Way Cool Action Figure Reviews: Post # 6 - S.H. Figuarts Mighty Morphin Red Power Ranger by Bandai Tamashii Nations

In our previous review we covered the Green Ranger from Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. I thought it would be only fitting as a follow up, to review one of his teammates, the Red Ranger.

Lets not waste any time getting down to it and jump right on in first with the packaging.

Packaging - The packaging is decorated in the same manner as the Green Ranger. The figure is visible behind a clear window display on the front, alongside a very nice profile shot of the figure. The bottom of the front showcases the anniversary logo proudly exclaiming, "celebrating 20 (twenty) years."

The sides of the packaging again show the Red Ranger name, anniversary logo and new profile shot. The back of the packaging highlights the figure's molding, range of pose-ability, and use of the included weapon accessories and interchangeable hands.

The packaging stays consistent across the entire series of MMPR figures. It's compact and stylish, giving most collectors exactly what they need.

Packaging Score - 3 out of 5

Sculpting - The Red Ranger figure primarily re-uses the same mold as the Green Ranger with exception to the helmet, arms and added shield.

This figure too stands at a height just under the 6 inch mark, and is equally amazing as the Green Ranger in every respectable fashion.

The sculpt for the helmet again hits the mark as it does a terrific job mimicking its real life counterpart. Fine details such as the Tyrannosaurus' nostrils are not neglected, but instead given the attention they deserve. The jagged teeth along the visor are sculpted adequately with sharp clearly defined edges. The swooping bridge of the T-Rex's nose, and eyes are also well defined. I am also amazed by their ability to accurately recreate the proportions and shape of the helmet.

The gloves and boots simulate a vinyl like material through the thick curvy creases in the sculpt. The cuff of each glove is sacrificed along the inner arms in lieu of articulation. It creates a small blemish for the figures overall aesthetics. I maintain that there had to be an alternative solution to this, instead of cutting out a portion of the glove. However, as we will cover later, the articulation for this figure is wonderful.

There is no qualm in terms of the musculature or anatomy of the figure. I think the re-use of the Green Ranger's body mold was fine as I can't honestly recall any Power Ranger being bigger than the next with exception to the female members of the team.

My very last issue with the sculpting is the odd circular marks that show up along the buttocks and upper back of the figure. Were these not avoidable in any way? It just seems odd to me. What purpose do they serve?

In comparison to the Green Ranger figure, you'll see that there is a significant difference in how I scored this figure's sculpting. Without additional parts like the Dragon Shield and arm cuffs, blemishes seem more obvious and fail to generate as much of a wow factor.

Sculpting Score - 3.5 out of 5

Paint - The paint application is clear and concise. It is comprised of red, white, and silver. It's simple but efficient. While that may not sound like a compliment, it is. There are more than a handful of toy companies who fail to adequately paint small details, often times resulting in over-spray, smear or mis-alignment. This figure has no problem avoiding those mistakes. Instead, the laborious effort to create such a flawless paint job that compliments the sculpt-work does not go unnoticed.

The high gloss red on the helmet pops as it is a perfect contrast to the flat look of the red used on the suit. This subtle but well executed feature helps highlight the intended difference in materials, between plastic/fiberglass helmet and Lycra suit. My only desired change for the suit would be for the use of a metallic flake to re-create that shiny-sort-of-ish look. I think that would help better convey the look of a Lycra material.

The whites of the suit seem to look a little brighter than the ones used on the hands and feet. Although if I'm going to be completely honest, I'm fine with this. If you look closely at any given fight scene in an episode, you can begin to see just how common dirty gloves and boots were. They never completely maintained a clean and pristine suit. How could they anyways? Fights always just seemed to happen in a rock quarry or some other weird desolate area. I can't eat and stay clean let alone fight off an alien monster.

The paint accomplishes what is necessary but oddly leaves me wanting more for the suit.

Paint Score - 3.5 out of 5

Accessories - The Red Ranger comes with a wide array of weapon accessories (probably more than I remember from the show). All of them are sculpted in exquisite detail. In terms of weapons we get the: Power Sword, Thunder Slinger and Blade Blaster.

The Red Ranger also comes with a holster mounted on his hip. The belt is not detachable but it is independent from the figure. He comes with a fantastic looking morpher buckle on the front. The level of detail at that scale is astounding.

Along with the weapons, comes 4 additional pairs of hands that are weapon specific and helpful for re-creating certain poses or gestures.

Accessories Score - 3.5 out of 5

Articulation - The articulation doesn't offer anything different than the Green Ranger. The neck is ball jointed on both ends. This allows the head to move around in a wide range direction, as well as turn and rotate at the end near the body. The shoulders are ball jointed with an added hinge. The sleeve around the shoulder joint hides most of it but can get in the way from time to time. The only way to remedy that is by turning this sleeve piece, so it aligns more appropriately to your desired pose. Unlike the Green Ranger, we get more upward movement from the upwards primarily because of the absence of a shield along the chest. The elbows are double jointed, which is extremely helpful, however it is also the cause for the gap in the cuff of the glove. As previously mentioned, I love the articulation but would have like to have seen this accomplished without hurting the sculpt. The wrist is ball jointed with a hinge. The upper and lower torso is ball jointed, helping accomplish more aggressive poses. The figure can lean more backwards as opposed to forwards. The hips are ball jointed with a hinge, which leads into a ball joint in the thigh. The thigh is also capable of a rotation. The knees are wonderfully double jointed. The ankles are double ball jointed with a hinge, which allows you to rotate the foot and pivot it very well. Finally drawing the articulation to a complete, the toes are articulated with a hinge, giving you an amazing potential for stances.

S.H. Figuarts absolutely kills it every time in the articulation department and this is definitely not an exception. When you can find a toy company that offers amazing sculpting, coupled with even better articulation, then you're in for a real treat.

Articulation Score - 4.5 out of 5

Conclusion - While I do believe that the Green Ranger has overall more to offer, the Red Ranger in essence is the same figure. It poses its minor drawbacks primarily based on its simple costume or suit. However, the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers are childhood icons, and the team just wouldn't be complete without it's leader, the Red Ranger.