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High Octane Megazord

Comments

19 comments posted
the US Version looks oddly

the US Version looks oddly proportioned to me.

also, the little details they had on the Japan version definitely makes all the difference

Decade010's picture
Posted by Decade010 on 30 April, 2009 - 11:36
Boy, am I glad for this review

I love this design, and the electronic features of the J-counterpart are undeniable. I almost bought one of these at TRU, but I clearly need to scrape up my loose change and go for broke. Recent Megazords HAVE been a real bummer. I guess you can't blame Bandai America for wanting to stay in business. After all, these are for kids, and they won't notice as much.

Materialist Zen's picture
Posted by Materialist Zen on 30 April, 2009 - 14:35
interesting point

EVA, you bring up an interesting point in this review, and i think it carries across the board to any collector in 2009: cost cutting/price increases vs. continuing to collect the line.

Historically, this trend has steadly been getting worse since the early 90's. But now there really hasn't been an across the board cost cutting with a simultanious price increase for 25+ years in such a broad way as 2009's toy lines.

The Deluxe Drive-Max Megazord you mention from 2007 is a perfect example of how the real market for PR (kids and their parents) can and will notice these quality jumps.

But would PR collectors rather have to import the Zords if the US line went away? It's an interesting question...

We saw this in the early 2000's with most parents and kids fed up with Star Wars 3 3/4" figures for the key characters being hard to find, battling collectors for store exclusives, and the big one, being too much money for what they are. Parents jumped ship and moved to the LEGO line... collectors soon followed and problems again for parents wanting to get their kids the main characters... With SW figures nearing the $10 a piece mark in some stores, I see more and more parents and kids looking elsewhere for their toys.

It's not just Hasbro, or Bandai America either. A quick look at any Mattel-focused forum will show a glimpse of collectors and parents who are just trying to get regular product from their local shop (not an item from an obscure 70's robot TV show that was only made in asia!) and are leaving in utter frustration. Let alone MOTU and JLU toy line collectors getting the shaft as well. Even Hot Wheels had a shady 2008. Playmate's 2009 movie lines (star trek and terminator) are sculpted by a 7-year old to save costs. High-end Sideshow has upped prices across the board but have little increased value to warrant this, not to mention a nice spike in QC problems for Fall 2008. Everyone is doing this type of stuff!

I think that many fans of Power Rangers have become complacent with this, and I don't see the trend of dumbing down the Japanese releases for the same retail price (more or less) in the US ending any time soon, I can see it only get worse from here... After 2007's Deluxe Drive-Max Megazord issue, PR really took a big hit in parent's minds. I know several parents who refuse to buy their kids PR merchandise after that. (The up side is one friend takes his son every weekend to the local flea market, and now junior's getting an old school TF/Voltron/JP Bootleg education for much less!)

I've seen a huge trend the last 6 months or so of many collectors of US toy lines just drop out completely, either in frustration of QC or distribution, or due to increasing prices. Of course the hardest of the hardcore never drop out, but these folks are few and far between compared to the casual collectors. I know a lot of you guys have dropped modern altogether to focus on vintage exclusively because of these things, or just stopped buying altogether. I'm curious to know if this is true with many PR, TF, and other US-toy-line collectors here at CDX, if folks are planning to drop out of some of these lines.

The Big R's picture
Posted by The Big R on 30 April, 2009 - 16:52
Re: interesting point

I am not as connected with the various fandoms you mention above as perhaps I should/would like to be, so I will just have to take your word at all that you're saying up there about complaints and buying/selling trends. The global financial recession and how it affects the products we buy was really the only point I was trying to make here.

I am glad that they are trying to cut down on costs, but when you get the pwnage of the Transforming Fury Megazord Set and then put it up against this crap set here, and they're both made for the same round-about price for the same reason(s), that is where I have the problem.

Your telling of how collectors snatch-up valuable items from the shelves and leave nothing for parents and casual collectors reminds me of the absolute frenzy that followed the "Transformers" movie in 2007- it took me over half a year to secure some figures that had been out before the movie even came out! So I can understand you there.
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CollectionDX Staff

EVA_Unit_4A's picture
Posted by EVA_Unit_4A on 30 April, 2009 - 18:53
I don't know for the other,

I don't know for the other, but in my case, i just completly stop buying. I am a college student, working part time and living alone, so my money is hard toget. I can't afford buying good quality sentai mecha on ebay (wich are often around or over 100$), and i refuse to buy crapy knock off in the meantime. Sadly, BA killed anyway i could have to collect in time like this.

"Awww man, that's one ugly zord..." Tommy about BA Drivemax Megazord.

Christopher Andre's picture
Posted by Christopher Andre on 2 May, 2009 - 12:44
25$?

The price is pocket friendly comparing to the 6000 yen DX. Maybe I took the cheaper one.

Berserk's picture
Posted by Berserk on 1 May, 2009 - 04:08
You forgot to include the

You forgot to include the price of the individual pieces to make the G6, G9, and G12 formations.

Decade010's picture
Posted by Decade010 on 1 May, 2009 - 10:36
Thank God for Bandai Japan

All I can is after seeing reading this review is that I am soooo glad I bought the entire Japanese line. There is no way I will ever buy the U.S. version of Power Ranger anything again. Bandai had made some Asian sellers pull their Go Onger toys off line, mainly eBay, because people in the U.S. were buying them and more than likely would not spend the money to buy the U.S version when it came out. That’s very telling and Bandai should think long and hard on what they are distributing here and expecting the consumer here to shell out there hard earned income on. If they can’t make it right they should not make it at all.

darthjota's picture
Posted by darthjota on 1 May, 2009 - 11:32
Re: Thank God for Bandai Japan

Ya know, that's something I've wondered about for many years now- how much PR fans lean on the Japanese releases as opposed to straight PR releases, and if Bandai Japan knows about it and is trying to market for/against that.

