Power Rangers Lightning Collection Miscellanea review

I'm surprised that it took me this long to get this...wave?...of figures that aren't part of the main retail line-up. Apart from the Silver Ranger and maybe Finster, these releases don't fit anywhere else with the main line of characters you'd find at Target or Walmart. I know that Finster was a normal online exclusive found across numerous websites, while In Space Silver was exclusive to Walgreens and both Andros and the Sentry were exclusive to Target. The handling of these exclusives is questionable at best and it can be pretty irritating for the most part. More as we discuss further. 

Let's get In Space Silver done first as we go in box order. This guy is similar to the other Lightning Collection Space Rangers in terms of space details, though with more gold accents and the chest squares being green instead of their own colors. like with the rest of the team. The gold on the figure shines beautifully, and the silver on the figure looks much more opaque than on the Lunar Wolf Ranger. Apart from that, he's got all of the same details one would expect from the Space Rangers due to them being extremely similar to each other, even the Sixth Ranger.

The helmet looks a little more striking than on the other Rangers, especially with the gold outline looking sharper than the white outline and with very few misalignment issues, but I must ask why there's a black strip of paint on one side? I also don't like how the mouthplate isn't painted. It just makes the helmet look a little more incomplete if you ask me. His articulation is the same as before, so I won't cover it in full detail. Needless to say, it's not restrictive thanks to the suit being simple all around and the base mold having nothing added on.

The accessories of thisfigure include an alternate right fist, left karate chop hand, a Zhane head, two versions of the Super Silverizer, and an effect piece meant for the sword mode.

The display options are always neat to have, though it is worth mentioning that the Zhane head is a different sculpt from the one used in the Blue Space Ranger/Psycho Silver 2-pack. Getting either version of the Silverizer in his hand is a pain in the ass due to the lack of space necessary, so you have to take the hand off, insert the handle, and then attach the hand back.

For a comparison with previous versions, let's first tackle Psycho Silver! Definitely a night and day difference between suit designs! And it's funny how I got Psycho Silver first since the regular Ranger form was hard to obtain. And on the side of Bandai, the Legacy Collection NEVER made a regular Silver Space Ranger while they made an easy repaint for the Psycho version. And poor Silver Space had to deal with the lack of updated releases because if it weren't for Lightning Collection, then likely never. I mean, he's the only Sixth Ranger to fit in the most with the core team due to the design, and they didn't give him new toys for Super Megaforce nor Legacy?! Anyways, the older toys varied from shiny yet inaccurate chrome to a more normal silver sheen.

And here he is with the other Lightning Collection Power Rangers in the series, and apart from the oddities that the girls have with the shoulders, Pink's pinkonsistencies, and the visor design for Red, this is a very successful team of Ranger figures overall. Bandai was very close to completing their Lightning Collection Ranger team, and the fact that a simple repaint didn't get made but a more extensive design like Drakkon gets attention. I'd recommend him but it's impossible to obtain it overall. And it's weird since MMPR Black was easy to spot even if he had the Dragon Shield while Dino Thunder White was a little less frequent after we got the helmet replacements. And it's a similar situation with the WFC trilogy: Ratchet and Bluestreak were fairly easy to get while Red Alert was impossible to find. And nobody knows if Walgreens will have yet another exclusive much like how no one knows if Minerva will be easy get.

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

And now we have Andros in his cloaked disguise. It's a pretty puffy-looking cloak that ends up looking like a bathrobe by comparison. Sure, there is a hood on there, but I think it'd look better if it was sculpted to look less like Andros is about to enter a jacuzzi and more like Andros is avoiding detection as a Ranger. 

Head sculpt may or may not be the same one that we got in the 2-pack long ago. And removing the cloak/bathrobe reveals a very simple suit design. Only consisting of a gold logo and a belt buckle, it's probably the only toy in the line to have no margin for error with quality control!

As for its accessories, he comes with the same weapons as before, but he has a lightning effect for his Spiral Saber, a blast effect for his Astro Blaster, a pointing right hand and left fist, and an unpainted helmet to make it look shrouded underneath the hood.

