Gold Ranger? I was never a huge fan of ZEO, but this is a cool figure.

Power ranger figures have never been known or their articulation, detail or collectability. In fact, most collectors seem to ignore them in general. Since their debut in 1993, The actual Power ranger figures have been aimed squarely at kids, forgoing accuracy for play value. This is fine for kids, but collectors have never really pursued them.

Then a funny thing happened at Bandai America a few years ago. Someone in a board meeting must have realized that there is an untapped collector market, and slowly, quietly, Bandai rolled out the 15th anniversary red ranger series. Unfortunately, the line was terribly misguided, as these figures were ridiculously over-muscled, like some crazy he-man offspring.

I'm not sure what became of the line, but apparently Bandai America learned their lesson. With the release of the Jungle Fury action figures, Bandai began packing in chase "Super Legends" figures, two per case, of classic Power Rangers characters.

I'm glad to say that they ALMOST got it right. The Super Legends are really good figures, but they fall just short of being "great" figures.

On the plus side, these figures have excellent, realistic proportions. The Gold Ranger features removable armor, a club like weapon, and a very detailed, unique sculpt. The articulation is very good compared to the usual MMPR figure, but it misses some key points of articulation.

For example, the arms are articulated at the shoulder, elbow and wrist, but there is no swivel joint at the bicep. The legs have fantastic ball joints at the hips, and then a great swivel joint just below that in addition to the knee articulation. But there's no articulation at the ankles, and in an even more glaring omission, no waist joint.

Still, these are minor gripes - the Gold Ranger and the other Super Legends figures are the best Power Rangers figures to date.

What Eva Unit 4A reviewed was the DX Drive Max Megazord and he already complained on how crapped up it was even before he noticed and saw the mayhem that Bandai America (BOA) caused after the Drive Max set. You would say I got tricked as well and so I got this piece of contraption that now seduces me to buy the other one to complete my set.

Alright so, Eva Unit 4A reviewed was the DX Drive Max Megazord and he already complained on how crapped up it was even before he noticed and saw the mayhem that Bandai America (BOA) caused after the Drive Max set. You would say I got tricked as well and so I got this piece of contraption that now seduces me to buy the other one to complete my set.

What was I babbling about? Well, it’s of course the DX Dual Drive Megazord set with the Sonic Streaker (Gou Gou Jet). Bandai initially released a crap piece entitled DualDrive Megazord with only 2 working auxiliary zords/vehicles, which are the Drill and the Shovel. That set came with 2 dummy pieces of Mixer and Crane which I despise a lot and of course a corrected Gou Gou Dump but was completely black in colour.

I initially thought that the DualDrive (later renamed Super Drive Max Megazord) is not a set required for all of my formations and stuffs but what a great mistake I made. Without proper research I went and bought this set, the Dual Drive that seeming and looked like it had all 5 of the working auxiliary pieces.

By just looking from the box and from the above photo, you will have a wrong impression thinking that this set is actually complete by itself. If you’re thinking so, look again as only 3 of the 5 auxiliary zords are in this set. The working pieces are the Jet, the Crane and the Mixer and they obviously made dummy pieces for the Drill and Shovel.

Behold the dummy sets of the Drill and Shovel that has no wheels. At first I was thinking to myself that the Japanese version wouldn’t be this crap and later I noticed that the real Drill and Shovel are in the earlier set (with the Black Dump). This seemed to be a marketing gimmick to tell us something like this [I am making this up]:

“For you collectors out there, if you want a complete set of the Drive Max series, you are now required to buy 3. Due to all of your rants and complaints, we had to release the one with the Sonic Streaker but since we already have stocks around that come with the Drill and the Shovel Drivers, we’re not including these 2 in the later set. Have Fun!”

That was what I think BOA was telling us collectors to do. However not, let us get to the bottom of this. Behold, the Jet can be separated into pieces and look, the cannon on the wing tips are coloured in chrome instead of gray of the Japanese Version. The emergency cockpit part (a.k.a. Ultrazord’s head) has the press to launch mechanism removed and replaced with the electronic light and sound gimmick which I said earlier. The button is right at the top, after the flipping joints to reveal Dual Drive’s face. The electronic can only be activated automatically in Dual Drive formation. Forming the Ultrazord needs you to manually press the button.

So, when you combine all 5 of these vehicles you get the real deal Dual Drive Megazord. Happy? Not even a bit. This set actually completely neglected Super Drive Max Megazord formation as the Super one was not seen anywhere in either of the Drive Max, the Super Drive Max or this one. But if you just glance through the front and the back [hyperlink photo Dual Drive Back], you’ll jump to the conclusion that this is decent. Aside from its size being actually bigger than our regular Japanese Dai Tanken, this one looks the same.

The above piece is the hook piece given in this set linked up with the Crane and yes, that’s the only hook piece for the Crane in this set. I’ll explain its uses later. This piece is actually made up of strange rubbery plastic which I think might break if you would exert too much pressure on it. Mine already has marks because of its uses and because it doesn’t stay very well and needs me to constantly press it back to place.

Alright so when you have this set and the Drive Max Megazord, you get to form the Drive Max Ultrazord [Ultimate Daibouken] which looks bigger. However, if you look at this Ultrazord, you will begin to wonder that BOA might only be creating the 3 sets just to have them displayed in Ultrazord mode. Why would I say that? That’s because it looks quite decent in Ultrazord mode. Of course, functions are completely gone but physical appearance still gets a pass from me.

As I am praising this, there are some downfalls in this set. Remember the parts of Sonic Streaker we’ve seen above? Notice something missing? Yeah, the 2 long black pipe gears that can grab an auxiliary vehicle are missing. They really didn’t include these pieces at all and that’s why need the red hook piece for Ultimate formation. You see, the black piece in the original Ultimate Daibouken adds on to the silver grill so that the Gyro has proper slots to fit. Because they didn’t include the gears, you don’t use the silver grill to form Ultimate Daibouken but instead you just need the red piece (shown above) to link the Gyro to the mid section of the main body.

