Samurai Megazord VS. Shinken Oh
After what seems like an eternity, new Power Rangers items are finally showing up! My first entry into the new Power Rangers Samurai line is the Samurai Megazord, the main Megazord for the series. It retails for $29.99 USD, which is about 5 dollars more than the MMPR 2010 Dino Megazord and RPM Megazords. So, is it worth picking up for the casual fan, or would you be better off importing a Shinken Oh? Let's find out.
First off, there is no emblem mode. Not really a big loss in my eyes, because I had the zords in emblem mode exactly one until I took this picture for this comparison review (and that was only because the instructions had you do it that way). I also felt that due to the transformation, the emblems were too broken up by lines and joints to really look cohesive.
Now onto the individual zords. The lion zord is a little smaller than the origami counterpart, and is the second most altered of the Samurai zords. It's missing the paint on the lower half of the fire kanji, and the silver on the forelegs. Interesting to note that the Shinken Oh featured the repeating pattern of the origami shape on the area where the kanji is displayed and all the Samurai zords kept this feature. It's a really nice detail and honestly would have been the first thing I thought would have gotten cut, so I'm thrilled that it made it over. Each zord also has the Samurai emblem just like it's origami counterpart in just about all the same places, the turtle being the only exception that I could find.
The dragon zord is..., well it's just a mess really. This is the only zord that suffered during the conversion, but as it's already been widely pointed out, it's more of a corgi than than a dragon. The sword becomes the tail and the helmet slides into the body, and then released by a gray button, which looks out of place. The kanji is unpainted and that hurts the overall look of the Megazord as the lion, turtle, and monkey all have completely, or nearly complete painted kanji.
When taking the picture for the turltle zord, I honestly couldn't tell which one was the origami and which one was the zord. Surprisingly the larger zord on the right is the turtle zord. That's right, it's actually bigger than the origami counterpart! The only difference is the Samurai emblem is on the reverse fin from the origami. This means that the emblem is visible on the thumb in Megazord mode where it was not on the Shinken Oh.
The bear zord is also surprisingly about the same size as the bear origami. The legs are unpainted and hollowed out from the origami though, and just like on the dragon the kanji is unpainted which hurts the Megazord formation aesthetic.
Once again, the monkey zord is nearly the same size as the monkey origami. The only thing I dislike about the monkey zord is the missing black paint on the face, but I plan on touching that and a few other parts up myself as soon as I can find some new testors acrylic gloss model paint.
Once again, Bandai America pwns Bandai Japan when it comes to swords. Even the abysmal Drive Max Megazord failure had a better looking sword than the Daibouken counterpart. Each year they continue to impress me with how they can get the zord weaponry right. The Samurai Megazord saber is actually longer than the Shinken Oh sword, and not hollowed out on the opposite side like the Shinken Oh Sword. So no matter which angle you look at it from, it looks like a sword, and it also comes to a sharper point than Shinken Oh's does. It may be unpainted, but if you really wanted to this is an easy enough one to paint. I know it's early, but I really hope they continue this tradition with the Gosei Great adaption and streamline that dragon tail sword.
Now take all those zords and form the Samurai Megazord and Shinken Oh! Shinken Oh is one of my all time favorite sentai robo's, and the Samurai Megazord is my favorite of the Bandai America redesigns. First off, the only issues I have with it. Just like the 2010 Dino Megazord, the legs are a little skinny, and would have benefited from a quarter centimeter of girth added to the left and right sides. I would also have like to seen all the kanji emblems painted as that just helps the Megazord look better. The last issue I have with it is that the arms do not sit flush straight up and down normally. The arm joint is designed so the arm ratchets into place either slightly forward or slightly back, whereas Shinken Oh can rest the arms straight up and down. This is a mixed bag for me because it does give the Samurai Megazord better posing with the sword in a battle pose or stance, but it doesn't look as good in a resting stance. The arms can be placed at the straight up and down angle with a little manuvering, but I'm worried if left in that state for too long it would warp the joint.
Now for what I love about the new zord. For 29.99 it's almost the exact same height as Shinken Oh!! Plus the Samurai Megazord has thighs which give it a real streamlined appearance, unlike Shinken Oh where the waist pretty much rest on the legs. It's really impressive they squeezed the same height out of the zord, and did it in a way that is totally natural. Each zord feels solid, and I'm glad I have a version of Shinken Oh I can play with, instead of just having a nice display piece. Bring on the giant Moogers and monsters, I'm ready for them
Now for what I love about the new zord. For 29.99 it's almost the exact same height as Shinken Oh!! Plus the Samurai Megazord has thighs which give it a real streamlined appearance, unlike Shinken Oh where the waist pretty much rest on the legs. It's really impressive they squeezed the same height out of the zord, and did it in a way that is totally natural. Each zord feels solid, and I'm glad I have a version of Shinken Oh I can play with, instead of just having a nice display piece. Bring on the giant Moogers and monsters, I'm ready for them