MIGHTY MORPHIN' POWER RANGERS TOYS Last updated: August, 1995 By Pamela K. Green, Ph.D. who can be contacted at: pkgreen@u.washington.edu. This file is copyright 1995, by the author. This file was created without the permission or knowledge of Saban Entertainment, Bandai Inc., Zordon, or any other grownup in the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers universe. Duplication is fine, as long as you keep the header intact, so people know who's responsible for this mess. INDEX 1. INTRODUCTION 2. SOME Q & A ABOUT POWER RANGERS TOYS 3. REVEALING MY SOURCES: WHO'S TO BLAME FOR ALL THIS 4. SOME NON-BANDAI TOYS AND LICENSED ITEMS 4.1 MICROMACHINES 4.2 HAPPY MEAL TOYS 4.3 OTHER STUFF 5. TOYS MADE BY BANDAI 5.1 ACTION FIGURES 5.2 VEHICLES AND PLAYSETS 5.3 WEAPONS 5.4 ZORDS 6. WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A MEGATIGERZORD AND A THUNDER MEGAZORD? 7. A WORD ABOUT JAPANESE TOYS 8. SOME WORDS ON ACTUALLY ACQUIRING THE STUFF 9. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 1. INTRODUCTION Welcome, one and all to the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Toy File! Since you've wandered my way, I'll assume that you, or someone you love (or at least someone you buy presents for) is a fan of the Power Rangers. This file attempts to make sense of the world of MMPR toys. I hope it will provide some guidance for parents who *still* don't know the name of the Pink Ranger, as well serve as a handy reference tool for those wishing to fill in the gaps in their complete collection of Evil Space Aliens. This file is also available through the World Wide Web. Point your Web browser to Manny's way awesome Power Rangers homepage, at: http://kilp.media.mit.edu:8001/power/homepage.html If you'd like to learn more about the show, a most excellent FAQ and episode guide is available at the same locations. Also, if you'd like to know about some of the many other cool MMPR collectibles not covered by this file--cards, milk caps, stickers, and comics--then check out "The Other MMPR Collectibles FAQ," which is also at the locations listed above. If you'd like more information about collecting toys, the rec.toys.misc FAQ, maintened by Scott Gordon, is located at Randy Matthew's Action Figure Web Page: http://www.aloha.com/~randym/action_figures The FAQ includes lots of neat stuff, like toy company addresses, links to other web pages about toys, and some suggestions about buying and selling toys over the internet. Check it out! 2. SOME FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT POWER RANGERS TOYS Q: Can I buy the 8" Tommy the White Ranger action figure separately? A: The good news is yes, yes, 1000 times yes! The movie edition 8" White Ranger is available separately, snug in his own little triangular box, seemingly in plentiful supply. Please note that since this is the first time 8" Tommy has been available separately, demand for the figure is fairly high, so depending on where you live, you might have to scout around for this figure a bit. The bad news is that only way you can find the 8" Green Ranger figure, or original White Ranger figure, is packaged with the Dragonzord or the White Tigerzord, respectively. The worse news is, as of this writing, the Dragonzord seems to be getting ever more hard to find. Those of you who liked Tommy better when he was working for Rita Repulsa will need to do a bit of legwork to track down your 8" Green Ranger (for some tips, see below). Q: I have the original Pink Ranger in the triangle box. How much is it worth? A: This is not a good place for up-to-date "values" on MMPR toys, for several reasons. For one thing, the market is bouncing up and down all the time, based on whether some Bandai executive woke up this morning and decided to ship all last season's toys to Australia or not. For another thing, I don't collect toys as an investment. Of course, we've all heard of people who've made bazillion dollars by hoarding this or that toy, but the toy market is crazy. Toy companies go out of business all the time. Unless you're buying these toys because you think they're morphenominally cool, you might be better off putting your money into something less insane, like the lottery. (For an amusing look at life in the toy industry, get ahold of a book called "Toyland," listed in the credits section.) Q: But the Pink Ranger is rare, isn't it? I saw a dealer asking $50 for one at a toy show. Why shouldn't mine be worth a lot of money? A: Here's a question for you: Did you see anyone BUYING a pink ranger for 50 bucks? What happened with the notorious triangle-box Pink Ranger was this: companies that make action figures often intentionally short-ship several figures in the line. Often, the female figures will be rarer than the male ones, which was what initially happened with the 8" Pink Ranger. Toy companies do this either because they think nobody buys female action figures, or maybe because they want to drive collectors crazy. Also, at least for that first year, Bandai was underproducing EVERYTHING, making the Pink Ranger even rarer. However, recently, Bandai has gotten it's s**t together. It's got multiple new factories going, cranking out the toys, and after someone got the brilliant idea that little girls were buying the toys too, the ratio of female to male Ranger figures improved immensely. So, for a while at least, around the time of last