Well guys, these are what I got for the Japanese version so I am having them placed side by side for you guys to see and compare the sizes. See how big the Cement Driver is compared to the Gou Gou Mixer? I am saying it’s more than 5 centimeters longer but the functions are GONE! In this case size actually doesn’t really matter. It’s even more obvious when you prepare them to combine.

The crane was also larger but as you can see, the details on the Gou Gou Crane are obviously much more superior to the Crane Driver in almost every aspect. No extendable crane arms and no strings to play with. BOA really did this too economically. It seems that almost both the colours are different.

Oh well, to end this I would say that this piece is not to be a standalone piece at all. You obviously need at least 2 sets to make a combination that can be displayed decently. So, in order for you collectors out there who don’t have access to Boukenger stuffs, here is a small listing of combinations you can do with combinations from different sets.

Drive Max + Super Drive Max = Drive Max Drill Driver, Drive Max Shovel Driver, Incomplete Super Drive Max

Drive Max + Dual Drive = Drive Max Drill Driver (not working), Drive Max Shovel Driver (not working), Drive Max Cement Driver, Drive Max Crane Driver, Ultrazord

Drive Max + Dual Drive + Super Drive Max = All good combinations.

Yeah, that’s the thing to it and finally a picture of papa feet and mama feet of the completed Ultrazord. Enjoy!

"POWER PUNCH! NOW KICK! AGAIN-! POWER PUNCH! NOW KICK!"

Oh, my god...

Video review included!

This toy appears here courtesy of Bandai America.

. . .

Three years ago, a dangerous artificial intelligence known as the Venjix virus assaulted Earth’s computers, and shut down all forms of electronic communication, radio & TV broadcasts. Then Venjix proceeded to build an army of human-like robots with which to corral and enslave humanity. Regretfully we lost the war, and Venjix conquered the world. But on the central-eastern edge of Africa, the domed city of Corinth was created and serves as the last safe-haven for any human who can make it within its protective shield. Venjix, however, is ever-watchful of Corinth, and has built strong barriers around the city to prevent more humans from making it safely there… assuming that anyone can find the city to begin with! Whenever a survivor comes to the city, the shield must be lowered and then recharged, and during these times, Venjix sends infiltration units to cause havoc and destroy the city. But fortunately, a new team has been developed by the mysterious-yet-influential Dr. K which can successfully defend the city- the Power Rangers! Armed with powerful Engine Cells, the Rangers can summon both a unique arsenal of weapons & armored suits, and giant Zord Attack Vehicles which stand many stories tall and can create a giant humanoid robot form called a Megazord! Will they be enough to defend Corinth from the terror of Venjix?

. . .

Nitro Blasters are the standard sidearm for Ranger Operators Red, Blue, Yellow, Green, & Black, which clips conveniently to the right side of their belts when not in use. Unless the Engine Cells- which also power the giant Zord Attack Vehicles- is placed inside of them, they cannot be used. Each Nitro Blaster has a second mode of operation, called Nitro Sword.

Blaster Mode

This is how it is stored on the clip-on holster on the Ranger Operators’ belts. In this form, it strongly resembles a gas pump dispenser, which fits in with the vehicle theme that the heroes have in the series. The day-glo orange nozzle is the gun barrel, and has features like fake bendable ribbed sections and a spill-prevention guard; these all, of course, being ABS & PVC plastic as opposed to metal & rubber. (Because of US toy regulations concerning ‘realistic’ gun-shaped toys, the barrel must be this stand-out coloring as opposed to the silver-and-black seen on the show.) The grip is completely solid with no moving parts, and features an On/Off switch fitting on the bottom where a fuel feed tube would attach. However, a smaller functional black trigger is still featured inside the grip. Directly above the grip but part of the overall handle design is a silver-painted molded PR-RPM logo in a notched protrusion on the left side only; this is the mounting point for the belt-mounted holster. The large main section of the toy is molded in black ABS, but is then painted red, white, and blue. On both sides are blue domes which- in the series- expose the Engine Cell in use; however here, they are painted over.

. . .

Typically in this form, the Engine Cells used to power a Nitro Blaster are inserted. Just above the top of the grip is a triangular protrusion. When pulled backwards, a black ABS cartridge holding frame manually swings out from the top. While any Engine Cell from the “PR-RPM” line can be inserted, the Wolf Cruiser Zord Attack Vehicle’s (see below) is provided with the set. The Engine Cell will only fit in sideways, but not pointed up-or-down. Then the holding frame can be pressed back in by you until it locks in place.

Under the grip is a small black switch with three positions. When turned on and you pull the black trigger, it will activate the sound effects within the toy.

The two steps for transforming the Nitro Blaster from Blaster Mode into Sword Mode are very simple, and they can be changed in any order you wish (i.e. they’re not linked together internally):

• There is a small spring-resistant black switch on the left side of the main section that needs to be pushed forward. As you do this, the entire grip free-rotates around diagonally 180°. To lock it in place, simply release the black switch as the grip comes around.
• Under the orange barrel is a gray spring-resistant lever that needs to be pressed. This will free-up the front of the barrel. Then, while pressing the lever, point the barrel downwards, and it will extend itself in three additional sections due to gravity. All of the orange ABS cylinders are independent of each other, and slip in place via friction when extended. To retract them, simply press on the gray lever again, and then press inwards to collapse them down.

Sword Mode

Despite its naming, it is not a sword-like weapon, but rather a long inflexible baton or nightstick... which, on the toy, comes out as a day-glo orange telescoping shaft. (Whereas in the series, the ‘blade’ is light gray and black.) The main section is now positioned upside down diagonally to the grip. The Engine Cell is still fully accessible, in this form, above the black grip.

