Here is the Mighty Morphin White Ranger, and as much as I don't immediately want to step into the praise of it, this is the best White Ranger figure not just for the money, but in the history f the character's existence. The proportions are there, the chest armor doesn't look too clunky or too tight on him, the helmet looks accurate, and the proportions of the body don't look odd. While there might be a few minor ticks that could vary from copy to copy, like the way the chest armor's shaped or the little marks that come from the pieces being removed from the sprue kit, this figure does the White Ranger justice.
The helmet captures how it looked in the show in my opinion. Its gold is not as bright as the white of the helmet, and the visor isn't as skinny as it is on some other White Ranger figures. It's an overall perfect depiction of the helmet worn by Tommy Oliver.
Articulation is improved compared to what the Bandai Legacy figures had. The head is on a ball joint for moving side to side as well as on a neck hinge to look up and down. At the shoulders, they move front and back, in and out, and they even have butterfly joints, which is what the Bandai Legacy figures lacked. Below the shoulders, the biceps swivel, bend at the elbow on a double-joint, swivel at the wrists, and unlike Bandai's figures, the wrists only hinge in and out. The predecessors had the wrist joints either hinge in and out or up and down, yet they ended up looking disconnected as a result. The torso joint also has a diaphragm joint similar to the Bandai Legacy female figures, but the ab crunch is lowered to the stomach, which makes the joint work better than the Bandai ones disrupting the sculpt. The Bandai Legacy figures had waist swivels, yet those won't be missed if I'm honest. The hips move front and back, in and out, swivel at the thighs, bend on double-jointed knees, swivel at the boots, hinge front and back at the feet, and pivot at the ankles.
Here are the White Ranger's accessories. They consist of an effect piece, a civilian head for Tommy Oliver, Saba, and two alternate hands: a karate chop left hand and an accessory holding right hand.
The alternate hands give this figure more display options to go with. You can have Tommy salute while he has Saba in the holster (which doesn't have to be attached to the figure this time), or you can have the White Ranger hold Saba when fists aren't enough!
His alternate head resembles Jason David Frank pretty well, though it may look a bit small on his body. Maybe it's because of how the neck sits up high slightly or because of how his hair is made up into a ponytail, which makes the head look a bit small. Either way, it's neat to have a civilian head since we rarely get them, even in the collector-themed lines.
Saba's blade can use the FX piece as a bit of sword contact if you choose, though I think it almost works for when Tommy obtains it for the very first time in Season 2. In fact, I feel that the choice of the White Ranger as the first character in the Lightning Collection line is almost symbolic of Bandai being the Green Ranger powers and Hasbro being the White Ranger powers.
Here he is with the Bandai Legacy Collection version of the character, and below both are the Super Legends figure and the S.H.Figuarts guy. Also, I do apologize for the white for the images I did take from here if they start to look a bit off compared to what was already posted. The Legacy version was the tallest and most recent iteration of the character before the Hasbro purchase, and it wasn't a bad figure despite some of the issues with the Legacy line. While it's one of the better Legacy figures from that line, it still had issues like the wrist joints looking bad and the lack of display options. The Super Legends White Ranger was another good figure for its time, even if the chest armor looked a bit chunkier than it normally is in the show (it came off and would reveal non-show gold diamonds). Saba wasn't painted, but that was the norm back in 2008. I would say to get that figure, but it's quite expensive now. As for the S.H.Figuarts version of the character, fans have praised that line so much and would struggle to replace or find any negatives on the Figuarts. White Ranger was one of the better ones, yet it was still as skinny as most of the Sentai Figuarts, there is no real sculpting to imply any creases in the spandex fabric, and the helmet looked really small on the body compared to the others.
Let's do more comparisons between Bandai's Legacy and Hasbro's lightning. Hasbro's Saba is slightly shorter, and I kind of prefer the Legacy one's longer blade. Still, the details are about the same as the Legacy version has.
I felt that the Legacy White Ranger is still a good figure, but now it's not as good as the Lightning Collection version of the character. It just has more display options with the hands, Tommy head, and effect piece. Had Bandai did a better job with their accessories, the Legacy line would have been a bit nicer, and while their White Ranger has no Megazord piece like his teammates do, I'd wish that a pair of alternate hand would go with this figure or all of the weapons that came with the MMPR team. With the Lightning Collection, there is no need for a BAF, as the Rangers will now have their weapons.
As Hasbro White Ranger comforts the Bandai figure...or slaps him in the face, let's move on, shall we?
Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Next up, we have the Shadow Ranger! This is the first time that the character has received an action figure in the past SPD line, and considering how popular the Shadow Ranger is among fans of the franchise beyond Mighty Morphin, this guy deserved new updates in the line. As for this figure itself, I think it's very well-made. I like the attention to detail with the new sculpting for the shoulders, gloves, and boots. The chest armor is a rubbery piece, which worked fine for the White Ranger, but here, it looks like it sits up a bit too high on him. As a result, it kind of obscures his neck. The rest of the figure looks good, save for the lack of paint on the police badges, and I kind of wish the gray on the belt and boots wouldn't look too cheap, and the same goes for the red, which should have a richer shade of red in my opinion.
The helmet sculpt certainly captures the unique helmet shape that the Shadow Ranger is known for. Most helmets in Power Rangers tend to have the same, rounded look that can only be distinct with the sculpted details, whether it'd be one similar to their dinosaur or animal Zords, or whatever suit details more sci-fi ones would have like In Space, Time Force, or S.P.D. in the case of this character, but Shadow Ranger's helmet is one of the more unique ones due to the prominent spikes on the top resembling dog ears, which helps make this suit even more unique. Some minor paint issues, like the little paint chip on the siren light and the visor not quite having been filled in, but it still works overall.
Articulation's just as good as before, though it's weird how at least on my copy, one of the shoulder joints moves normally while the other feels stiff. Similar thing with the butterfly joints, where one moves normally while the other feels really tight. I did see a review from PowerRangersTube mention that the ankles are kind of weird to make him stand straight, though putting him in a pose where he's not standing still helps.
The accessories included are a bit more plentiful than the White Ranger. He has his Shadow Saber, which is opened up and is decently painted yet should have some silver paint, the Commander Cruger head (and a neckpiece to go with it), a right hand meant for holding the sword, a Shadow Morpher, a left hand for holding the Morpher, and an effect piece for the sword. If there is an issue worth mentioning for the Lightning Collection, what kind of bugs me is that some figures have two closed fists while others don't. I kind of get that Hasbro doesn't want to add too many hands for collectors to lose, but it does seem weird.
The alternate head and neck are used to replicate his mid-morph appearance, where he has everything on him except for the helmet, and as the camera slowly pans onto him, the helmet manifests onto his body. That's a really neat way to use the head, especially since the other ones didn't look like Cruger in the Bandai S.P.D. line. And going back to the mid-morph sequence, BruMia from MMPRtoys both did a great job recreating the morph sequences for the Wave 1 Rangers. Also, the saber can be stored on the sheath, but why leave it on there?!
The sword looks pretty sick on his hand, and even if it should have a bit more shine added, it works quite well when you put the figure in some poses that couldn't be done with previous Shadow Rangers until now.
Even if the sword looks drab, the effect piece makes up for it with the really nice blue swirls going around it as it replicates his finishing move. The open left hand can even be posed to complete the look.
His final accessory is small yet neat, that being the Shadow Morpher. It'd decently molded and painted (though the slider should be on the left than the right), but I wish that it can be put in the back of his belt. As for a comparison, here he is next to the Bandai Shadow Ranger from the 2005 line, which looked alright for its time, though it's not accurate in terms of the helmet proportions, and the colors for the metallic light blue aren't close to what the show has. Its red and grey parts do look a bit nicer, but the Lightning Collection Shadow Ranger wins for being a massive upgrade to the old Bandai toy, having a good amount of accessories, and better resembling what the show looks like.
For those that want an idea of how he looks next to the Dekaranger Figuarts, here's a pic from My Shiny Toy Robots. Most of the Figuarts Sentai teams tend to at least have either Extra Heroes missing or a huge amount of a team missing, and Dekaranger is no exception, which is why they've had the core team but not Dekamaster or Dekabreak. As for how the Shadow Ranger fits in with the Dekarangers, while the height difference works, the appearances are not consistent in terms of the cuts for articulation or the proportions, with the Dekarangers looking smooth and skinny while the Shadow Ranger having textures and proper proportions filled in. I'd say it's best to wait for the other S.P.D. Rangers to show up, especially with Red having been announced for Wave 4 along with Zeo Ranger III: Blue, Cybervillain Blaze from Beast Morphers, and the Mighty Morphin Yellow Ranger.
Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
The next figure we have is Dino Charge Red. While I'm sure there are fans that would skip out on this figure because they've had too many Dino Charge Reds or if they don't care about Dino Charge and just want MMPR constantly (yawn), this is still a figure that should belong in a collection. I quite like how we have the Dino Charge exclusive details on this figure, like a painted belt buckle to store his chargers, the sash-esque chest and back design not being cheapened out, the arms having a different shade of red and a sculpted texture different from the rest of the suit, and the shoulder spike as well as the silver pieces on the hands adding onto this Ranger design. I do find it a bit weird that lining up the chest could be a bit weird to do when the front looks mostly normal but the back doesn't.
