American Samurai Zords vs. Japanese Shinkenger Mecha: Which is Better?
 

Alright, first time poster here witha serious query.

I've been collecting the American Samurai zords, because while I haven't paid attention to the Power Ranger TV series very much within the last few years, I'm still fascinated with (or if you prefer, a sucker for...) combining mecha, and the combining Zords have always been my favorite things about Power Rangers. So I've been collecting the components to build the Samurai Gigazord (and ignoring that awful looking brick that was released recently).

Out of curiosity, I browse about online to look at images of the Japanese Shinkenger toys, and other than Shinken-Oh coming with the shield and its components able to fold into their Origami forms, I don't see anything special about it that would justify the $95+ price tag I'm seeing JUST for Shinken-Oh!

What I'm trying to ask is are the Japanese toys a better quality than BoA's American offerings, or did Bandai actually somewhat outdo Japan's take on Shinken Haoh (I believe that's what the Gigazord is called in Japan, I apologize if I'm wrong)?

I still fully intend to complete the US version because it'd be cheaper, but I was honestly curious and thought I would ask the experts here on the board.

Typically the Japanese versions of the mecha are superior in build quality (i.e. plastic type, die cast, etc). The biggest difference between the Samurai Megazord and Shinken Oh is the Origami mode (or in the formers case, the lack thereof). The Dragon Zord for Shinken Oh is also more accurate to the show instead of the long brick that the Samurai version is. Shinken Oh also has gold chrome bits where the Samurai has gold paint. Shinken Oh is a bit "chunkier" than Samurai but I actually prefer the Samurai Megazord's slimer proportions. Overall it comes down to preference and willingness/ability to part with money. If I had the money I'd always buy the Japanese versions. I actually prefer to buy the minipla/candy toy versions as they are A) fun to build B) transform pretty much like the DX mecha C) have WAY more articulation and D) are typically WAY cheaper than the DX mecha.

Ah, I do recall the new Dino Megazord being less quality than the original release, which was imported... The American version sounds like the cheaper alternative that I'd like to stick with for now. But I'll give some thought to the minipla/candy version you mentioned though!

Thanks for that bit of info. :)

Well the DX ShinkenOh IS coming over here next year:
SDCC 2012 Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Display
http://www.tokunation.com/attachment...4&d=1342065228
Sentai Series ShinkenO Megazord

Along with the Dragonzord, right? :p

BoA hasn't announced one yet. Back in 2010 they were planning it iirc but it was canceled.

Oh... I'll be damned. XD That'd be neat,but I can see that being a Toys R Us exclusive though.

That was the joke. I seriously doubt this will get released, just like the 2010Dragonzord.

I would say the Japanese releases are definitely of better plastic quality, but in no way are the Samurai Zords shabby releases. They're both solid toylines. The Clawzord, for instance, should be the standard for down-sized mecha in the future. I don't have the full Gigazord, but I did hear that the connections are not up to the Haoh's standard. Also, most of the time the Japanese toys are more screen accurate, too, with the folding feature and accurate transformations.

However, the Samurai Zords do have a few nice touches that the Shinkenger mecha don't. The individual Megazords are often more proportionate than the Japanese mecha, such as the Samurai Megazord, Clawzord and Bullzord. The Samurai Megazord also allows you to store the sword in individual Zord form, something that would be annoying for the Shinkenoh with its shield and sword left aside. Finally, the biggest difference is the price, I don't think it's really affordable to collect all 11 Shinkenger Origami as they can be monstrously expensive.

Was there ever a 2010 Dragonzord announced and shown? Or was it just fan speculation?

Bandai said it would be coming out in early 2011, but no physical sample was ever shown. I'm still hopeful that we may get something for the 20th anniversary, especially with the die-cast enhanced re-release of the 2010 Megazord.

id say the BOJ versions are better atleast Ika and Tora are white and not pink like the BOA releases

and the BOJ can atleast be found I can find the Bull but ill be damned if I can find the aux zords especially the Octozord

The main difference that sets the Samurai toy line along with the MMPR 2010 Megazord and the Megaforce toy line is the zordbuilder functionality. It focuses on the target audience and enhances the merchandising aspect of the Power Rangers franchise. It's a simple concept: Everything uses the same connectors.