Almost all “Power Rangers RPM” role-playing and transforming-Zord sets include a unique thin Engine Cell chip. They are very simple ABS accessories that have a decal on one side which has a unique number and coloring to help identify each one. Some Engine Cells are used just for morphing, some for weapons, and others to power the Zords. In the footage of the series, though, the Engine Cell(s) seem much thicker… The one provided with the Nitro Blaster is specifically the Wolf Cruiser’s Engine Cell.

On the bottom of the grip is a small round protrusion with the On/Off switch. It has three positions- “C”, “OFF”, and “ON”.

When switching to C[ommand] Mode, and pressing the trigger, you will hear a male voice say:

• Rangers! Come in, Power Rangers! This is an urgent call!
• We’ve picked-up intense activity along the Arctic Ridge.
• Use extreme caution; this is an advanced mission.
• POWER RANGERS TRAINING: ACTIVATE (mechanical monotone voice)
• Power Punch... now Kick! Again! Power Punch... now Kick!
• That was a close call, Power Rangers.
• I’m glad you’re on the team, young Ranger.

The sound clips will always play in that order. However, you can switch to the next clip by squeezing the trigger immediately rather than waiting for the current clip to end.

Alternatively, when you switch to the ON position, and then squeeze the trigger, you’ll hear a single blaster sound. But when in Sword Mode, you’ll hear metal clash once.

. . .

Now, there’s a surprising trick to the electronic feature that actually goes beyond simply switching the switch on the bottom- something like a ‘security system’. If there is no Engine Cell placed inside... then the trigger can’t be squeezed! While the On/Off switch merely turns the batteries on or off, it has no impact on activating the sounds themselves, which is delegated to the aforementioned trigger.

However, there is a way around it, a way to cheat your way around the locking mechanism, if you wish. Just in case you lose the provided Engine Cell, behind the PR-RPM logo on the left side is a triangular button cleverly molded into the silver-painted plastic. If you press inwards on it, then you can squeeze the trigger without needing an Engine Cell in place first. To re-lock the trigger, there’s a tab on the triangular button which lets you pull it out again, making the toy ‘safe’ again.

For those of you wondering what the differences are between the Nitro Blaster from “Power Rangers RPM”, and its original Japanese counterpart, the Self Henkeiju MantanGun from “Engine Sentai Go-Onger”, it’s a mix-up...

In short, they are two completely different toys. But, surprisingly, they have similarities in how they function. While the Rangers’ standard sidearm- and most role-playing sets- are usually completely different in order to make them cheaper to produce (and thus, to buy), they usually lack functions, movement, materials, or other details from their Japanese counterparts. In this case, the biggest changes were to the-

• Light-and-sound feature: The MantanGun uses removable Engine Soul cartridges all have unique built-in sound effects, whereas the Americanized Engine Cells are tiny discs with no electronics and the toy they are placed into has the electronic feature. Indeed, how to place an Engine Soul/Cell into the toy(s) is different as well. Whereas the MantanGun has a spring-powered frame that flips out on its own from the top of the toy, you have to manually pull out the Nitro Blaster’s frame from above the grip; this is to prevent [fragile] American kids from pinching their fingers. (On top of the latter, there is a non-moving red projection which mimics the moving one on top of the MantanGun!)
  • Oh, yeah- the MantanGun didn’t have a “Command Mode” switch for additional sound effects.
• Barrel: Other than the required day-glo orange, the Nitro Blaster’s barrel extends like a telescope in three sections, and has a large lock on the bottom which must be pulled out of the way. Whereas on the MantanGun, the two-section barrel is dull-silver & black, and can be freely extended/retracted, and snaps into place on its own.
  • The Nitro Sword’s ‘blade’ makes it about 4” longer total than the MantanGun’s Rod Mode. However, in Nitro Blaster and Gun Mode, they are about the same size.
• Grip: Whereas the MantanGun intentionally mimics a gas pump dispenser, the Nitro Blaster- though appearing the same- is downplayed as such. Therefore, as a gas dispenser does, the MantanGun has a large silver handle in the middle of the grip, though it did not move. As was a frequent complaint, the silver lever on the Japanese toy left little room for fingers to slide in. Therefore, the grip on the Nitro Blaster had the lever removed.

Okay, I’ll get this out of the way right now- the day-glo orange doesn't exactly kill me, but it is very distracting. And that stupid lock underneath too. No matter how hard I flick my wrist with the MantanGun, I can’t get it to fly open on its own; it stays solidly in place. Why, then, did Bandai Creation feel the need to have an external lock on the toy when an internal one would have been fine? Granted, the whole telescoping lightsaber-like blade is a cool feature, and the barrel does more-or-less look physically like the ones in the show. Next, having built-in sound effects was good, but that Command Mode is painful- just painful!- to listen to. I can only imagine kids across America getting grounded for a week for giving their kid sister a Power Punch and Kick! because their toy told them to. This thing will be returned to the store for that very reason faster than you can say “That was a close call, Power Rangers”. And then Bandai America wonders why parents don’t buy them Power Rangers toys to begin with! Oh, and this is my favorite part right here: they create this great little gimmick which requires you to insert an Engine Cell into it in order to pull the trigger... and then turn around and ruin it by having that cheat button on the side! Clearly they don’t expect you to hang on to those tiny Engine Cell chips for long, but still want you to be able to heard it audibly pat you on the back for giving your sister a Power Punch and Kick!. Ugh- baka... So, basically the only plus side of getting this toy over the MantanGun is the telescoping blade, and that there’s more room for your fat collector’s fingers to fit ‘round the grip. Oh, and you get the Wolf Cruiser’s Engine Cell for use on the Deluxe-sized transforming Valve-Max Megazord set. Beyond that, the Nitro Blaster is “meh”.

