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under General Tokusatsu News, TokuNation, TokuNation Site Updates, TokuNation Spotlights

“Be advised, we have a rogue Jaeger.”

In the years’ long war against the Precursors & their weapons of mass destruction, the Kaiju, the Pan Pacific Defense Corps has continued to develop newer and better Jaegers. And while a Drone program is also under development by Shao Industries to eventually replace the PPDC & it’s pilots, the occasional rogue element does arise. Enter: Obsidian Fury. A mysterious Jaeger which rose from the ocean to battle Gipsy Avenger. Equipped with advanced weaponry and capable of entirely inhuman movement, this monstrous mech is a force for our heroes to reckon with. Can Jake & Nate uncover the secret truth of Obsidian Fury? You’ll have to watch Pacific Rim Uprising to find out!

Robot Spirits Obsidian Fury is one of several more entries in the Uprising line from Tamashii Nations, and it actually winds up being our only villain so far. A really quite alien design, Obsidian is a menacing Jaeger with some great glowing light piping in it’s head and a couple of bright neon orange Plasma Chainsaws to really sell its look. One of the more articulated figures in the line, Obsidian Fury is every bit as poseable, bestial, & alien as it’s  background would imply.

You can check out our full 60 image gallery of Obsidian Fury by clicking “Discuss on the TokuNation Forums” at the bottom of this post. We’ll also be doubling up on our other upcoming Pacific Rim galleries in the near future, 2 Jeagers at a time!  Titan Redeemer & Bracer Phoenix and Saber Athena & Guardian Bravo.

under Power Rangers, Super Sentai

Those of you who have followed TokuNation.com over the years are aware of our love not only for toys and collectibles but the desire to get to know more about what goes in to making them happen. That love allowed us the opportunity to get to know, on personal levels, some of the individuals at Bandai America who were working on the Power Rangers brand. One such individual was Gregory Mitchell, who first joined the Power Rangers team in 2013 and started making his mark on the property with Power Rangers Super Megaforce. He would finish his tenure with Bandai America as the Senior Director of Marketing for Power Rangers and oversee Power Rangers Dino Charge, Power Rangers Dino Supercharge, the Power Rangers Movie, and Power Rangers Ninja Steel.

Gregory Mitchell left Bandai America and Power Rangers in October of 2016 to join Alpha Group, a Chinese based company that was in the infant stages of growing their presence in the US markets and territories. Since joining the team, he has played a pivotal part in the acquisition of master toy licenses for various properties, including the multi-billion dollar global property that is Spongebob Squarepants. Fans of tokusatsu will recognize the name Alpha Group as the same company in China that produced the Armor Hero tokusatsu series.

He was kind enough to sit down with us for two hours and discuss a number of topics relating to the Power Rangers brand, both from his time there and from his position now looking at things as an outsider. In our exclusive interview, Gregory discusses how the process of a Super Sentai season becoming a Power Rangers season happens; the inside scoop on Legacy toys quality control issues; Legacy Shogun Megazord; an abandoned Super Sentai series that was planned before Lupinranger vs Patranger; and a handful of stories and favorite memories that you may have missed over the years.

The full interview is available in podcast form from Talkin Toku. You can listen to it in the player below or download it by clicking here.

The entire interview is also uploaded in to 9 total videos on our YouTube Channel. The first piece, a preview we released a couple of weeks ago, is shown here on the front page. All 8 follow up segments are included with this story and can be found by clicking “Read More”.

Again, please click “Read More” to see the other 8 YouTube videos!

[Read more…]

under Power Rangers

The biggest event in the Power Rangers franchise to date, and possibly the most talked about second to the movie last year, is the Shattered Grid crossover event. With the 29th issue of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, we can see via the latest cover that the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers are joined by members of Power Rangers In Space, Power Rangers RPM, Power Rangers SPD, Power Rangers Dino Thunder, and Power Rangers Dino Charge! But will they be able to stop Lord Drakkon?

