No, it enhances it. A recent example is the debut of Akaninger Chozetsu in Ninninger. As he transformed, rocks were floating around him which helped tell the viewers that this mode was powerful. His punches left marks on a mountain and he broke apart of a mountain as well. Scenes like the floating rocks would be impossible to do with practical effects and the mountain being damaged would cost more than what is allowed in a tokusatsu budget.

But that's just the action figures- also, the action figures generally didn't sell that well for a while.

Yeah the figures are not the meat of the toyline. Its a fact that ToQGers overall sales are around the same amount as Go-Onger and Shinkenger and is considered a success.

Yes, but the fact that BOJ decided to change their action figure molds to the BOA one after Toqger might be telling that the Toqger sales did even poorer than previous series to an extent they found it reasonable to use cheaper molds.

The action figures have not always been that great of sellers in Japan, nor do they really relate to this thread.

I've been thinking about this and changed my opinion slightly. I want more LA gattai's like in Kyoryuger, but realize that it's not always possible. I honestly enjoyed the transformation of AbarenOh from Abaranger. And that wouldn't have been near possible with live action shots. And honestly, I do prefer CGI finishers as well. Otherwise you just get ackward shots of mechs slowly hitting something off camera.

10char

I think Sentai CGI is great when it's used to enhance real-life people and objects. For example, I think it looks super cool when it's used for the human-sized team attacks in Ninninger.

On the other hand, Toei has not yet mastered the art of rendering completely-CGI people and objects. Whenever they try, the result is distracting and ugly. For example, Gokai-Oh in the first episode of Gokaiger is painfully to behold. Castle Terminal in ToQger looks terrible, too.

In recent years, I've noticed that Toei has pulled back when it comes to fully CGI creations in sentai. That doesn't mean they've stopped using them, but they're way less obtrusive than they were in the 00s. (Kamen Rider is a completely different matter -- that show always uses full-CGI robots, and it almost always looks bad.)

Still, even at its worst, bad CGI usually adds to the show's charm. Just like the chintzy rubber monster suits and the cheap spandex hero costumes with visible spark-squibs. The production staff is doing what they can with their paltry budget, and we should admire their ingenuity if nothing else.

Want to try that post again?

There was a different post responding to MrHero's statement that the action figure discussion doesn't relate to the thread, pointing out that he was just providing an answer. Seems he edited it out and removed it.