Power Rangers Lightning Collection Remastered Mighty Morphin 7-in-1 review

2024 is a drought for Power Rangers content, which is a blessing for our wallets yet a curse for both fans wanting more content after 2023 felt small AND Hasbro depending on licensees with their side products (and we don't even know if they'll make their own toys as Playmates is collaborating). It made me want to focus on the Remastered line of figures (as well as Rita Repulsa), a subline of updated MMPR characters that seem neat to have yet do feel as if they could have been handled better. Are they worth getting in spite of the difficulty that grew from obtaining Red, Green, and Rita? Let's find out as we take a look at this set.

Let's begin in morphing order, starting with the Green Ranger. Since there have been countless reviews at this rate covering other Lightning Collection figures, I'll be pretty brief over the alterations and comparisons. The base mold is replaced with the updated male tooling first seen on I believe Yellow Ranger Jason, meaning the shoulders are somewhat broader, the hips are.able to shift downwards, and the elbow and knee joints are pinned. All of them come with their respective hands and Power Morphers to posed them when it's morphin' time, complete with aura effect pieces comparable to the ones from Dragonball Z Figuarts, al beit somewhat warped out of the box. All 6 Rangers come with the dual black trims for the belt, which are thankfully not too thick and distracting. Tommy's new head looks great, but some will ask why he has no Dragon Shield nor arm bands? Or why he has three versions of the Blade Blaster? The reason is because it represents his loss of powers during the Green with Evil arc. Said candle is bent slightly. Tommy at least has an updated helmet that looks better than the previous versions, but is it too much to ask for the teeth to be picked out?

The high accessory count is used often times by current Hasbro to justify the $33.99 price tag seen in some Deluxe releases. Given the way the toys are packaged and how this guy is missing the Dragon Shield, I don't think the price itself is justifiable. Had they rectify those issues I had, this would be easier to stomach.

And here we have the Black Ranger. We've just had an updated MMPR Black Ranger that came with an Adam head and a squirt gun, so that could have been used for another Ranger like Beast Morphers Silver or Triassic Ranger. The new Zack head is better than the old version, but I don't think Hasbro truly nailed the look of 1993 Walter Jones quite yet. Annoyingly, his Power Axe is still missing the gold paint for the Mastodon coin, and the handle is still too thick for axe mode. Having this be an SDCC exclusive is a weird choice given how he's still s vanilla form for the suit design rather than if there was a variant that came with the Dragon Shield and some other MMPR accessory. He has the same updated helmet as Black (Ranger) Adam so that spot could have been saved for another Ranger to not make interlap with that and this release.

Up next, we have the Pink Ranger. She's given a slightly tweaked female buck that adds double-jointed elbows and pinned joints overall. Her head sculpt is better than the previous Kimberly head, al beit she looks more serious than usual. At least here, there wasn't as much MMPR Pink overlap like with the Kat 2-pack, Metallic, and the ugly cel-shaded version. I wish she had her arrow painted, though.

And this is the Blue Ranger. Billy's head sculpt is not too great-looking, I'm afraid. On the plus side, he still has both modes for the Power Lance. Ik people complained that they can't be done in the style like the Bandai versions where they peg in, but some will complain that they did just that if it happened. At least the coins are gold.

I do like that the glasses are optional, so you can have Season 1 and 2 versions of Billy. However, the likeness is even less life-like than it should be.

And here we have the Yellow Ranger, who has the most glaring issues of the set in my collection. Functionally the same as Pink but without a skirt, and her likeness to Thuy Thing is more or less similar to the previous Trini head. However, she annoyingly has two left-gripping hands and two right katate hands.

Now, I try not to be "Hasbro bad reeeeee" like the fandom has been of late, but when you're charging $34 for a figure that has shitty packaging standards and has repeated hands, then it's stupid as hell, especially without the window that we used to have.

As for the Red Ranger, look at the first photo. There is no alternate head for Jason! Some have speculated that this was due to the legal issues that ASJ went through, and not helping some of the dumbass shit he said about Hitler shirts, but it doesn't mean an alternate head being excluded is excusable. At least the Power Sword is nicely painted, and better than the old version (I hope no paint chipping occurs). The Dragon Shield comes included with Jason, which is cool in theory, especially given how it's actually removable this time, but it does sting how you have to get this set if you want a complete Tommy. Would it hurt Hasbro to give the shield to Tommy, OR KEEP THEM IN STOCK?!