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Issue 29 releases this July in comic book stores and digital. Don’t miss it! Mighty Morphin Power Rangers is written by Kyle Higgins and drawn by Daniele Di Nicuolo.

under Power Rangers

The momentous crossover of the ages, Shattered Grid, continues this July with Go Go Power Rangers by Ryan Parrott and Dan Mora! As always – the story is under wraps and you have to read the issue to discover what truly happens. But until then we have some AMAZING artwork via the covers that will be available for the book.

Check out a cover of the Ranger Slayer with Gravezord, an iconic scene from Mighty Morphin Power Rangers with Trini and Billy, a stunning Black Ranger cover, and the continuation of classic movie covers redone with Power Rangers this time featuring the cult-classic Mallrats.

Go Go Power Rangers releases this July in comic book stores and digital.

under Kamen Rider, TokuNation, TokuNation Site Updates, TokuNation Spotlights

“Vaporize.”

Himuro Gentoku’s presence at the opening of Pandora’s Box changed him, changed his fate. Driven to become someone new, the Deputy Prime Minister would help found Faust. Experimenting on humans to create the Smash, working & clashing with the mysterious Blood Stalk, all the while hiding his other identity. One day Himuro will become Kamen Rider Rogue, but for now the “Bat-Man” is the villain who will menace Kamen Rider Build. This is S.H. Figuarts Night Rogue!

Night Rogue is our 2nd release for Build and of course the first villain for the series so far. While we’ll see this mold make another outing as Blood Stalk, I’m happy to report that in it’s initial outing, it’s really won me over. Despite appearances, Night Rogue is a really dynamic and well executed figure with plenty of detailing and personality. Between the way the upper body can pose, the haunting way the eyes shine through his visor, and his fully functional sidearm the Transteam Rifle, Night Rogue is an absolute winner in my book.

We’ve attached the full 80 image gallery to this post, but you can also check out our full review of Night Rogue by clicking “Discuss on the TokuNation Forums” at the bottom of this post. Next time, Hyper Clock Up!

under Super Sentai

On this day 43 years ago, Himitsu Sentai Gorenger debuted in Japan as the very first Super Sentai team (though simply referred to as a “Sentai” team until 1994 when it officially became listed as “Super Sentai” with the current series). On April 5th 1975, Himitsu Sentai Gorenger aired in Japan marking the beginning of something no one could ever predict. Super Sentai managed to survive the brink of cancellation more than a few times to bring us some of the most memorable tokusatsu stories and characters for over four decades.

And of course – without Super Sentai there would be no Power Rangers. With the advent of the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, using adapted footage from Kyoryu Sentai Zyuranger, Power Rangers took the Japanese Super Sentai worldwide with an American spin on the stories that exists till this day (and celebrating it’s 25th Anniversary).

Please join our anniversary thread and share YOUR favorite Super Sentai series and characters and villains! It’s incredibly rare for properties and shows to last more than a handful of years. For Super Sentai to last 43 years is quite a feat worthy of celebration!

Story image courtesy Nobuharuudou on Deviant Art. Check out their work!

under General Tokusatsu News, TokuNation, TokuNation Site Updates, TokuNation Spotlights, Ultraman

“Red Fight!”

In 1972 Tsuburaya began a quirky little side project to their Ultraman franchise with the now infamous Redman. This more violent cousin of the Ultramen is known for his brutal fighting style and savage way of defeating his opponents, often recycled ultra Kaiju. In recent years fan demand has grown for a collector oriented poseable figure of the character. Now, Evolution Toy has now stepped up as the contender to offer the first such product by launching a brand new line.

HAF (Hero Action Figure) Redman, is the first release in a new line that aims to encompass all of Tsuburaya’s less mainstream heroes like Mirroman, Iron King, Gridman etc. It’s ambitious to say the least, given the number of prototypes that have been displayed recently. While I won’t give away all my thoughts in this post (check out the full thread) it does seem that despite production delays, HAF Redman may have been a little rushed to market. At the very least though Redman includes his iconic Red Knife & Red Arrow weapons and gives collectors a figure they’ve been seeking for years.

