Monday, September 5, 2011

Buyer's Ambivalence: Bandai of America's Gold Samurai Ranger from PR Samurai


Okay, so I bit the bullet and got another figure from the Power Rangers Samurai line, but this time I'm not too disappointed with what I got.  I mean it is (and at the same time isn't) a figure of Shinken Gold, my second favorite Shinkenger, and BoA treated their plastic representation rather fairly.



If I had to list down three things to like about this figure it's:
  1. Paint- decently done, with a nice shade of gold and blue that does the character's colors justice. Also very thankful they decided to paint the back as well. 
  2. Sculpt- very crisp. The details of the costume are there, and the helmet is nicely done. I love how they made it. 
  3. Weapon- I've always loved the Sakanamaru and the one this figure comes with is real nice. Detailed and painted too so, awesome!

now here comes the nitpicks:
  1. Paint- those elbow and hip joint colors stand out too much, and the elbows are colored gold. WHY? It's something really minor but it irks me easily. Even the  MMPR Green Ranger down below is more coordinated with his colors in terms of being close to the source material.
  2. Sculpt- those shoulders just stick out too much, and well he's too buff to be honest, with western skin-tight spandex instead of looking like a suit actor with a smooth body outline.
  3. Articulation- it's dated and cheaply done. I can understand if it keeps the cost down but it just doesn't add up for me, especially when compared to how many paint apps this guy got. (Again) Even a bicep swivel would have been nice.

Size compared to the previouss MMPR Anniversary figs? It's close but slightly taller. No improvement at all though in terms of design.


Size as compared to other 3 3/4"  figures?
Your mileage may vary but it fits in with most lines. At least enough to not stand out like the last ranger toy i bought. 




Overall? Pretty decent figure. Not perfect but worth the 450 pesos (roughly 10 bucks) i paid for, to be honest.
As always i advise you to buy this only if you like the character or his looks. 
Otherwise, don't bother. 



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