Let's now go over Rita Repulsa. She isn't a Remastered figure according to the box, but she is still worth getting in some respects. The 2020 version of Rita was fine, but the better paint apps on her magic wand, the alternate face plates that capture her actress Machiko Soga and/or Carla Perez, and the better-designed dress she has make her more of a worthwhile purchase if you never got the Silver Wedding version but do have regular Zedd. She could use more accessories to justify the price, though.

The Ranger's weapons can combine like with the regular versions. So far, they're staying in place with their clips no problem, but I'm sure they'll be less sturdy overtime (though thankfully no breakage issues from what I've seen).

Now for my thoughts on the Remastered wave...I'm somewhat mixed on how they turned out. On one hand, they're great to get for anyone who never got the regular MMPR team and wants to obtain them in a single swoop. The alternate heads and accessories they come with are nice, but you run into issues such as the the way parts may be incorrect like with Yellow, some joints feeling loose, and the overall weird approach with Red having the shield yet no Jason head while Green doesn't have the shield at all. Obtaining these is also no easy task given the scalper prices on Red and Green, Rita's limited distribution, and the fact that they got barder to get by the time the Lightning Collection either went on hiatus or is dead. This set feels like Star Fox Adventures, where there are things to like about it but other things to dislike. If you want these, good luck. Otherwise, stick with what you got.

Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Transformers Legacy United Cybertron Vector Prime review

Vector Prime is one of the greatest parts of the Cybertron series; between his contributions as a guide to Optimus Prime and the fact that he is a guardian of space and time, the fact that he is seen as the first Autobot seems logical. He might be seen as a character comparable to the Last Autobot! Vector Prime's impact in showcasing his role as one of the legendary protectors of the Transformers universe adds a unique sense of layers to not just the Unicron Trilogy, but in subsequent mythos that depict him as one of the 13 Primes. Oh, and he had two versions of a Q&A page. Let's see if this new figure is worth getting, or if you should stick with the original.

Here we have Vector Prime in his Cybertronian space cruiser mode. Right off the bat, it gets a lot of the details right, such as the Sith Infiltrator-esque wings on the sides as well as the front section's mash-up of gold and burgundy signature for a character like him. The design itself is not the same as the original version, both when it comes to the proportions as well as the contrasting back section between the wings. This is due to the figure itself being a heavy retool of Jhiaxus from 2022 rather than being an entirely new mold. As is the case with retools of late for Unicron Trilogy characters, the amount of alterations varies on either budget or how faithful a figure can be while using a functionally different mold. Choosing Jhiaxus doesn't sound like a bad idea, but I wish there was some color break-up to make the back section less bland compared to the more complete front section, even if the wings and the hinges holding them are separate colors from the rest of the back.

The Cyber Planet Key can tab onto the back of the figure, and the Rhisling sword can be pegged underneath either wing hinge. As expected, there is no Minicon of Safeguard included whatsoever, but there is a 5mm peg on the top just to tease fans. I do wonder how much money Hasbro is saving by not including him, especially since figures like Armada Megatron felt pretty basic for Leader Class money without any proper ratchet joints, articulated hands, or Minicon in sight.

Here he is next to his fellow Cybertron mate from a previous wave, Starscream. Despite being a retool of Jhiaxus, Vector Prime does manage to fit in with the Cybertron aesthetics perfectly fine, especially since Starscream himself is very faithful in appearance as one would hope in this line.

And here he is next to the figure he is retooled from, with Jhiaxus reminding me a lot of one of those popsicles that were featured for a loud-as-hell game Joel from Vinesauce once reviewed. I think Vector Prime manages to have a better-looking vehicle mode of the two since it manages to be more refined in detail as well as having a more thought-out design given he would have a toy unlike Jhiaxus (in terms of when they made their fictional debuts). We'll talk about how much is carried over for the robot modes, but the back section and tail fin are still Jhiaxus's.

And here he is next to his old self from 2005. Cybertron Vector Prime was said to not have been as well-thought-out in vehicle mode compared to the robot mode, and while that part itself is true given how the Legacy United version has a mostly better vehicle mode, the Cybertron version does at least more color break up by comparison. As for replicating the back section, that won't be possible given their entirely different transformation schemes, but I'd like to see them try to at least have the robot legs match the ones on the old toy in terms of aesthetics.

