Dino Charge returns, Turbo technically begins, and In Space and Zeo are nearly complete with this wave. It's kind of surprising that we're doing this sort of mix and match with various teams without relying too much on MMPR. I mean last time, we only had a foot soldier, but this time, we're back to having that AND another wave without a Red Ranger. It can be a little tiring to cover the same details that were already covered with the previously similar figures, but it can be done nonetheless so long as we continue going with the reviews before we get to the teams that have yet to be represented (Lightspeed, Ninja Storm, Mystic Force-Super Megaforce, Hasbro?); with all that said, let's get to the review!
Here is Dino Charge Green in-hand, and as before, we've got all of the details one would expect from the other members of the team. Same paint app layout, same lack of silver paint on the gloves that only Red has, and his belt buckle has the same color layout that Red's got, which was weirdly reversed on Black. Also unlike Black, we're back to having a nicely detailed chest decal for the Velociraptor compared to the Black Ranger. Otherwise, the paint apps are generally aligned as well as they should for the most part.
Head sculpt is pretty solid, even if the paint apps are a little wonky here and there in terms of alignment. Still, it's nothing too distracting from a distance. Those dino eyes could be a little more opaque, though. 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, swivel 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.
His accessory count is pretty much consistent with the rest of the Dino Charge Rangers, though he has a right fist, pointing left hand, and his own unique head and uniquely colored effect piece.
The display options were always nice to have for the other members, and it's no different here. Still, I wonder why the Dino Charge Blaster/Morpher doesn't have the same chalky yellow that the others have so far. At least the likeness to Riley Griffin/Michael Taber is pretty decent, which is amusing since he and Shelby did not show up demorphed in the show for the team-up.
As far as he holds up next to the other versions, here are other images of the Figuart, the Armored Might figure, and the Action Hero. I'm sure people will still prefer the Figuart due to the accessory count and the Figuart bias, but I believe the Lightning Collection manages to be a strong release nonetheless due to the better proportions and its budget allowing you to go for a quantity approach while the quality is still solid overall (assuming there aren't any paint mistakes). The Bandai America figures, while still good in terms of quality, do look humorously muscular compared to the better proportioned Lightning Collection.
And here he is with the other teammates from the line. And no, I didn't actually get the Pink Ranger from the Lightning Collection; it's the one from the Grid Collection 3-pack. Anyways, it's making me realize we're about to get another Pink Ranger figure but we're missing the Blue Ranger. Hasbro, please do a Sudarso Brother 2-pack that has Ninja Steel Blue!
Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Next up, it's In Space Pink. The final main-team member of the Space Rangers, she has quite a few issues compared to the other teammates. While she may not show it in these images, the shades of pink are not consistent between the arms & legs compared to the torso and maybe the skirt and helmet. That was pretty stupid considering that Hasbro did something similarly stupid with MMPR Pink back in Wave 2; then we got something like that fixed with SPD Pink, even if her torso was broken up in terms of coloring due to the black. Then we go back to this incoherence not once but twice with Zeo Pink in the Kat Pack! I worry the same may happen for Dino Charge Pink. Okay, so what about the paint apps? They're done up alright, but the shoulders do not look correct; those white paint apps are supposed to be placed higher up on her shoulders, which wouldn't normally be an issue if it weren't for Yellow doing it correctly.
Head sculpt is the same as it's been with the other teammates of In Space, though a small part of me feels that the back of the helmet's coloring should be less transparent. Her articulation is the same as with the guys, only with the elbows and bicep swivels combined as one while the skirt limits the movement. And yes, the helmet has a random white strip that's tiny on the visor.
Here are her accessories, from the hands and alternate civilian head to the previously shown Astro Blaster and the unique Satellite Stunner along with its dedicated effect piece that's basically soundwaves that make me think of the one that Cyberverse Deluxe Soundwave got.
The display options are neat as always, though Cassie Chan's civilian head does resemble a weird mix between Patricia Ja Lee and Miranda Cosgrove of iCarly fame. The Satellite Stunner looks great with the effect piece, but let's see if the effect piece doesn't mess up the little stem that holds it.