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!

The 2008 conversions were very successful, in my opinion, but this [2009] set is not. It was cheaply designed & built for a good reason, but I would easily have spent another $10 to bump the quality up a little.

Video review included!

This toy appears here courtesy of Bandai America.

. . .

Three years ago, a dangerous artificial intelligence known as the Venjix virus assaulted Earth’s computers, and shut down all forms of electronic communication, radio & TV broadcasts. Then Venjix proceeded to build an army of human-like robots with which to corral and enslave humanity. Regretfully we lost the war, and Venjix conquered the world. But on the central-eastern edge of Africa, the domed city of Corinth was created and serves as the last safe-haven for any human who can make it within its protective shield. Venjix, however, is ever-watchful of Corinth, and has built strong barriers around the city to prevent more humans from making it safely there… assuming that anyone can find the city to begin with! Whenever a survivor comes to the city, the shield must be lowered and then recharged, and during these times, Venjix sends infiltration units to cause havoc and destroy the city. But fortunately, a new team has been developed by the mysterious-yet-influential Dr. K which can successfully defend the city- the Power Rangers! Armed with powerful Engine Cells, the Rangers can summon both a unique arsenal of weapons & armored suits, and giant Zord Attack Vehicles which stand many stories tall and can create a giant humanoid robot form called a Megazord! Will they be enough to defend Corinth from the terror of Venjix?

In Episode 1- “The Road to Corinth”, just after Dillion and Ziggy successfully make their way into Corinth after narrowly getting past Venjix’s barrier, the artificial intelligence sends a robot and a swarm of large insect-like Venjix Drones to sneak in and attack the city. To combat the Drones, Ranger Operators Red, Blue, and Yellow summon their Zord Attack Vehicles from the emblems on their armored chests, and infuse each with Engine Cells to make them become physical and grow to giant size. Though vastly outnumbered, the Zord Attack Vehicles plow through and shoot them all down. But when Venjix’s smoke-spewing monster grows to giant size, Dr. K instructs the three Rangers to combine their Zords into the powerful humanoid High Octane Megazord!

• Eagle Racer (back) - piloted by Ranger Operator Series Red (Scott Truman), this red and black hot rod has both speed on the ground, and can deploy wings to allow it to jet through the air with large clawed arms. The Eagle Racer forms the Head, upper torso, and arms of the High Octane Megazord.
• Lion Hauler (back) - piloted by Ranger Operator Series Blue (Flynn McAllistair), this blue, silver, and black bus has thick armor, and can push through any obstacle. The Lion Hauler forms the lower torso and legs of the High Octane Megazord, and carries the Super Saber within itself.
• Bear Crawler (back) - piloted by Ranger Operator Series Yellow (Summer Landsdown), this yellow and black all-terrain vehicle is small and nimble, allowing it to evade incoming firepower easily, as well as perform high jumps. The Bear Crawler forms the center torso of the High Octane Megazord, and carries a hand-held shield which is stored on its back

In a first for Power Rangers, the Zord Attack Vehicles resemble modern-day vehicles (not too sure what the Bear Crawler is supposed to be) that have animal features- more like just the heads- on them rather than having completely-animal-shaped zords. While in both “Power Rangers Turbo” (1997) and “Power Rangers Operation Overdrive” (2007) we had zords that resembled real-life vehicles, neither of them had an inkling of animal-like designations. Perhaps the oddest part of these animal features is that they have unusually-expressive eyes on each. While you can see them actually blinking in the series (things like Eagle Racer’s beak and Lion Hauler’s face also move), all three toys do not move in such fashion, and the decals for their eyes seem to be expressing odd emotions (if machines have emotions) of being unconcerned, tired, disconnected... or just generally being stoned!

The Eagle Racer has this huge engine block which completely obscures the view from the wide green-painted cockpit, triangular spoilers on each side that also act as cowlings for the back wheels, and- in case you missed ‘em the first time on the engine- another paired set of exhaust tubes sticking out the back. All four wheels have silver-painted hub caps, and a stylized “1” decal is on each spoiler. (It’s odd that the 1 should be a decal, when the “2” and “3” have been printed on.) While the curves on the front half of the Zord seem okay, there is not as smooth a transition to the back half which is more straightened out.

The Lion Hauler… I don’t know. I certainly can tell that this is a six-wheeled passenger bus (the light-board decal on the front says in tiny lettering “02 Power Ranger”), but is it really a lion? There’s a poor imitation of blue ears on top, a kinda-sorta gold-painted mane, and a pair of blue ‘teeth’ under the front bumper. I suppose since the front bumper is curved you could think of this big, um- cat as hissing, but I’m not sure… No whiskers or indication of paws doesn’t help either; at least then we’d know for certain that it was feline. But there’s nothing special about the Lion Hauler in this mode- it’s just a block of blue ABS plastic somehow awkwardly cobbled together. (Even when not transforming it, the face/front bumper likes to fall off… a lot.) Oh, and those red panels on the top really clash with this nice blue theme we have going here.

I don’t know what the deal is with the Bear Crawler. I mean, what kind of vehicle is it supposed to be? It’s definitely lacking in paint, and I know this just by watching the show. Coloring is really needed on the cockpit on its forehead, the ears, the paneling on its back, and the hubcaps. Besides, this thing probably weighs less than a PopTart! In the series, the yellow half can lift up like a mouth or something. While you can still do this, you find that the lower half (and the ‘fuel tanks’) is hollow, and it’s like looking at Terrance & Phillip or some weird yellow alien pod-on-a-stick, or somethin’.

