[TFXProtector]

I hate to bump this thread, especially after all these months,
but there's no point in starting a new thread to continue the same conversation.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Paladin

honestly seems like kind of a disappointment...

After having it in hand, it is. I was saddened by its overall feel.

Quote:

Originally Posted by SPLIT LIP

Looks like a totally okay rendition of a terrible, terrible mecha design.

Also, funny how he calls them tiny when it's almost the exact same size as the Japanese version.

Definitely not as good as the Dino Charge Megazords.

Dino Charge felt leaps and bounds better than this. In the box, they feel heavy and you think "Oooh. Here we go!" but then you get them out and you're completely caught off guard by how "Oooh. How about we don't?" the whole thing feels.

Outside of the Rumble Tusk pieces (not the repaint parts), I didn't bother removing that from the box and I see now that nothing of value was lost. I will say Rumble Tusk felt better, in terms of quality, as an auxiliary piece than the whole of the entire Ninja Steel Megazord did.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Den-O

Maaaaaan this is pathetic. Yet again proving you should just import the good toy the first time.

I should've, but didn't. I've since rectified that mistake (I'm just waiting on Ha Oh to ship) but in all fairness, I've gotten by on US versions for quite some time without issue or complaint. This was just so bad that I couldn't stick with it.

RPM was a bit wonky and loose in places but still holds together fine after all this time. For the price I paid, and the availability, I have no complaints. Still happy after all these years.

Samurai/Super was a sign that they were working on the looseness and correcting the issues with the ZB plugs, the only real issue was that the series lacked the emblem modes and they shrunk down some of the aux mecha. Again, still happy after all this time.

Megaforce/Super was a step back. The plastic was dense but brightly colored and there wasn't a huge amount of rubbery plastic on some of the pieces comprising the line, but the connectors made everything wobbly again and sometimes unstable. I understand why they cut Datas Hyper from the US lineup, but it still felt like something was missing (because we knew of DH's existence) and while the end result is the same (Ultrazord can be formed, etc), the extra bike pieces laying around just felt wasteful. Still, it's better than NS. I have no regrets. I couldn't get into the Japanese version of this line. It was bulkier and probably better made, but I preferred the more streamlined and visually closer to show suit design the US lines had taken. Plus, it didn't break the bank.

Dino Charge came along and showed us things were turning around. Yes, less paint (which is an eyesore) but just the right quality of plastic, GOOD connectors without wobble or worry and surprisingly HUGE combos that didn't sacrifice much, if anything due to sensible design changes. Well worth my money and I didn't have to worry about the ridiculous musical gimmick with each and every battery.

Ninja Steel is a huge step back. I know they had to cut down the parts count to make it all affordable, but this is painfully noticeable. I did like the dragon, possibly a bit more than the Japanese original, and certainly the Red Ranger Zord (I can't remember its name, it's not on the box and I don't watch the show.) because its arms aren't fully rubber (I'm not sure why BOJ made that choice...) The rest of it though, yuck.

I had to go find the BOJ mecha. Had to. I know BOJ mecha is notorious for broken clips and being too heavy, but I'll be super careful. Once I got them in hand, it was amazing to me how different they felt from US releases. It was, for lack of a more realistic wording, magically wonderful. By no means does this mean I'll be giving up on US releases, they've proven they can make good stuff, I think it's just the design of this line that gave them serious issues. Though, to be fair, the overall lack of quality is unforgivable. I can understand mold modifications for ZB to be used, but the feel and lack of weight to it all was just bad.

Fortunately, the BOJ stuff, while still wonky looking, is quite lovely to have. Shame NS didn't work out for me. (Although I will admit, if I'm going to pay upwards of $30.00 a pop for the otomos or whatever they're called, I'd much rather get an entire Megazord with those pieces, rather than pay the same price for just that figure/accessory.)

Quote:

Originally Posted by SPLIT LIP

What good toy?

When a good toy of this mecha comes around, that'll be good advice.

You might not like the design, which I honestly get because it's all just so weird, the toy's quality itself is not an issue. I think it's a good toy.

Quote:

Originally Posted by DecadeW Climax

This is literally the opposite of the Dino Charge zords.

NS (from the video):
-Fine amount of paint apps
-Low quality plastic
-Terrible mold

DC:
-Bare minimum paint apps
-Good quality plastic
-Really good molds (At least the main megazord and Ptera zord that I have)

^ This. So much this.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spearichu

At least for the Rumble Tusk the dump truck can be considered to be a chariot for Paonmaru to pull around since they are both green

Not worth the effort, honestly. I personally felt they were that bad. Heck, I returned them to the store, that's how bad I felt they were.

