Here we have In Space Black, who is our third Space Ranger in the line overall. It's the same suit that the team wore in general, from the chest patterns to the yellow collarpiece and the white chest and bicep details that stand out more amongst his other teammates. The black-and-white pattern he has is pretty good overall, and the paint apps are generally applied onto the figure solidly. And considering how basic this suit design is, I can't really have any other complaints about the figure when everything is on-point.
Helmet sculpt is pretty accurate to what it looks like, and is pretty solid if you ask me (even if it needs some indents for the visor itself. Paint apps are at least applied properly. Articulation is the same as with every normal Lightning Collection figure: he has a ball joint at one part of the neck and a hinge at the other, butterfly joints, shoulders that move front and back as well as in and out, swivels at the biceps and double-jointed elbows, wrist swivels, hands that hinge in and out, and both a diaphragm joint as well as an ab crunch. Hips move front and back as well as in and out, thighs swivel, knees bend at two points, boots swivel, and the feet hinge up and down as pivot at the ankles.
As far as his accessories are concerned, he has his civilian head, a more open right hand, a fist, an Astro Blaster, an effect piece, and the Lunar Lance.
The display options are always a treat, with the likeness to Carlos Vallerte (or the actor Roger Velasco) is very good! The Astro Blaster is the same as we've seen with the one that came with Yellow and Red, but the Lunar Lance is a new addition overall. It's pretty decent in terms of paint apps and accuracy, but the base feels weirdly sticky. Must be a paint error. The new effect piece does make it look like a purple mop, but it's a breath of fresh air compared to all the lightning pieces.
For a comparison with his prior releaseshere he is with the Bandai Legacy Collection version and the 1998 5 inch figure. The Bandai version definitely has better handled paint apps (notice the squares on the chest), but there's not much else to complain about between one or the other. It's interesting how the Bandai Legacy figure doesn't have the white outline on the circle of the cranium. The 1998 figure is pretty much dated but good for what it is back then. To its credit, the mold was the first time we got normal Ranger figures.
And here he is with with his teammates, who look just as good as he does (though I'll admit that Red's visor is still wonky). This makes me want to get the other Space Rangers since they'll make the core team feel complete at the very least! Also, here he is with Mighty Morphin' Black! If you've seen In Space, you'll know that Adam returns to give his successor a boost in confidence since Adam was the Green Turbo Ranger and was replaced by Carlos mid-season. So overall, In Space Black is pretty basic but what is new to him is at least appreciative, especially the effect piece for his weapon.
Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Next up, we have Lost Galaxy Blue! About time we've gotten some attention for this guy since we've mainly seen Red and Magna Defender in 2019 only! Excluding the re-release of Red, nothing from Lost Galaxy was added to the line since then, but the Blue Ranger has broken the streak! Of course, he is just the same as the Red Ranger but with his appropriate colors, but at least his paint apps are applied on pretty well. The zig-zag could be a little more lined-up better.
Helmet is pretty nice, and I appreciate that the paint apps are nicely applied (apart from the visor missing a bit of black). I do find it funny how so many fans lost their shit over the top of the head having white instead of silver, but it turns out to be a photographic thing. In short, the PR fanbase overreacts once again. His articulation is the same, if a little less stiff than In Space Black's.
Here are all of the accessories he comes with, which are his civilian head, a lightning effect, the Quasar Saber in its extended and shortened mode, a karate hand, a fist, and a Transdagger in the Ranger-specific Cosma Claw form!
Once again, the display options are a treat. The likeness to Kai Chen (or the actor Archie Kao) is very good, and while the sword and effect pieces are the same as we've seen before, the Cosma Clas/Transdagger is a nice touch to help give him some distinction. Makes me wonder who would get what accessories since you'd either have these or the Quasar Launcher. Knowing the fanbase, they'd either bitch about one accessory being missing or they'd take action and make custom accessories (I prefer the latter).
Here he is with his prior counterpart. As expected, he didn't get any subsequent releases until now, and I think it's obvious that he's the winner.
And here he is with the other two currently-made teammates of Lost Galaxy. He seems taller than Leo, which makes him around the same height as the Magna Defender. Maybe Kai's taller than Leo, but I should check. Either way, it's great to have half of the team complete, and I hope we can get Green and the girls as soon as possible. So once again, the Blue Ranger may not be that distinct from Red as far as details and most of the accessories are concerned, but he still makes it through as a normal release and having a better consistency of blue on the ab-crunch. Also, his Transdagger is included!
Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
The third Ranger we'll be taking a look at the SPD Green Ranger! I have to commend this figure to having the right shade of green that is close to the TV show since his suit doesn't quite have the same shade that the other Green Rangers usually have. He's definitely got a slight mint influence to the shade compared to characters like Zeo Green or Time Force Green, and considering how it works for him, I'd say he's done up quite well overall. I will say that the badge on the chest looks wonky, and the line-up for the 3 on the left of the chest is not the best in terms of lining it up properly.
Helmet is very accurate, but once again, we've got more inconsistencies with the Ranger helmets: the visor outline is white like with Blue yet is incomplete and not thick like with Red. It's better than nothing like with the Pink Ranger, but COME ON! At least the sides have a nice application of silver trimming and red lights. His articulation is the same as with the other Rangers covered, but the hands to hinge up and down on this specific pair that he has.
Here are the accessories of the figure, which are the effect piece, the left karate hand, the Deltamax Knuckle, the Delta Morpher, the civilian head, the morpher-holding hand, and both a shortened and lengthened Deltamax Striker.
The display options are once again appreciative, and the likeness to Bridge Carson (or the actor Matt Austin), but I'm not a fan of the inconsistencies of the Morpher detailing. At least the weapons are more accurate compared to the Blue Ranger having his blue instead of black.
For a comparison with his prior forms you can see how muscular and dated the Bandai version was and how skinny and frail the Figuart version is. Also, is it me, or does the 3 look too long from the bottom?
And here he is with the currently available core team members. I'd put in Shadow and Omega, but I think it'd be even better if they were together with Yellow. Come on, Hasbro! Make her now! Once again, the Green Ranger adds to his team even if he himself isn't that different apart from the accessories and color.
The civilian head is perfect for using it on the Blue Ranger like in the end of SPD (even if we never saw him morph, but I think he looks awesome in the Red Ranger suit as he did in the glorious Once a Ranger team-up!
Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
And finally, here we have the Tenga Warrior! This is a new sculpt and one I've been surprised we've gotten of late! Considering how easy it is for the Lightning Collection to save money, I'm happy to see a new mold pop up because of how infrequent it is! This figure has been made from the ground up a la Goldar, Lord Zedd, Rita, Magna Defender, etc, and it's great to see him with the sculpting for the feathers as well as the colors used on him. The black and purple already make a great color combo a la G1 Skywarp, but the metallic teal on some of the feathers makes him feel even nicer overall. On top of that, he has some heft to him!
Head sculpt is done up very nicely, with a variety of colors applied onto it with the gray face, the black feathers used as hair, the gold for the pupils and beak, and a purple spray added on said beak! The eyes are also applied on pretty well! His articulation is the same, but his diaphragm joint is tight when it swivels while the elbows bend at single joints. Also, his beak opens!
Here are the accessories he comes with, which are interchangeable feathers, two fists, an egg, and a lightning effect in white.
The alternate wing set is very cool, and it doesn't compromise the articulation as far as being an alternate display method is concerned. They're even given designated slots and letters (L and R) to help make the switch between wing pieces easier!
The other display options are pretty nice to have, though the lightning piece is nothing new apart from the color, and the metallic egg is neat if a little hard for him to hold if you want to display him holding it.
For a comparison with a previously released Tenga Warrior toy, you can tell that it's a night-and-day difference! It's no contest so let's move on to say that the Tenga Warrior's awesome overall and is the best we've gotten of the character and a hefty addition to the collection since he's pretty heavy compared to the average Lightning Collection figure.
Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
And here is Wave 9's figures together in one shot! This was kind of a neat way to revisit the Lightning Collection reviews, as although they are pretty much similar to what we covered before (apart from the Tenga), it is easy to get back into the line after waiting for them to show up. It's both great and it makes me happy to see teams get closer to completion while also having a new mold to boot.
The civilian heads are great for all three of them, and I have no complaints about each of them. My favorite is Bridge's because he has an added smug personality to him on top of being a bit of bias for my love towards SPD.
The normal weapons they come with are pretty much what we've come to expect if you noticed the earlier reviews, but I like the Transdagger and the more accurate Delta Strikers. The new wings are especially nice for the Tenga if you ask me.
And the lightning effet pieces are pretty new from what we have seen apart from the one that comes with the Black Space Ranger, but they all do the job in my boot!
And of course, it's nice that the representation of MMPR is now for a villain since it's normally that season that gets the most amount of attention and usually has a main character. After Wave 8 having no MMPR presence, it's nice to go back to it but with a foot soldier...too bad he's being attacked by the Rangers, who don't seem to like him much. Either way, it's a wave with 3 solid repaints and one new mold that is outstanding overall!
Overall ranking: ⭐⭐⭐⭐.25 out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
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