Christmas, the Pink Ranger was pretty widely available, and most everybody who wanted one was able to get one. The other factor in determining value is demand. A couple years ago, every 6-year-old in America wanted his or her Power Ranger toys. Since then, ratings for the show have dropped, and Bandai's sales are off as well. Other than a few new collectors trying to get all the first season toys, demand for MMPR items is just not as strong as it was. If you really want to make money off your Pink Ranger, my best advice at this time would be to pack it away, and wait 20 years or so, until all those former 6-year-olds start getting nostalgic. Q: Have they made a Rita Repulsa figure yet? A: No, not in 3", 4", 5", 8", plush toy, Micro Machines, or any other format I can think of! And what's worse, she's not included in any list of third season toys I've seen so far. Geez, they even made a Lord Zedd plush toy, but still no Rita. There's a Rita Repulsa "squeeze light" out there, but that's it. The greatest super-villain of the universe, too. Life is just unfair. Q: I can't find the original Megazord. Has it been cancelled? A: A lot of the first season items, such as the Deluxe Megazord, the Dragonzord with Green Ranger, and the Battle Bikes, are not being made by Bandai at this moment. Since, for example, the Green Ranger isn't on the show any more, Bandai is concentrating their marketing on toys based on current episodes of the show. But as far as cancellation is concerned, with Bandai, never say never. Last year, they told us that Titanus was cancelled forever. They must have had a change of heart, since this year, to the delight of MMPR toy fanatics (and the disgust of toy dealers), they re-released Titanus in a new box. Q: I just started collecting last Tuesday, and after reading your most excellent list, I find I'm missing two Evil Space Aliens. They're not at Kmart! What do I do! A: There, there, now. First, how much have you looked around? For older stuff, sometimes your best bet is stores in out of the way places, or stores that don't turn over their stock too often. Kmart is notorious for having items with cobwebs on them, but also local drug stores that carry toys may have some older items. If you've exhausted your local retailers, it might be time to visit the "secondary market," in other words, toy dealers. Dealers run classified ads in publications like Action Figure News, Action Figure Digest, and a national "newspaper" called Toy Shop. You can find these magazines at comic shops, and at the larger bookstores, like Barnes and Noble or Borders. Be warned, dealer prices are usually pretty expensive. Another place to shop is swap meets or toy shows. Toy Shop ought to have a listing of toy shows for your area. Prices can still run pretty high, but the good thing is, if you catch dealers at the end of the day, when they don't really want to schlep that boxed Megazord home, you might be able to talk them down in price. You might want to do some cyberspace toy shopping as well. If you have access to net news, try scanning groups like rec.toys.misc, rec.collecting and alt.fan.power-rangers for Power Rangers toys. It's possible you could trade for the item you want. You might even want to post a WTB ("Wanted to Buy") message in one of those groups. These groups, especially the toys newsgroup, are a weird mix of professional dealers, amateur dealers, and collectors, so prices vary enormously! I would strongly advise you, especially if you're new to the net, to scan the groups for at least a couple weeks before you buy anything. If you decide to purchase something, it's perfectly fine to ask for references from previous customers. If you're buying something, it's customary to send your check or money order to the person you're dealing with, and they will send you the item when they receive the check. Some net.dealers who prefer money orders will hold on to checks for up to several weeks before they send the item, so it's best to check on this beforehand. Also, always make arrangements as to what you'll do if you're not satisfied with the item BEFOREHAND. I can't emphasize this enough. By far the majority of unhappy deals I've heard about happened because the dealer would not take returns. IMHO, any reputable dealer will take back any item, no questions ask. If you buy from a "no returns" dealer, you do so at your own risk. Q: So, I hooked up with this guy from rec.toys.misc, and he wants $37.50 for an 8" Baboo. Is that a good price? A: As I said, this is not a good place to find out about toy "values" (see my rant, above). If you really must know about the values, or if there's just one piece you need to complete your collection of Thunderzords and they were all gone at Toys R Us, I'd advise you to take a look at the latest issue of Toy Shop. Toy Shop is a national newspaper for toy dealers that comes out every two weeks. Near the back, in what's called the "Bargain Box," several dealers advertise moderately-priced (for dealers!) Power Rangers stuff. (If you want to become an MMPR mogul, you can also take an ad out in Toy Shop.) Anyway, you might see quite a range of prices for any one item, but it's a good way to get a rough estimate of what things are selling for on the secondary market. Also, if you end up going to a toy show, look around for prices, but also notice whether things are actually BEING SOLD at those