Release Date: July 2020
RRP: $19.99
With the Power Rangers comic series from Boom! Studios continuing to go from strength to strength, Hasbro's Lightning Collection also has another element of the franchise to draw inspiration from. The line has gotten in on comic-original designs pretty early with the release of both Lord Drakkon and Ranger Slayer, but there was still one character from those earlier issues still outstanding. Issue 20 marked the first appearance of Psycho Green - a sixth Psycho Ranger who battled against Zordon's original team of rangers on the moon in 1969. The short story "Psychotic" revealed his identity as Trek, an alien from the planet Xybria who betrayed his team of Supersonic Rangers to become Dark Specter's first Psycho Ranger. Finally Psycho Green also appeared in The Psycho Path graphic novel, which saw Karone try to help rehabilitate the Psycho Rangers following her time as Astronema. Psycho Green was previously released in Bandai of America's Legacy Collection as an SDCC exclusive in 2018, but joins the Lightning Collection as a somewhat more accessible Hasbro Pulse exclusive. "Somewhat" being because Hasbro Pulse only ships to the US and Canada - making them far more difficult for the rest of the world to acquire.
Like all exclusive Lightning Collection releases, Psycho Green comes in signature colour packaging which looks particularly striking. The green colour scheme works well with the white text and boxes at the bottom, while that familiar character art sits beside it with a brand new palette. The one thing I do question on this packaging however is the designation of "In Space Psycho Green Ranger". While I understand why Hasbro have done this (the rest of the Psychos are from Power Rangers in Space, ergo Psycho Green is as well), but this is where I wish Hasbro had come up with a specific designation for comic characters as well. Psycho Green first appeared in the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers comic, and although The Psycho Path graphic novel features the Space Rangers the book itself is simply labelled Power Rangers. The Mighty Morphin tag on Drakkon and Ranger Slayer made sense, but here it doesn't feel quite right. If Marvel can have a whole "Gamerverse" sub-line for their video game characters, why can't Power Rangers have a "Comicverse"? Ultimately it doesn't matter in the slightest, but it would nice to see the comics get properly recognised with their own unique designation. The back of the box features a CG rendering of the figure and accessories, and inside you'll find the genuine article neatly laid out on a moulded plastic tray.
With the Psycho Rangers having no differences in their design other than colour, Psycho Green is a straight repaint of the male Psycho Body with glossy green armour. This is the one Psycho out of the six where the lack of metallic paint doesn't feel like a misstep, because the shade Hasbro have used here is perfect match to Green's appearances in both the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers comic and The Psycho Path. There's not a lot left to say about this sculpt that I haven't already said three times over in these reviews, but that leathery bodysuit covered in all those fabric folds and wrinkles is just as impressive as ever. The glossy green works beautifully on top of it, and acts as a reminder to why green has become such a synonymous colour for evil with Power Rangers fans even though it's only been done once. As with the other Lightning Collection releases, this Psycho Green has much more of a suit-like look to it than Bandai of America's offering - which had noticeably lankier proportions despite it's rather fetching metallic finish. Some will surely prefer that version and that's totally understandable, but since Hasbro were the ones to actually finish the whole team there shouldn't be any doubt who was the real winner in that face-off.
Psycho Green marks yet another use for the male Psycho Ranger body, which sports 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
Despite a bulkier, more armoured look the Psycho Rangers prove to be every bit as mobile as their heroic counterparts, thanks to the quality engineering Hasbro are showing off on these figures. 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. It's hard to imagine someone is buying Psycho Green without having previously sampled at least one of the other Psychos, you'll know exactly what to expect.
The figure comes packaged with two weapon holding hands, one closed left fist, one open right hand with lightning bolt effect, the Psycho Dagger and a green spark effect part. With the exception of the newly moulded Psycho Dagger, these are identical to the pieces that came with the individual release Psycho Blue - the only change being the colour of the spark effect. It makes sense that an exclusive repaint release would have mostly repeat accessories, and the only thing that really mattered here was the Psycho Dagger. Hasbro have done a great job with both the moulding and colour on that piece, although it is a shame that they didn't go the extra mile and alter the figure so it could peg onto his side like it does in the comics. Even though it wouldn't have taken that much effort I suppose it just wasn't in Hasbro's wheelhouse for such an easy repaint, even if they would have instantly got a one-up on Bandai of America's version since they didn't do it either. Still, the figure holds the dagger nicely and the effect part pegs onto the weapon far better than it does Psycho Blue's axe. These parts are supposed to be multi-purpose and for the most part they are, but the pointed weapons always yield the best results. All in all a pretty standard set of accessories, but everything Psycho Green really needs. At a stretch this is the one Psycho Ranger you could argue warrants an alternate head, but when its so unnecessary for the other five why would Hasbro go out of their way to do it for this one?
Sometimes it can be a little confusing why certain figures end up as limited-run exclusives, but the only thing there really is to question about Lightning Collection Psycho Green's release is why Hasbro are so insistent on not letting the rest of the world have a chance at getting their Pulse exclusives. Psycho Green is exactly the kind of figure you'd expect to see as an exclusive - an easy to produce repaint that has far more limited appeal than the rest of the team, but enough of a fanbase to warrant production in the first place. Though not a necessary addition to a Psycho Ranger collection, Psycho Green is a great supplement for comic fans as Hasbro get every bit of mileage out of that fantastic mould as they can. And even with it's US-exclusivity, it's still much cheaper and easier to buy on the aftermarket than the Bandai of America version of ever was. With Psycho Green marking the third time the Lightning Collection have delved into Boom!'s Power Rangers comics, the exciting part is going to be where they go next.
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