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under Power Rangers

For the 25th Anniversary of the Power Rangers, BOOM! Studios and Saban Brands have come together to release the Power Rangers Artist Tribute Book – which is exactly what it is – a book of tributes from artists to 25 years of Power Rangers. Featuring contributions from over 80 different artists this book is a Power Rangers fan’s dream come true. Set to release on April 3rd in hardcover format, a digital version is available now from Comixology and thus we’ve decided to take a look at this book.

Click “Read More” to check out our review and a select few images from inside the book! Please note – any and all images within this article have been cut and pruned – to see FULL images from this book, please purchase it digitally or physically when released!

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under Super Sentai

Revealed via design scans only last week, the Bandai Candy blog is now teasing us with the first prototype images of the Super Minipla Muteki Shogun! Specifically, the component shown off in these images is Red Saruder.

Muteki Shogun, along with Kakure Daishogun & Tsubasamaruu, we’re all teased to be in planning stages only last week thanks to some newly released sketches from the Super Minipla Encyclopedia. With these first prototype images it looks like the project is moving forward!

under Conventions, Power Morphicon, Power Rangers

Scott Zilner (PMC event organizer) has revealed via Facebook that the upcoming Power Morphicon Exclusive figure, Legacy Lord Drakkon, will be on display at Wondercon.

This will be the first public look at a physical sample of the figure and is sure to excite collectors attending PMC this August. Wondercon will take place March 23-25 (this weekend!) And the Lord Drakkon sample will be on display at the PMC booth (#947) all weekend.

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under Conventions, Power Rangers

Headed to WonderCon 2018 this weekend? Be sure to swing by the BOOM! Studios booth #1301 to pick up your exclusive Power Rangers Pins! Featuring the core five Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, as well as the iconic lightning bolt and a special shattered version for the Shattered Grid event.

These will cost $12 and are available while supplies last. Don’t forget to pick up your exclusive Go Go Power Rangers comic cover featuring the cult favorite Power Rangers HyperForce. You also have a very important panel to attend on Saturday featuring Shattered Grid news.

under Power Rangers

The Power Rangers HyperForce have suffered with their time in the Shattered Grid event for the Power Rangers comic books. Last week, our heroes arrived at New Tech City but it wasn’t the same New Tech City that they remembered – instead it was overrun with sentries bearing the look of the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. Our heroes found an ally in Colonel Hicks as they planned to break prisoners out of a stronghold, retrieve data on Scorpina‘s plans, and help the Coinless continue their fight.

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SPOILERS FOR POWER RANGERS HYPERFORCE BELOW!!!
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Unfortunately, their plans were tragically ruined as Colonel Hicks turned out to be merely a shell of human flesh for the evil Pumpkin Rapper, who grew large and immediately self-destructed, killing most of the imprisoned civilians that the Power Rangers HyperForce were attempting to rescue. As our heroes learned of the fate of those they attempted to rescue, a ship landed and a figure clad in white stepped out – “Enough!” cried this figure, slamming a sword in to the ground.

Lord Drakkon had arrived.

Tonight on Power Rangers HyperForce, Jason David Frank (the original Green Mighty Morphin Power Ranger) rejoins the cast of Power Rangers HyperForce making his debut appearance as the evil Lord Drakkon.

For those unfamiliar with Lord Drakkon, he is the future Tommy Oliver from Mighty Morphin Power Rangers who voluntarily chose to stay at the side of Rita Repulsa, helping her conquer most of the Earth and destroyed the Power Rangers. Those who remain call themselves the Coinless and their resistance battle is, at best, simply delaying the inevitable.

The Shattered Grid event in the comic books features the return of Lord Drakkon, having broken free of his prison within the Prometheus, traveling through space and time to destroy ALL the Power Rangers once and for all. This is the Power Rangers event fans have been clamoring for. This event will forever change the Power Rangers as we have all come to know them as, and not everyone is going to survive the fight.

Will the Power Rangers HyperForce be able to stop the evil Lord Drakkon? Will they be able to stop Scorpina from using Serpentara to destroy an entire coast of the United States? Will any of them make it out of this alive? Tune in to Power Rangers HyperForce on Twitch.TV via Hyper RPG at 6pm PST and find out!

under General Tokusatsu News

Millions of children (and adults) across the United States and the United Kingdom are still in the mourning phase of the realization that the biggest toy store there is will be no longer with the announcement of the end of Toys’R’Us. However, a new champion has entered the ring claiming that he will save the toy industry.

Ellia Kassoff, CEO of Strategic Marks, LLC, announced via a LinkedIn article that he and his company have been looking in to the return of KB Toys/KayBee Toys over the last six months and, with the announcement of the end of Toys’R’Us, have accelerated their plans and hope to have stores open by this Christmas.

What? How can that be? Isn’t the toy industry reeling with kids playing video games and online retailers like Amazon stealing all the business away from brick and mortar stores? If there’s anyone in the business world qualified to give it a crack shot, it’s Ellia Kassoff, and we’re going to share with you why.

How many of you enjoyed the candy Astro Pops as a kid? What about Tart’n’Tinys? (personal note: those are my favorite candies to ever exist in the history of ever). Wacky Wafers? If you answered yes then you probably know that you can’t find those items at your grocery stores anymore. Most of those brands were discontinued long ago by the major candy companies like Willy Wonka and Hershey.