The display options are practically the same as before, but the lack of accents using a secondary color makes this feel underwhelming for a figure compared to a normal Ranger. I guess it can be used for a stealth mode like in the comics, but unless you're a fan of Andros or are a completionist, you can skip this one. Though it may be discounted and it can be easy to customize it.

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

Up next, we have Finster! A wholly new mold, this guy makes for another addition to the main cast of Rita Repulsa's Evil Space Aliens. He's like a mix between a gnome, a muppet, and a troll with his design. The proportions fit the design, and I like how the outfit looks to represent him being a crafter, what with his apron holding tools as well as his glasses. I'm sure some people would wish he had a wash applied onto his clothes, but oh well.

Head sculpt captures his alien look very well, in addition to the puppet-like look of his face design. The ears are big, and the little details like the earrings, glasses, and headband are nice to have. His articulation is more or less the same as with a normal figure. Except his forearms have single jointed elbows and swivels at the elbows instead of the biceps. His apron gets in the way of the legs, but the jaw can open. You can adjust the glasses to find out my copy's eyes are a little misaligned.

His accessories a magnifying glass on a neckband, a messed up spatula, a briefcase to mold Putty Patrollers, two tiny putties, a rolling pin, a little chisel, and a pair of more open hands. All of the right hands have those little extensions on them while the left hands look more normal.

The display options are moreso meant for him to represent his history of making Putties and the like, and you can even wedge the putties on his hands if you want to make the display options more fitting for him. The orange putties can even fit inside the molding case!

And here he is next to some other Mighty Morphin villains. I didn't expect him to be as tall as most of them, but then again I haven't seen MMPR for a good while. Anyways, the only other merchandise we have for him is the old 90s toy which looked goofy as hell, and the Super7 version that looks a little more cartoony than this guy. I think I'll stick with the Hasbro toy. It's fairly easy to get.

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

And now we have the Tyrannosaurus Sentry from the Boom Studios Shattered Grid storyline. Instead of being a specific Ranger, this suit is used for an army of foot soldiers loyal to Lord Drakkon and represents a twisted and militarized take on the classic Red Ranger design. The arms are the same, but the cape, use of black on the thighs, new boots, and the more detailed torso make for a new reimagining that I don't think toku has taken advantage of until now. The cape is gold on the front view and red on the back, though I wish there is a bit more dry-brushing to make the cape look more like fabric. 

Helmet is nearly the same as the MMPR Red helmet, though the sculpted lips are removed in favor of blank space. It's a slight retool of the updated helmet that the metallic Red Ranger got, and I don't know if the same helmet that the gender-swapped version of MMPR Red in the Jason/Trini Color Swap 2-pack will fit for the male body or not. The articulation is the same but the cape can make things a little easier.

Apart from the normal fists shown in the last pic, he has a staff that represents the classic Power Sword with a lightning wrap to boot. And here he is with his normal Mighty Morphin Red Ranger, except my version has a swapped helmet because I don't like the original helmet it came with. Yeah, this is definitely like the typical approach of turning a classic superhero into a modern one with the use of extra bells and whistles, kind of like the MCU while the Beast Morphers's unique suit designs and the Dino Charge arms feel more reminiscent of the mesh patterns found on the DCEU suits. I wish this guy got released sooner because being announced in April, having numerous delays, and finally popping up in July 2022 is a pain in the ass. Jesus Christ, Hasbro, never do that ever again with your other Sentries because this guy's awesome and every fan should get it!

Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Transformers Legacy Motormaster review

Years ago, Menasor stumbled badly during his return in Combiner Wars; between the wonky proportions and poor stability, this guy felt like a compromised version of the Generation 1 gestalt and was sadly the only team from the line I completed. I felt that Combiner Wars overall was pretty exciting at first. Still, it felt like an intermediate evolution to getting peak gestalt engineering. Still, it felt rather clunky due to how much weight the Deluxes held when trying to do either limb configuration while the Voyagers had to combine both their articulated robot modes with their own torso modes. Devastator was a unique beast in Studio Series due to his design from Revenge of the Fallen, but he was a much stronger result thanks to the balanced engineering between each member. So now we've seen the new form of gestalt engineering with a skeleton frame first seen with certain third-party  Legends Menasors, and they're set to be used by Hasbro for their new Legacy release. Let's see how it turned out.

