Wednesday 4 November 2020

Toybox REVIEW: Power Rangers Lightning Collection In Space Psycho Rangers

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Release Date: August 2020
RRP: $99.99/£99.99

Among the most common complaints of previous Power Rangers toy lines was the lack of full team sets. Figures would be packed as single releases and spread across multiple ways, and should the line prove not as popular as expected there was no guarantee that the team would ever be completed. We saw it with the Bandai of America Legacy Collection, and we even saw it with the S.H. Figuarts line over in Japan as well. So when Hasbro took control of the brand and rolled out the Lightning Collection there was the question of whether history would repeat itself, but it's taken just over a year for that question to be answered. The Amazon exclusive Lightning Collection In Space Psycho Rangers set celebrates the franchise's most recognisable evil rangers, featuring all five figures as well as a number of accessories and premium packaging. Despite quickly becoming firm fan favourites after their debut in Power Rangers in Space, this is this the first time all five Psycho Rangers have appeared together in one toy line.

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Presentation has always been a significant element to the Lighting Collection, and when it comes to packaging the Psycho Ranger set shows off the best the line has had to offer so far. The five-figure set comes in a lavish two-piece box - the lid of which proudly displays headshot artwork of the Psycho Rangers. Sure it's the same headshot repeated five times with different colours, but that's how the Psychos look in-show and there's something really satisfying about seeing them all lined up like that. The underside of the packaging sports CGI renders of the whole team, each showing off their included accessories. Take off that top half and before you look at the figures themselves you'll see that on the inside is a small bio describing the Psycho Rangers, accompanied by the Power Rangers in Space logo. The figures themselves are neatly laid across a grey moulded plastic tray, and unlike other figures in the Lightning Collection are also fixed down via plastic ties. 

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Psycho Red and Psycho Blue are completely unchanged from their previous releases, so I'll refrain from talking too much about them in the review or featuring the pair in the accompanying pictures. The paint apps do seem a little sharper on these copies than they did on my originals, but that's something that's still going to vary from set to set and not necessarily an indication of tighter QC on these versions. For more information/images on the two please check out the individual reviews previously posted.


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Psycho Black is a new addition to the Lightning Collection, but the character was previously released as part of Bandai of America's Legacy Collection back in 2018. Using the same body as the other two male Psycho Rangers, Psycho Black not only sports black body armour as his primary colour but also gold collar in place of the usual white - a unique trait amongst all the Psychos. Why exactly the suit designers choose to do this when the standard white wouldn't have looked out of place I don't know, but the gold is show accurate so Hasbro themselves certainly can't be questioned in that regard. The gold used for the collar is the same shade as the "N" belt buckle sported by the whole team, which of course stands for "Neijirangers" - their original Japanese name from Denji Sentai Megaranger. Even though it would be so easy for the moulded detailing to get completely lost in that sea of black plastic Psycho Black looks just as good as the rest of his team, sporting plenty of moulded detailing and creases across the limbs as well as leathery texturing on the torso area. The details in the helmet get a little muddier, but the combination of its raised areas and glossy finish make sure the face is fully visible when the light hits it right. Hasbro really had a point to prove when they released the Psycho Rangers so early into the line, with the Lightning Collection version having much more a of a "suit" look to it compared the more toy-like qualities of the Legacy Collection one.

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Psycho Yellow and Psycho Pink however are very exciting additions to this set, having never received figures at all prior to the Lightning Collection. Hard to believe Psycho Silver (who isn't even a proper Psycho, but rather a disguise adopted by the Silver Space Ranger) and the comic-exclusive Psycho Green (who has TWO figures no less!) got toys before these two, but that's the crazy world we live in and repainting the male body two more times was clearly much easier than producing a new female body. The pair were supposed to be released in the Legacy Collection along their teammates, but were cancelled when the line died a swift death and the Power Rangers franchise was sold to Hasbro. This new body is slightly shorter and thinner than the male Psychos, but has exactly the same build quality and that more armoured look the Psychos have in general. None of that texturing or detail is lost either, with every bit of that black bodysuit covered in leathery wrinkles. The paint apps are generally sharp on the whole, but the smear of paint on Pink's back suggests that as usual that may vary figure to figure. Overall both figures look great, and Hasbro have done a good job on getting the proportions on the bodies right. 

