Geki Saber
Review by EVA_Unit_4A
This toy appears courtesy from HobbyLink Japan.
Both halves, Geki Sabers A and B- use the same flexible blades as their on-screen counterparts, albeit made of thin PVC. A and B are the same length, 13 1/8th-in (33.5cm), while Souken Gasshin Mode is 17 ¾-in (45.0cm) long.
Geki Saber A
Geki Saber B
GekiSaber B contains the sound effects equipment for the set (requires two AAA batteries to operate), which Geki Saber A only has the locking mechanism for when they are combined. (There are no electronic lights or movement in this toy, only sound.)
Souken Gasshin Mode
Sound effects are determined by whether the two Dao swords are connected or separated. Turning it On and combining/separating produce the same single effects. When they are separated and the trigger is pressed, B will make two different sword-swinging effects. These two effects do not repeat one after the other as is common, but rather one will play only once every third click of the trigger. (This gives the effect of randomness without being repetitive & predictable.) When in Souken Gasshin Mode, however, there is only one sword effect when the trigger is pressed. (Wow, the volume on that speaker is very loud. The first words out of my mouth when I turned it on the first time were “Holy s***!”)
Even though the Geki Sabers are used in “Power Rangers Jungle Fury” (2008), the Red Ranger did not use them for long, but rather the Shark Spirit Ranger did (who had no counterpart in “Jyuken Sentai GekiRanger”, and is an American-only creation). Unfortunately, save for simplistic ones used by smaller action figures, no full-sized Shark Saber(s) were ever produced in toy form.
I’m going to be honest and say that, while “Jyuken Sentai GekiRanger” was one of the better of the Super Sentai Series, the toy line was really lacking in 2007. I never bought any of the mecha (though I did get most of the cheaper scaled-down PR counterparts). Though I usually don’t go for role-playing items, there were only two toys I wanted that year, the Geki Sabers, and the standard-issue Geki Tonfas.
Going into it, I knew this would be a very simple toy, and considering the craziness of gimmicks in years before, that was fine with me. Though the A sword is a little puny in the grip compared to the B, I almost felt a longing for it to have its own unique feature to counter the electronics of the other, beyond having the built-in locking mechanism for the combined weapon. One small error that cropped up in mine was the B’s blade was somehow distorted during manufacturing and/or shipping, and I have to consciously hold the PVC blade in place when I connect it to the A, but that is simply a problem that slipped through the cracks of QA. What shocked me, though, was how dammed loud that speaker is. It makes my ears ring, for cryin’ out loud! (Fortunately, my hands are big enough that I can just cover the speaker with the corner of my palm, but still!) Overall, the Geki Sabers are a simple yet satisfying role-playing toy with no major flaws.
Posted 19 June, 2010 - 13:12 by EVA_Unit_4A |
Comments
6 comments postedGreat review. I hate to be that guy, but there actually was a large version of this toy produced in America. It was a Disney store exclusive, and though not full sized like the one pictured here, it was large enough for a kid to hold in their hand. It had no electronics whatsoever. While the Japanese toy line may have been uninspired, the American line was great, with the additional rangers and such. Again, thanks for the review.
Oh. Really? I don't remember seeing them. They must have been no bigger than butter knives then... cheap-ass BA.
Thanks for the comment!
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CollectionDX Staff
they made the swords swing like that so as to copy wushu or a tai chi sword
I don't recognize the martial arts they use in any of these shows, but I know that a lot of "GekiRanger" was based on Chinese legend, martial arts, and culture & language (similar to the earlier "DaiRanger").
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CollectionDX Staff
i took a bit of tai chi for college pe and my prof actually had us perform that bit with the sword so i showed him gekiranger and since the next class was muai thai... the muay thai prof loved geki violet's attack
I read that Geki Violet's fighting style was based on kick-boxing. (He never used any weapons, BTW, except his GongChanger for summoning Shigeki attacks.)
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CollectionDX Staff