prices! But the final answer is, what is it worth to you? If you make a six figure income, and spending your weekends driving around to flea markets looking for Power Rangers toys is not your idea of fun, it might be worth $37.50 to complete your set. On the other hand, if you're a college student who might put that money to more valuable pursuits, such as buying beer for your frat party, you might be better off looking around some more. :-) Q: How did you get all this stuff (I assume you have everything already)? A: To answer the second question first, no, I don't have everything. I have quite a lot of Bandai stuff from the first two seasons, but as my storage space is limited, and as I at present share a small two bedroom apartment with another rabid collector, enough is enough. :-) In answer to your first question, I am not a normal person. Between collecting Power Rangers and Tick toys, and following my boyfriend around while he buys GI Joes and Star Wars, I put in so much time at Toys R Us I'm often mistaken for a clerk. Also, I live in Seattle, where the populace is so notoriously nice that Power Rangers toy fever hasn't the venom of some other regions of the country. (People slow down to let you merge onto the freeway here. They even smile and wave at you while they're doing this!) However, there are some tricks I've learned to buying the stuff, even for those of you who have lives. I've shared these gems in the last section, "Some tips on actually acquiring this stuff." 3 REVEALING MY SOURCES Contrary to popular opinion, I have no Deep Throat working for me inside the mysterious realms of Bandai. All the information in this file comes from very public sources: magazines, newspapers, some of you devoted Power Rangers fans out there, and the *very nice* workers at Bandai America's Customer Service Department. Some magazines I've found helpful: *Action Figure News and Toy Review. Articles about current and upcoming MMPR toys, with color pictures. One issue each year usually has shipping dates for all of Bandai's toys. Address: 556 Monroe Turnpike, Monroe, CT 06468. Sample copies are available for $6.35. Subscriptions are $21.95/six issues and $39.95/a year for 12 issues. *Action Figure Digest. This is my favorite toy magazine--it always has great pictures. It's sometimes hard to find on the newsstand, so I'd recommend getting a subscription. Address: 3300 Encrete Lane, Dayton, OH 45439-1944. Sample copies are available for $8.00. Subscriptions are $30.00/year for six issues. *Sentai (Antarctic Press). Now defunct , the back issues are worth a run to your local comics shop. Issue #2 was mostly devoted to MMPR. Includes a "cast of characters," and a brief description about how the first season Zords morph. You might want to pick up issue #5 as well, because the letters page is full of corrections to errors spotted by clever readers. *Bandai packages and package inserts. Because this is a file about toys, the toys themselves are my primary source of information. In case of conflict between what the show, the toy magazines, and the toy's packaging says, I have gone with the packaging. So, for example, I have spelled the second season's evil nemesis "Lord Zedd," because that's how it's spelled on the toy's box, even though a TV Guide article referred to the character as "Lord Zed." You can call Bandai yourself, and talk to the nice people in their customer service department. Sometimes Bandai doesn't let them know everything that's going on, but I've found the people there to be enormously friendly and helpful. Bandai America's phone number is (310) 926-0947. 4. TOYS AND VARIOUS LICENSED PRODUCTS NOT MADE BY BANDAI The past year has provided a bounty of licensed Power Rangers products. Some of it was an attempt to fill the gap created by the shortage of official Bandai toys, and some was just cashing in on a good thing. A lot of it (such as the books and videos) is beyond the scope of this file. Of what's left, a lot has come and gone rather quickly. Items such as coloring and activity books and refrigerator magnets are already being remaindered in some places. For the purposes of this Toy File, I'm going to concentrate my attention on toys, with special emphasis on toys made by Bandai. This is the coolest stuff: the heroes and aliens you actually see on the tv show, as well as various weapons, including the mighty Powerzords. The genuine Bandai stuff has been tricky to find, and in many areas, it was impossible to find last Christmas, which is why you saw toy store shelves filled with "Mighty Rangers" and "Sonic Rangers" and so on. Other manufacturers produced some officialy licensed toys of widely varying quality. 4.1 POWER RANGERS MICRO MACHINES Micro Machines, manufactured by Louis Galoob toys, rate a section all their own because some folks like the toy line enough to collect Micro Machines, because at about $5.00 a set they're darn cheap for MMPR toys, and because they're so CUTE! SMALL SETS There are at present eight different sets with four figures each. These sets all feature the original 5 rangers (Jason, Zack, Trini, Kim and Billy). 1. Red Ranger Collection: Jason figure, Red Ranger figure, Tyrannosaurus Battle Bike and Tyrannosaurus Dinozord. 2. Black Ranger Collection: Zack figure, Black Ranger figure, Mastodon Battle Bike, and Mastodon Dinozord. 