Here is Motormaster in his truck mode. I've already got the trailer on there because it's a mandatory aspect of him. I have to commend Hasbro for going back to a traditional Motormaster look without it being too slavish to the single-unit truck mode he possessed in G1. It's a pretty amusing vehicle mode considering how it's a truck and trailer combo, but I can respect it as it gives Motormaster more of an identity. For the most part, the vehicle mode is successful thanks to the color scheme, appropriate use of paint apps where necessary, and the weight of the entire unit. I'm serious, this guy's pretty heavy for a Commander Class figure. Probably as much as Jetfire. 

The trailer is something many critiqued long before it was released, though. It's taller in height yet shorter in length than the proper proportions of a trailer. I'm guessing this was to make it fit with the human proportions of Menasor, but other criticisms I have include that cut up detail for the stripe as well as the tine wheels on the back. Those look so under-sized on there somehow, not to mention that they're pretty easy to untab with how heavy the thing is. The front section does look awkward with the chest and thighs being exposed, but it's something I can forgive a little more than the other negatives.

For a vehicle mode size comparison, here he is sandwiched between two Primes. It's worth mentioning Optimus was a Leader and Rodimus is a commander, so you can tell how small Prime looks in comparison to Motormaster. Rodimus's vehicle mode looks very lovely, with the bright and sharp deco as well as how it doesn't feel cheap compared to Prime's trailer. Motormaster's trailer looks a little imperfect compared to the cab itself, but at least he has painted tires! Though it's worth mentioning that while Rodimus prioritized being a premium-esque figure, Motormaster prioritizes being a combiner.

For a G1 comparison, you can see just how the original toy's proportions work compared to the new version, though to the Legacy version's credit, it is a much more independent cab that isn't hilariously out of scale.

And here he is next to his Combiner Wars counterpart. I was pretty happy with the truck mode design for Motormaster in that line, what with it being a mix of himself and Galvatron from AOE, but I'm happy to see the G1 design return as a much more refined toy all around. And yes, Motormaster can separate from the trailer.

And here he is next to Legacy Dragstrip. I'm pretty amused how we're getting these guys one by one, while Dragstrip was on his own in the first wave of Combiner Wars while the others were in the next wave, and each team outranked one another. But yes, the scale is good.

Transformation is pretty intricate for a boxy truck, and it's a pretty clever way to capture that G1 robot mode without doing it the old way. The front of the cab forms the lower legs, and we even get faux truck front feet to replicate the G1 accuracy in such a cute way. The upper body's really cool, with the way it folds inside out as the tires go on the back. It's a pretty cool method of making him look like the character model, and if anyone has a problem with this approach, which I doubt it, I'd take this over the old toy. And the robot mode is certainly G1 accurate. I always find it cool how Hasbro can take the dumbest G1 designs and make them cool somehow, and Motormaster is no exception. Between the unique design combined with the part layout for the vehicle mode, there is a unique flare for a character like him. If anything, it's probably for the best that he has the Commander Class treatment as that combined with the lack of hollow spacing makes him remarkable for a design.

Head sculpt is the classic helmet within a helmet design that is undoubtedly a carryover from the G1 toy's head inside a cavity. I think he'd look fine with just one helmet, but maybe he's going to need to keep it safe because he butts heads one too many times. At least the eyes aren't blending in too much with the face paint, unlike Earthrise Optimus. The articulation for this guy is pretty good. Head is on a swivel, shoulders move front and back, in and out, bicep swivels, elbows, wrist swivels, waist swivels, hips that move front and back, in and out, thigh swivels, knee bends, and ankle pivots. His sword is not that great. Not only is the blade barely any different from the handle in terms of coloring, but it's proportions are not that great. It's probably a little too deformed to represent a proper sword since it's meant to balance itself for both this guy and the combiner mode.

For some reason, you can add the sword on the holes whenever the fists are folded away. It's a silly thing you can do. I don't think that was intentional, though. And as for the trailer, you can take it all apart and rearrange the parts into a battle platform of some sort. I won't deny it's a pretty cool thing considering how the trailer needs to do something whenever Motormaster isn't in his combined mode, and it is a pretty unique thing, but I won't deny it isn't that stable.

