Power Rangers Lightning Collection Lost Galaxy Red Ranger vs Psycho Red review

Last two-pack I reviewed was the Fighting Spirit Green Ranger and Putty set, which was a pretty interesting way to include what are essentially an altered Green Ranger and an army builder that won't be easy to multiply. Still, there's a change a regular Putty will be released, and the same goes for a normal Green Ranger. Now, as for certain seasons, like In Space and Lost Galaxy, how does one represent everything that would be needed to complete the teams? For now, we have a mass-retail Magna Defender, a Gamestop-exclusive Psycho Blue, and today's subject matter, a two-pack consisting of Lost Galaxy Red and Psycho Red. It's honestly not a bad thing if you ask me; while the Psycho Rangers made their debut in Space, they also showed up in the crossover with Lost Galaxy, which is certainly one of the greatest moments in Power Rangers history for anyone that's delved into the franchise past Mighty Morphin. Now, let's go galactic with the brother of the second Magna Defender (even if Hasbro depicts the character as the original version) and our second Psycho Ranger!

UPDATE 8/9/2020: Psycho Ranger 2-pack included in reuse portion of the article.

Here is the Lost Galaxy Red Ranger in-hand. Leo Corbett's one of the more underrated Red Rangers in my opinion. I like his character in the show, and even if he's not on the same level of recognition seen with Jason, Andros, Wes, Jack, Scott, and Tyler, he's still a pretty good Red Ranger overall, and it was also nice seeing him return in this line. That being said, there are a few things I don't like about this figure. The deco for the teeth/zigzag details are at least done well on the chest, even with the torso articulation, but the way it's done on the gloves and boots is not as good. It's either not as well-applied or the pattern gets inconsistent with the lengths of each line. Another thing I really hate is how the red that goes under the ab crunch joint is a differrent shade from the plastic used on the toy (while also looking a little sloppy). At least the whites look consistent, though the helmet's shade or red's a little lighter than the helmet. Also like that the belt's painted properly as well as thr holster being black. The back does not have any continued patterns, which made me i initially think it was missing from this toy, but the suits don't actually have any extra zig zag lines.

Helmet does look accurate to the on-show design. It's a fairly basic suit design that ticks the list on what an animal-based Ranger helmet has, but it's a good one. The visor's mostly done well, but the silver lips, yellow lines, and green eyes look good. The articulation's the same as always with the Lightning Collection line, and my Red Ranger thankfully has no loose joints. The diaphragm joint does make the suit details a little misaligned, so any fans with OCD will be a little annoyed.

This Ranger's accessories include the Leo Corbett civillian head, two weapon holding hands, one hell of an effect piece, and two versions of the Quasar Saber: one retracted and one extended.

Like always, I'm happy with the display options present with this line. Fans are disappointed that the Transdagger or Lights of Orion are not included with this figure. I guess you could say the same for the Quasar Launcher or vehicles associated with this guy, as well as the Battlizer if you're going to be nitpicky. Still, at least this Red Ranger doesn't feel skimped in terms of accessories. Also love that flaming effect piece.

For a figure comparison, here he is with the original Bandai figure, the 15th-anniversary version, and the 5-inch Action Hero figure. While the Hasbro figure is undoubtedly better in terms of articulation, proportions, and accuracy, I have to admit that the paintwork could be a little more refined. Like the chest deco's fine (save for the fact that the zigzags are a little stylized in terms of proportions), but the gloves and boots have points that look a little too far apart from one another while the chest deco has its points a little closer than they would normally be (and bigger, too). Some fans noticed that the CG renders have more zigzags on the boots, but those aren't quite accurate. So all in all, the LC version of Lost Galaxy Red has better proportions and articulation, but his paint could be better in some areas, especially that red on his stomach.

Next up, it's the Psycho Red Ranger. I already reviewed this guy but in blue, so he's got about the same details you expect the psycho Rangers. I think the red is not quite as faintly applied to the black as I was expecting. Sure, it looks like it needs another coat of paint for the red, but it does the job very well. Plus I love the fact that the red is a darker shade than your normal Red Ranger. Otherwise, the sculpting is the same as seen with the Blue Ranger, and this will apply to any future versions of the Lightning Collection Psychos except for the females (should they have their own tooling)

Helmet sculpt does have a few scuffs here in there, but it's otherwise painted nicely, even if it's the same helmet seen with the Blue Psycho Range, but in red. Articulation is virtually the same, including the slightly hindered shoulders and neck.

Here are his accessories, consisting of a Psycho Saber, a right hand with electricity, and a left fist.

The display options are not quite as prominent as seen with the Red Ranger, but they're not too bad. I kind of wish a civilian head for this guy was made since he had a human disguise at one point in the show. Also, love the sword's fade to silver, though the lightning hand is the same.

Psycho Red was included in a 5-pack made for Amazon and is included with a new effect piece that he did not come with for in the two-pack. Those that didn't get the two-pack can get this set, but those that don't like getting doubles may need to give away one of the otherwise similar-looking duplicates.

Here he is next to the Bandai version. They're generally identical in terms of details, though the Bandai version has proportions that are stretched vertically. Also, I think the helmet's a little more accurate than the Hasbro version, as the eyes should look a little bigger like on the Bandai version. Either figure is pretty good, with the Hasbro version being a great figure like the rest of the line while the Bandai version is one of the better offerings from Bandai as well as one of the last.

And that covers my look at this set. It's kind of unfortunate that the set with a more logical pairing manages to have a few issues compared to the set that doesn't have a logical pairing. The Green Ranger and Putty 2-pack felt pretty neat overall, while this set has a Red Ranger with a few paint problems I wish Hasbro would fix and a Psycho Ranger who's a color swap of the single-release Psycho Blue. Still, you can't miss out on this set, especially when it's on heavy clearance now. $18.99 is basically two Lightning Collection figures for the price of one, which is a win for me...

...and this two-pack goes well with our growing Lost Galaxy team and Psycho team. Now then, what's next for these two teams? We already got Psycho Green on the way from Hasbro Pulse, but the other team members need some attention of their own. I'd have Psycho Yellow as a retail figure, Black in a two-pack with the Black Space Ranger, Silver with his real Space Ranger counterpart, and Pink in a three-pack with both Pink Rangers from In Space and Lost Galaxy. That takes us to Lost Galaxy, where Blue, Green, and Yellow could be on their own. Oh, and we also need some Space Rangers, especially since they've yet to be made under Hasbro.

Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