We’ve attached the full 50+ image gallery to this post, but you can also read through our full review by clicking “Discuss on the TokuNation Forums” at the bottom of this post. We’ll be back soon with a new Kamen Rider Build gallery of S.H. Figuarts Night Rogue!

under Kamen Rider, TokuNation, TokuNation Site Updates, TokuNation Spotlights

“Chihiro, I’m here to kill you.”

Jin Takeyama has become a broken man in the years that have transpired between seasons of Amazons. He’s lost the love of his life, he’s hunted for the son he knows to be a monster, and now he’s blind. A broken man, on a mission to kill all Amazons, Jin won’t let anything including the loss of his sight stop him.

S.H. Figuarts Kamen Rider Amazon Alpha 2nd Season Version recreates Jin’s broken and battered form for the first time for collectors. A straight repaint of the original Amazon Alpha release, the Season 2 Version markedly de-saturates Alpha’s color scheme overall. It also adds a nice dark paint wash to bring out the details and scars on his suit. A subtle application of Amazons Blood splatter is even applied, while the most obvious difference are the new milky white Blind compound eyes. And while this Alpha includes all of the same accessories that came with the original we also get one brand new part, an Amazons Heart. 

We’ve attached the full 60 image gallery of Season 2 Alpha to this post. You can also read through our complete review in the attached gallery thread. Just click “Discuss on the TokuNation Forums” at the bottom of this post. We’ll be back with more galleries ranging from Pacific Rim, Kamen Rider Kabuto, and even Choujuu Sentai Liveman, SOON!

under Network News and Updates, Power Rangers, TokuNation, TokuNation Site Updates, TokuNation Spotlights

The hits keep on coming with the surprise first look reveal of the upcoming Bandai America Legacy Power Rangers SPD figures! Featuring fan favorites SPD Red Ranger, SPD Blue Ranger, SPD Green Ranger, SPD Red Ranger, and the first ever release of the SPD Black Ranger, this exclusive set to Toys’R’Us is sure to impress!

These figures feature the top-notch quality you’ve come to expect from the premiere Power Rangers toy manufacturer. Check out our full gallery and review of this can’t-miss set! Releasing at the end of April, surely on a bunch of Fools would miss out on this release!

under General Tokusatsu News, TokuNation, TokuNation Site Updates, TokuNation Spotlights

“The only thing standing in front of the apocalypse, is us.”

In the 5 years since Pacific Rim first rampaged it’s way across theater screens, fans have been rabid for a sequel to this giant robot love letter. Meanwhile collector’s have been desperately hoping a better option for merchandise and collectibles for the franchise. Well Tamashii Nations has finally come to rescue to provide fantastic action figures and toys at multiple price points and functionality from Pacific Rim Uprising! Today we’re taking a look at the very first release in their Pacific Rim Robot Spirits (Damashii) line with Gypsy Avenger!

Kicking the line off in fantastic fashion, is the heroic mech central to Uprising’s plot, Gypsy Avenger. The slimmed down successor to Gypsy Danger, Avenger comes to us at an insanely affordable price point (only $20!) and is one of the best and most functional figures we could hope for at that price. Armed with her Gravity Sling & Chain Sword, Gypsy Avenger can go toe to toe with the toughest Kaiju, giant robots, or otherwise huge heroes in your collection.

We’ve attached the full 70 image gallery of Robot Spirits Gypsy Avenger to this post. You can also read our extensive (and positive) review of the figure by clicking “Discuss on the TokuNation Forums” at the bottom of this post. And, we’re gonna continue to cancel the apocalypse off and on for the next month as we review the other 5 Pacfic Rim Robot Spirits that make up the rest of waves 1 & 2!