The helmet sculpt looks nicely done, yet my copy does suffer from the yellow parts of the teeth not quite lining up with the sculpted teeth when viewed up close. That's a shame, especially since the Hasbro quality control, while not always awful, could be slightly off at times. At least it's not missing anything crucial, as I've seen a small number of instances where the Beast Morphers Red Ranger is missing the silver paint for the mouthpiece, though if this was missing the silver mouthpiece, maybe it could double as Tyler acting like a T-Rex?
Articulation's no different here than with the others, but the shoulders on my copy feel really stiff. It's especially worrying since one would expect this figure to not have joints that tight.
The accessories he comes with include the Dino Saber, Dino Charge Morpher, an effect piece, a civilian head for Tyler Navarro, and two weapon-holding hands. The Dino Saber looks good, but the Morpher is lacking paint, especially on one side of it. The effect piece is yet another blue one, but at least its colors are a bit more varied to better resemble the charge from the saber. The civilian head to Brennan Mejia looks good, though should be a bit happier since he was always like that in the show (maybe he's upset that his dad's not in the Lightning Collection yet?), and the new two hands are weapon-holding ones, which replace the right fist and left karate chop.
The display options look really sweet considering how Tyler normally poses quite a bit in comparison to other Red Rangers. He can replicate his helmetless promo shot, him preparing to insert a charger into the Morpher, and him getting ready to slice an enemy with his saber. I quite like that method of display options for more of the core team members.
For a comparison with some other figures, here he is next to the Bandai figures of the past. One is a Kyoryuger bike figure, another is the American Action Hero mold, and the tallest of the three is the S.H.Figuart Kyoryu Red. The bike figure's obviously not the best looking of them all, with the proportions being far too skinny and the details of the suit remaining inaccurate like the way the chest is done or the arms not looking different in terms of texturing or shading. The Bandai Action Hero was a decent toy for its time, though the proportions are a bit more exaggerated in comparison to the other figures (not terribly so like the old 5-inch figures or the MMPR 2010 line). The Figuart is another toy that many will praise to the heavens, but I feel the proportions are a bit better for the Hasbro figure as well as the helmet being a bit more accurate than the Figuart.
Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Now it's time for the first villain in this line, Lord Zedd! It's surprising that a villain from the Mighty Morphin series gets a figure within the initial wave of the Lightning Collection. He and Goldar were announced at Toy Fair 2018, but I hope we get to see more from the Lightning Collection in terms of villains. I like the fact that we not only have a new mold but the fact that Zedd is a slightly larger figure than the others. Zedd himself has some nice sculpting for the flesh that has been exposed from his skin burning off thanks to the Zeo Crystal in the past, the silver looks nicely applied on the areas that need them, and the tubing looks decent on this figure, and it's nice that it doesn't get in the way with the articulation. Still, I wish the silver was a bit shinier (not necessarily chrome), and the bust doesn't look quite look right with how the shoulders have a gap with the collarbone, but the rest of the proportions work well.
Zedd's visor looks a lot nicer with the metallic red paint rather than a flat red one most Zedd's had. I do wish there is a bit more paint to distinguish the mouth grill, but at least it's applied well. Also nice that the Z point is present, as is the exposed brain. the articulation is about the same as with the other figures, though the tubing does have its stretch limit. Another nitpick I do have is the hands lacking the fingernail paint apps.
His accessories include the Z-Staff, the effect piece (this time in red!), two alternate hands, and a Growth Bomb, the first time an official Lord Zedd figure had one!
He can use either of his bomb-holding hands to hold the bomb, as he prepares to throw it towards a monster of the week. It's a neat accessory to include, but I suggest being careful when displaying it as it could be easy to lose it.
The Z-staff looks nice in his hand, and while it could have some silver paint as well as a point that shouldn't be reversed, it's in a good size with the figure and looks even better with the effect piece. Combine that with the extra articulation and you get a tremendous way to display Lord Zedd!
Lord Zedd is reused for a Gamestop exclusive 2-pack that comes with Rita Repulsa. Based on the Silver Wedding, we not only get added paint for Zedd's hands and bomb, but we also get a slightly improved Z-Staff, and the Dark Crystal used to power up those cheap-looking Dark Rangers. Oh, and I'll cover this set while mostly focusing on Rita, the sole purpose to buy this two-pack.
Here he is with a comparison next to the only other Zedd figure I have, that being the MMPR Legacy 5-inch figure from 2014, which was using a mold similar to that of the Super Megaforce-Super Ninja Steel figures. I also have a comparison with ones I don't have, that being the 90s Zedd and the Super Legends version of the character released in 2008 along with the Jungle Fury line. The Super Megaforce one was probably the best Zedd for the proportions and articulation, but its shade of red seemed too bright compared to the Lightning Collection. The 1994 figure screams Masters of the Universe and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles of chunky outdatedness. Also, why was the visor blue? As for the Super Legends version of the character, it was alright for its time, yet felt underwhelming compared to the Super Legends Green Ranger, White Ranger, and Gold Ranger, which remain good even with the Lightning Collection versions.
Hasbro certainly surprised fans when they created a Lord Zedd figure that was not good but also readily available in most retailers. I'm happy to have it despite some of the tiny nitpicks put onto it. That said, I don't like how hard it was to obtain it, as I only saw it one time before it disappeared from shelves. So much so that I had to buy it online. Either way, I'm happy to have it with me.
Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
So now that we've taken a look at each figure individually, let's talk about the wave overall. What a first wave! It's great to see these a bit more variety in this line with the character selection. Having one Ranger from each era (Zordon Era, Disney Era, and Neo-Saban Era) and a villain seems like the best way to start the line. Sure, the Legacy Collection's first line had two Mighty Morphin Power Rangers and half of Ninja Storm (the Wind Rangers), but the rest of the waves from that line tended to have two seasons represented, and even if it meant getting completed teams sooner (which the Legacy line didn't do as perfectly), I like the approach Hasbro went with representing one season (Mighty Morphin or Beast Morphers, for example) with half of a wave while including two characters from different eras.
The unhelmeted civilian forms are certainly nice to have, and the actor resemblance is also nice to see on figures from the 6-inch line, which Hasbro has done with their MCU Marvel Legends and Star Wars: The Black Series line. It's also nice to see them in the line since it's rare to have civilian heads overall. I look forward to seeing more Rangers with their human heads where applicable.
The effect pieces are also one of the best ways to entice fans to get these figures, what with the power they could present. My favorite ones are the Shadow Ranger's swirls for the blade and Zedd's lightning. Speaking of ranking, I'd say that from the most recommended to the least recommended, I feel that Zedd's the best of this line, the Shadow Ranger behind Zedd, the Mighty Morphin White Ranger in third, and the Dino Charge Red Ranger in last. The latter two being ranked lower doesn't make them bad figures, I just feel that they've had a lot more releases than Zedd and the Shadow Ranger had.
I'm quite excited to see what else the Lightning Collection has to offer for fans later down the road, especially when we've got so much to talk about with characters from different seasons overall. I may not get every release as much as I would want to, but I will try to get as many as possible should the day come where a wave is completed.
Overall ranking: ⭐⭐⭐⭐.75 out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Hasbro certainly surprised fans when they created a Lord Zedd figure that was not good but also readily available in most retailers. I'm happy to have it despite some of the tiny nitpicks put onto it. That said, I don't like how hard it was to obtain it, as I only saw it one time before it disappeared from shelves. So much so that I had to buy it online. Either way, I'm happy to have it with me.
Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
So now that we've taken a look at each figure individually, let's talk about the wave overall. What a first wave! It's great to see these a bit more variety in this line with the character selection. Having one Ranger from each era (Zordon Era, Disney Era, and Neo-Saban Era) and a villain seems like the best way to start the line. Sure, the Legacy Collection's first line had two Mighty Morphin Power Rangers and half of Ninja Storm (the Wind Rangers), but the rest of the waves from that line tended to have two seasons represented, and even if it meant getting completed teams sooner (which the Legacy line didn't do as perfectly), I like the approach Hasbro went with representing one season (Mighty Morphin or Beast Morphers, for example) with half of a wave while including two characters from different eras.
The unhelmeted civilian forms are certainly nice to have, and the actor resemblance is also nice to see on figures from the 6-inch line, which Hasbro has done with their MCU Marvel Legends and Star Wars: The Black Series line. It's also nice to see them in the line since it's rare to have civilian heads overall. I look forward to seeing more Rangers with their human heads where applicable.
The effect pieces are also one of the best ways to entice fans to get these figures, what with the power they could present. My favorite ones are the Shadow Ranger's swirls for the blade and Zedd's lightning. Speaking of ranking, I'd say that from the most recommended to the least recommended, I feel that Zedd's the best of this line, the Shadow Ranger behind Zedd, the Mighty Morphin White Ranger in third, and the Dino Charge Red Ranger in last. The latter two being ranked lower doesn't make them bad figures, I just feel that they've had a lot more releases than Zedd and the Shadow Ranger had.
I'm quite excited to see what else the Lightning Collection has to offer for fans later down the road, especially when we've got so much to talk about with characters from different seasons overall. I may not get every release as much as I would want to, but I will try to get as many as possible should the day come where a wave is completed.
Overall ranking: ⭐⭐⭐⭐.75 out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
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