3. Blue Ranger Collection: Billy figure, Blue Ranger figure, Triceratops Battle Bike, and Triceratops Dinozord. 4. Yellow Ranger Collection: Trini figure, Yellow Ranger figure, Mastodon Battle Bike*, Sabertooth Tiger Dinozord. (*Duplicate of Collection #2 Battle Bike.) 5. Pink Ranger Collection: Kimberly figure, Pink Ranger figure, Triceratops Battle Bike*, and Pterodactyl Dinozord. (*Duplicate of Collection #3 Battle Bike.) 6. Titanus vs. King Sphinx Collection: also features Red Ranger figure and Putty figure. 7. Dragonzord vs. Goldar Collection: also features Blue Ranger figure and Putty figure. 8. Megazord vs. Squatt Collection: also features Black Ranger figure and Putty. LARGE SETS Galoob has also released several figure collections, which commonly contain several of the figures mentioned above, and typically, an exclusive figure not available in the smaller sets. Exclusive figures include the Green Ranger, the White Ranger, the Collector's Edition Black and Gold Megazord, and Alpha 5. 4.2 MCDONALDS HAPPY MEAL TOYS The Power Rangers entered the Great Toy Hall of Fame when they were immortalized as Happy Meal toys at McDonalds. These toys were made as a promotion for MMPR: the Movie, so they represent the rangers, their costumes, zords, and neat toys as they appeared in the movie. There were actually two different sets of toys: small prizes included in the Happy Meals, and a set of the Rangers with their new MMPR Movie zords you could buy separately. The figures with their zords are especially nice: posable little action figures done on the scale of Kenner's classic Star Wars toys (around 4" tall), which makes them perfect to sneak into your boyfriend's Jabba the Hutt diarama. Happy meal toys: Power Morpher (with Power Coins) Communicator Alien Detector Power Siren Ranger and Zord sets: White Ranger with Falcon Ninjazord Pink Ranger with Crane Ninjazord Red Ranger with Ape Ninjazord Blue Ranger with Wolf Ninjazord Yellow Ranger with Bear Ninjazord Black Ranger with Frog Ninjazord 4.3 OTHER NON-BANDAI TOYS Heading the list, crack toy-spotter Jim Junot reports a very cool toy, available only from Discovery Zone: Discovery Zone (indoor play centers) are selling a communictor which will play 33 different Power Ranger messages ranging from summons from Zordon to music from the show. The cost is $34.95 and gets the wearer free admission to Discovery Zone until September 30. The only change from the communicators seen on the show is that this one is square. PS - The Timex Atlantis 100 watch looks amazingly like the communicators worn on the show. He adds: If people want to know where the nearest Discovery Zone is (for the communicators) they can call 1-800-FUN-CENT to find out. Finally, a word about the other non-Bandai stuff. This includes tons of cheap plastic rack toys, from fridge magnets to sneaker toppers. I'm not even going to attempt to list all this stuff, for one because there's just too much of it. In addition, most of it just isn't as cool and/or desirable as the Bandai line. I'll mention some of the more notable items here (and you're welcome to add suggestions if I've forgotten your favorite), and let that be the end of it. First, in the realm of Power Rangers attire, Disguise, Inc. made Billy and Jason costumes with real helmets and belts. I understand that since these are not being made any more, they can be quite expensive. There's also some cheaper ($19.95 at TRU) kids' Halloween costumes, which are currently available. They're available in red, pink, black, yellow, blue, and white, of course. Some are packaged in triangular boxes, just like the original Ranger action figures. You can buy a pair of "Power Gloves," with real karate sounds, to accentuate your outfit. There's also a movie edition version of the Power Gloves, and, according to Li-Ming Fong: ....now the gloves are available in the "ninja" line. (You can expect ninja costumes for Halloween too). If you're a grownup with an extreme case of MMPR-envy, adult-sized Power Rangers caps and t-shirts were available through the MMPR Fan Club, as a Power Rangers Movie promotion. Also in the realm of Ranger attire, besides the inevitable t-shirts, there's boys and girls underwear and socks which depict the rangers, as well as jammies. Just the thing to tuck the kids into their Rangers sheets at night, as they cuddle their soft Ranger "Action Pal" (also available with a "karate chop" feature)! Action Pals, stuffed toys based on the Rangers, have come out in a bewildering assortment of shapes and sizes, ranging from little Pink or Yellow Rangers packaged with extra Ninja outfits, to those alarming kid-sized White Rangers. There was even a cuddly stuffed Lord Zedd (??) for a while. There are several kinds of Power Rangers watches. The neatest has a ranger who "morphs" in and out of costume as you change the angle of the face. There are also watches with your favorite ranger painted on the dial, and digital watches topped by a little plastic ranger or the Megazord. The latest in MMPR wrist-wear is a watch-sized video game shaped like the Megazord. (I still have to eat two more boxes of Cap'n Crunch before I have enough proofs of purchase to order mine, so stay tuned.) For those of you into video games, the Power Rangers have morphed in the the electronic world in games available in Super Nintendo, Gameboy, and Game Gear formats. Cyber Jester notes that, "Sega Genesis has a MMPR game too. This one is