Enter Ellia Kassoff and Leaf Brands. Wait – Leaf Brands was sold to Hershey Food Corporation in 1996 and left the United States, you say. Yes – this is true. But Ellia Kassoff, the nephew of Ed Leaf (the original CEO of the original Leaf Brands) restarted the company in 2011 with the idea of bringing back those classic candy treats that you can no longer find. And he’s succeeded we might add. You can order the candies we listed above from the new Leaf Brands or their specialty distributors. I’m eating some Tart’n’Tinys as we speak. And not the gel-coated junk from before – the original, powdery-like original versions like in the cardboard box you used to get in the candy aisle.

Ellia Kassoff is all about taking old brands that failed and bringing them back today with new and current ideas, strategies that make sense in this digital age, and a results-oriented business. And thus far he has been successful.

Welcome back KB Toys. We hope, this time, you’re here to stay.

under Metal Heroes, Super Sentai

The first teaser trailer for the upcoming Super Sentai/Metal Hero crossover project Uchu Sentai KyuRanger VS Space Squad has been released!

Full story details have not yet been confirmed, but early descriptions have hinted that one KyuRanger will commit a felony & as a result the entire team becomes targeted by the Space Sheriffs.

A poster for the film has also been released, detailing the return of the entire KyuRanger team along with the Space Sheriffs Gavan and Shaider.

KyuRanger VS Space Squad will be released on August 8 2018! Stay tuned to TokuNation as we keep you up to date on this exciting new project!

under General Tokusatsu News, Power Rangers

After 70 years in business, the biggest toy store there is simply won’t be anymore. Today Toys’R’Us filed papers in court to begin the immediate process of liquidating and selling all of it’s US store operations for both Toys’R’Us and Babies’R’Us.

Toys’R’Us filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Protection in September of 2017 and received an influx of cash of $3.1 billion dollars to maintain business operations over the 2017 Holiday Shopping Season. Through court documents we now see just how bad this Holiday Shopping Season was for Toys’R’Us – Quarter 4 of the 2017 Fiscal Year brought in only $81 million dollars for Toys’R’Us compared to $347 million in Quarter 4 of 2016. To quote CEO David Brandon, their financial results were “worse than worst case scenario”. To remain open, Toys’R’Us would need to spend $50 million to $100 million per month which the company is incapable of doing.

The small, silver lining to this scenario is that there are potential plans for the Toys’R’Us Canada branch to outright purchase a select number of stores – possibly close to 200 – and allow them to remain open. However, until such a deal is reached, every single Toys’R’Us and Babies’R’Us store in the United States will begin the process of liquidation.

It’s a sad day for the toy industry. Toys’R’Us is estimated to make up 15% of all the total toy sales in the United States, putting huge burdens on major manufacturers like Hasbro and Mattel to find a way to make up for that change. Hasbro, in recent investor calls, has already stated plans in place currently to help minimize the overall effect and that they are confident they will come out of this mostly unscathed. Mattel on the other hand is close to filing for bankruptcy themselves, having recently suspended dividend following poor sale results in the recent quarter.

We’s sharing the following jingle by Twitter user @ChaseHolfelder in memory of the “Biggest Toy Store There Is”. Our thoughts are with the estimated 33,000 workers who will soon be out of a job. If there are any changes to the news, or Toys’R’Us Canada does end up purchasing some US stores to keep them open, we will share that with you.

The full press release is after the jump of “Read More”.

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under Super Sentai

Let’s Go On!

If you’re a fan of Engine Sentai Go-Onger, we have good news for you:  this year marks the show’s 10-year anniversary, and to celebrate Toei will be releasing an Engine Sentai Go-Onger V-Cinema: Engine Sentai Go-Onger 10 Year Grand Prix!

tokusatsunetwork.com  has confirmed that the main seven cast members will return to reprise their respective roles, in addition, the movie will be written by Katsuya Watanabe whom previously worked on episodes of the show.

The Blu-Ray and DVD release is set to come out September 26th 2018, plot details currently unknown but for now we can enjoy a teaser announcing the project in the box below:

 

Engine Sentai Go-Onger first aired in February 17, 2008. The show would later become the basis for the fan favorite season Power Rangers RPM.

under Kamen Rider

Yesterday we brought you the news that S.H. Figuarts Shinkocchou Seihou Kamen Rider Ibuki was finally being released, and now Tamashii Nations have confirmed just when you can get your hands on the next Kamen Rider Hibiki Oni and for just how much.

Kamen Rider Ibuki will release in August 2018 as a Tamashii web exclusive, for the price of 7020 yen. Like Hibiki he also comes with a wide selection of accessories, including four additional pairs of hands,  alternate belt parts, his Onibue Onteki whistle transformation device in both folded and unfolded states, 3 different disk animals (in disk form) and of course his signature Ongekikan Reppuu trumpet.

Hopefully this means release information for Kamen Riders Zanki and Todoroki will follow soon! Will you be adding S.H. Figuarts Shinkocchou Seihou Kamen Rider Ibuki to your collection? Let us know in the discussion linked!