Mega Bloks Power Rangers Super Samurai Battle Pack 1

With Power Rangers Samurai at its end and the chance of there being a wave 3 of blind bags I thought I was done with Mega Bloks mini figures. However an early Christmas present from a good friend has opened my eyes to a few more options just before the line properly comes to a halt and the Power Rangers Megaforce figures roll out. Amongst the various kits, two battle packs were released: each housing four figures (two rangers and two Nighloks) and a buildable display stand. One figure from each version is a special "limited edition" variant with translucent parts.

Battle pack one contains: Translucent Super Mega Mode Gold Ranger, Super Blue Ranger, Master Xandred and a flying Mooger. Meanwhile battle pack two has Super Mega Mode Green, Super Red, translucent Deker (Nighlok form) and a standard Mooger.

Without further ado, let's take a look at battle pack one.

First we have the limited edition Super Mega Mode Gold ranger, who features an almost entirely transparent body and comes with a mega blade weapon. The raised visor section on the helmet is a nice touch so you can differentiate between standard and mega modes, and the all black body is also a welcome contrast.

Super Blue is exactly the same as his wave 2 blind bag counterpart, only this time the figure is all the solid colour. His weapon is disappointingly missing the gold detail on the black box, but otherwise its a solid figure.

Master Xandred is perhaps the most exciting figure in the set for me personally, given my bad guy count currently consists of a human Deker and two Moogers. Mega Bloks have done a pretty good job in recreating what is a pretty detailed suit, but some of the paint apps are pretty sloppy when you look at them close up. Xandred has his own unique sword, moulded in gold plastic and featuring a pretty detailed dragon detail. Perfect for leading a small army of Nighloks.

Finally there's the flying Mooger (again, not really sure why it's "flying"), who is completely identical to the wave 2 blind bag release.

The display stand the figures come with comes unassembled, made up of two thin blocks, two large two spot blocks, two four spot blocks and one piece with the Samurai symbol on it. Its obviously not complicated to put together, and makes a great alternative to the coloured blocks the blind bag mini figures have. I'm half tempted to see if I can't get some more black pieces to make it a little bigger.

While originally I was going to overlook these, you get your money's worth out of them. Perfect for expanding your display, and featuring some rather special figures too. Expect shots of battle pack two in the near future!

Mega Bloks Power Rangers Super Samurai Super Green Ranger & Translucent Mega Mode Red Ranger

The next two figures I've gotten from the Power Rangers Samurai Mega Bloks blindbags are the "rare" Super mode Green Ranger and translucent Mega mode Red ranger. Much like the three figures I've already showcased, these two are really nice figures with tons of detail - but are let down a bit by some shoddy QC. Both have some poor white paintwork (particularly on Green's left arm) and sprue marks on the bodies. Usually I wouldn't moan about such cheap figures, but when I've already seen the top notch job on the first wave I'm just sad that it didn't continue.

On the plus side, unlike wave one's Mega Mode Pink, Red comes with a Mega Blade! The detailing is pretty simple, but the fact its jointed is a great touch for such a small figure.

Mega Bloks Power Rangers Super Samurai Bulk, Metallic Red Ranger and Translucent Super Blue Ranger

After enjoying the first wave of blind-packed Power Rangers Samurai Mega Bloks figures, I was very excited to see the second wave finally in UK stores, now in Super Samurai flavours. This second wave features a total of ten figures, including:

Translucent Super Blue Ranger (Ultra Rare)
Translucent Mega Mode Red Ranger (Rare)
Super Green Ranger (Rare)
Bulk (Rare)
Training Mode Yellow Ranger (Rare)
Battle Damaged Gold Ranger (Common)
Metallic Red Ranger (Common)
Mega Mode Blue Ranger (Common)
Flying Mooger (Common)

And then finally a mystery "secret rare" figure, which is rather underwhelmingly a solid red Mega Mode Red Ranger.

Now wise to knowing which pack is which via the product codes on the back, I decided to pick up Super Blue, Bulk and Metallic Red as my first purchases. Sadly either I've managed to pick up a defective bunch, or these are nowhere near the quality of the first wave. The metallic Red Ranger is less "metallic" and more "sparkly paint which is barely noticeable even in bright light", my Bulk has incredibly loose arms and Super Blue has a fair few paint blobs where they shouldn't be. It'll be a shame if the QC has really dropped for this wave, because there are some great figures included and the detail does feel like a step up in terms of sculpting. Super Blue has some great detailing on the vest and black box powered spin sword, and a Bulk figure speaks for itself really (even if the likeness to Paul Schrier is a bit of a stretch).

A disappointing start for the line, but not so much that I regret my purchases. I look forward to seeing how the other fare.