The zordbuilder system is basically a system in which most of the non action figure and role play toys have the same pegs on them allowing inter-changeability.

The toys that have zordbuilder compatibility include:

- All zords that comprise the Gigazord
- Shark Zord
- Scorpion/Claw Zord
- Deluxe Gigazord
- Transporter Vehicle (Transtek ripoff)
- Sword cycles
- Disc Cycles
- Tiger Tank (Only the arms and legs can attach to something else. You can't attach something else to the body of the tiger tank)
- Bullzooka (Horns on the front are compatible)

Bullzooka horn replacements:

http://img805.imageshack.us/img805/7756/sharkhorn.jpg

http://img14.imageshack.us/img14/8089/showcase7.jpg

Other zordbuilder possibilities I've done showing how much everything can connect to each other:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...lusterfuck.jpg

http://s11.postimage.org/gro9diic3/zordbuilderfun.jpg

And the MMPR Megazord can be used with it:

http://i.imgur.com/8BeDTl.jpg

The zordbuilder functionality is also extending to Megaforce. When I was at Power Morphicon, a Bandai rep took the time to take apart a Gosei Ground Megazord for me and attach one of the arms to a Claw Battlezord.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...818_092550.jpg

The zordbuilder system is fantastic and gives amazing replayability to the kids that are the ones that these toys are marketed toward. Even as an older fan, I am a big fan of it myself. While the molds don't have the same quality as Shinkenger or screen accuracy, the zordbuilder functionality made up for it for the kids. Tsuyoshi Nonaka pointed out at Power Morphicon that they had to make the toys cheaper to bring them to America. Shinken-Oh lost the origami mode in the process to bring it down from an $80 retail to $30.

It was reportedly confirmed verbally by a BOA rep at a show, but then nothing materialized after that.

which was cool, and only Shinken Yellows zord really suffered from it.

AHH! What has now been seen cannot be unseen! dang it man!

Around my area I can still find all the Zords fairly easy. Makes me wonder if I shouldn't start a service for people who want the Zords but can't find them.

I've collected the entire Gigaderpyzord from Samurai. I like the proportions of the Megazord more, I like how the Megazord's sword is solid on both sides (if unpainted), and I can't complain about the price. Except for the Bullzord and Octozord, I picked up everything on 15%+ discount as I found it. My biggest complaint is lack of emblem modes and the "dragon corgi", but I display the thing combined anyhow.
On the other hand, I've come to realize why I've shifted to collecting Super Sentai/PR DX figures this past year. They're big, they're solid (Great GoBuster's chest withstanding <_<), they have wonderful clickiness all over the place. The newer BOA remolds, while cheap and easier to find, just don't feel as solid and lack the clickiness from connectors and ratcheting joints that the Japanese and older figures had.
I hope that US release of the DX ShinkenOh comes out, because I've already starting picking up the other Origami to go with it. Heck, I'd go for Shinken HaOh and get rid of my Gigaderpyzord if it weren't for how disproportionately huge DX MogyudaiOh feels to me.

There's the opinion of a collector who is more into it for the toys than the shows.

Yeah, I saw a Mougyuodai-oh at PMC in person and that thing is just gigantic. It's almost 2 feet tall.

:lol

the shinken-oh can combine with older zords arms like from dino thunder and boukenger and newer gokaiger and i think a few more series if i remember correct zord builder is what U.S. zords use now when the changed the zords to a new worse connector type for us versions of stuff that make em incompatible with previous series which is a bummer in my opinion the us gigazord is a little more manageable and the ha-oh is a little more screen accurate but will cost to probably cost you at least x2 the price of the gigazord to get a ha-oh the build quality is a lot better on sentai versions and got chromed parts which make it stand out better especially on the chest crest and tiger legs/drills the claw armor megazord is drastically inferior to the Daikai Shinken-Oh and any of the aux zords are better in sentai by far

Well considering that the 2010 Dragonzord was never even shown, I would say that the DX ShinkenOh already has a greater change of showing up being that PR Samurai is actually popular at this point and that it was already shown on display physically.

Announced, never shown.

Well if they had it tooled, it will most likely come out next year.