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Articulation is generally the same across all five Psycho Rangers (much like the Lightning Collection in general), but there is one difference between the male and female bodies that warrants them being looked at separately. Psycho Red, Blue and Black all feature the following articulation;
- Ball jointed head, torso and hips
- Single hinge neck and ab crunch
- Swivel hinge shoulders, wrists and ankles
- Butterfly joint shoulders/pecs
- Double hinge elbows and knees
- Bicep, thigh and boot swivels
Given their more armoured look one might expect the Psycho Rangers to be more restricted than their heroic counterparts, but Hasbro's quality engineering on the Lightning Collection proves that not to be the case. Even with the bat wing-like shoulder pads extending out of the torso armour, the butterfly movement does a good job of bringing the arms closer inwards. The ball jointed torso is especially fluid, giving an exceptionally good range of motion that can fully contort the upper half of the body. Though the ab crunch may feel a little stiff at first, it's a solid addition to the torso movement and provides a satisfying click when it locks into place. Double jointed elbows and knees are as fantastic as ever, and there's plenty of rocker movement in those ankle joints to provide stability in even the wildest of poses. The few areas you will see a bit of restriction in are the neck (due to the collar) and the hips (the sculpted butt plate obstructing most backward movement), but it's nothing that significantly impacts on the mould overall. Fans of the Lightning Collection will know exactly what the expect from these figures, and it's hard to see newcomers being disappointed at what they're capable of either.

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The articulation on Yellow and Pink is exactly the same across almost the whole body, but as has been the case with all the women Lightning Collection figures the elbow joints are a swivel hinge as opposed to the double joint seen on the males. As I've previously stated I have absolutely no idea why Hasbro have made this decision across the board - the arms might be thinner but they could still easily support a double hinge joint, especially on slightly more armoured characters like the Psychos. Though the extra swivel is nice (even if there's the bicep one only a few milimetres further up the arm), a single hinge can only achieve a 90° bend, while the double hinge version is just short of a full 180 on the Psychos. Is it such a significant change that spoils the overall articulation of the figure? Absolutely not, but I am genuinely curious to what Hasbro's logic behind it is. Other than that articulation remains exactly the same, right down to having all the same restrictions in those few areas. 

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A five-figure set means plenty of accessories, and while that admittedly includes a lot of repeats the Psychos certainly aren't short of choice either. In-package each figure already has a pair of weapon-holding hands pre-inserted, but then on top of that each also has a closed left fist and an alternate outstretched right hand with lightning bolt effects. We've previously seen the lightning hand included with Red and Blue, and as far as they're concerned its exactly the same ones here as well. Naturally the hands intended for Pink and Yellow are unique in that they're smaller, but interesting Psycho Black's (or at least the one next to him, after all they are interchangeable) isn't the same as the other two male hands. The lightning bolts are a different shape, and the centre two fingers are together whereas they're all apart on the others. Why exactly Hasbro didn't just include the same one three times I don't know, but it's nice to have a little bit of variety. Then of course each Psycho Ranger also comes with their own personal weapon - the Psycho Sword (Red), Psycho Axe (Blue), Psycho Rod (Black), Psycho Sling (Yellow) and Psycho Bow (Pink). Though the weapons vary greatly in size, paint work and detailing they all look exactly as they should. Unfortunately the Psycho Sling doesn't fit perfectly in the designated hand as there isn't a separately moulded trigger finger, but it gets the job done nonetheless. The Psycho Bow has a flexible string but it's definitely for show rather than function, so definitely take care around it just to avoid breakage. Of course it wouldn't be a Lightning Collection release without some obligatory effect parts as well, and this is where some Psychos proved to be luckier than others - only three of five have them. Psycho Red has a red lightning effect part for his sword (identical to the one that came with Lord Zedd), Psycho Blue has the spark effect that was included with his individual release, and Psycho Pink has a pink energy arrow effect (identical to the one included with the Ranger Slayer). None of these parts are new and it does feel a little strange that only three were included in a five-figure set, but it's nice to see they weren't omitted entirely. Blue's piece also ensures that this version is exactly identical to the individual release, right down to the accessory count.

Some fans were disappointed Psycho Pink didn't also include the Savage Sword from their Power Rangers Lost Galaxy appearance, but given everything else that was included it was probably a stretch to think the set was ever going to be that inclusive. A battle damaged Pink with the Savage Sword seems far more suited for a future exclusive, probably in a two-pack with the Lost Galaxy Pink Ranger.

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The Psycho Rangers have been some of the best figures in the whole of the line so far, so a full Lightning Collection In Space Psycho Rangers set was naturally going to be a winner. And while the figures may certainly be worthy of full marks, Hasbro's practices when it comes to the release of this set certainly leave a bitter aftertaste. Many buyers will now find themselves with duplicate Reds and Blues, and while there's still certainly the possibility the remaining three may get individual releases one day there's certainly no guarantee of it either - especially since both Psycho Blue and the Lost Galaxy Red/Psycho Red set ended up on clearance in the US. Personally I also think Hasbro missed a trick not giving these figures show-accurate metallic paint jobs to make them more enticing to those who bought the originals (as well as separate them from any future single releases). $100 is a big price tag to drop on figures all at once, but on the plus side there does at least seem to be a steady supply of it for the time being. While this all might be standard practice for Hasbro, but it raises the question of what other teams might end up having half their roster put into a big set like this rather than released individually. As collectors we'll never know until it happens, but it certainly makes you second guess everything that's announced going forwards. If you happened to pick up those previous releases and can afford the set, the hassle of either having or selling off the duplicates is worth it to complete the team in one-fell swoop though. And if you didn't - well Hasbro just made life a little bit easier for you.

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