point upward and outward.

The horns on the head become a kind of bow weapon that can be held in the mouth of the Leopard.

Once again, this release retains all the metal of the DX Chogokin version. This is one heavy bot. If Bandai still made them this way today, I would still be a Sentai Fan.

So, what's different in this release from the Japanese release? The only thing I can see is that the gold metal shoulder plates are re-used from older US zords and not the ones that come with the Japanese version, which also has paint detail. Thats about it as far as I know, but perhaps purists will correct me.

An impressive Jumbo with a MASSIVE wingspan. Good luck finding room to display this guy!

The Jumbo Isis Megazord was the second of Bandai Creation's Power Ranger Jumbos to hit the market, following on the heels of their Jumbo Wild Force Megazord. In terms of pure size, it might be one of the most impressive Jumbos ever. Not only does it stand approximately 23" tall, but it boasts an impressive 35" wingspan! Among toys considered to be in the Jumbo Machinder family, only the World's Greatest Monsters Rodan can claim to have a bigger set of wings.

Obviously, such a large toy would not come pre-assembled so you have to attach each wing into the back. The piece it attaches to has what looks like a hinge, but unfortunately the wings do not move at all. The eyes in the wings are stickers that need to be applied. This is the only Bandai Creation Jumbo with stickers, which is a shame as it really helps recapture that old school toy feel when you have them.

In addition to the wings, the soft vinyl head needs to be inserted over the knob on the neck and the handle placed into the back. As usual, I've not put the handle on mine because apparently once in, they don't come out.

I really like the design of the head and the chest but where most Jumbo fans lose interest is again in the animal based design. This piece in particular is a bit frustrating because it doesn't have anything even remotely resembling hands. And I think the feet look pretty awful. It's always been my biggest complaint with the toy. They lack symmetry and detail in my eyes. They look much better on the DX version

The box for this toy measures approximately 22"x18"x9". One of the things that I've always thought was pretty cool about the Jumbo Megazord boxes is that they can be displayed two ways. You have both portrait and landscape images to choose from. The problem though is that the boxes are so large that, in addition to large shipping costs, it's just simply hard to find room to actually display them. And perhaps because of their size and cumbersome nature, I find that it's been surprisingly difficult to keep them a tip-top condition, despite the fact that they are made out of stronger cardboard than vintage boxes.

Now I liked these toys from the beginning. I felt that even though their sentai designs were drastically different from classic super robots, a $30 Jumbo that you could walk into a store and buy was worth having. But lately I've even warmed up more to the sentai aesthetic. Seeing JoshB's collection and even having recently been given a box of incomplete DX Megazords has helped, but I really think it might have been seeing the displays at the Bandai Museum that did it for me. Seeing the sentai stuff alongside the super robots, kaiju and tokusatsu items seems to have lent legitimacy to them in my eyes. Man, I HATED Power Rangers when I was younger. And while I still wouldn't watch the show, I'd kill to have more of these toys being made today.

Bandai America, in their infinite wisdom, thought the Kongazord needed more "Play Value". They created an all new mechanical Bison that has a battery powered walking feature.

The Deluxe Wild Force Kongazord is the US equivalent of the DX Hyakujuu Gattai Gao Muscle from Hyakujuu Sentai GaoRanger.

The toy consists of 5 Power Animals:

• Gorilla
• Polar Bear
• Black Bear
• Eagle
• Bison

They all combine to form the mighty Wild Force Kongazord.

The Gorilla forms the central body and head of the Kongazord. It retains the metal from the Japanese version but lacks paint detail.

The Polar Bear and Black bear become the arms of the Kongazord. They both feature a missile firing action. One major difference between the US and Japanese version is that the US version had the chrome legs replaced with silver plastic.

The Eagle becomes the waist area, and seems identical to the Japanese version.

The biggest change comes with the Bison. Bandai America, in their infinite wisdom, thought the Kongazord needed more “Play Value”. They created an all new mechanical Bison that has a battery powered walking feature.

The bison is larger than the original, and uses a completely new large head sculpt. This bison can also transform into flatbed mode.

If you don’t like the look of this new plastic bison, you can easily swap legs with the Deluxe Wild Force Megazord.

One more notable omission in the US version is the lack of the anchor chain weapon. Normally it is stashed in the chest compartment, but my guess is it was omitted due to safety concerns.

Although not as good as the Gao Muscle, it’s an OK replacement that does most of what the original did. I’m sure kids had fun with it  - it’s a fine toy on its own merit.

Take a second look at this cool 12" figure from Power Rangers Wild Force

Believe it or not, this is actually a damn cool toy. It's something I never would have bought on its own merit, but it happened to pick up one in a lot I got off of ebay.

