Might Morphin’ Black Ranger is an import of Mammoth Ranger, with a more western friendly box. No changes were made apart from this but its still a damn impressive release.

The box is actually nothing like the Japanese release, being a window box and being rather generic. Unlike the Kyoryu Red box, this doesn’t really have any outstanding features or aesthetic similarities to Mighty Morphin’ but it still works pretty well.

The Black Ranger’s accessories include the standard assortment of interchangeable hands (one of which is specifically for his roll-call pose), a folded Blade Blaster, a Thunder Slinger, his signature Power Axe and a couple others that you’re probably curious about but I’ll get to later.

Like all S.H. Figuarts, Black Ranger is articulated up the wazoo! Seriously, it has 4 points of wazoo articulation. From pulling off his roll-call pose or beating on baddies, you can pull off all sorts of great poses. If there’s one thing I had to complain about, it’s another leg issue that I don’t think is wide spread. The thigh moulding on the right side is a little off, meaning it’s not quite as uniform as I’d like but I can live with that.

Size-wise, Figuarts are a couple inches taller than Bandai of America’s recent 4″ action figures and look far less ‘roided up, making the Figuart far more accurate to his onscreen appearance.

Coming to the accessories, the Blade Blaster will spend its entire life in the holster on the Ranger’s belt and can’t be held easily. The Thunder Slinger (I had to wiki the name) is a holdover from the Japanese release of a weapon that I don’t recall the Rangers ever using but I’ll let it slide. What I won’t let slide is the fact that the Thunder Slinger doesn’t sit comfortably in any of the provided “holding things” hands. You’re staying in the tray!

Black Ranger’s signature weapon, the Power Axe, is perfectly replicated and looks absolutely fantastic! People have asked why I chose Black instead of the more popular Red, Green or White. The answer is simple, his helmet was always my favourite as a kid and his axe is FREAKIN’ BADASS! Swords, daggers and lances are cool but when you see a big meaty axe coming for your head, you move! It’s also a blaster! Unfortunately, it’s slightly inaccurate but there’s a reason for that.

With the releases of Black, Blue and Yellow, will come with remoulded versions of the Rangers’ signature weapons that can combine into the iconic Power Blaster. Black comes with Red and Blue’s components but I’m not sure which follow up will include Black’s axe in blaster mode.

As with my previous S.H. Figuart review, I am thoroughly impressed with this figure and highly recommend picking it up as either a stand alone, or as part of the Mighty Morphin’ team!

It’s great that Tamashii Nations and Bluefin Distribution are bringing more and more S.H. Figuarts over to the west. You can currently find most of the Mighty Morphin’ S.H. Figuarts over on Amazon UK and through other online retailers.

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!

Companies attending SDCC to peddle their wares often have a whole host of exclusive goodies to give away or to sell you and since I’m not in any position to attend, I thought I’d give my thoughts on a few items that I’d love to own personally. First up; DOMO-KUUUUUUUN!

Funko Booth #5343 – Metallic Domo Batman
Funko is always on hand to peddle more variant vinyls than you can shake a stick at, this year alone has so many that I’ve lost count. Has to be around 50-60 at least but this one caught my eye for a number of reasons. Firstly, Domo, because Domo is always funny and because it’s Domo dressed as Batman. SOLD. With numerous Pop Vinyls from TV, Movies, Comics and Pop Culture, I’m sure you’ll find one to tickle your particular fancy.

Bluefin Tamashii Nations Booth 3545 – S.H. Figuarts Power Rangers Samurai Metallic Figure Set
Boy, that’s a mouthful. I love S.H. Figuarts (despite not owning any) for their articulation, generous accesories and overall aesthetic. This set includes complete team of Rangers (many of whom had never seen a regular retail release in the US), with all their extras and accesories from their respective single releases and in a shiny Metallic paint? How can you pass up such a great set of figures for the sum of $200. It may seem steep but importing the regular female Rangers can command that price alone sometimes so it’s a damn good deal!

Hasbro Booth 3329 – Marvel Universe Deadpool Corps Special Edition Figure Set
Deadpool is big, tacos are delicious and exclusives are awesome. Throw them all together and you have a 6-‘Pool team of figures in exclusive taco-shaped packaging and a lovely Mexican food truck box to keep them in. Granted this is an extremely silly exclusive set for the sum of $49.99 but that’s why I love it so! Chimichangas!

LEGO Booth 2829 – Marvel and DC Superheroes Minifigures
Did you really expect anything less from me? LEGO released a bunch last year and this year they have 4 more to giveaway over the course of the event. Green Arrow takes cues from his TV appearance, Spiderman is chockful of lovely detail and Spiderwoman is a neat, relatively obscure, Avenger to throw into the group. The only misfire is black-suit Superman which appears to be the exclusive du jour this year because of Man of Steel but ends up looking dull compared to his more colourful comrades. Anyone who sends me an Arrow, Spidey or Spiderwoman wins my undying affection and a super-special-awesome shout out in a video!

Bluefin Distribution Booth 140 – Dragonball Z Exclusive 3 Piece Scouter Set
Do I need to explain why I need this? DBZ was a huge part of my first exposure to anime and DBZ Abridged is my favourite comedy series on YouTube so why do I want one of these awesome Scouters? Muffin Button. Also because they’re $25 and come in 3 different colours. They’re very limited so if you’re lucky enough to nab one, be aware that I am super jealous.

So that’s what I would conceivabley be spending my money on at SDCC, how about you? Any of you attending or not, what would you love to get and what leaves you cold inside?