The High Octane Megazord (back), in some odd way, resembles its on-screen appearance a bit more than most past megazords have. And by that, I mean that it matches the curved edges of the stunt suit seen in the show- even though the toy may not be correctly proportioned to fit a human, it is blocky like [a] stunt suit is. Weird, huh? The head is a little bigger proportionately than we’ve seen in the past (hat was always one of my frequent complaints), but the Bear Crawler feels like an afterthought because it’s so small wedged in there between the two larger zords. The arms seem a little on the short side, but it’s nothing that we haven’t seen before. What’s nice about them, though, is that you can pitch them out from the shoulder and the elbow. Even though they don’t ratchet into any other position, it’s nice to have it. Hey- twisting elbows and wrists would have been prime here if they had included them! The legs, however, are spaced apart nicely, but mostly because you have no choice in the matter! The feet have been designed to rest flat against the ground, but the hips ratchets softly too far apart for my taste. (Judging by the unused clips on the bottom of the feet, perhaps having them spaced far apart will be needed later…?)

. . .

The Megazord has two accessories…

The first is the Super Saber, which is stored folded-up in the right leg of the Megazord. The Super Saber can easily fit into either hand, though it’s usually shown in the right. (Oddly, when folded-up, the Super Saber resembles an Engine Cell; I wonder why…?)

The other is the unnamed shield which is made up of the Bear Crawler’s lower half, and is stored up against the Megazord’s back when not in use. Rather than holding the shield, it attaches to two pegs on the left arm via friction. The black extension which connects the shield to the Bear Crawler can separate either at the yellow half, or along the black bar of the shield itself; you are supposed to disconnect it from the yellow section. The two light gray fuel tanks can pop-off if too much pressure is applied. (Personally, I think they are a bit too eager to pop even when there isn’t “too much pressure” being applied…) And because of the flexibility in the elbows, the shield can actually be swung forward to cover part of the upper body!

Almost all “Power Rangers RPM” role-playing and transforming-Zord sets include a unique thin Engine Cell chip. They are very simple ABS accessories that have a decal on one side which has a unique number and coloring to help identify each one. Some Engine Cells are used just for morphing, some for weapons, and others to power the Zords. In the footage of the series, though, the Engine Cell(s) seem much thicker… The one provided with the High Octane Megazord is specifically the Eagle Racer’s Engine Cell.

While this red Engine Cell is specifically meant to be fitted into the Eagle Racer through a covered slot between its arms in back, it can also fit into only the left leg compartment of the Lion Hauler, and into the lower part of the Bear Crawler (i.e. the hollow shield).

(It’s odd that, in the series, Ranger Yellow inserts the Bear Crawler’s Engine Cell into the back of it rather than under it as the toy does here.)

For those of you wondering what the differences are between the High Octane Megazord from “Power Rangers RPM”, and it’s original Japanese counterpart- the DX Engine Gattai Engine-Oh from the Super Sentai series “Engine Sentai Go-Onger” (2008)- well… there’s a very big difference:

In short, they are two completely different toys. The Engine-Oh (“Flame-god King”) is about 2” taller, features chrome & gold-plated parts, and the Engine Souls (aka Engine Cells) are actually individual light-and-sound cartridges with unique identifying phrases which can be triggered when the Engine Soul is placed into just about any “Go-Onger” weapon, henshin device (aka a morpher), or the Engines (aka the Zord Attack Vehicles) themselves. Indeed, the mecha Engines have unique personalities- thus explaining the large expressive eyes- and each Engine Soul has unique lines performed by the same voice actors from the series! With an Engine Soul placed within an Engine, a button somewhere on the character toy can be pressed to activate the sounds. The Engine Soul cartridges were the primary gimmick of the “Go-Onger” toy line, but in order to cut down on costs for American releases, the Engine Cell chip toys are not electronic. How and where the Engine Cells were placed into the Zords was also changed. Articulation is the same between the two sets- being limited to just the arms in the combined form- and the weapons are the same. Whereas the Engine-Oh had hands which could open and close to accept the Go-On Sword and V-Shield, they often could not hold their weight, and were somewhat flimsy; by having closed fists and alternate tabs, the Megazord avoids this problem.

The High Octane Megazord set was specifically designed to be both smaller and cheaper than its Japanese counterpart.

It is that last line which I want to delve into a little more…

Years from now, it may be forgotten that in 2009 the world was suffering from a significant financial crisis. In short, parents and collectors had little extra cash to put into extraneous material beyond buying food or paying the bills. Bandai America saw this in 2007, when “Power Rangers Operation Overdrive” was in production. Deluxe-sized megazords have always been one of the more expensive items, and BA tried to counter this in 2007 by making their own version of the Deluxe Drive-Max Megazord. It was met with great hostility from both fans and parents for its low-quality appearance, materials, and functionality. BA didn’t even provide all of the other to-scale Zords from that line to go with it!

For the “Power Rangers Jungle Fury" line in 2008, BA did again release several (though not all) of the original Japanese-designed Deluxe-sized megazords as they always had up until 2007. But, they also built from an alternate, smaller-sized line of Transforming Megazords which had the same functionality, design, and features as their larger Deluxe-sized brethren, but eliminated electronics and other- shall I say- ‘discreet features’ from the toys to keep them cheap. This way, parents & collectors would have a choice between higher-quality and cost, and this was more-widely accepted by consumers.

For 2009, Bandai America seems to be continuing this trend... As I write this, I have heard rumor that, in addition to the set being reviewed here, a full-sized version of the Deluxe High Octane Megazord might be released in the “PR-RPM” line. (I must stress that this is a rumor only, and should be treated as such!) However, like 2008, for certain we will not be getting all of the Deluxe-sized Zord sets. Instead, we will be getting a complete line of the smaller fully-transforming sets (starting with the High Octane Megazord here) which have many-if-not-all of the same features, but have the electronics eliminated, are smaller in size, and often use different materials.

. . .

