I'm surprised that it took me this long to get this...wave?...of figures that aren't part of the main retail line-up. Apart from the Silver Ranger and maybe Finster, these releases don't fit anywhere else with the main line of characters you'd find at Target or Walmart. I know that Finster was a normal online exclusive found across numerous websites, while In Space Silver was exclusive to Walgreens and both Andros and the Sentry were exclusive to Target. The handling of these exclusives is questionable at best and it can be pretty irritating for the most part. More as we discuss further.
Let's get In Space Silver done first as we go in box order. This guy is similar to the other Lightning Collection Space Rangers in terms of space details, though with more gold accents and the chest squares being green instead of their own colors. like with the rest of the team. The gold on the figure shines beautifully, and the silver on the figure looks much more opaque than on the Lunar Wolf Ranger. Apart from that, he's got all of the same details one would expect from the Space Rangers due to them being extremely similar to each other, even the Sixth Ranger.
The helmet looks a little more striking than on the other Rangers, especially with the gold outline looking sharper than the white outline and with very few misalignment issues, but I must ask why there's a black strip of paint on one side? I also don't like how the mouthplate isn't painted. It just makes the helmet look a little more incomplete if you ask me. His articulation is the same as before, so I won't cover it in full detail. Needless to say, it's not restrictive thanks to the suit being simple all around and the base mold having nothing added on.
The accessories of thisfigure include an alternate right fist, left karate chop hand, a Zhane head, two versions of the Super Silverizer, and an effect piece meant for the sword mode.
The display options are always neat to have, though it is worth mentioning that the Zhane head is a different sculpt from the one used in the Blue Space Ranger/Psycho Silver 2-pack. Getting either version of the Silverizer in his hand is a pain in the ass due to the lack of space necessary, so you have to take the hand off, insert the handle, and then attach the hand back.
For a comparison with previous versions, let's first tackle Psycho Silver! Definitely a night and day difference between suit designs! And it's funny how I got Psycho Silver first since the regular Ranger form was hard to obtain. And on the side of Bandai, the Legacy Collection NEVER made a regular Silver Space Ranger while they made an easy repaint for the Psycho version. And poor Silver Space had to deal with the lack of updated releases because if it weren't for Lightning Collection, then likely never. I mean, he's the only Sixth Ranger to fit in the most with the core team due to the design, and they didn't give him new toys for Super Megaforce nor Legacy?! Anyways, the older toys varied from shiny yet inaccurate chrome to a more normal silver sheen.
And here he is with the other Lightning Collection Power Rangers in the series, and apart from the oddities that the girls have with the shoulders, Pink's pinkonsistencies, and the visor design for Red, this is a very successful team of Ranger figures overall. Bandai was very close to completing their Lightning Collection Ranger team, and the fact that a simple repaint didn't get made but a more extensive design like Drakkon gets attention. I'd recommend him but it's impossible to obtain it overall. And it's weird since MMPR Black was easy to spot even if he had the Dragon Shield while Dino Thunder White was a little less frequent after we got the helmet replacements. And it's a similar situation with the WFC trilogy: Ratchet and Bluestreak were fairly easy to get while Red Alert was impossible to find. And nobody knows if Walgreens will have yet another exclusive much like how no one knows if Minerva will be easy get.
Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ and a half out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
And now we have Andros in his cloaked disguise. It's a pretty puffy-looking cloak that ends up looking like a bathrobe by comparison. Sure, there is a hood on there, but I think it'd look better if it was sculpted to look less like Andros is about to enter a jacuzzi and more like Andros is avoiding detection as a Ranger.
Head sculpt may or may not be the same one that we got in the 2-pack long ago. And removing the cloak/bathrobe reveals a very simple suit design. Only consisting of a gold logo and a belt buckle, it's probably the only toy in the line to have no margin for error with quality control!
As for its accessories, he comes with the same weapons as before, but he has a lightning effect for his Spiral Saber, a blast effect for his Astro Blaster, a pointing right hand and left fist, and an unpainted helmet to make it look shrouded underneath the hood.
The display options are practically the same as before, but the lack of accents using a secondary color makes this feel underwhelming for a figure compared to a normal Ranger. I guess it can be used for a stealth mode like in the comics, but unless you're a fan of Andros or are a completionist, you can skip this one. Though it may be discounted and it can be easy to customize it.
Up next, we have Finster! A wholly new mold, this guy makes for another addition to the main cast of Rita Repulsa's Evil Space Aliens. He's like a mix between a gnome, a muppet, and a troll with his design. The proportions fit the design, and I like how the outfit looks to represent him being a crafter, what with his apron holding tools as well as his glasses. I'm sure some people would wish he had a wash applied onto his clothes, but oh well.
Head sculpt captures his alien look very well, in addition to the puppet-like look of his face design. The ears are big, and the little details like the earrings, glasses, and headband are nice to have. His articulation is more or less the same as with a normal figure. Except his forearms have single jointed elbows and swivels at the elbows instead of the biceps. His apron gets in the way of the legs, but the jaw can open. You can adjust the glasses to find out my copy's eyes are a little misaligned.
His accessories a magnifying glass on a neckband, a messed up spatula, a briefcase to mold Putty Patrollers, two tiny putties, a rolling pin, a little chisel, and a pair of more open hands. All of the right hands have those little extensions on them while the left hands look more normal.
The display options are moreso meant for him to represent his history of making Putties and the like, and you can even wedge the putties on his hands if you want to make the display options more fitting for him. The orange putties can even fit inside the molding case!
And here he is next to some other Mighty Morphin villains. I didn't expect him to be as tall as most of them, but then again I haven't seen MMPR for a good while. Anyways, the only other merchandise we have for him is the old 90s toy which looked goofy as hell, and the Super7 version that looks a little more cartoony than this guy. I think I'll stick with the Hasbro toy. It's fairly easy to get.
Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐ and a half out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
And now we have the Tyrannosaurus Sentry from the Boom Studios Shattered Grid storyline. Instead of being a specific Ranger, this suit is used for an army of foot soldiers loyal to Lord Drakkon and represents a twisted and militarized take on the classic Red Ranger design. The arms are the same, but the cape, use of black on the thighs, new boots, and the more detailed torso make for a new reimagining that I don't think toku has taken advantage of until now. The cape is gold on the front view and red on the back, though I wish there is a bit more dry-brushing to make the cape look more like fabric.
Helmet is nearly the same as the MMPR Red helmet, though the sculpted lips are removed in favor of blank space. It's a slight retool of the updated helmet that the metallic Red Ranger got, and I don't know if the same helmet that the gender-swapped version of MMPR Red in the Jason/Trini Color Swap 2-pack will fit for the male body or not. The articulation is the same but the cape can make things a little easier.
Apart from the normal fists shown in the last pic, he has a staff that represents the classic Power Sword with a lightning wrap to boot. And here he is with his normal Mighty Morphin Red Ranger, except my version has a swapped helmet because I don't like the original helmet it came with. Yeah, this is definitely like the typical approach of turning a classic superhero into a modern one with the use of extra bells and whistles, kind of like the MCU while the Beast Morphers's unique suit designs and the Dino Charge arms feel more reminiscent of the mesh patterns found on the DCEU suits. I wish this guy got released sooner because being announced in April, having numerous delays, and finally popping up in July 2022 is a pain in the ass. Jesus Christ, Hasbro, never do that ever again with your other Sentries because this guy's awesome and every fan should get it!
Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
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