[Den-O]

SPD, Emergency!

Tokunation is back with another gallery from Power Rangers Super Megaforce! And today we're looking at the Delta Runner Zord!

The Delta Runner is a Bandai of America interpretation of the Pat Striker from Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger. Itself an homage to the original Pat Striker from Tokusou Sentai Dekaranger. Bearing in mind that Dekaranger was adapted for the US as Power Rangers SPD that's what the BOA version of the toy represents. The box itself even features the logo of SPD.

The Delta Runner is a slightly upscaled version of the Pat Striker. However what it makes up for in size, it loses in paint applications. Most of the identifying features of the Pat Striker get lost in the transition. Both SPD logos, the Gokaiger crest, the painted wheels, and the Gokai colors on the hood. Also removed are the electronic lights & sounds. To add play value for these removed features the Delta Runner features the popular Zord Builder system. Though the vehicle only has two male Zord Builder pegs it has a grand total of 10 female connectors through out, allowing for a bit of mix and match play with other compatible sets. A by product of these ports is an official yet unnamed mode for the vehicle. A "battle station" mode which sees the car rearranged into a missile firing turret. Included with the Delta Runner are 2 missiles, neither of which can be stored when not in use. As pressure launch weapons they require you to use the included SPD Red Ranger Key in the slot on the back of the turret to "activate" the firing mechanism.

Also included is a mini-figure of the Super Mega Blue Ranger. This mostly single colored figure is solid PVC and features no articulation. But just as with the Super Mega Green Ranger included with Mystic Dragon, it can peg onto the vehicle for added play.

To combine with the Legendary Megazord this figure splits into 5 parts just as the Pat Striker did. However since the BOA line does not feature the opening compartment gimmick, these parts cannot be stored inside the Legendary Megazord when not in use. On the BOJ release all 5 compartments can be closed to hide the entire combo. But here, the Legendary Megazord's chest isn't deep enough to even allow for it to be concealed. The chest piece itself has no locking mechanism whatsoever, and actually tends to fall out all on it's own. It should also be noted that nowhere on any packaging at all is this combination given an official title, just like the one with Mystic Dragon. Considering it's Japanese counterpart is known as Deka Gokai Oh, it's a safe placeholder to call this one the Delta Legendary Megazord.

The other parts can be oriented in roughly the same place they would be on the actual mecha thanks to the numerous Zord Builder ports on the Legendary Megazord. And in fact the arms components can still be wielded as pistols. This figure attempts to be a cost effective alternative to it's BOJ counterpart and succeeds for the most part. Suffering only a bit from it's design. The most unfortunate part being that it doesn't have nearly enough male Zord Builder pegs to give it the play value it needs. Otherwise this is a pretty fun toy for $14.95. The Delta Runner used for this review was purchased at a Walmart in Lexington, Kentucky.