For a robot mode size comparison,  here he is sandwiched once again by the two Primes of the WFC trilogy. He's certainly about the same height, though it is amusing how Optimus and especially Rodimus both have finger articulation, the latter having wrist hinges in addition to more knuckle joints and a better-articulated index finger. And of course, the arms have butterfly joints and a more versatile neck joint. I'll state that while those would be nice for Motormaster, it is clear that the Combiner aspect is more of a priority than articulated fingers. Plus, articulated fingers are so inconsistent on the Voyagers and Leaders. Some have them, some don't. Shrug.

And here he is with the other two Motormasters I own in my collection. G1 toy is the epitome of blocky while the Combiner Wars version did look cooler in Forged to Fight than in real life, considering his proportions look bad compared to the new Motormaster It's undoubtedly a massive night and day difference.

And here he is with Dragstrip once more. I'm really hoping getting the other members won't be too hard, especially since Breakdown is still yet to be revealed.

And now, we can transform him into Menasor...and it's kind of familiar in terms of engineering considering that the trailer uses the same skeleton frame style of ingenuity shown with the likes of some Legends scale versions of the Stunticons from third-party companies. Previously from the Prime Wars, Hasbro chose the old method of making the torso bot be the main part of the gestalt while the others formed the limbs. That was fine on the older toys because they were much simpler and didn't have much to worry about in terms of the added weight affecting the articulation. The Prime Wars line certainly had issues with making sure that the characters were able to have as many modes as possible while also making them easier to work with for kids in addition to older fans. It definitely resulted in some odd proportions and a few compromises here and there. With Menasor's skeleton frame, the figure looks much more robust, the transformation is much more involved, and Motormaster himself forms the rest of the torso while a majority of it is made from the trailer already. And what an impressive bust for a gestalt! He's certainly incomplete for the limbs, but we'll get to those in a moment.

As for his own head sculpt is concerned, the details are impeccable, and I love the sharp craftsmanship applied to his face in addition to the paint apps compared to what we've seen before. His articulation is more-or-less the same as Motormaster, though I'll admit it sucks he doesn't have finger articulation. I'd love to have seen that be added onto him, and maybe the same method as shown with Siege Jetfire? Again, different priorities between the two Commanders...his sword looks more like a dagger in this mode, though.

The cannon piece is not used in the combined mode, but you can alter the cannon part so now the handles point up, allowing Menasor to man it from here! And for those wondering about the hollow shins, worry not, there are buttons on the back that close them up...you'll just have to wait for Wildrider and Breakdown.

Now here's something that surprised me on this guy. Since it turned out Dragstrip was no longer going to work the same way he did in Combiner Wars, instead of being the entire arm, you simply attach this figure on the arm of the skeleton and then extend it so you can give him the proper range necessary. It's a pretty cool method and it looks way better than the cheapass approach of the animation model and the clunky Combiner Wars toy.

And for a comparison that is not quite fair yet, here he is with his Combiner Wars counterpart. Yeah, one's got the skeleton frame and the other goes for the old-fashioned way, but I'm sorry; this approach of the Combiner Wars version SUUUUUUUUUUUUUCKS. Those proportions look awful, the hands are too big and the feet are too small, everything clashes with each other, Motormaster sucks as a torso, and the whole thing barely stays together. IDC if I paid twice as much for a Voyager with even more benefits than a Leader; Legacy Menasor is already going to be better.

If you're wondering, yes, you can use the Combiner Wars limbs on the guy much like how you could with Legends Godbomber, though the aesthetics between the likes of Breakdown and Offroad from the CW line clash compared to Dragstrip and pretty much all of Menasor. It won't work with the lower legs of the frame since they have their own tabs preventing them from being used on any other figure. That being said, this guy is a pretty cool release. It makes me excited to get the other members once and for all, and I'm very interested in seeing how the other gestalts will turn out from here. Only time will tell, but let's hope Legacy gives us one combiner per year.

