An Adult ‘Power Rangers’ Fan Reviews Two Brand New ‘Dino Charge’ Toys

I am an adult who loves Power Rangers, so when someone emails me to ask if I'd like some free samples of Power Rangers toys to review, of course I say yes. Even if it means taking time away from serious adult concerns like oil changes and dental insurance, it's something that I feel I owe to both the Rangers themselves and to you, the discerning collector. And this week, that's exactly what happened.

Thanks to the fine people at Bandai, I'm in possession of two brand new toys tying into the current series, Power Rangers Dino Charge: the Dino Spike Battle Sword, and the Rumble and Roar T-Rex Zord. Since we're in the midst of the gift-giving season, read on to find out everything you need to know from the perspective of a Serious Adult Toy Collector.

First up, we have the Dino Spike Battle Sword, which retails for $29.99, and just to give you an idea of how big it is, I've scaled it against a copy of 2009's 50 Cent: Blood on the Sand. Also, since I don't have any Dino Charge figures handy, I've asked Jason, the Mighty Morphin Red Ranger, to help me out here:

Again, I would like to remind you that I am an adult.

I once had a conversation with former ComicsAlliance editor Caleb Goellner where he mentioned that the real genius of tokusatsu shows like Power Rangers was that they make the the actual weapons that the Rangers use on the show look like giant toys, so when kids actually get the toys, they look just like what you see on TV.

That's not quite the case with the Dino Spike. If nothing else, it's a little smaller than the TV version, which is a little disappointing. Admittedly, as a Serious Adult Toy Collector, I'm significantly taller than many children, but on the other hand, it's definitely too big to be in scale with action figures. Just look at Jason here:

He's all like, "Man, what am I suppose to do with something this big?" That said, I imagine the actual target audience is somewhere between my height and Jason's, so it might work out.

The other major difference is that since it's a pretty good-sized chunk of plastic, I don't think you're supposed to throw it at your enemies like they do on the show. Instead, while you can swing it around as a sword (and activate some pretty exciting lights and sounds with a trigger on the handle), the main action here is pulling on that spoiler looking thing on top to make it "chomp" on the bad guys:

The "spines" on the outside (which become teeth) are foam, which blunts the chomp enough that it's pretty safe, and if you chomp five times, the sound changes and you get a nice little "finishing move" style sound instead. The sound also changes when you pop one of the plastic Energems that comes with it into the handle, which is a nice little touch that goes along with the series.

Pros For The Adult Collector: Nice flashing lights and sounds; a pretty solid toy that's fun to swing around; the "chomping" sides lock into place in Sword Mode so that it stays in one piece when you're using it as a sword; captures the fun of being a Power Ranger.

Cons For The Adult Collector: Will not help you do your taxes; knows virtually nothing about navigating the online Health Insurance Marketplace.

Next up is Rumble N Roar T-Rex Zord, which sells for a hefty $59.99:

As you might expect from the cost, it's a pretty big toy, and it's loaded up with features. Pretty much everything you can do with it makes a sound, and it's a loud one --- the kind of toy that, as an adult, you might give to your niece or nephew if you're still mad at their parents for what they said at Thanksgiving.

But still, it's pretty cool. Moving it forward on the wheels at the bottom of its legs causes it to make a stepping motion, and there's a button on its back that makes it roar and thrash its head and tail. Plus, it's another one where you can put in the Energem into its mouth, just like on the show.

The downside is that it doesn't transform into anything, but the good news is that it's already a robot T-Rex, so there's not a lot that it could turn into that would be better than that. Plus, if you hold down the button long enough, it plays a pretty long segment of the Power Rangers theme song, including the famous guitar solo.

In other words, this is a giant toy of a robot dinosaur that plays guitar solos.

Pros For The Adult Collector: Is a robot dinosaur that plays guitar solos.

Cons For The Adult Collector: None.

Both toys are available at Toys R Us, according to the information provided by Bandai.

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