We have to wait each year to see how bad the BA stuff will be, and by the time we find out, the Super Sentai line has run out and is switching over. It's always a close shave, and I'm sure people get caught by it every year.

Of course, if BA would have manufacturing plants in the US, those heavy S&H costs attached to all the imports would be completely eliminated, thus allowing high-quality stuff to be produced at below wallet-clearing costs over here. Sometimes, ya gotta spend to save, ya know?!
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CollectionDX Staff

EVA_Unit_4A's picture
Posted by EVA_Unit_4A on 1 May, 2009 - 12:34
From what I've experienced

From what I've experienced with the Super Legends White Ranger figure, the 9 inch figures seem to be worth checking out at least.

Decade010's picture
Posted by Decade010 on 1 May, 2009 - 14:06
I'm also rather happy I went

I'm also rather happy I went for the Japanese line over the wait and see policy (actually to be honest it was a case of buy Sentai or not at all). The really worrying thing is that the later Megazords look even worse. I'm specifically thinking of their Seiku-O equivalent.

I'm already contemplating the Shinkenger line. At this point the only reason I haven't imported already is because I'm going to Japan in July anyway and may as well save myself the shipping.

James O's picture
Posted by James O on 1 May, 2009 - 16:16
I intend to cover all of

I intend to cover all of the [Dlx] Megazords this year, so I'll try to get them out as fast as I can. That way you can get heads-up from me.
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CollectionDX Staff

EVA_Unit_4A's picture
Posted by EVA_Unit_4A on 1 May, 2009 - 16:43
what the ****?

you said in the drivemax megazord review part 2 you are not gonna buy the high octane megazord and we will buy the engine-oh? aaarrgg!! am so confused from eva_unit_4A reviews!!!

dragonoid_660's picture
Posted by dragonoid_660 on 6 June, 2009 - 23:26
Well, at the time I was

Well, at the time I was covering the 'Gag-Max' in 2008, I wasn't going to buy it. Then, when I established a connection directly with Bandai America, and they began sending CDX free samplers, I decided to cover it (and all the others).

It's not something I'm thrilled with, since I have the original DX Engine-Oh already, and I may end-up selling it when I have covered them all.
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CollectionDX Staff

EVA_Unit_4A's picture
Posted by EVA_Unit_4A on 7 June, 2009 - 01:39
Turbo High Octane Megazord

I've seen a toy list that in Spring 2009, there will be 2 sets of Turbo RPM Megazords, the High Octane and the Valvemax...... The boxes have Disney Exclusive signs so these are store exclusives. Anybody can tell me what differences are these than the original Deluxe ones? Are these the same size with the DX Engine Gattai and can link with DX Engine Gattai? There's also another Nitro Blaster, called the Nitro Blaster Max, which seems to be another retool. The rod stick is still orange but the Engine Cell provided looks like the Blue Bus 2 Cell. Anyone can help me clarify them?

redracer2004's picture
Posted by redracer2004 on 11 August, 2009 - 08:25
This is the first I've

This is the first I've heard of these new items. I'll investigate immediately. Thanks for the heads-up!

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CollectionDX Staff

EVA_Unit_4A's picture
Posted by EVA_Unit_4A on 11 August, 2009 - 14:23
10 minutes later... There is

10 minutes later...

There is a Disney Store-exclusive 2-pack-

RPM Megazord Set

-of the transforming High Octane Megazord and Valve-Max Megazord. However, they are the American remakes, not the original Japanese versions. Additionally, they do not seem to include anything new that you cannot get with the separate releases of the two toys.

I have no new info on the Nitro Blaster Max at this time. However, the RPM Canonizer (aka KankanBar)- another Disney Store-exclusive- is on the way, and is compatible with the electronic Nitro Blaster.

On a separate note, I just found that the Paleo-Max Megazord (aka Kyoretsu-Oh) is on the way.
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CollectionDX Staff

EVA_Unit_4A's picture
Posted by EVA_Unit_4A on 11 August, 2009 - 14:36
Turbo High Octane Megazord

I think I've seen them on ebay and on GrnRanger.com. Let me fetch the links to the pics.

http://www.grnrngr.com/toys/pictures/95281.jpg - Turbo High Octane

http://www.grnrngr.com/toys/pictures/95282.jpg - Same Line ValveMax

Seems the first one is coming in Spring 2009 and the other Summer 2009.

Not sure what they are but maybe due to fans rantings, they released a whole new line that fits the Engines? Maybe that's just my donkey imagination working.

As for Nitro Blaster Max, the box seems differenbt. The Soul is still Cell No. 5 but looks nicer.

http://www.grnrngr.com/toys/pictures/x9iiii.jpg - Nitro Blaster Max

All the above are Disney Exclusives and I doubt they are cheap but what I hope the 2 Megazords are that they can play with the Engines and I pray that they release the whole G-12 set in the correct scale.

Seems

redracer2004's picture
Posted by redracer2004 on 12 August, 2009 - 10:31
Image 1- That is a Disney

Image 1- That is a Disney Store-exclusive, but it is not new. I saw that thing back in March in a Store, and all that it does is it replaces all gray plastic with vacuum-metalized silver ABS, and that's it.

Image 2- There appears to be nothing special from that picture other than it has the Disney Store logo on it. If it were an exclusive, it would say so.

Image 3- There's nothing new there that I can see on that one image; they may have simply re-packaged the regular version to make it more appealing. Keep in mind, though, that the regular box was open and you could touch it; this one is a window box with no access.
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CollectionDX Staff

EVA_Unit_4A's picture
Posted by EVA_Unit_4A on 12 August, 2009 - 13:59