As the kids who watched Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers grow up into nostalgia-driven collectors, Bandai is tapping into their wallets with more and more Power Ranger collectibles. I admit I dig MMPR (despite being a senior in high school when it was on) and I've been hankering for a Mighty Morphin' Megazord for a while. Unfortunately, the prices for a complete vintage Megazord are getting out of hand, so I decided to pick up this Dino Megazord from the newly released MMPR line instead. But does it impress?
Stats
Company: Bandai
Size: 10.5"
Price: $25.00 at Wal-Mart
Packaging: Boxed
LOOKS
I'm having difficulty determining how this Dino Megazord is related to the vintage version. It looks like it's a tweaking of the vintage toy, but I'm not entirely sure which parts (if any) were reused. The most obvious difference is that the new Megazord is less bottom-heavy than the old, so that means that the bodies of the Sabertooth Tiger and Triceratops were re-tooled. The chest shield is smaller, too, and the sculpt seems sharper. Also, the new kid doesn't seem to suffer from the vintage toy's microcephaly.
The new Dino Megazord is colorful, with some nice techno-detailing... and decals. Decals? Really? How quaint. I don't remember the last toy I bought that had decals... which means that they seriously date the toy. It would have been much better to lose them in favor of paint apps and sculpting detailing.
The looks of the Dinozords vary widely. The Tyrannosaurus is the coolest of the bunch, followed closely by the Mastodon. Both are good representations of the robots in the show and look great in their own right. But the Sabertooth Tiger looks like a Dollar General bootleg of a Voltron lion. And the Triceratops, which looks less like the cool tank from the show and more like a box with a dinosaur head, is worse yet. However, the biggest crap fest of the bunch is the Pterodactyl. Yipes.
Still, what's most important is the look of the Megazord, which is pretty nifty... if a bit antiquated.
The Mastodon head can be swapped for the Pterodactyl shield.
ARTICULATION
Dino Megazord only features 4 points of articulation: swivel shoulders and swivel hips. The transformation of the Mastodon's legs allow the Megazord's arms to hinge inwards at the elbow, but it's such an awkward movement that I'm not going to count it. A simple swivel joint at the elbow and the neck would have gone a long way to make this dude more dynamic.
The Dinozords are similarly weak in this category. Tyrannosaurus is the star (once again), with a hinged head/jaw, swivel arms, swivel waist, hinge knees, and hinge ankles. Sabertooth Tiger can swivel its shoulders and hips (and hinge its head up, I suppose), and Pterodactyl has a double-hinged neck. The other two, Mastodon and Triceratops, have no effective articulation. Poo.
ACCESSORIES
Dino Megazord comes with its signature sword and a couple of guns that can only be used in Tank Mode. Yawn. I guess Megazord doesn't really need anything other than its sword, but it would have been cool to have something like a Dinozord key included.
VALUE
25 bucks for a transformable robot of this size is pretty much par for the course. It's larger than similarly-priced Transformers, but much less complex. And considering how much the vintage Dino Megazord goes for these days, it's a pretty good deal for Power Ranger fans needing a Megazord.
COOLNESS
Dino Megazord gets points for being a somewhat well-proportioned representation of my favorite Megazord. But I'll also give it this: it's a fun toy. It can not only split apart into its individual Dinozords, it can also switch into Tank Mode. You'll likely remember that Tank Mode was pretty much worthless in the show. But it was featured regardless, so it's nice that the toy can accommodate. Also, those fun, highly saturated primary colors really pop on a shelf full of realistically-decorated collectible figures. There's no mistaking that this is a toy, and it seems to beg you to pick it up and play with it.
OVERALL
This is far from being the definitive Dino Megazord. The sculpt is an improvement over the vintage version, but it's certainly not something that's particularly impressive. The articulation is poor and the accessories are ho-hum. But it's a bewitchingly fun toy with primary colors that mesmerize me. This figure is a long way from something that would be considered a worthy rendition of the robot from the show, but it'll do until we get that Ultimate Dino Megazord.
12 comments:
Again your review is far superior to most I've read on this guy. I can't get over how well you are able to jump right to the point, and still hit all the key interests with your reviews.
I'm actually sad to say that despite having bought this guy over a month ago, I have yet to apply the decals, or snap shots for the review I had planned.
Your pics are top notch, and I can't deny that your scoring for the big guy is perfect.