The transformation is mostly the same as with Jhiaxus's, with the main differences being the shoulder pads, the front section rotating for the signature robot mode design to be visible, the wing hinges functioning differently given the design they have, and there being no additional nose-cone and shoulder piece as with Jhiaxus. The robot mode continues looking about as faithful to the old toy as the vehicle mode did, though at a slightly better degree this time around. The chest and shoulder pads certainly get the job done, especially given how character-specific they are for someone like Vector Prime. The rest of the figure does have a decent amount of paint apps on the rest of the toy, and the burgundy thighs as well as the feet are appreciative since the mostly unpainted shins do look bland. A somewhat similar thing goes for the arms, where the gold on the shoulder pads and the burgundy hands do try to make the rest of the forearms less underpainted. The back section, of course, lacks the fuselage cape due to how the toy transforms, and it makes the wings on the back look incomplete as a result.

Head sculpt is the best part of the toy, especially with how accurately it represents the ancient Autobot from the Unicron Trilogy combined with the influence of the Autobot insignia he has. Makes you wonder if G1 Prowl is jealous his face doesn't have any Autobot lore despite being the inspiration for the faction logo. Vector Prime's articulation is the same as Jhiaxus's, with a ball-jointed neck, swivels for the shoulders (moving front and back), biceps, wrists, hips, and thighs, hinges for the shoulders (moving out), elbows, fingers, outward leg movement, knees, and the ankles for moving laterally and rocking side to side.

In addition to the Rhisling sword mentioned above, he can still use the Cyber Planet Key, which tabs onto the chest rather than sliding into a slot like on Starscream. The key works the same as with the other Cybertron characters we got in 2024, but this was done to make the waist swivel uncompromised. And if you really want, you can remove the wings from the hinges and peg them on the forearms. I don't recommend it given the wings aren't on normal 5mm posts, but that'll be Hasbro's excuse to not give fans Safeguard.

Here he is next to his old self once again, showcasing where the newer version succeeds in being accurate and where it fails. I'd be happier if Hasbro came up with additional retooling and paint work for the forearms and shins to make them less like Jhiaxus, especially given how they'd go well with the torso and shoulders we have. What we have on display is not bad, but I wish it could have been executed better.

Here he is next to Jhiaxus. As far as this mode is concerned, beyond the structural parts, the arms below the shoulders and the waist down are the same as the Cybertronian of Generation 2. I wish Hasbro didn't skimp out on some of the retoolings one would hope VP would get. It also gets annoying considering how the hinges that held the smaller winglets on Jhiaxus are still left intact; what if a fan who doesn't know any better thinks he lost a piece from a toy out of the box and is unaware Hasbro didn't remove them?

And here he is with Starscream once again. Even if he is a retool of a character from Generation 2, Vector Prime still fits in nicely with the Cybertron collection, though he doesn't have the samy danymic flare that the character designs in the show tend to be known for. One thing they both have in common is underpainted shins.

And finally, here he is next to Galaxy Upgrade Optimus Prime, who I accidentally forgot to give his gauntlets smh. These two both show the 50/50 feelings I have for the figures; what I mean by that is how I appreciate the effort they put into making the retools, but I do wish they had that extra something to make them feel more complete. Not saying these two suck period, but they make me either appreciate the original Optimus as well as want the original Vector Prime more. All I'm saying is that you can be fine with these two figures, but if not, be ready to splash the cash on their original selves.

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

Transformers Studio Series 86 Bumblebee review

Regarding the current trend of CHUG toys for most big-name characters, Optimus Prime and Bumblebee certainly come to mind as characters that will have constant replacements. Ignoring the pre-2019 releases we had, Optimus briefly had the Siege version of himself before the Earthrise version popped up a year later; 4 years later, a Commander Class figure is now about to be released for those who never had a version of the character before. Bumblebee never had a toy in Siege (though I guess the Origin version vaguely counts 2 years later), but he did have a Volkswagen Beetle retool of Earthrise Cliffjumper in the Netflix War for Cybertron Trilogy toyline; now we have the Studio Series 86 version for fans to not only get a version of Bee that is easier to get but also one that may be closer to the cartoon. Let's dive into the review and see if SS86 Bumblebee is worth getting.