All of that being said… I declare “shenanigans” on this set! While not as despicable as the Deluxe Drive-Max Megazord-

(*shudders in revulsion*)

-it has a lot to make up for. The smaller-sized Transforming series of Zords from 2008 (even thought we didn’t get a smaller version of the Deluxe Jungle Master Megazord, grrr...) were epic in their conversion from their original larger Japanese counterparts, right down to the same faults, and then added a gimmick which did not interfere with any of that. While this set corrects just a few things from the DX Engine-Oh (like the hands and how the weapons are dealt with), it actually introduces new faults and lower tolerances in the name of cheaper production. Example “A” would be how the three Zord Attack Vehicles combine with each other: the Engine-Oh had sliding bars that would lock-up when put in place and would have to be manually released so that nothing would slip apart, but here the locking mechanism was not included and so the parts just slip around whenever they like! (You’re telling me that they couldn’t have added some little passive-use tabs to keep it together???) Example “B” would be how they treated the shield: I know it needed to be hollow to save on costs, but not at the cost of a weakened joint (even if it does separate to prevent from breaking) and smaller size which forced the shield to be actually smaller. I mean, the Bear Crawler is so damned tiny that if it weren’t for the fact that it was the connection between the other two Zords, it could be eliminated entirely and no one might have been the wiser! It was too small, and it missed out on some significant paint apps. I can also understand downgrading and simplifying the Engine Cells may have been needed to make the set(s) more affordable; I really do get that, and I don’t see how they could have gotten around that, so I won’t fight too hard. (Yes- I, too, can pick-and-choose my battles when need-be…) However, Perhaps they are a little too cheap- all being made of black plastic and then having a colored decal applied. I don’t think it would have killed BA if they added another limb to the plastic trees during manufacturing to allow colored plastic Engine Cells in addition to the designating decals. And finally, like the ‘Gag-Max’ Megazord, the joints are of poor quality- either too tight or not tight enough for where/how they’re being used- about the only thing they got right in this category was the tightness on the Eagle Racer’s wings/spoilers! The 2008 conversions were very successful in my opinion, but this High Octane Megazord is not. It was cheaply designed & built for a good reason, but I would easily have spent another $10 to bump the quality up a little. I don’t use star-ratings very often [in my reviews], but I give this set 2 out of 5 stars.

Oh, one last thing-

While- like 2008- this will be the only sized sets in which we get the fully-transformable line of Zord Attack Vehicles, these toys are not being referred specifically to as “Deluxe”-class sets. I wonder why…?

The White Ranger and the other Super Legends figures are the best Power Rangers figures to date.

Power ranger figures have never been known or their articulation, detail or collectability. In fact, most collectors seem to ignore them in general. Since their debut in 199x, The actual Power ranger figures have been aimed squarely at kids, forgoing accuracy for play value. This is fine for kids, but collectors have never really pursued them.

Then a funny thing happened at Bandai America a few years ago. Someone in a board meeting must have realized that there is an untapped collector market, and slowly, quietly, Bandai rolled out the 15th anniversary red ranger series. Unfortunately, the line was terribly misguided, as these figures were ridiculously over-muscled, like some crazy he-man offspring. Its as if they never got the memo that the "extreme" Liefeld-ish look was out long ago.

I'm not sure what became of the line, but apparently Bandai America learned their lesson. With the recent release of the Jungle Fury action figures, Bandai began packing in chase "Super Legends" figures, two per case, of classic Power Rangers characters.

I'm glad to say that they ALMOST got it right. The Super Legends are really good figures, but they fall just short of being "great" figures.

On the plus side, these figures have excellent, realistic proportions. The White ranger features removable armor and a very detailed, unique sculpt. The articulation is very good compared to the usual MMPR figure, but it misses some key points of articulation.

For example, the arms are articulated at the shoulder, elbow and wrist, but there is no swivel joint at the bicep. The legs have fantastic ball joints at the hips, and then a great swivel joint just below that in addition to the knee articulation. But there's no articulation at the ankles, and in an even more glaring omission, no waist joint.

Still, these are minor gripes - the White Ranger and the other Super Legends figures are the best Power Rangers figures to date.

Whereas the Deluxe Jungle Pride Megazord was agile and thin, the Jungle Master Megazord places emphasis on power and strength.

Video review included!

This toy appears here courtesy of Bandai America.

. . .

Two (2) AA-size batteries are required to operate the toy’s electronic feature. The batteries are not included in the box, and will need to be replaced by a responsible adult.

CAUTION: The toy will not cause any personal harm when the electronic feature is active, but never hit or throw it at anyone or anything. Adult supervision is suggested, but not required.

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!

While Casey, Theo, and Lily have become more confident and skilled as Power Rangers through their pai zhua Master R.J., Dai Shi also has been receiving further training from the two Overlords to weed out his weaknesses and make him stronger. In Episode 13- “Ghost of a Chance, I”, he challenges the Jungle Fury Rangers, and easily defeats them both one-on-one and together! Then, when R.J. moves to defend the beaten Rangers, he willing surrenders (to give the Rangers time to recover). Thinking back to something he said earlier, the Rangers return to the temple of the Order of the Claw where Dai Shi was originally held, and there they once more encounter the spirit of Master Mao. They ask him to take them to the Spirit World to receive training from three previous Order masters despite the heavy warning that no one has ever returned from there.

In Episode 14- “Ghost of a Chance, II”, after passing three short tests that challenge their fears, the three Masters- Rilla, Lope, and Guin- pass their Animal Spirits on to the Rangers to use when they realize that Dai Shi was released, and return them to the living world. But moving on to challenge Dai Shi again, the Rangers still aren’t able to successfully combat him anymore than they did earlier! Activating new Claw Booster weapons, the Rangers find that they have new Jungle Master Mode powers that enhance their armored suits, and grant them access to three more Animal Spirits- the Gorilla, Antelope, and Penguin Zords! Individually they are fast and strong, and working together, they combine into the Jungle Master Megazord! This combination can utilize the ultimate Full Fury attack- spinning both fire-emitting arms up and around at the same time- to vanquish Rinshi monsters!