unique because you can be the green ranger in it." According to a list of new toys which Tom Moser was kind enough to forward me, this year will bring two Nintendo games, based on the MMPR movie and TV show respectively, and a Game Boy game based on the MMPR movie. As far as "real" toys, there's a "remote- control" Megazord that's nearly as big as the Deluxe Megazord. Marchon has produced a series of "Helmet Racers," which launches the Rangers off on their Battle Bikes. They also have a racing set so the Rangers can make like Mario Andretti around a track. However, Bandai has recently been encroaching on this market as well, with their "Revvin Thunder Bikes," as well as Spin Fighters. Colorforms has issued a variety of Rangers sets. There's a travel set too. Speaking of which, if you'd like to keep some small fans contentedly humming the Power Rangers theme in the back seat of a car, there are several coloring and activity books which are now being sold at a discount. The quality isn't the greatest, but they do have pictures of the Megazord. There are also _tons_ of MMPR school supplies out there, from notebooks to erasers to backpacks to pencil sharpeners. There are some "non-canonical" Power Rangers weapons out there too, such as suction dart-guns, perfect for aiming at your TV whenever some Evil Space Alien starts making trouble for Our Heroes. And ranger figures are now available as Gumby- like bendies. The quality ain't high, but at around $2.00, you could do worse for something to hang from your computer terminal. 5. SO WHAT ABOUT BANDAI? To be honest, the sheer variety of Bandai stuff can be bewildering. Fortunately, most of the toys falls into one of four categories, which I've arranged in roughly increasing expense. 5.1 ACTION FIGURES These range from the original 8" highly articulated ranger figures that came in triangular boxes, to the 3" collectable, non-poseable figures packaged on cards. The 8" rangers were packaged in regular square boxes during the second season, and had a "karate action" feature. So far, the third season has brought us movie edition Rangers in shiny costumes, and now, talking Rangers. "Totally Stylin'!" There's also a series of 8" Evil Space Aliens. Beginning in the second season were the 5 1/2" Automorphin Rangers, and 5 1/2" Evil Space Aliens, each with a different action feature. The ranger figures that come with the Battle Bikes are 4". They're identical to the rangers subsequently packaged with the Thunder Bikes, and Shark Cycles. There aren't any aliens this size, as far as I know. Smallest of all are the 3" collectable figures. They've made all the rangers, including the Green Ranger, this size, as well as Alpha Five, and there are several aliens as well. They're packaged individually on cards, or in sets of twelve. Teeniest of all are the little bitty Rangers included in the "Micromorphin Playsets" (see "Vehicles and Playsets," below). These little figures are a fraction of an inch high. Watch out with that vacuum cleaner, mom! 8" Power Rangers (the ones in the original triangular boxes) Red, Black, Blue, Yellow, Pink 8" Karate Action Power Rangers (second season, in rectangular boxes) Red, Black, Blue, Yellow, Pink 8" Movie Edition Rangers Red, Black, Blue, Yellow, Pink and White 8" Talking Rangers (each says a different morphenominal phrase) Red, Black, Blue, Yellow, Pink and White 8" Green Ranger (ONLY available with Dragonzord) 8" White Ranger (ONLY available with White Tigerzord) 8" Evil Space Aliens (original boxes featuring Rita Repulsa picture) First series: Goldar, Squatt, Baboo, King Sphinx Second series: Finster, Bones, Putty Patrol 8" Deluxe Evil Space Aliens (second season boxes featuring picture of Lord Zedd) Lord Zedd, Socadillo, Rhino Blaster, Goo Fish, Guitardo, Pirantis Head 8" Movie Evil Aliens Ivan Ooze, Hornitor, Scorpitan 8" Deluxe Evil Space Aliens (third season) (TO BE RELEASED--September) Merrick the Barbaric, Calcifire, Master Vile, Silent Knight 8" Talking Lord Zedd (TO BE RELEASED--September) 5 1/2" Power Rangers Auto Morphin Power Rangers (second season only) Red, Black, Blue, Yellow, Pink, Green (available on individual cards) Movie Edition Rangers Red, Black, Blue, Yellow, Pink, White (available on individual cards, each includes Power Coin). Action Ninja Rangers (third season) (TO BE RELEASED--September) Red, Black, Blue, Yellow, Pink and White Rangers in Ninjetti outfits Auto Morphin Power Rangers (third season) Red, Black, Yellow and White 5 1/2" Alpha Five figure (ONLY available with Power Dome Playset) 5 1/2" Action Feature Evil Space Aliens First series (18 total--was originally going to include a Rita figure, but they lied to us!) Peck Attack Peckster, Clawing Dramole, Killer Bite Slippery Shark, Missile Launching Pete and Repeat, Gobbling Pudgy Pig, Snatch Attack Spidertron, Devouring Snizard Lips, Sword Slashing Nasty Knight, Stinger Shooting Grumble Bee, Slash and Block Minotaur, Eye Popping Eye Guy, Slicing Horns Stag Beetle, Lord Zedd, Goldar, Robogoat, Putty Patroller, Invenusable Flytrap, Pythor. [Tip from Steve "The Baron" Ialuna: some, but not all, of the Pythor cards contain a spelling error, "Tounge" instead of "Tongue."] Movie series Tengu Warrior, Lord Zedd, Ivan Ooze, Mordant Second series (TO BE RELEASED--September) Vampirus, Rito Revolto, Master Vile, Slotsky, Erik the Barbaric, Steamy Meanie 3" Collectible Figures