For a comparison with her prior forms, with the Legacy version having a more consistent shade of pink and properly placed white details in favor of not having proper proportions. The 5-inch version aged poorly, to begin with, though the color discrepancy comes from age and not the toy looking like that. The helmet does look stupid, however.
And here is the complete core In Space team, and while In Space Pink is the weakest figure compared to her teammates, I think she completes the Space Rangers very well. Now then, time to try and get In Space Silver at a good price if Walgreens and Pulse refuse to cooperate. Still, Hasbro, please stop messing up your Pink Rangers; your Red Rangers got better after MMPR Red so do the same with Pink!
Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
And here is Zeo Yellow, which looks pretty consistent with the other members of her team. Nice gold paint apps, nicely sculpted suit details and the belt has the holsters attached on the front flap of the skirt...which may be a little unusual given how that wasn't the case with the other girls.
Head sculpt is pretty solid overall, though I still find the horizontal twin visors weird in terms of practicality. Her articulation is the same as before. Big surprise.
Here are the accessories, with a blast effect piece, two Power Clubs that are more like nunchucks, unique alternate hands for the poses, and the typical Sword and Pistol we've seen before.
Her display options are once again cool, and the likeness to Tanya Sloan/Nakia Burrise is very good! That being said, why does she have her nunchucks but Rocky can't have his tonfas?!
For a comparison with her previous versions, here she is with the Legacy and one of the 8-inch versions for the sake of having a different type of vintage PR figure. You know the same song and dance with these things, with Hasbro being the best one, Legacy being alright apart from the missing gold in some parts and the proportions (also in this case the pod sword being retracted), and the 8-inch figure is dated.
And here she is with the Legacy Zeo team. All we need now is Pink, though I do hope to get her at a cheaper price because getting a double of an MMPR Pink that isn't improved isn't on my to-do list.
Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
And finally, here is the Phantom Ranger! Saved the best for last because there's quite a lot of new tooling for this guy to make him distinct from the others beyond the armor. The suit's got a bulkier look to it compared to the average Ranger, and combining that with the textures of the outfit, the armor that's added onto the figure either as separate pieces or being newly sculpted, and the color scheme, and we get ourselves a striking character design that just oozes uniqueness compared to the other Power Rangers. With how minimal the coloring is, there's not much to screw up, and the silver added throughout the toy is placed where it should be; we even have the buckles painted, and there are a few subtle uses of red here and there as they should be.
Head sculpt is very accurate to the character design, and I see no fault in it if you ask me since it's as easy to pull off as one would expect given how it's a futuristic biker helmet that somehow doesn't look like it's a normal biker helmet. Much like the A-Squad Rangers, Phantom Ranger/VRV Robo doesn't feel too out of place for a weirdly simple design. His articulation is the same as the others, though with limitations here and there because of the armor, and his hands meant for holding weapons can hinge up and down.
His accessories include the blast effect piece, the battle damage piece, the Phantom Laser, and two fists.
His display options are simpler than the norm, but they do the job as expected. He has no alternate head, much like Lord Zedd and Magna Defender before him, but that doesn't bother me since it's fine enough for him to not have his face revealed on top of him never revealing his identity. Maybe in Earth 2, Billy was the Phantom Ranger which would be cool!
While he may not have that many figures in the past, here is one of his older releases, which may be skinnier than his current figure, but hey, it's not too bad in terms of him looking like the show given how it has all of the sculpted details one would expect. He does look more robotic, though.
Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
And here he is with the rest of the Lightning Collection wave. Overall, this wave has a pretty strong Phantom Ranger release along with Dino Charge Green and Zeo Yellow as being solid enough releases in spite of them being samey as what we got before, and our weakest release being In Space Pink, who could be done up better if you ask me even if she's not 100% god awful. IF you have to get just one, Phantom Ranger is the best one to get. That being said, why he's labeled as In Space instead of Turbo is beyond me.
Overall ranking: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
