Release Date: August 2023
RRP: $33.99/£33.99
Despite Hasbro having covered Mighty Morphin Power Rangers rather extensively in the Lightning Collection already, there was no way they were going to let the 30th anniversary of the series slip by without doing what Hasbro do best - releasing them all over again. To their credit though, at least they were brand new pin-less moulds sporting more accurate details, better head sculpts and a wider range of accessories. But among the six original Rangers in this "Remastered" line was arguably a far more desirable figure - a new Lightning Collection Mighty Morphin Rita Repulsa release. Previously only available as part of a "silver wedding anniversary" two-pack release with Lord Zedd, this new deluxe Rita is an all-new mould that truly celebrates the legacy of the character and franchise.
The Lightning Collection moved away from its original box design with the advent of Hasbro's plastic-free packaging, but even so these Mighty Morphin Power Rangers 30th anniversary releases have their own slightly unique flavour. Rita Repulsa comes in a larger-than-average box (think about the size of a deluxe release), the front featuring a nice big (CG render) image of the figure against a grey lighting bolt backdrop. New artwork is printed in the top corner, which is then repeated on one of the sides alongside the MMPR and 30th anniversary logos. The other side sports those two logos again, only this time simply the release/character name against a multi-coloured background of the six ranger colours. The back of the box has a second CG render showing the figure in a different pose, as well as a smaller picture properly showing what is included inside. Open her up and Rita is on a green cardboard tray, with both the figure and accessories carefully wrapped in paper emblazoned with the Power Rangers logo.
It only takes a few minutes of handling this figure to just see the level of effort Hasbro have put into these 30th anniversary figures. On first glance this Rita Repulsa could easily pass for being from a completely different toyline, with the face sculpt FAR beyond anything they've achieved elsewhere in the Lightning Collection. The likeness to Machiko Soga is absolutely astounding - I'd genuinely go as far as to say this is the best actor-likeness head sculpt I've ever seen on a Hasbro figure (my previous favourite was Black Series Grand Moff Tarkin). It isn't just the face sculpt that earns this figure top points though - every part of this figure is loaded with an incredible amount of detail. If you're one of those people that hadn't yet realised it was Rita's hair rather than a hat, then you'll definitely see it clearly with the texturing they've given this. The main body is covered in a soft goods robe - something which admittedly was present on the old two-pack Rita but now has show-accurate gold patterning. Over the top of the robe is a plastic "vest" piece that comprises the collar and breastplate, along with the flowing feathered tailpiece. The vest is black plastic with superb gold and blue paintwork, capturing all the detailing of the outfit (as well as that infamous conical bra). There really isn't a bad word to say about this figure looks-wise, it's perfect.
But while this "remastered" Rita may look it's from a whole different toy line on the surface, how different is it under the hood? Well in terms of articulation it isn't all that different to the standard entries in the Lightning Collection - while Rita does have the pin-less joints present on most newer figures admittedly it doesn't make all that difference visually given they're all covered by her robes anyway. Altogether Rita features;
- Ball jointed head, neck, torso, waist and hips
- Swivel hinge shoulders, elbows, wrists and ankles
- Butterfly joint shoulders
- Double hinge knees
- Single hinge ab crunch
- Thigh swivels
As the only release to have swivel hinge elbows rather than double-hinged Rita is a bit of an anomaly among the pin-less female body figures, but it does make sense given she's not an armoured/suited figure and thus much less designed for action posing. Even Figuarts put single hinge elbows on their unarmored figures from time to time. A little bit more of a bend might have been nice (as tends to be the case), but there's enough here to get the job done. It's pleasing to see that even with nearly the whole body covered by soft goods clothing all the articulation still works exactly as it should, with nothing getting stuck in the robe or it being particularly difficult to see how things work (and at least here, the robe and sleeves can always be rolled up to check if parts should move that way). There is an ab crunch present on the torso, but bending it does press up against the torso so it doesn't have much to offer. Similarly there's plenty of forward leg motion here, but backward is scuppered by that plastic feather tailpiece. All the joints being covered allow you to pull off far more natural looking poses though even if the joints are at awkward angles, so you'll find Rita looks fantastic in pretty much any pose she's placed in.
Accessories are another area that don't stray too far away from what the line has done in the past, but nevertheless there is still plenty here to get excited about. The set includes four additional hands (giving her a pair of open hands, a pair of accessory-holding hands, a closed left fist and pointing right hand in total), two alternate faceplates (one maniacally laughing and the other in a "I have a headache" grimace), her magic wand and finally a translucent purple lightning effect part. The faces can be switched by simply popping them off the head sculpt, which can be a little fiddly so I recommend using something to get underneath it and lever it off. Somehow not only do both faces have an even better likeness than the default one, but it also shows that Hasbro can do wildly expressive faces in this line without them looking strange and/or creepy. They are definitely the highlight among these accessories, with the hand selection good but hardly able to compete. The magic wand is very nicely sculpted and well painted with gold, blue and red in all the right places. Mine was a little bent coming out of the box, but that was easily sorted. Finally theres's the lightning effect part, which can be a little awkward to hook onto the wand (it doesn't look like it was really designed for it) but definitely gives it that extra bit of pizazz when posing. While there are plenty of other things a Rita Repulsa figure could come with, I'd say these accessories cover all of the basics nicely. The remastered Rangers have a lot more accessories in comparison, but this is a far more unique sculpt with soft goods parts so a lot of the budget has gone there instead.
Previously I've called both Finster and the Tenga Warrior the best release in the line, but it just goes to show Hasbro have a thing for villains because that title has been usurped yet again. This new Lighting Collection Mighty Morphin Rita Repulsa figure is a triumph on every level, combing the impressive articulation of the line with a significantly improved sculpt, soft goods and more detailed paintwork. I genuinely can't get over how good the face sculpts are on this release given Hasbro's track record with the line, with that alone justifying her slightly more expensive "deluxe" price tag. A single-release Rita is something the Lightning Collection has desperately needed for years, but I'm really glad Hasbro played the long game and made it a new sculpt rather than just a slightly recoloured version of the two-pack release. With the future of the Lightning Collection pretty uncertain at the moment, it's at least reassuring to know that one of its final releases was also one of its best.
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