Series 1: Goldar, Squatt, Baboo, King Sphinx, Finster, Alpha-5, and Red, Black, Blue, Yellow, Pink and Green Rangers (available on individual cards, or all together in Power Rangers Collector Set I) Series 2: Jason, Trini, Zack, Kimberly, Billy (all in street clothes); White Ranger, Bulk, Skull, Lord Zedd, Skellerina and Silverhorns. (Available on individual cards, or packaged together as Collector's Set 2) Movie Series (12 total): Red, Black, Yellow, Pink, Blue and White Rangers; and Red Black, Yellow, Pink Blue and White Ninjetti Series 3: Rito Revolto, Master Vile, Lord Zedd, Silent Knight, Shogun Megafalconzord, Shogun Megazord, Ninja Megazord, Falconzord, Ninja Megafalconzord; and Rocky, Aisha and Adam in street clothes. Power Rangers for Girls (dolls) First series: Kimberly/Pink Ranger (includes Pink Ranger costume and pink dress) Trini/Yellow Ranger (includes Yellow Ranger costume, and shorts outfit) (*Kimberly and Trini also come packaged together) Second series: Kimberly/Pink Ranger (includes Pink Ranger costume and extra outfit) Aisha/Yellow Ranger (includes Yellow Ranger costume and extra dress) Doll gift set with ornament (UPCOMING--September) There may be more dolls on the way. According to Li-Ming Fong: I believe if you look at the back of the box, there also will be Pink and Yellow "shiny" outfits (like the movie 8" Rangers), and "party" outfits.... Whether they are sold with the doll (ughh.... I don't want 5 Kims) or sold separately (hurray!) is not known. 5.2 WEAPONS So far, this has included the Power Gun/Sword, which was packaged with the Power Morpher, and the Dragon Dagger, which plays tunes just like the Green Ranger uses to call the Dragonzord. The second season's Power Cannon actually launches colored balls (albeit, very slowly), and Saba the Tiger Saber talks. The Power Cannon morphs with the Power Gun/Sword to form the Ultra Power Cannon. The Power Blaster is an assortment of toys made for the Zyuranger series, on which the first season of Power Rangers was based, even though it came out for the third season. Power Morpher and Power Gun/Sword Dragon Dagger Power Cannon (second season) Saba the Talking Saber (second season) Power Blaster (third season) 5.3 VEHICLES AND PLAYSETS Sometimes, the Power Rangers wanna go out for a ride in something that's not prehistoric. At least I guess that's the reason for these toys since, so far, they're hard to spot on the show (though I've heard they're visible in the background of an episode or two). In the original Japanese versions of this show, the Rangers were often seen gliding around on motorcycles. Vehicles include last year's Battle Bikes (sorry--boy rangers only), and Thunder Bikes (which all look like the Pegasus zord); and the new Shark Cycles. Battle bikes (include 4" figure) (first season) Tyranosaurus + Action Side Cannon with Red Ranger Triceratops + Pterodactyl Side Car with Blue Ranger Mammoth + Sabertooth Tiger Side Car with Black Ranger Thunder Bikes (include 4" Ranger) (second season only) Red, Black, Blue, Yellow, Pink Shark Cycles (include 4" Ranger) (third season) Red, Black, Blue, Yellow, Pink and White Revvin' Thunder Bikes Power Dome Morphin Play Set (includes Alpha-5 figure) (second season only) Power Claws Vehicle (CANCELLED) Micro Morphin Playsets (playsets are about Polly Pockets/Mighty Maxx size) First series: Red, Pink and White Ranger sets Second series: Yellow, Blue and Black Ranger sets 5.4 ZORDS Ah! Only the way coolest best most wonderful greatest toys in the universe. Sigh! OK, so maybe I'm biased, but if you've got a Thunder Megazord standing proudly in your living room, I promise even the most anti-MMPR gremlin you may know will be visibly impressed. Grown-ups have this view of zords like they're complicated. Well, they are. The combinations are endless. Luckily for our sanity, as well as out wallets, there are an extrememly finite number of toys to buy. For instance, the first season had only three Powerzords: Megazord (which included the five dinozords), Dragonzord, and Titanus. The second season, had Thunder Powerzords: Red Dragon Thunderzord, Thunderzord Assault Team, White Tigerzord, and Tor the Shuttlezord. The third season will have the Shogun Megazord, Ninja Megazord, and Falconzord, plus a return of Titanus. Simple, n'est-ce pas? Please note: a lot of "special edition" zords have been popping up lately, a lot of them department store exclusives. These special editions tend to be a bit smaller and cheaper than the originals, but they don't "morph" with other toys. Also, some third season toys, Lord Zedd's Serpentera and Ninjor, don't morph with the other toys, but I've included them here 'cause what the heck? :-) First season: Megazord (small) Deluxe Megazord (includes 5 Dinozords) Titanus (has been discontinued) Special Edition Megazord (black and gold) Dragonzord (includes 8" Green Ranger) Second season: Red Dragon Thunderzord Thunderzord Assault Team includes Black Lion, Blue Unicorn, Yellow Griffin and Pink Firebird (*Red Dragon Thunderzord has been packaged together with the Thunderzord Assault Team as the Thunder Megazord. The sword in this packaging may be different from that in the originals, as it's made of flexible rubber instead of plastic) Tigerzord (includes 8" White Ranger) Tor the Shuttlezord (changed from "Wor" in the early press releases) Special editions (small): Megatigerzord (Toys R