S.H. Figuarts are Bandai Japan’s action figure line du jour, it covers a wide range of Super Sentai, Kamen Rider and anime series past and present. The line is defined by its tag line; Simple Style and Heroic Action. What this translates to is detailed paint apps, lots of articulation and more accessories than you could possibly use at one time! But enough rationalising and setup.

Zyuden Sentai Kyoryuger Kyoryu Red was released earlier this year and is also my very first Figuart. Prepare for an immense amount of gushing.

The packaging is great, it’s a window box which showcases the figure and many of the accessories and evokes the overall aesthetic of the show and team.

The back features many of the poses this figure can pull off and before you even get it out of the box, you know this trounces most of Bandai of America’s efforts.

The tray inside is clam shelled so those pesky small bits don’t fall out but just look at the amount of stuff you get! Four pairs of interchangeable hands, an Armed-On arm, Gaburevolver, Gabucaliber, Gabutyra Fang and a tiny little Zyudenchi (Beast Battery) that I’ve only taken out once for a pic then put right back in the tray for fear of losing it.

Out of the package and I am in looooooove. Just the feel, the weight and the details are perfect. Unlike Bandai of America’s ‘roided up Power Rangers, Figuarts go for authenticity and how the suit actors look, even moulding clothing wrinkles. If I have one thing to knock, it’s a personal issue with the left knee. When I move it, it squeaks. That’s it. That is the only complaint I have and I’m sure it’s not a wide spread issue.

When dealing with Figuarts, the accessories really add so much bang for your buck! Ever messed with an action figure and thought “It’d be great if this figure had something other than this dumb weapon holding hand.” Well, you can swap that out for a fist or a posed hand or even an alternate weapon holding hand and the various combinations can reveal some fun poses.

The weapons have just as much detail as the figure, with intricate moulding and show accurate paint applications.

The Gaburevolver is the Morpher and sidearm for the series and has a fun aesthetic to it. It’s counterpart, the Gabucaliber is the standard sword and favoured weapon of KyoryuGreen, it’s pointy and sharp so watch out!

When the cylinder chamber of the Gaburevolver is rolled against a Kyoryuger’s right arm, this unlocks their Armed On forms and grants access to their signature weapons, in this case, the Gabutyra Fang. This T-Rex themed knuckleduster is equally as detailed as the other weapons and even gets a cool glossy red. Word of warning though, the first couple times swapping the arms out was pretty harrowing but if you apply an even pressure of bicep and torso, you should be fine. Also keep in mind the positioning of the joint assembly. First time I did it, the assembly ended up upside down and the articulation in that shoulder was a little screwy until I put it right.

Hear my roar! As my introduction to the line, Kyoryu Red is a fantastic entry point into a world of dynamic poses and exquisite detailing. You pay for quality and that’s what you get in spades. You can find many Figuarts online for pretty cheap so if this review has piqued your curiosity, be sure to check those out and if you’re on the Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers 20th Anniversary kick, there’s Figuarts available right now for the Red, Green and Pink Rangers on Amazon!

Thanks for reading and I’ll catch you guys next time on Mint in Box!

First up, the 4-inch figures! You may have seen me review some of the MMPR 2010 and Samurai figures last year but this year we can expect a lot more figures that span the entire franchise! These will be Limited Edition figures with a metallic finish and while I think that’d look pretty goofy alongside the regular figures, it’ll be great to see brand new figures of older Rangers in the 4-inch scale.

Limited Edition Metallic Figures

Tokyo Vinyl are in the business of stylised “chibi” interpretations of pop culture characters, in much the same way Pop! Vinyl are and both will be releasing chibi Ranger figures in the near future. Depending on your fetish, you might go for these or not but personally, they’re not for me but I do find them fun in their own way.

Tokyo Vinyl Red Ranger

Want a Megazord but don’t have space for massive chunks of plastic? Then the Retrofire line is for you! The Retrofire line has been around for a few years but with varying degrees of success. They tend to have a weird asymmetrical articulation thing going on where not all the joints can move like it’s opposite though there are a few figures that have regular articulation (both arms and legs move the same way) but if you’re just planning on putting them on a shelf to display, they are generally designed for poses so it’s not too bad. As well as the Megaforce Megazords, they seem to be re-releasing the Dino Megazord as well.

Retrofire Megazords

Want a Megazord and have a sturdy shelf to place heavy objects on? Then the Die-cast Legacy Megazord is for you! It’s the same old Megazord, but it’s heavy as FFFUUUUUU– A lot of grey plastic has been replaced by shiny die-cast metal, notably on the arms and legs (maybe even the sword) and it even comes in a retro stule package that homages the original. I can see these appealing to both fans and 90’s nostalgia buffs.

Legacy Dino Megazord

Rounding out the Megazords and stepping into the realm of Japanese awesomesauce are the Super Robot Chogokin figures. Taking the idea of Retrofires and dialing up the awesome to 11, the SRC Megazords are Japanese die-cast collector figures and so far, there’s been a fair few released. At NYTF, only the Dino Megazord, SPD Delta Squad Megazord and the Samurai Megazord were on display (Alongside some excellent S.H. Figuarts, highly articulated collector figures which I lust after like you wouldn’t believe) but SRC have also create a figure for the Mystic Force Titan Megazord as well so we can probably expect more down the road. I know the SRC Daizyujin (Dino Megazord) is available for pre-order on the US Toys ‘R’ Us site (Due out on the 15th Feb).

SRC Megazords and S.H. Figuarts

Going to a slightly smaller, but no less awesome scale, are the Mighty Morphin’ Legacy Mask Collection. Based on a similar line the Japanese do for all the Sentai Red Rangers, this set is purely for the original Mighty Morphin’ team and it looks glorious! I don’t know whether the full production run will have the Metallic finish like those in the package or there’ll be two variations but either way, I’ll be glad to have them in my display cabinet.

Mighty Morphin’ Legacy Mask Collection

And now, the crown jewel of this entire line-up, the most requested and desired of anything PR-related… The Legacy Power Morpher.

*Squeeeeeeeee*

Yeah, drink it in, friends. This is flavour country. Coming with 5 coins and chock full of lights, sounds and die-cast, the Legacy Power Morpher is the must-have item of this selection and guaranteed to get any fan or nostalgia buff pumped! I don’t have to say anymore, now do I?

That’s all I really have to show you for now, folks! The images I’ve used were gathered by Tokunation and they have more extensive galleries you can check out. I can say for certainty that the Americans and Canadians amongst you will have little to no trouble finding these out in the wild on your side of the pond but for us UK fans, the availability of ANY of these products is up in the air. I guess the 4-inch figures and Retrofires will make it but as for the high-end collectibles? No clue. No word. Only hope that we will not be forgotten in the coming year. Be on the look-out for more Power Ranger articles coming from the DOOM Towers in the coming months and may the Power protect you, always.