Power Rangers Mixx N Morph Figures Wave 1
$12.99 Each from Target
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Mixx N Morph is Bandai’s answer to Hasbro’s expansive “Hero Mashers” line. The concept is simple. Take your core characters, create a compatible, universal joint system, and make the characters limbs and accessories mix and match, or in this case, Mixx N Morph. Figures come in two varieties: Ranger and Rangerzord. The Rangers don’t have as much playability, but can act as a core for mixing and matching parts from the Rangerzords. The Rangerzords armor can be used to create the Zord they represent as well. Mixing and morphing is all done via the figures’ ball and socket joint system, so all parts can fit everywhere else. Each single pack figure retails for $12.99 on average and contains one figure, and an accessory if possible. Our first wave of single pack Mixx N Morph figures includes an oddball assortment with the Dino Charge Red Ranger, the Dino Charge Black T-Rex Rangerzord, the Samurai White Claw Rangerzord, and the Mighty Morphin Green Tiger Rangerzord.
The Dino Charge Red Ranger is a very simple figure, coming with a large Dino Cannon that can be plugged in a ball or socket on any of the figures, or be held in any of the figures’ hands. Playability generally stops there, as without any other figures to Mixx N Morph with, there are no other modes of the figure. The Dino Cannon is cool though.
The Black T-Rex Rangerzord is a black repaint of a future release of the Red T-Rex Rangerzord. This color scheme is very similar to the Black Kyoryuzin toy released in Japan, and the Black Gabutyra seen in the Kyoryuger vs. Go-Busters film. In that regard, this is my favorite of the releases. Not only is it actually something that was made and used, it is just a fun toy in general. Not only is the main figure poseable, but the bits can be used to create the T-Rex Zord, which actually has a nice range of poseability as well. The toy is worth it alone to have a nice, poseable T-Rex Zord.
The White Claw Rangerzord is just weird. This is what you get when you take the Claw Zord, but give him the color scheme of the Octo Zord. It’s a really weird move, but I dig the idea of color swaps to generate repainted figures. Unfortunately the Claw Rangerzord is pretty weak. The Rangerzord mode has very hollow legs which doesn’t allow for much stability. The claws look neat, but have an oddly placed joint that makes posing rather clunky. To top it off the Zord mode is fairly weak. The claws can open and close, but that’s about as fun as this one gets.
The Green Tiger Rangerzord is what you would get if the Green Ranger piloted the Tigerzord instead. It’s a missed opportunity to make this gold instead of black, to better match the Green Ranger himself. Regardless, the Tigerzord in black looks pretty nice, though it just doesn’t really mesh well with the green base parts of the figure. swap some limbs with the White Tiger Rangerzord from the two-pack, and you might have a neat looking color combination. The sword is a nice accessory, and the Zord mode, while a little clunky, looks better then the Claw Rangerzord at least.
Mixxing and morphing is really easy to do, and even with just these four figures, the possible combinations is incredibly high. As I mention in the video, these aren’t figures you really want to sit on display, or keep in a bin or anything like that. These are figures you want on your desk, or split apart into pieces and tossed in a container. While not the best in detail or poseability, they definitely succeed in fun. I am someone that lives off customizing and imagination. I love the concepts of mixing and matching, especially when it comes to robots. I eagerly await a second wave, and to get my hands on the two-packs, so I can have even more options open to me. Kids that love to customize, or collectors that just want to have fun will really like what this line has to offer. It’s easy, fluid, and just plain works.
That being said, it’s unfortunate that these four figures aren’t anything new compared to what you can get in the two-packs. The two-packs feel more like the core toy, while these single packs feel more like weird booster packs for the line, giving us recolored product in an attempt to appear new. That being said, if you can look past the new colors, they do make some great combinations, and some of the end results are pretty darn cool. I REALLY like the concept of the Rangerzords, but unfortunately, the Rangers just fall flat. They don’t offer any secondary modes, are all generally the same, and lack that unique flare that the Rangerzords have. The Black T-Rex is still the winner.
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CollectorShuki.com