Us exclusive) Red Dragon Thunderzord (Toys R Us exclusive) White Tigerzord (Target exclusive) Tor the Shuttlezord (Target exclusive) Thunder Megazord (Price/Costco exclusive) Movie Edition: Ninja Megazord Deluxe Falconzord Special Edition Ninja Megafalconzord (small) Third Season: Shogun Megazord Ninja Megafalconzord Ninjor Titanus (re-release) Lord Zedd's Serpentera 6 WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A MEGA TIGERZORD AND A THUNDER MEGAZORD? Half the fun of the zord toys is taking them apart and snapping them together to make ever weirder combinations of fighting machinery. But since the show has been a bit ambiguous, and Bandai has been a bit shy about explaining what makes which, and since all the names sound alike anyway, I'm including this section about the "correct" terminology for all the known permutations. (NOTE: If you require instructions on how to actually "morph" your toys, I suggest you contact your local expert, i.e., the nearest 6-year-old.) For last season's Powerzords, four Dinozords (minus the Pterodactyl) snap together to form the Battle Tank (this is what you often see just after the Rangers morph together). This configuration then "stands up," adding the Pterodactyl as the chestplate, to become the mighty Megazord. The five Dinozords were all packaged together as the Deluxe Megazord. There are two combinations of Dragonzord and the various Dinozords. According to the instructions in the Bandai Dragonzord toy, Dragonzord + Mastodon + Triceratops + Sabertooth Tiger --> The Ultimate Battle System Fighting Mode! I've seen this creation a couple of times on the show, though I've never heard the name mentioned. This guy can carry the Power Drill (made out of Dragonzord's tail and chest plate). On the other hand, Dragonzord + Megazord (including T-Rex) --> Megadragonzord! This guy sometimes shows up in the opening credits sequence. Then, take Megadragonzord, add Titanus and you have Ultrazord!!! The most terrifying, not to mention most expensive, combination of the first season. The Thunder Powerzord System is a bit simpler. Red Dragon Thunderzord combines with the Thunderzord Assault Team to make Thunder Megazord. White Tigerzord combines with the Thunderzord Assault Team to make Mega Tigerzord. And, at least according to Bandai's catalog, Red Dragon Thunderzord plus the Thunderzord Assault Team plus White Tigerzord plus Tor the Shuttlezord all combine to form the Thunder Ultrazord. From the picture, however, I can't exactly tell where the White Tigerzord fits in this thing--my best guess, after some experimentation, is the White Tigerzord is supposed to hide inside Tor's "secret compartment." Veteran morphers will probably be able to put together this season's toys in their sleep. But just for completeness's sake, you can attach the Falconzord to the back of the Ninja Megazord, and get a Ninja Megafalconzord. Do a similar trick with the Falconzord and the Shogun Megazord (though this time you have to take off Sho's arms to stick on the Falconzord), and you end up with the Shogun Megafalconzord. Note that Bandai claims the new Ninjor and Serpentera toys "morph." This means you can change the toy's conformation from crawling to standing, for instance. This doesn't mean they attach to the other toys, so you can quit trying. :-) 7 A WORD ABOUT JAPANESE TOYS As everybody who's not from Mars probably knows by now, the Power Rangers is based on a Japanese TV show, or actually a series of Japanese TV shows, called sentai, or "Battle team" shows. Generally, sentai shows involve a team of young people who gain special powers when they don spandex suits. The teams will call on special weapons, and large robots, to battle evil space villains (sound familiar?). Since Bandai makes the toys for the sentai shows, a lot of MMPR toys are based on these toys. For instance, the original 8" Power Rangers, the Megazord, the Dragon Dagger, and most other first season toys are based on the show Zyuranger. The second season's Thunderzords are based on toys from Dairanger. The movie zords, the Ninja Megazord and Falconzord, and new zords you'll see in the third season, are based on Kakuranger. Generally, there's a new sentai show every year, and therefore a completely new crop of Bandai sentai toys every year. I'm no way an expert about this, but I will mention a few of the Japanese toys which have been more widely available here. First, the Japanese version of Lord Zedd's Serpentera is called "Daishinryuu." It's from Dairanger, and there is a small, 12" version, and a huge, 18" version. Both produce battery-powered screams when you push a button. Speaking of battery-powered, a couple of the coolest toys I own are the Japanese "Walking Won Tiger" (from Dairanger) and "Walking Dragonzord" (from Zyuranger). MMPR fans know Won Tiger as the Tigerzord, and the White Ranger as Kibaranger. For a while, Advance Comics had a Japanese version of the Kibaranger's talking sword. It was similar to Saba, only it talked in 100% Japanese. Unfortunately, Bandai has reportedly been putting the kibosh on imported sentai toys, worried it will decrease their market share or some hooey like that (goodbye, Muteki Shogun!). However, there are several stores and mail-order places that specialize in Japanese toys, and you never know what you'll turn up. Some suggestions: Kimono My House and Pony Toy Go Round, in the Bay Area of California, the Outer Limits, which advertises in Action Figure News, and Club Dai Kaiju. The Dai Kaiju catalog is especially neat. Jim Cironella, the owner, often writes an article about his fave Japanese movies or TV shows. 