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

Transformers Studio Series Arcee (Bumblebee movie) review

Arcee's constantly getting attention throughout the 2020s, firstly in the form of one release in each main line that has a Deluxe (Studio Series, Earthrise, Cyberverse), each with varying degrees of quality. Then after just having reissues for two of the three figures, we get a return of form for two superior toys this time around. A while back, we went out of order with SS-86 Arcee, who was originally scheduled for 2023 before Hasbro decided to go back and push her release to July, and then this Arcee took a little longer to arrive (where is Sideways, Hasbro & Amazon?), so let's take a look at what may be my favorite addition to the line-up!

Here is Arcee in her robot mode. It's pretty much the G1 design with a Bayverse influence, given how the Beewun designs were meant to be as slavish as possible with a few "modern" tweaks here and there. The proportions are fairly thicc like the Thrilling 30 version of G1 Arcee, though this time they make for a more robust body frame that makes this version of Arcee feel less frail. In fact, she kind of feels more like she'd be as much of a good brawler as she would be a tactician. The back kibble is all on the back, but at least the figure doesn't have stability issues, nor does it take up too much of the vehicle mode. I can see how the side panels can work as a jetpack of sorts. And vehicle mode integration is present in the form of wheels, which are part of the heels. They don't make her slide around, and they are pretty cool references to the wheel designs we got from ROTF Sideswipe and Animated Blurr. Paint apps are minor here, mostly making room for the plastic colors used on the pink, gunmetal gray, and white, but they work alright.

The headsculpt does look pretty bad. The Bayverse look worked on character designs that were either made from scratch or were redesigns of existing designs like Optimus Prime in general or Jazz, and Arcee just feels like a creepier, elder teacher version of the G1 head. I'm also not a fan of how some of these characters have lightpiping and others don't. The SS line always had intricately painted and sculpted faces, so why half-ass it here? At least the pink is a lighter shade on the face, even if it makes here a little more organic-looking, but the antenna is there! Her articulation is par for the course with the line; ball-jointed head, shoulders that move front and back, in and out, bicep swivels, double-elbows, wrist hinges, waist swivel, hips that move front and back, in and out, thigh swivels, knee bends, and ankle pivots. She comes with two generic pistols that do make her design a little more interesting, especially when she's got both of them at once. TFWiki said you can give one of them to Cliffjumper since he used the same blaster instead of the arm cannon Bumblebee got, but why do that when she looks cooler dual-wielding?! And by slightly adjusting the feet, you can flip them around and turn them into the wheels that she'd probably use to rollerblade around in Rise of the Beasts when we see this design get a makeover.

For a robot mode size comparison, she may seem taller than the other characters when viewed from this perspective. But she does have quite a sleeker look in comparison to the blocker Beewun designs, though some of that blame for BumbleJumper goes down to the kibble. She also helps break up the mostly red and white color scheme thanks to her addition of pink, much like how Brawn breaks it up with his green and Bumblebee with his yellow.

Transformation feels like a reverse version of the standard bikeformer conversion scheme. Usually, the upper body forms the front and the legs become the back. In this case, it's the reverse situation, with the legs becoming the front this time around while the upper body becomes the back. And new to the vehicle mode is a windshield that's practically there to make it look complete. If Thrilling 30 Chromia is Tron-esuqe, then this feels very reminiscent of the Batpod from The Dark Knight, especially with the front section.

In contrast to nearly every motorcycle Transformer ever with the exception of Beast Machines Thrust, this feels militaristic and made for pursuit. The robot parts, being part of a Cybertronian robot, work fine for this design in contrast to then being Earthly. Now you are supposed to peg the guns on the thrusters, but it's recommended to leave the hands less exposed.

For a vehicle mode comparison, she is definitely as unique as Brawn is if you ask me. The fact that she's a motorcycle instead of a car seems like a good way to show that Hasbro was at least a little more creative than the ILM guys were when making these half-baked designs have more of a purpose. Also funny how Optimus Prime is the only character to not have a Cybertronian mode, but I'd rather Hasbro just retool it for Rise of the Beasts instead of using the WFC game vehicle mode on a design that has no synergy with it. But if you were to choose one Transformer from this line-up apart from Optimus and the Cliffbee duo, Arcee is my choice.

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