As far as this one compared to the original, they are both completely different sculpts. I was duped by this guy in the box. The way they sculpted some areas had me thinking he was fully articulated at the knees and legs. Where in fact the new one is, as you say, dated in every area.
If your looking for a well articulated Dino Megazord, your best bet right now is the settle for the 5 Inch Retrofire version. Not only is he an Awesome toy! He comes with a stand, and should be on sale at a few locations. I got mine for $5 bucks at TJ-Max.
If you really want to see the differences between this and the original, search Youtube, there have been quite a number of reviews for this guy, and many with comparisons between the old and new versions. Personally, I plan on picking up an original, as he looks far more superior to me....and I've been wanting one forevers. They even had a Black and Gold edition. :) I bet that one would look SICK combined with the Dragon Zord.
Not as good as the original.
Thanks, URS! I managed to find this review that has a comparison on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M4ETQz2yIrU
There's also this review of the vintage Dino Megazord that has the best pics of the vintage toy that I could find:
http://rorytoys.blogspot.com/2009/02/mmpr-megazord-and-dragonzord.html
They seem so similar that certain parts duped me into thinking they were reused: the arms (not the shoulder pads), fists, accessories, and parts of the Dinozords (like the Pterodactyl wings and head) look very similar. If you get the vintage version, URS, I'd love to see some nice comparison shots. The video reviews don't nearly have enough resolution for me.
So why do you guys like the vintage version better? I don't have the original version, so I'd be interested in hearing why so I can decide whether or not to get it.
Well, there are just so many things that look far superior in the original.
He is chunkier, so he has that vintage robot toy build to him.
His colors are deeper than the new one.
The dinos in the new one have been severely decreased in size, especially with the Tiger and Triceratops. This is a big issue with me.
The combined form doesn't look so odd in the legs. The new one has lower thighs, which deceives the eyes into thinking there is useful articulation.
Chromed parts! Although Chrome stuff always has the risk of wear over the years, it looks much better than silver molded plastic.
Better decals as well.
I think if your going to release a new version of an old figure, you should at least improve upon it. The only thing that got me to buy this guy was the price. If he had been $40 bucks, I'd have surely passed. Unless he was obviously worth that price. But as it stands, if looks and nostalgia is what your looking for, and price isn't a big issue, might as well buy the original.
Okay, I can see that. I like the reduced size of the Dinozords because it results in proportions for the Megazord that work better for me. But if you're into blocky Megazords, I can see that the vintage version would be preferred.
Ultimately, I'd love to get a Megazord with the same proportions as the suit on the show. But until then, this one will do, I suppose. I hope they come out with a Dragonzord next!
I certainly hope we get a Dragon Zord!
Until then, entertain yourself with Zyuranger! What we should have gotten instead of what Saban gave us. :)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8wBKj6r_HjU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oTP4U9vJ9Uc
This is a comment I tried to post when the entry was new, but no Blogspot pages would allow me to comment for a while.
This is a well-written review, without which I wouldn't even know they had a new version of the fully functional Dinozord-based Megazord. But what would really make it great is if you could find the original and do a detailed comparison.
The original Megazord was, quite possibly, the funnest toy I ever played with in my entire childhood. I know the tank mode was useless in the show, but it opened up many possibilities in play.
Great review... I've been seeing these for a while now, and I've been curious how the toy is. I never really got into MMPR other than watching the show occasionally. I do remember wanting Megazord, but my mom saying I was too old for him. For a fan with not a LOT of nostalgic ties to the line, but someone who wanted Megazord as a kid, would this make a good purchase? $20-$25 is about my spending limit. I don't think I'd want to fork over any more for an original.
Lee - I agree, I would have much preferred to have a detailed comparison with the original toy in the review. But the classic toy is pretty expensive and for me, this Megazord works well enough. I'll just live vicariously through URS if he gets the original Megazord. :)
PrfktTear - My situation is a lot like yours: I've always wanted a Megazord, but I'm not tied to the original toy because I never had it as a kid. So this new version is a good fit for me. In fact, from the pictures I've seen online, I actually prefer it to the original. So it sounds like it might work for you, too... especially if you're not looking to drop a lot of money on the classic version.
My cousin likes this toy. Im just helping him build it!
Has anyone tried to combine the new megazord with the old dragonzord
Not to my knowledge. The new and vintage Megazords seem substantially different, so I doubt it would work.
Post a Comment