8 SOME ADVICE ON ACTUALLY ACQUIRING THIS STUFF I'd like to close with a little advice from a veteran toy-seeker (that's me), just in case there turns out to be (gasp!) another MMPR shortage this Xmas. First, it looks like Bandai has finally gotten its act together in getting the toys into toy stores. There seems to no longer be a frenzied rush for anything Power Rangers that hits the shelves. In fact, believe it or not, some toys are in oversupply, and have been discounted. But just in case the Ranger shortage pops up again, or if you just want to be the first on your block with a new Thingamazord, the best advice is to shop early. Literally. For instance, Toys R Us opens at 9:30. If you're not at the store by noon on the day a new MMPR shipment comes in, you'll be stuck with the lame stuff. Weekday mornings, if you can get off, are the absolute best time to shop. Weekends and holidays are the most inefficient time to shop. With hoardes of people combing the aisles for anything new and cool, the shelves will be picked clean within hours. If you don't want to use up your vacation time prowling the aisles of a toy store, let your fingers do the walking! It's OK to call the store beforehand, especially if you're after some specific item--it'll save you some time and gas. Some stores will even put stuff on hold for you. Some won't, or won't hold certain toys, so it's best to check your local toy store's policy on this. In my area, the Toys R Us stores seem to have the most knowledgable and helpful staff manning the phones. Certain discount chains (which shall remain nameless) can be much more unreliable. My beloved S.O. once called a local store and, after the person had been gone some time to check the toy section, he was informed that they were out of Ninja Turtles. Good information, except he had called to ask them about GI Joes. Once again, the "shop early" rule applies to phoning. If you call into Toys R Us the week before Christmas, believe me, the clerk on the phone will not be so helpful as if you had called some weekday morning in October, when the night's shipment has just been unpacked, and there are actually more clerks running around than customers. Some stores also limit how many toys you can purchase at one time, so if you're buying for two or three MMPR fans, you might want to bring along a friend. Walmart and Toys R Us are the best at stocking a wide variety of stuff at reasonable prices. Lately, Target stores seem to be getting new toys in before any of the other chains. If you do find yourself in a toy store the day after Thanksgiving, remember a few rules I've learned by shopping during the half yearly clearance sale at Nordstrom: Once you're actually at the store, figure out where the action figure aisle is and make a bee-line there. If you see a shipment of interesting stuff lying around (Toys R Us, for one, will often leave the hottest stuff in the shipping carton, on the floor), pick up and hold on to anything you think you'd like to look at: I've had other people snatch away stuff I'm just looking at on the shelves. (I know a lot of very nice, well- behaved grown-ups, but toy stores seem to bring out the worst in people.) You can always put down anything you decide you don't want. And even if you get to the store just before it closes and the shelves are a wreck, don't despair. On weekdays, you can often find forgotten figures shoved underneath the chaos. And keep a list: all those zords can be confusing, especially when you're elbowing away other moms and dads who can't tell a Thunderzord from a Powerzord. If in doubt, you can try to find a clerk, although often little kids who are looking at the same stuff will offer free consultation ("That's a Titanus. My mom won't buy one because they're too expensive. I have a Dragonzord. The pink ranger is the hardest to find.") If all else fails, try calling some of the smaller toy shops in your area. You'll often find toys, albeit priced a little higher, that are no longer in the discount stores. Beware of toy dealers. Some are OK, many have less scruples than used car salesmen. Some even use the techniques I've described, being first in line at the toy store and buying out a shipment. They are running dog parasites on the backs of the workers. When the revolution comes, they will be the first up against the wall....(Oops! Got carried away there.) Good luck, and may the Power (and Geoffrey) Protect you. 9. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I am most thankful to Terri Ann Guingab, who not only convinced me to write this thing in the first place, but who actually pored over the file for spelling and grammatical errors at 4 am on a school night. Thankyou, Wyndy. I am also deeply indebted to a crack team on MMPR toy-spotters, who report Bandai's every new issue with remarkable enthusiasm and promptness, even on days when I'm too grouchy to say "thanks." They include Eric Schmidt, Jana Peterson (and Jordan), Li-Ming Fong, Aaron "Plaidy" Newton, Jim Junot, Cyber Jester and Steve "The Baron" Ialuna. Special thanks to Tom Moser for supplying the entire list of 1995 3" Figures and Evil Space Aliens. Morphinominal!