[Den-O]

Engage! Energize!

TokuNation is proud to present the first in a series of complete, in depth, hi-res galleries for Power Rangers Dino Charge! Today we take a look at the mode of transportation for this years prehistoric heroes, the Dino Cycle compelte with 5" Red Ranger!

Packaging
New to this year's line is this scale of vehicle, and with that comes some new packaging. This time around we get an open window box style for the Dino Cycle with Red Ranger. Held in by just a few plastic straps it's not the most reliable or sturdy box but it gets the job done. The outer packaging is decked out with the usual stock photography and screen shots from the source footage, including a CG image of the Cycle in it's separated Deinonychus components. And add for the Dino Charger scanner app is also shown on the side of the box.

The back of the box gives us another stock shot from the footage of Dino Charge Red riding the Cycle along with a quick look at how the cycle function as well as several other figures in the line. There are two other simultaneously released versions of the Dino Cycle in slightly altered colors with other ranger figures included, items which we will also be taking a look at in the coming days. These images also give us a god look at how the Dino Cycle is meant to interact with the Dino Charge Megazord and how the Megazord interacts with the yet to be released Zord Armors.

Dino Cycle
The main event of this review is of course the Dino Cycle itself. The first thing to know about this vehicle is that it's BOA's version of the Deinochaser from Zyuden Sentai Kyoryuger's toyline. A vehicle which itself is quite sought after for it's compitability with 5" & 6" figure lines. Much of what can be said about the Diuno Cycle is in part in comparison to the Deinochaser. But it should be stated first that this vehicle is a vast improvement over the last several years wroth of generic repainted bikes. In quality and functionality it far exceeds the Cycles of the past several years.

As you can see the Dino Cycle opts out of having quite a few paint apps compared to Deinochaser, which isn't entirely odd for BOA releases. There's some excellent detail on this vehicle that could really be brought out with paint though, when you look at it side by side with Deniochaser it's apparent some important details were overlooked, such as the eyes on the front half of the bike being unpainted.

There are also significant physical differences between the two. Gone is the Zyudenchi or Dino Charger gimmick from the original figure. Odd considering the Dino Charger gimmick is the central element of the Dino Charge toyline. This appears to be one of the few primary Zords or Zord like vehicles that has forgone it's inclusion. Aside from scaling the Cycle down a bit to compensate this lack of functionality it doesn't actually alter the physical look of it by much. Aside from this mostly all functionality in the figure has been lost. Where the original Deinochaser could separate into it's components at the Zyudenchi connection and then transform into proper dinosaurs, the Dino Cycle instead separates with no transformation at all. The yellow half need only be flipped over to stand on the handlebars, the rear black half does absolutely nothing. Sadly the two have just been far too simplified, the entire transformation gimmick has been removed meaning the look of both the combined and individual modes is off. As you can see in the comparisons it's a stark contrast.

Now that's not to say the Dino Cycle isn't without it's merits. As with the Deinochaser before it, it's actually scaled quite well with 5" & 6" figures. The ranger included with it is of course made to fit right onto it, but it accommodates S.H. Figuarts Kyoryugers quite well too! Though the Dino Cycle is a tad smaller overall it still works just fine with figures in this scale.

This figure also features a limited amount of Zord Builder compatibility. 2 female ports on the yellow half, & 1 each of male & female on the black half. They're a bit hard to utilize. While I don't have a Dino Charge Megazord I made due with the Q-Rex and had some fun, the female port on the back half it particularly difficult to make use of.

Red Ranger
Included with the Dino Cycle is a rather plain 5" Dino Charge Red Ranger. No one expects these type of figures to be extraordinary, even when compared to the mainline 5" figures. But this one is quite simple. Very few paint apps and severely limited articulation. Even when compared to the Kyoryu Red that came with Deinochaser, Dino Charge Red is quite plain. It has the typical BOZ bulkiness and muscles, but has only a few silver paint apps, and only basic articulation. So basic in fact the wrists cannot be rotated from the holding handlebars position. But the standard Dino Charge 5" figures should be much nicer than this one.

Final Thoughts
Right out of the gate Power Rangers Dino Charge has already surpassed the Super Megaforce toyline in originality and quality. Trade-offs in functionality one way or the other have been met with a degree of originality I did not expect from Bandai of America. While it's clear to me personally that the Deinochaser released for Kyoryuger is a better toy in most ways, it's also become and exceedingly rare & expensive. As a budget alternative the Dino Cycle is actually fairly nice. It retains at least the basic functionality of the real deal and makes for a great bike that's far and above better than what we've gotten used to in the last couple years from Power Rangers toylines. If you can find one of the three variations of this vehicle at retail now I'd recommend getting at least 1 as a cheap alternative to the Deinochaser if nothing else.

[Den-O]

Part Two!

[Sentai]

... Den-O, that last picture. The Q-Rexaurcycle.. You sir deserve an award.

[Vorahk]

That cycle looks cool. Though oddly that is one adorable yellow dinosaur cycle. Bring on the dino charge megazord pics.

[antz]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sentai

... Den-O, that last picture. The Q-Rexaurcycle.. You sir deserve an award.

Seriously. I had just convinced myself I didn't want the Q-Rex or another cycle.

I'm going to be drowning in those unarticulated five-inch figures.

[ComicGuy89]

Wow, this might be the first cycle I pick up since the MMPR days back in '95! Great gallery!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sentai

... Den-O, that last picture. The Q-Rexaurcycle.. You sir deserve an award.

He very well does ... that looks awesome!

[captain N]

Wow the Dino Charge line looks better then the Megaforce/Super Megaforce line.

[Den-O]

Quote:

Originally Posted by captain N

Wow the Dino Charge line looks better then the Megaforce/Super Megaforce line.

Having handled several items from the line so far I can tell you it's far far better than Super Megaforce. BOA really tried this time.

[ComicGuy89]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Den-O

Having handled several items from the line so far I can tell you it's far far better than Super Megaforce. BOA really tried this time.

That's impressive, thanks for that information. The Super Megaforce line is already not too shabby, so that speaks volumes about how good DC is.

[LOST Cybertronian]

That figure needs paint STAT!