Monday 12 November 2012

Toybox REVIEW: Power Rangers Super Samurai Shogun Mode Red Ranger


It's been over a year (and 44 toy reviews) since I last looked at a Power Rangers Samurai toy, which just goes to show how long this series has been running for now. While I did like the 3 1/2" Mega Mode Red Ranger figure I previously reviewed, I haven't been tempted to pick up any of the other figures Bandai of America have put out. That has all changed with the release of a Shogun mode Red Ranger in this scale, which is the battlizer of this season and one of the better US-only creations that have come from Power Rangers.



There's nothing particularly excited to say about the packaging - its your typical card/blister pack you get with Western action figures. Like all of the other toys, it refers to the character as the fire ranger rather than the red ranger. The back of the card features images of the rest of the toys included in the assortment.



Like the onscreen suit, the Shogun mode is a more subdued maroon colour rather than the fiery red the other red ranger suits are. There's a huge amount of detailing on here - from the notches and grooves all over the armour to the fully detailed shogun belt buckle. The golden head crest is smaller and much more rounded than its real life counterpart (and larger battlized ranger figure), but even without the chrome the gold plastic stands out nicely with the dull silver. As far as articulation goes the shoulders and hips can rotate 360 degrees, but this is limited by the shoulder pieces (which do swing back) and the skirt. The elbows and knees are hinged, while the hands and boots can also turn around 360 degrees.



The Shogun ranger comes with two weapons, a Mega Blade and the Bullzooka. Sadly neither are painted, but both have a fair amount of moulded detail. Like on the Mega Mode figures the blade can be pegged to the side of the figure, and the Bullzooka horns can move forwards and backwards (they come unattached in the packaging). As an added bonus, the two weapons can be combined into the Shogun Spear.



If you're a fan of these new smaller scale figures (which to be fair seems to be the standard for American action figures now) then the Shogun Mode is a great purchase. The suit design is fantastic and this toy retains all the little details of it, even if many of them remain unpainted to keep this as a budget release. It might not be to the standard of a Figuart or toy of similar price range, but for its cost (around £7 at a UK store) it comes as one of the best ranger figures in the Power Rangers Samurai line.

1 comment:

Tom Badguy said...

That thing is ridiculous even for PR standards, lol