Here we have Bumblebee in his vehicle mode, loosely inspired by old G1 media's chibi proportions of a Volkswagen Beetle. While not licensed to look almost like the Volkswagen Beetle we saw from the G1 toy, it's easier to say that the front resembles the vehicle mode decently well, while the roof and back section don't. Those latter details better resemble the Mazda Familia better associated with Bumper, a random Minibot who was a slightly different altmode from Cliffjumper but was yellow like Bumblebee. At least here, we have a bit of a Beetle influence for the front section to help it match the character model, and I'm sure we can get third-party upgrades to turn this into either a full-on Beetle or a Mazda Familia. The sculpted details are on the stylized side this time around, but I do like the slightly gold headlights and the red Autobot insignia on the hood to go with the silver rims.

Overall, the vehicle mode is not as detailed as an actual Beetle, but it looks the part fairly well. That being said, I know Hasbro Pulse talked about the fact that the windows are black because some parts are made on the same sprue as the parts that are actually molded black. While I know this will cause some OCD problems for anyone who prefers the cartoon baby blue windows, the black still looks good given how it a look from the old toy, and yellow and black fit perfectly. Duh. That being said, the molded yellow in-between the windows, and the painted yellow areas on the windshield, do not match the rest of the alt mode that well. At least the wheels are pinned.

There isn't a wheel on the back to complete the look, but there is part to store the gun on the back if you vaguely want him to shoot at anyone on the right side from behind.

For a vehicle mode size comparison, here he is in between the Netflix version and the Buzzworthy Core Class versions we previously had. Surprisingly, he's slightly taller than the Netflix version, even though he is shorter than the other two. I do prefer the shade of yellow associated with this Bumblebee than on the Netflix version, whose honey yellow works much better on Bayverse Bee instead. The resemblance to Bumper's Mazda Familia on the Core Class version is stronger than on the SS86 version, making the most recent toy feel like a happy marriage between both altmode types.

Transformation is thankfully without partsforming for the back section AND does not borrow any parts or engineering from the Netflix version whatsoever. No requirement for waist rotation, the vehicle parts holding the arms hinge downwards rather than upwards for transformation, and the legs transform similarly but not identically to the original Netflix version. The resulting robot mode is fairly close to the classic character model, albeit with proportion deviations like the size of the feet as well as the tires remaining exposed. Regardless, I love how the design turned out for the bot mode, especially given how he doesn't look as wide as the Netflix version. In fact, I'm not super against how the size of the feet look here since they at least remind me of the boot-like feet he had in Transformers Devastation, aka the last good game we got. He could use a spare tire on the back but the rest of the body works well.

His head sculpt looks good, and I like the slightly larger eyes. I do wish his expression was a little happier than it currently is, though. His articulation consists of ball joints at the neck and shoulders, swivels at the biceps, wrists, waist, and thighs, and universal joints for the hips as well as rockers for the ankles. This grants him some pretty effective posing potential despite the ankle joints being higher up.

Here he is with some other Bumblebees in the past that we got. My Netflix Bee has the Autobot insignia placed on the chest since it never had it originally. I like the new version better given how it captures the character model much better this time around, especially since the Netflix version came off as being a little wider while the Core Class version is amusingly just there. I didn't want to retire the Netflix version right away because of the alt mode being a proper Beetle...

...and that led to the realization I got while bringing out Legacy Buzzworthy Goldbug! While I could use the new SS86 version as regular Bumblebee, the original tooling can instead be reserved for the upgraded design he'd later get near the end of Season 3! It's a good thing I have the back kibble over the head like this since it captures the Throttlebot aesthetics pretty well. I think this is how these two will be depicted on my G1 CHUG display.

And here he is with the other Season 1 Minibots we got so far, minus Windcharger because he never had an updated toy since 2019. He scales pretty well with everyone else, and while he could be seen as comparable to some next to Cliffjumper, I do find the whole single pistol approach of the accessories compared to Cliffjumper's customizable bazooka to not quite justify the price you'd normally pay for this guy. Like fellow A-Level Optimus Prime (from Transformers One), he doesn't really seem that worth the so-called affordability Hasbro boasted about given how lacking he can be in some areas compared to others. He is a good figure, but not $25 good. If he came with a non-poseable minifigure of Spike and a spare wheel to go on the back, I think he'd be a little easier to justify rather than just coming with the generic Autobot gun.

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