While the Rangers retain their Jungle Master Modes and new Animal Spirits, R.J. soon goes on to become the purple Wolf Ranger, and with his higher skill-level, he can take simultaneous control of his own Wolf Zord and the Tiger & Jaguar Zords to form the Wolf Pride Megazord which can then fight side-by-side with the Jungle Master Megazord!

Gorilla Spirit Zord (back)- the Animal Spirit of Master Rilla, which is utilized by Casey Rhodes, the Red Jungle Fury Ranger. It forms the head, torso, arms, and upper legs of the Jungle Master Megazord.

Antelope Spirit Zord (back)- the Animal Spirit of Master Lope which is utilized by Theo Martin, the Blue Jungle Fury Ranger. It forms the lower right leg & foot of the Jungle Master Megazord.

Penguin Spirit Zord (back)- the Animal Spirit Master Guin, which is utilized by of Lily Chilman, the Yellow Jungle Fury Ranger. It forms the helmet and right lower leg & foot of the Jungle Master Megazord.

Rather than having another trio of wildcats like the earlier Deluxe Jungle Pride Megazord, these three- like other Spirit Zords before them- come from a more diverse range. But this time, rather than simply being dressed in the base coloring of their associated Ranger, the base coloring is used as highlights instead. The Gorilla is mostly black with red, dark gray and silver highlights, while the Penguin and Antelope are a mixture of white & black, and highlighted by yellow/blue and silver. But together, all three add some more molded-in machine-like details (springs, vents, etc.) than all previous offerings. One thing that is consistent on all three are the presence of wheels which allow them to roll around in Animal Spirit form.

On the Gorilla, the six wheels are mounted roller blade-style on both feet. Because of this, the knees, elbows, and wrists all have various-sized protection pads & guards like someone who skaters would! (However, the theme seems not to carry through with a helmet for his head.) The legs cannot be posed, and are already shaped as if it were crouching down. The chest is broken up a bit with a large dark gray prow coming from the center of it (these being the folded-up panels for the Megazord’s own chest, of course), and then is flanked on either side by muscle-looking red armor pieces. Both pieces, unfortunately, are loosely attached; being part of the transformation. The arms, as is expected on a gorilla, are thick and long, ending in large dark gray fists. Because of how it transforms, the head can be twisted up-and-down (though going too far will reveal the Megazord’s incomplete face). The Gorilla also contains the motorized feature and the batteries to power it, but I’ll discuss that later.

The Antelope and Penguin Zords couldn’t be more different from each other [compared to the Cheetah and Jaguar from the Jungle Pride Megazord]...

The Penguin is actually composed of two parts- the Animal Spirit itself, and the flying board it attaches to. The head is cute enough, but like the Jaguar earlier, the Penguin has a bit of personality to it- she has a pair of un-removable black-&-silver earmuffs! Both long wing-like flippers on the sides are poseable at the shoulders in two axes. But other than the neck and shoulders, it has no other moving parts including in its small black feet. (BTW, since when does a Zord deserve a big silver valentine on its chest....? How very unusual and out-of-character for Lily! Or perhaps it is there because of Master Guin?) The flying surf board is not aerodynamically-streamlined in any way whatsoever. About the only anything-“smooth” on it is the front, the five transparent-orange wheels beneath it, and the one yellow armored dome on the left side (the knee of the Megazord). The Penguin literally sits on top of a black peg near the back. However, the Penguin can be twisted side-to-side in 45°-increments all the way around. Though top-heavy with the unflappable bird above, the fully-assembled Zord honestly doesn’t tip over easily!

The Antelope is characterized by the long transparent-orange PVC antlers on the back of its head along with thin, long PVC ears and pointed snout. The thin legs with powerful hindquarters allow it to jump high and run fast in nature- hence the molded-in springs, and wheels on the hooves! And though not a particularly defining feature, the blue & silver armor sticks out just far enough from its hollow butt to imply a small tail. (Cute, yet subtle- I like.) I also like the ribbed silver belly underneath. For posing, the head can tilt up-&-down a little, the front shoulders twist forward-and-backwards a ways (though they will bump into either the back legs or ears), but the legs- while still able to twist around a lot at the hips- don’t snap at equally-distant positions like the front ones do; there’s a lot of give in them.

. . .

Unlike three Zords from the Jungle Pride Megazord, there is an extra action feature available when the Penguin and Antelope are separated. There is a post on the back of the flying board that can be inserted into- quite literally- the Antelope’s butt. Now in the series, the Antelope just back-kicks the Penguin forward at high speed, but since the legs on the Deluxe toy cannot do this, you just have to settle with sticking the Penguin’s board up the Antelope’s @$$ like this. Then, you press on the blue tail, and the Penguin is shot away.

(Seriously- does anyone else find this at least mildly amusing? It’s disturbing to me! Oh, believe me- jokes and metaphors have been flyin’ ‘round the net in both languages 'bout these toys!)

Like the Deluxe-sized Cheetah and Jaguar Zords from the Jungle Pride Megazord, the Penguin and Antelope also have tabs on the back of them when they are combined that have to be depressed in order to separate them from the upper legs. (But this time, instead of easy-to-see transparent-orange, the tabs here are plain black ABS. Strange.)

