“Masquerase!”
Kaitou Sentai Lupinranger VS Keisatsu Sentai Patranger is about to enter it’s third week. So continuing our coverage of the merchandise released so far, we’re revisiting the show with 3 more entries in the Sentai Hero Collection line of vinyls. Lupin Red, Lupin Blue, & Lupin Yellow!
As with the Patrangers these Hero Collection vinyls offer an affordable option for you to own your favorite characters that may not necessarily receive figures in other toylines. In many cases these vinyls offer 1 of few, if not the only option for you to collect a particular hero. That was what drove me to pick them up myself. The Lupinranger designs are very slick, if a bit more limited in this line than your average release. Vinyls may not do much, but as static display pieces they get the job done. Be sure to go back and check out our Patrangers gallery as well!
We’ve attached over 35 images to this post, but you can also check out the full review after the jump. Just click “Discuss on the TokuNation Forums” at the bottom of this post. Next time we’ll be back with the formula for victory with a gallery from Kamen Rider Build!
"Kaitou Change!"
Kaitou Sentai Lupinrager VS Keisatsu Sentai Patranger has only just begun! Straight off, this show is already shaping up to be great action, good fun, and pure stylish. Particularly in the case of our three favorite Phantom Thieves! The last two weeks have left us all wanting more. And so following up from our review of the Patranger vinyls, it's time to take a look at the Sentai Hero Collection vinyls for the Lupinrangers!
Packaging
The packaging for releases like this boils down to a mere tag hanging out of their back. Each features a nice portrait of the characters, the plastic holding them to the figures goes through a very tiny hole just below the neck line. You can either yank it right out of the back, no harm, or cut it and get the piece left on the inside back out by taking the figure apart. As soft vinyl this is very easy to do.
Main Figures
Using their own VS Changers, the successors to the legacy of Arsene Lupin transform into Kaitou Sentai Lupinranger in their quest to reunite the Lupin Collection and along the way maybe defeat the Gangler. Along the way they'll be constantly pursued by the heroic Patrangers as well!
Kicking off the toyline for this series we took a look at the Sentai Hero Collection Vinyls for Patranger. Today we'll be looking at the thieving Lupinrangers! For starters though, I don't typically review vinyls much, but as with the Patrangers I was very won over by the designs from this show. And seeing as poseable figures of these teams (other than Yu-Do Candy Toys) won't likely be made, I wanted to have some representation of them.
So, where to start? Well in short there's not a lot to this review. Hero Collection Vinyls, Sofubis, Soft Vinyls in general are either non-articulated or sparsely articulated. These 3 are the same as well. Each of the Lupinrangers has a waist joint that would normally rotate side to side, thanks to design, but because of the nature of their capes the upper and lower halves of the body are actually fused together. Soft Vinyls like this are hollow and molded in two separate pieces of course. Each vinyl does still retain shoulder joints to allow you to rotate the arms up into roughly 90 degree angles on each figure. That's the extent of the moving parts but that's only a little under the norm.
Lupin Red & Lupin Blue are the exact same mold. It's always ideal to be able to reuse a mold as many times as possible with few to no alterations in this line. Bandai Japan makes great money like this. So Red & Blue being nigh identical works to their advantage. The only real difference between the two is a 'slight' alteration to their visors. Lupin Yellow however is a totally different mold. Unless another female member of the team is added at a later date I don't think we'll be seeing it used again. Basically this vinyl is about a head shorter than the other two and obviously has a bit smaller body overall. The skirt piece is molded into the thighs themselves so the leg separation ends at that point as well, just as with Patren 3.
Each of these vinyls is molded in their primary ranger color so everything else is additional paint work. So there are a number of small paint errors on each of them. Over spray, missed applications, what have you, but at this price point (900 yen list price) it's hard to split hairs on it. I am a bit disappointed that the bands on the legs and arms are only painted on the front side of each though, but so were the Patrangers. Even the loss of a rotating waist isn't a huge deal because these things aren't really meant for posing as is. The designs are executed about as well as they can be for vinyls under $10 and feature a fair bit of molded detail I wouldn't have expected. Ankle & knee cuffs, belts, Lupinranger emblems, helmets. The molded details are great, the paint just misses the mark. Given what I paid plus shipping I'm fairly happy though. I'd recommend you go with SAL shipping for these though.
Fnal Thoughts
I get it, vinyls are not terribly exciting to everyone. But in some cases I'm willing to jump on them when there won't be another alternative. These things are static display pieces plain and simple. Liking the Patranger designs is what propelled me to get them, and even though it's only marginally different, I also have Patren Ugo on order. Sentai Hero Collection vinyls hit that sweet spot of affordability and representation. Obviously they don't scale with figuarts or anything like that, but they get the job done on a budget.
Yellow doesn't have her heels. Huh
I got a question the last pic Kamen Rider Ouja he in a color I never seen him in from the show. Where and when did he get that color from a dvd special or something?
Hmm, they look nice for vinyls, but the way they did the capes looks a little weird. Sucks to hear it also hampers the little articulation the figures have.
I wouldn’t mind buying 3 Lupin Reds to Replicate the Finisher.
The waist swivel cutting through the cape is a but unfortunate but aside that they look alright I guess.
Oh, sure, the new Sentai are here, but OMG A VINYL MASTER SHAFU WHAAAAAT--?!
Not bad, but I’ve never seen the point of action figures with no real articulation.
I'm kinda surprised how good the Lupins look, usually the paint job for these turn me off on them.
Capes are in. Not much else to say about Vinyls. But they're neat!
Keep reading: Lupinranger - Sentai Hero Collection Lupin Red, Blue, & Yellow Vinyls Gallery - Page 2
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