This is the Lunar Wolf Battlized Warrior from Power Rangers Wild Force. It's your standard 12" action figure, with reasonable articulation and a cloth outfit. What makes this figure stand out from your average 12" Power Ranger figure is the robotic Lunar Wolf.

The wolf looks pretty cool on its own, with articulated limbs and a firing cannon. I think my missiles are missing tips, but I'm not sure.

You can take the wolf apart and re-configure it to become battle armor ("Battlized") for the figure. It really looks quite stunning when it is all together. I espescially love how the legs combine with the firing mechanism to become a futuristic bow.

One problem I had though was with the hands. You really have to force the weapons into them, and the force can result in the hands actually dislodging from the arms, and cracking the arms in the process.

The Lunar Wolf Battlized Warrior is a very cool figure that did not get a lot of credit. Being a robot fan, I tend to overlook the other offerings in Bandai America's product lines, but this one will make me take a second look.

The Deluxe Wild Force Megazord is the first Megazord released as part of the Power Rangers Wild Force line. In Japan, the toy was known as the DX Gaoking from Gaorangers.

The Megazord consists of 5 Power Animals:

• Red Lion
• Yellow Eagle
• Black Bison
• White Tiger
• Blue Shark

Each Power Animal contains a significant amount of diecast metal. The combined Megazord is really, really heavy. There is so much metal in it, that in Japan, the toy was included in the Chogokin line. The DX Gaoking has the Chogokin number GD-21.

The Wild Force Megazord is probably on of the best Megazords released, in my opinion. The toy is so old-school. It has loads of metal, with only articulation at the shoulders, elbows and wrists, with a classic robot style. The tail of the Blue Shark becomes a weapon that fits in the right hand.

The 5 Power Animals can combine to form the Wild Force Megazord, but the fun does not stop there. All the Wild Force Megazords, and several subsequent lines, share a common arm connector joint. This means you can connect the giraffe, the polar bears, the deer- any number of combinations can be made, provided you buy the additional animals.

In addition to Megazord mode, there is also a carrier mode, where the Bison unfolds to three times its length and carries the other Power Animals. Unfortunately, some of the Power Animals have no defined place to sit, so they fall off easily. There is a stand included to place the back two animals on (not shown).

So what is different between the US and Japanese version?

• The Black Bison is missing some gold paint detail, and the Bison's horns are dull gold instead of gold-plated.
• The toes of the White Tiger are not painted gold, and the tail is missing paint detail.
• The Red Lion is missing paint on the teeth.
• The Blue Shark seems to be made of a darker blue in the US version, and the gold plating on the sides has been replaced with dull gold paint.

That's all the changes as far as I know. This is a great robot toy, even if you are not a Power Rangers fan. A must-get toy.

The first in the new line of Power Rangers Jumbos

Bandai America tried its hand with jumbos once before, with the Jumbo Astro Megazord from Power Rangers in Space. However, the toy was not quite jumbo sized, and it fell apart kind of easily.

Fortunately, Banda's next attempt was a bit more successful. Enter the Jumbo Wild Force Megazord, the first in the new line of Jumbo Machines.

Standing 2 feet tall, this Jumbo is a great throw-back to the days of the shogun warriors. The only thing it is missing is firing fists.

The Jumbo Wild Force Megazord requires assembly - the head, made of soft vinyl needs to be attached, and the handle snaps on in the back.

A great toy.

The Deluxe Wild Force Isis Megazord is one of the best megazords to date. It is comprised of 5 zords: Deer, Giraffe, Aardvark, Rhino and Hawk.

The hawk has 3 different electronic sounds in it's tail: Falcon calling, laser beam and battle call.

The Wildforce Megazords come from the Japanese sentai show Gaorangers. The original Japanese name of this toy is Gao Icarus.

If you are looking for play value, the Isis Megazord satisfies in every way. Press a button on the giraffe, and the Gao Spear extends. A similar button on the deer activates the Gao CrossHorn (the antlers move). You can turn the armadillo into a ball and use the spring action of the rhino?s horn to kick it across the room. Also, the wings of Isis fold over to create "Ultimate Defense Mode".

Isis is fairly straightforward to transform. The deer and the giraffe simply fold in the legs. The most challenging part is the rhino, but once you do it once you don't forget it.

The Isis Megazord is very similar to its Japanese counterpart, Gao Icarus. All of the die cast metal parts remained intact, although some of the paint detail is missing for the US version. Bandai has made big improvements in the US versions of its toys since the early days of the Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers.