Hasbro Power Rangers Beast Morphers Basic Figures review

Bandai's mainline Power Rangers figures have gone through several changes over the years, especially the 5-inch line. From the Auto-Morphin figures to the muscley figures In Space-Time Force and a variety of Disney-Era figures, one can say the line up felt pretty inconsistent overall. The Jungle Fury figures were the best made in the market, as was the Super Legends chase line. RPM went slightly smaller, and MMPR 2010 began the smaller 4-inch line, with comic-book muscles to the max (and tiny heads) before Samurai and Megaforce slimmed things down with the proportions. Super Megaforce introduced the Action Hero line up, which gave fans 6 complete teams (Super Megaforce, MMPR, Dino Charge, 1995 movie, Ninja Steel, 2017 movie), almost every Red Ranger and 6th Ranger, and a return of villain figures for Dino Charge and Ninja Steel.

Needless to say, there's been quite the history of Bandai figures, and when it was announced that Hasbro was going to take over the franchise in 2019, fans were curious as to what the new company can do with their toys, especially when they have been involved with Marvel figures, Nerf, and Transformers for years. Fans knew their replacement of the Legacy line would be pretty good considering they did Marvel Legends and Star Wars: The Black Series, yet there are fans that were worried if the successors to the Action Hero line would be as limited as the basic figure assortment that MCU movies had, such as Spider-Man: Homecoming, Black Panther, and both recent Avengers movies (Infinity War and Endgame). The Toy Fair news kept fans ecstatic, and now let's see if the hype is lived up to in today's look at the basic figures!

UPDATE 08/08/2020: Ranger/Beast Bot 2-packs and Figure 6-pack included

Here we have Wave 1 of the Beast Morphers basic figures, consisting of the Red Ranger, Blue Ranger, Yellow Ranger, Cybervillain Blaze, and a Tronic. As you can see, they've got the Morph-X Keys attached to their forearms. Only the Rangers can hold it on their right arms, but the Tronic can hold two at once if one was inclined.

Speaking of those keys, here we have them up close. It's nice to see some differences for the Morph-X Keys after years of similar-looking Ranger Keys, Dino Chargers, and Power Stars. The four Rangers are based on the animals they have DNA of, and the Tronic is a key-styled version of the face.

Whereas if felt weird to move the keys of the demo Morph-X Key, these feel more solid and much better than I expected. It would be nice if they were transparent because that'd make them feel more cool. Funny enough, Blaze's key does have the proper green that the key has, though in the show, every key is bigger than they are in toy form, and their blades aren't that long. It should be noted that Red, Blue, and Yellow make the hero jingles while Blaze and the Tronic make the villain jingles.

Red's key makes the same sounds as on the demo key, and they are:

"Cheetah Beast Power, Red!"

"Let's go for a spin, Cruise!"

Blue's key has some new sounds, yet they don't sound anything like Ravi does in the show. They are the following:

"Blue Ranger Power!" (interestingly, he doesn't say "Gorilla Beast Power, Blue!" yet likely another key has that sound)

"Don't worry, Smash! I got this!"

Yellow's key also has some new sounds, and she sort of sounds like Zoey in the show. They consist of:

"Jackrabbit Beast Power, Yellow!"

"You messed with the wrong Ranger!"

Blaze's key has the same sounds like the one from the demo key, and they are:

"I'm not a real human; I'm much better!"

"I'm the better Red Ranger!"

Finally, the Tronic's key has its share of unique sounds, but they're ones not made from the speechless minions but instead one clip from Blaze and another from either Scrozzle or Evox.

"Tronics, attack!"

"The Morph-X is miiiine!"

Another aspect of each figure is that aside from having one key, they each come with two weapons. They're each nicely painted, and more so than Bandai's basic figures. They're almost comparable to the Figuarts ones, which shows how much care Hasbro went into something they didn't need to do.

Each of the core Rangers has a Beast-X Saber, but their range weapons are different. Red Ranger comes with his Cheetah Beast Blaster, an American exclusive weapon. Blue comes with the Beast-X Cannon, which is weird since he can't really have both that and his Saber at the same time. Yellow has a regular Beast-X Blaster. Blaze comes with his own sword and a reversed color version of the Cheetah Beast Blaster, but at least the reds are now crimson. The Tronic only has his two-prong blades.

The first figure we'll be taking a look at is Devon Daniels, the Red Ranger of the team and replacement of Blaze. He'll be the base male mold to cover, so most of the same points will apply to Blue. Overall, he's a nicely done figure. The paint apps are nice, the scale works better than the Action Heroes, but my favorite part of the basic figures is the details put into the toy. Hasbro didn't have to make this figure look life-like, but they did! Instead of the old muscles and smooth surfaces, the Beast Morphers figures have textured outfits, with the suits having the details that the in-show props would have. On top of that, there are some nice creases in the suits to make them look more like they're stretched over the person wearing the suit. 

The Beast-X Morpher being a part of the suit designs initially made me fear that Hasbro would do what Bandai did and sculpt it but never paint it, but even that's picked out! Thanks to the uniform design, Hasbro has nothing to worry about with having to resculpt the morpher depending on the Ranger, as I remember when Bandai's Dino Thunder toys had Red and Blue share the same morpher sculpting for some dumb reason. The only details missing are the zipper and the paint for the transporter, but the rest is so well done. Even the back's nicely painted!

The helmet looks very well done, even in spite of the minor paint nicks. It doesn't feel too small compared to the Action Hero helmets, nor does it look too big on him. It's got the right details that the Beast Morphers Red (Buster) helmet should have. The visor's got some metallic red paint to distinguish itself from the red plastic. While not as shiny as his teammates, it still looks pretty good.

The articulation's very well done and almost similar to Bandai's with some minor differences. Head is on a ball joint, shoulders can move forward and back, in and out, plus the elbows bend, but instead of a swivel at the glove, there's a swivel at the elbow. Hips move forwards and back, in and out, there's a bend at the knee, but instead of swiveling at the boots, the knees swivel.

Weapons in hand, he looks ready to battle evil with his saber and blaster. This Red Ranger's a solid entry for fans that wanted the Beast Morphers/Go-Busters suits in figure form and for not just a good price but on a nicely done mold!

For comparison (pic credit goes to TokuNation), here is the Hasbro figure next to the Bandai Japan figures. On his right is the S.H. Figuarts version of the character, and on his left is the MBAF figure that came with a transforming Cheeda Nick and a Candy Toy version. The figure is slightly taller than the Figuart, and both tower over the MBAF and Candy Toy. The MBAF lacks articulation and the Candy Toy looked real bad. Many have loved the Figuart version of the figure, and understandably so. That said, the details of both the Figuart and Hasbro figure are so close, with the only differences being the zipper is missing on the original, and the lack of paint on the transporter; as a compromise, the Hasbro figure has the arm joints look better. Sure, the Figuarts is going to be better than the American version with the articulation and accessories, but the price that we have with the basic figures and the paint make them worth getting.

The Red Ranger's great to have for every PR fan, and the unique range weapon he has makes him even more unique compared to the other Rangers!

Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Here's Ravi Shaw the Blue Ranger; he is the only one of the three Rangers that has the most Grid Battleforce experience. He looks as nice as his red ally. Same nice details like on Red, only in blue.

His helmet's somewhat hard to do right because of how wide it is, but I feel it's pretty good looking here. I'd argue that it's better than the Figuart version, though the 12-inch version is done better. I even love how shiny his visor is, too. 

Articulation's the same for Blue, and the weapons look great on him yet there's the awkwardness of him holding one saber and the cannon when he shouldn't. Maybe he lent it from another Ranger.

For another comparison, here is the Hasbro Blue Ranger next to the Figuarts version. The Figuart's helmet looked pretty skinny compared to Hasbro's. Like with Red, Blue's missing the zipper and detail for the transporter. Also, the elbow joints look better with Hasbro than with the Figuart.

The Blue Ranger is as good as the Red Ranger, and even if it's weird that he has the saber while there's another saber attached to the blaster, the effort made is awesome!

Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Roxy replacement Zoey Reeves is next as the Yellow Ranger of this team. While skinnier than the male figures, who did feel somewhat thinner than the previous male figures, I appreciate that this figure doesn't have the skinny waist, wide hips, and large breasts of the previous female figures. Nothing wrong with those aspects, but the proportions aren't that screen accurate. Maybe her shade of yellow is slightly brighter than normal, but it's not too bad.

Her helmet looks really good, and I like the visor's metallic paint on it much like I do with her teammates.

While female figures have been limited by their skirt pieces for a while (up until Ninja Steel's figures), it's nice to see Hasbro make the skirt a softer material so the articulation won't be hindered by the legs. She can sit down if fans wanted her to, which was a problem for past female molds that had the skirts because of them being made from the stiffer plastic. Much like with the other Rangers, the Yellow Ranger has her own Beast-X Saber, but unlike Blue, she has the normal Beast-X Blaster. It makes more sense for her to do that, and I do like that the Rangers each have different weapons.

For yet another comparison, here is the Hasbro Yellow Ranger next to the Figuarts Yellow Buster. Yellow Buster's visor does look more effective, and the yellow shade does look closer to the suit, but I kind of felt that the diaphragm joint made her look kind of fat. Yellow Ranger does look a bit too skinny, but at least she's more athletic-looking. Also, Yellow Buster's skirt limits her movement while Hasbro's version doesn't. From other reviews, it appears that Yellow Buster is a head shorter than Yellow Ranger, which is somewhat of tables turning when comparing mainline stuff to Figuarts. Need I say more with the elbow joints?

I love how the Yellow Ranger turned out. She's not as compromised as I thought she would be considering the history of female figures. I recommend her as much as I do her male counterparts!

Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

These figures are amazing to have in the line, and even better than the Action Heroes IMO. Not that those were bad, but I love seeing the less roided out proportions for the Rangers considering it's a live-action series after all. Both Red, Blue, and Yellow make for great purchases, especially when there are more allies and villains to put them with!

The three Rangers received re-releases that come with Beast Bot armor, each of them giving different attachments from one another. The figures themselves are unchanged from the regular releases, while the Beast Bots are new molds made to combine with the Rangers and give them flight capabilities. These aren't really required and aren't screen accurate, but these figures are great for any fans out there that tend to be all about being completionists or those that have a kid that would love to get their hands on regular Power Rangers if they don't like the Beast-X Mode versions. Plus, the Beast Bots make for a nice bonus and even the keys have new sounds!

Next up, here we have the 6-figure pack, consisting of the core three, the later released Gold and Silver Brothers, and Evox himself, released just in time for the endgame of the season. In terms of the three Rangers themselves, they're unchanged from the ones we got previously, and the only weapons associated with these three include one Beast-X Saber, Yellow's Beast-X Blaster, Blue's Beast-X Cannon, and Red's Cheetah Beast Blaster. The other accessories come with Gold, Silver, Evox, and the non-included Red Fury Mode and Beast-X Modes of the core-three Rangers.

Let's go to the dark side with the villains of Beast Morphers, starting with Cybervillain Blaze. An evil version of the Red Ranger suit, he comes with all the details that a normal Beast Morphers suit would have, but with the corrupted elements Evox has after creating the Avatar of Blaze. The sharper helmet, the prominent fangs, the twisted Morpher, and the suit having armor that looks different from the core team shows that this is no hero.

The helmet does look good yet I feel the orange paint used for the visor feels a bit off to me. Maybe the fangs look a bit too thick, or maybe the visor needs another coat of paint to make it look less thin.

Blaze's articulation is almost the same as the other Rangers. Blaze cannot move his legs outward, and it's a shame too because it'd be great to have the figure move as good as the other Rangers. Apparently, Hasbro felt that the heroes move around more and the villains aren't as poseable as the Rangers. That makes no sense since Blaze is not only a Ranger but also a slim human figure. I don't mind Evox or the monsters of the week being limited, but I am disappointed Hasbro didn't make a variant of Blaze with better leg movement.

His weapons include the sword he usually brandishes, and because you can't make blast effect pieces for this scale, he comes with a reversed colored Cheetah Beast Blaster. It could have had the all-black detail, but at least it's got some burgandy replacing the red paint apps.

Here he is with a comparison next to the Bandai Japan Dark Buster. Yeah, we never had an official Dark Buster figure, which baffles me since Bandai and Tamashi would have done some great figures of him and Beet & Stag Buster. 

While the figure does look great as the first version of Blaze/Dark Buster, I do wish his articulation was the same as the Rangers. Still, he makes a great figure before we get a Lightning Collection version.

Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ and a half out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rounding off the wave is the Tronic! A drone with a pink spandex suit, black boots and gloves, and a silver head, this is certainly one of the more interesting designs, yet I would prefer a more intimidating appearance. I kind of feel that this is almost a compromise of the lack of pink in Beast Morphers/Go-Busters. Still a weird design, especially with the chest armor and constant use of silver buttons.

The head does look somewhat featureless save for the creavases in the helmet and the forehead camera, or what looks like a camera. The silver does look nice.

The articulation's the same as Blaze's, which does put this figure behind lacking when Bandai's previous troop builder figures have been as poseable as the Rangers.

The weapons are the twin blasters that also serve as melee weapons. They look fine but they don't look too unique. Even as cannon fodder, the Tronics don't deserve to have their legs lacking some articulation. Also, this may sound somewhat unfair, but the Tronic design doesn't feel that cool, though I do appreciate the effort. I would love a Tronic Dog with Ben and Betty, though.

Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Owning the villains is still nice, yet I wish they had the same outward leg movement. They're so close to being as great as the Rangers, but they're not quite there yet. And it's a shame that we may get this with Roxy and likely Enter's other forms should they be adapted for Blaze in Beast Morphers.

We're not done yet! Here's more comparisons, this time we have our Hasbro Red Ranger next to Bandai's Legacy Metallic Red Ranger (shown here due to the translucent look of the toy) and the Super Megaforce Titanium Ranger Action Hero (part of the previous 5-inch line). BM Red stands between the Titanium Ranger and MMPR Red, and unlike either figure, the Red Ranger has the proper proportions that have been absent on almost every Power Ranger toy in history. Both figures are good, but I prefer the proportions that Hasbro made.

For those that wonder of the size between other Bandai figures, here is a pic made by Twitter User Raul/@ListenAnyway, showcasing the Hasbro Red Ranger sharing the same height of the Jungle Fury figure (which was one of the better Bandai figures), and both tower over RPM and Overdrive, who both share their own height. BM Red towers over Ninja Steel Red, who is slightly taller than Super Megaforce Red, and finally, the 4 inch Megaforce figure.

There's another size comparison to discuss, here is the Beast Morphers Red Ranger next to figures made from Hasbro's other lines, which include Black Series Darth Vader and Marvel Legends Gamerverse Spider-Man. BM Red does look shorter than the two figures, which makes me wonder how the Lightning Collection will scale with these lines, though it should be noted that Devon Daniels is slightly shorter than Peter Parker, and Darth Vader towers over both.

And finally, a comparison that involves another basic Hasbro figure. It's a Spider-Man figure from the Homecoming movie. While I dislike this version of the character and the movies he's been in, I do feel this figure is decent for younger fans that can't get a version of the character from the Legends line. As you can see, the figure's height is shorter than the Red Ranger, which makes sense since this Spidey is younger than the others. Also, while Beast Morphers Red looks like a normal action figure, Spider-Man feels weird due to his posture looking more like a shrunken down Titan Hero. Also, the hands are different, with the left hand having the proper web-shooting hand and the right hand being slightly open to hold some nonexistent accessory.

Spider-Man comes with an accessory that does clip onto his forearm, and because the MCU had to force in Stark influences up the ass, this figure has a mega web shooter that has been a trend for Spider-Man toys (albeit those were made by Parker himself in the bios). Well, this accessory is pretty unsubtle and doesn't fit well with the toy. The Morph-X key doesn't look too bad on the Red Ranger's arm, and it can be a blade for him to use.

And then there's articulation. This was something I praise Hasbro for with some of their Beast Morphers figures when it comes to the leg movement. The Spider-Man figure has the same articulation restrictions that Blaze and the Tronic have, which doesn't make much sense for a character like him. As a result, you see the effectiveness of their articulation.

Overall, these figures are a blast to own! While they may tower over the Action Hero mold and the villains may lack some leg movement, I love the effort put into the line with the sculpting, paint, and the accessories feeling more important than before. I'm so excited to finally get more than just a full team but also a great selection of other characters in the line. Compare that to how discouraged I felt with Samurai's distribution and smaller scale; it's night and day!

If you see these figures, pick them up! Even if we get inevitable Lightning Collection versions soon, I'm happy with how these turned out!

Overall ranking: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ .7 out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