Quote:

Originally Posted by MnemonicSyntax

I think that the BoA will serve my purpose, though the breaking of parts on Balt's video is a bit concerning.

However, my main complaint about Ninninger was the huge ninja star "hats" because of the batteries/lights/sounds. So I'm actually happy that the BoA stars don't have them at all.

I know, I know, I'll just get it out of the way so you guys don't have to: "Heathen! Heathen!"

I like Balt, I think he's genuine and seems like a very nice guy, but he's definitely ham-fisted and his editing comes across as hurried and impatient. I'll give the US stuff this much credit, I had it in hand and it never broke on me, even once. Either he got one that was simply flawed, it happens, or he just tore through it like an excited child who's missed his last dose of whatever ADHD medicine they have him on this week.

I do agree that the hats look better in the US versions, overall. It looks like they're wearing cake boxes on their heads in the Japanese versions, but I feel it's a small price to pay when everything else from the neck down just works better.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tokumonkey

I'm Sentai-only, and I fully agree. The Ninja Steel Megazord's headgear looks significantly better than Shurikenjin's. Without that extra chunk on top, it's actually a pretty cool shape.

I'll give the US version this much credit, I have to agree.

Quote:

Originally Posted by SPLIT LIP

Dosmrider lost me when he started accusing critics of the new movie of only wanting "high school production" budget or other such crap. That dedicated, ignorant refusal to acknowledge the opposite side's opinions isn't something I want to see more of, personally.

Bruno (and Mia) are still my favourites. But I like Balt and totally empathize with his dislike for how cheap this Megazord is. (again, Dino Charge did so much better)

I absolutely understand where Balt is coming from on this one. I saw the pictures, saw the video reviews and told myself "Don't buy them." and I wasn't going to, but I saw them sitting on the shelf and I was able to buy them at a 10% discount and thought "Let's give it a whirl." I should've stuck with my gut on the initial "Don't buy them" train of thought. This was incredibly underwhelming and I just couldn't give BOA $35.00 a pop for the repaint Megazords when they're all going to be the same janky molds again and again. I know Bull Rider is a different mold, but still...

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dormamu

I think I would have liked a video of the cat playing with the part that fell off.

Also, best review line ever: "The US version is utter crap".

Yeah, it really is utter crap. The hat's nice, that's it. Even when comparing it to other BOA stuff, it's utter crap. It's amazing to me.

Quote:

Originally Posted by SPLIT LIP

I think my problem with the 'homaging various previous mecha" and cooky diversity approach is I can't help but see that as an afterthought. The legs being a train is clearly just because it's easy to make legs out of a train. The dump truck as the body is clearly just because they needed a hollow box zord for the seat gimmick. Etc. it doesn't seem like they picked series' to homage then came up with a robot. It seems like they picked the easiest shapes to suit their needs, then justified it with homage after the fact. Hell, the wolf does nothing at all for the combination. Usually the shitty little extra zord forms like a chest or helmet, not just on the leg.

I will say though, the dog zord on the US version is far superior to the Japanese version with actual, seperate legs and better proportions. It's adorable.

I don't know, I personally think the BOJ dog is better than the BOA. It certainly feels better, plus the mouth opens.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sentai

This would be funny if it wasn't so damned sad. Let's compare them to the recent Dino Charge toys, for example. They were made on a budget. But they weren't sacrificed for that budget. They're the best BoA release in years even, in my opinion. And then you have these. The wings not forming the shield is to be expected, the train being connected like that too. Because Zord Builder. Maru looks passable and the dog wasn't much to speak of in the BoJ release either. But that damn Dump Truck. Dump is right. The fist just having off the cockpit, the back.. oh my Gosei the back. It's like BoA let all the praise from the DC releases go to their heads and decided to take a year off.

I cannot wait to see how they screw up Bison.

LOL "take a year off" I like that. That pretty much nails how it feels in hand. It's a shame, too. I like getting Power Rangers stuff, not being able to support them outside of the movie Megazord this year just feels wrong to me. I guess it's because I'm used to buying their product every year since 2009 til now and it had to stop. If they bring Kyuranger here, I'm definitely skipping that, I don't even like the BOJ originals on that.

I'm going after Zyuohger, now. That blocky goodness can't be ignored.