It’s been a welcome sight to see Power Rangers once again getting some shine in the toy aisle, and Playmates Toys is getting ready to launch the next wave of its successful Re-Ignition line any day now. What hasn’t been part of the mix to this point though is an action figure toyline aimed at collectors, but today that all changed, and an unexpected but iconic Ranger is the one leading the way.
Playmates Toys revealed a brand-new Power Rangers Zeo Gold Ranger figure as part of Walmart Collector Con, and the reveal quickly got fans buzzing. That’s because the listing for the figure not only revealed a 6-inch scale and more extensive articulation, but it also revealed an image of the entire Power Rangers Zeo team under a new Collectors Line label. That’s huge news in itself, but the fact that the first wave of this Collector’s line is happening with Zeo and not Mighty Morphin is a huge plus for many fans of the franchise.
To this point, Playmates Toys has focused on more kids-focused action figures and toys, including Auto Morphin figures, connectable Zords, role-play masks, and more. The entire first wave also focused exclusively on Mighty Morphin, and wave 2 is focused on Mighty Morphin Power Rangers season 2, with Lord Zedd, the White Ranger, and the Tigerzord all part of the new roster.
For the Collectors Line, however, the focus is on Power Rangers Zeo, and it makes total sense to start with the Zeo Gold Ranger. Not only is the design iconic, but the character still links back to Mighty Morphin, as the mantle of Zeo Gold was held by Jason Scott for the majority of the series. That’s why the new Collector Series figure features an additional portrait of Austin St. John’s Jason, and it also includes a Golden Power Staff, Zeo Pistol, and Zeo Blade.
The biggest win here is the 22 points of articulation, which allow far more poseability than the figures released so far. The double-jointed elbows are a welcome addition, even with the pins, though the figures don’t seem to include ankle rockers, so there will still be some limitations in terms of poses.
That will be true of the rest of the Zeo Rangers as well, but it’s great seeing all of the Zeo Rangers together as a team. One of the issues with the Lightning Collection’s staggered releases was that it was difficult to complete a team, and since the line ended up being cancelled abruptly, many teams were left incomplete without any hope of being finished. If Zeo is truly already done, then even if they are staggered out by a few months, the entire team is in the can already, and so collectors won’t have to worry that their team will be left missing a key Ranger or three without any warning.
As for the future, if Playmates follows this trend, the next team would be Turbo, though I’d personally love to see them skip around a bit and release teams later in the timeline. A complete Lost Galaxy or Mystic Force team would be fantastic, and the same is true of more recent teams like Dino Fury or Cosmic Fury. We’ll have to wait and see how this line does and the reception, but for longtime fans, this latest reveal is quite promising.
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