Them Super Sentai Sofubi Toys

Mandarake

Some time ago, I remembered writing about seeing them Japanese Bandai toys WHILE Mighty Morphin' aired in the Philippines. I could remember how there were also the Kamen Rider BLACK and Kamen Rider BLACK RX toys on display. I remembered how there was the now-closed Nova Fontana, Toy Kingdom, SM Toystore - you name it! Newer Super Sentai entries were no longer aired by then. I heard it's because the royalties of Super Sentai have been higher plus it could be Toei Ltd.'s decision that Power Rangers would be aired in the Philippines instead. I guess a certain group of people who say I should just accept Toei Ltd.'s decisions BLINDLY fail to see their beloved network is behind the show they hate. Okay, I'm getting sadistic but such people aren't worth my time or worth joining even if I still dislike Power Rangers. 

I remembered seeing the Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers commercial back in the 1990s. It was that time that Haim Saban finally had the rights to produce Power Rangers out of licensed Super Sentai footage. As much as I dislike the idea - I can't do a thing about it since Toei Ltd. gave him the rights. The Super Sentai show was considered too different back then. That's why it couldn't be aired as is. One needs to see Kyoryu Sentai Zyuranger and even think of the BRUTAL MOMENTS. We can't have Billy and Kimberly fighting gangsters like Dan and Mei, now, can we? Tokosou Sentai Dekaranger has a few scenes that just can't make it into Power Rangers SPD. So, yeah, there it went and I could still dislike Power Rangers WHILE acknowledging Toei Ltd. is behind it. 

If my memory serves me right - this was an item I saw either at Nova Fontana or SM Toystore. The picture above is a five-piece set containing the primary team. If my memory serves me right - I actually wanted the Green Ranger though my initial favorite was actually BILLY. Yes, BILLY! That alone caused me to pick Nagare as my favorite character in Kyukyu Sentai GoGoFive and Renn as a favorite character of mine in Engine Sentai Go-Onger! I felt Ryunosuke became my second favorite in Samurai Sentai Shinkenger as he too had awkward moments like Billy. Heck, there were some Chojin Sentai Jetman toys too. It was at that time I actually had a crush on Ako/Blue Swallow. It's no secret that I find Kimberly of Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers to be super pretty. I remembered some of my classmates had "Power Rangers" stickers. They were actually Zyuranger stickers with Japanese characters. 

Pretty much, my mom called it "cheap Power Rangers toys" in a box. I could remember how some of my classmates called it a "loser knock-off" because of the not-so-intricate designs. People were most likely after the deluxe edition of Power Rangers toys. There were other versions such as the one where you could flip the helmets around to reveal the UGLY head. Later, Choriki Sentai Ohranger also did it which is no surprise since the toys are all by BANDAI. Though, I remembered how Bandai America did get some flak over the quality of Power Rangers toys years later. These were vinyl toys had no special features, usually had no weapons that came with it, and were probably made more for the purpose of DISPLAY instead of playing.

Years later, there was the Super Hero Collection - which was based on the Rider Hero Collection. The Rider Hero collection still went on even with Kamen Rider off-air. Though, the movie trilogy in the 1990s was still released them. I find it weird how in the world Kamen Rider Shin still gets a toy when the movie was OBVIOUSLY NOT FOR CHILDREN. Yes, it was age-restricted. It feels as weird as the Mortal Kombat toys by Hasbro or the Aliens vs. Predator toys by Kenner. I can't forget my misadventure when I watched Conan the Barbarian (1982) as a child. It was because 1992 was also the year when Hasbro released Conan the Adventurer and Saban the X-Men: The Animated Series cartoon. For some reason, Hyajakuu Sentai Gaoranger NEVER had a complete team in contrast to what went on after that UNTIL THE PRESENT. 

Sure, we think about the type of Super Sentai toys there are. There are accessories, weapons, and the machines. The machines would be assembled into their specific combinations (such as the main robot) like in the TV series. Earlier ones tend to have a lack of accuracy such as how Jet Garuda was MUCH BIGGER than Jet Icarus. I wonder why Bandai never attempted to fix that mistake. Obviously, the accessories could be used by cosplayers AND children alike. Meanwhile, the weapons were obviously meant to be played by pre-schoolers and elementary students. The machines would probably still appeal to older toy collectors who just want to display or occasionally play with them. I guess the Sofubi toys do have some older collectors in mind.

This just reminded me of a post I wrote last 2016. It's all about the three possible age groups. I really assume that the Sofubi toys are actually meant for OLDER fans. I bought some second-hand Rider Hero Collection toys. I felt that they wouldn't appeal too much to a child because you can only move the arms. The BLACK RX Sofubi toy wouldn't have any special features that Bandai had for the FAILED Mashed Rider TV series. I felt that the Sofubi toys have this charm. A child could get a lower-priced toy that they could enjoy. Meanwhile, it could be among the toys that a grown-up can still keep and display on the shelf. Action figures with specific features may only appeal to children. I soon found out that my Conan toy (based on the cartoon, NOT THE MOVIE) is now broken and good as only for display. Meanwhile, these Sofubi toys that featured every little pose may have been meant to be displayed for a long time.

What are your thoughts on those Super Sentai Sofubi toys?