The Deluxe Jungle Master Megazord (back) definitely has a different feel to it compared to its immediate predecessor. Whereas the Jungle Pride Megazord was agile and thin, the Jungle Master Megazord places emphasis on power and strength. But also, an odd focus on safety for the young-uns- it has a large helmet with white chin guard & transparent-yellow visor on its head (complete with a giant fiery horn above), and on the arms are multiple shoulder and smallish red elbow pads. On the other hand- and I don’t know why exactly- it almost looks like the Megazord is wearing a leather jacket with a high collar and flames on it! (The chest armor’s decals use glittery patterns in them, which is a nice change. The only thing that spoils it is those useless connection pegs in there...) Either way, this is a mecha that says it’s b-b-b-b-bad to the bone. The orange-painted flames on the lower arms are covered-up when the wrists are turned for the Gorilla form. (For a mecha this size, I really am surprised at how frickin’ big those fists are!) Though the shoulders still ratchet forward-&-backwards 45°, regrettably we lost the outward-turning shoulder joint. (Grr...!) But in return, the Gorilla’s pectoral armor has been replaced onto the outside of the shoulders, and when the arms are twisted, the new shoulder armor twists in the opposite direction at the same time! (Why? Beats me.) Though the upper legs still come from the Gorilla, there are covered circles of yellow and blue painted on to make them more consistent. As with the Jungle Pride Megazord, discreet amounts of orange are shown throughout the design to imply the fire power that courses through it.

Unfortunately, the shoulders and wrists are the only posing options available. Okay, no excuse this time, Bandai- elbow & neck joints would have been most helpful here! Hip joints? Ehh- I’ll give you a minor pass there since you made up for the stupid placement of the Tiger’s paws on the Jungle Pride Megazord’s hips by placing the Gorilla’s feet behind the upper legs.

. . .

The way the Zords all combine remains the same between the Jungle Master and Jungle Pride Megazords. And so, there are connection positions on the shoulders, upper arms, and upper back to accommodate the full-sized Green Elephant, Violet Bat, and Cyan Shark Spirit Zords. (Only difference is, the Jungle Master Megazord with Bat Power and ...with Elephant Power do not have new faces attached, only the ...with Shark Power still does that.)

The other thing- which is never done in the series- is that the legs from both Deluxe-sized Megazords can limb-swap with each other! And the Deluxe Jungle Master Megazord was also fully compatible with the later limited-release Deluxe Rhino Steel Megazord.

The Jungle Master Megazord also utilizes a motorized action feature- as its only provided weapon, by the way. But instead of buttons placed in weird places, it’s a simple black On/Off switch below the battery compartment on its back. (Thankfully, the batteries are stored internally rather than as a stupid and poorly-disguised hanging fanny pack). This time, instead of the entire torso spinning, just the arms spin back up-and-over. And as mentioned earlier, when the shoulders turn, the red armor on the outside of them spin the opposite direction!

Now, here’s the interesting thing- when the Gorilla is alone, you can use the electronic feature on it. Two cool things can happen: 1) it will ‘walk’ along the ground by dragging its fists across the floor and skating at the same tine; and 2) if it has fallen over, the internal motor is strong enough that it can right the Gorilla from a fallen position! (The only stipulation is that the Gorilla can’t skate across carpet with the motorized feature, only hard flat flooring.) However, the design is not sufficient enough to do this with the fully-assembled Megazord.

For those of you wondering what the differences are between the Deluxe Jungle Master Megazord from “Power Rangers Jungle Fury”, and its Japanese-speaking counterpart- the DX Jyuken Gattai GekiFire from the 2007 Super Sentai Series, “Jyuken Sentai GekiRanger”- it’s actually quite a pleasant transition...

In short, absolutely nothing has been changed! Because of its simplistic design & function, all paint applications, features, molds, and materials remain the same! Unlike the earlier DX Jyuken Gattai GekiTouja, the GekiFire had no built-in lights, so there was nothing to remove in the transition to Jungle Master Megazord.

Consider, however, the significant reduction in the original price because of this: the DX GekiFire cost JPY ¥6900 (about USD $69.00) off-the-shelf, while the Deluxe Jungle Master Megazord costs only $49.99, so this was clearly a significant deduction in price, but nothing was lost. I call that impressive!

Again, while it incorporates more details and a different motorized action feature, this set remains very simple to play with and in build. But to me, perhaps it is the less simple details and coloring scheme which makes it more appealing to me than the Deluxe Jungle Pride Megazord was. Unfortunately, this came at the cost of losing some more-flexible posing options which the earlier Megazord had. (One of the big things for me was that stupid fanny pack on the Jungle Pride Megazord!) The separate Spirit Zords aren’t quite as fluid as the previous three wildcats, but I feel that they are more dynamic in appearance, and it’s nice to see more varied animals being used when having three wildcats in the same mecha early on violates the theme of everything that comes afterwards. I also thought having a more-prominent bicycle helmet topped off with a fiery horn was a cool touch; as was the glittery decal(s) on the chest. If they were all-mechanical Zords instead of being conjured spirits-made-physical as they are in the series, the details like vents, servos, wheels, and springs might have been placed continuity-wise (even though I like those details here). For the individual Zords, the Gorilla was cool because it could walk/skate with its arms & pick itself up! The flying board was ‘meh’, but the Penguin was sufficiently cute and functional. The Antelope was nicely-sculpted, and poses well (all things considered), but that spring-powered butt-shooting action was just too weird to be taken lightly for me. (You’re telling me that kicking legs couldn’t have been designed for the toy instead...?) So despite its simple transformation and functions, I like the Deluxe Jungle Master Megazord best of all the mecha from “Power Rangers Jungle Fury”. In fact, I will be saving this instead of looking for a replacement DX GekiFire since it’s the exact same toy, only cheaper but of the same quality!

My only regret is that they didn’t make a scaled-down version of this Megazord to match the Transforming... series of toys originally made by Bandai Creation (which I would gladly have bought too!). Why? None of the Deluxe-sized accessory Spirit Zords were brought across from Japan, so you couldn’t make the full-sized versions of the Jungle Master Megazord With Elephant Power & “etc etc etc”...

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.