Playmates Toy Fair Announcements

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[00:00:24] This is Rangercast episode 33, Playmates Toy Fair Announcements, recorded on Tuesday, March 4th, 2025. In this episode, we get a preview of toys to come. VR Troopers returns to streaming. The boatload of tokusatsu comes stateside.

[00:01:05] Alright, welcome to Rangercast. As always, I'm Tyler Ferreira-Gervolto and I have Josh with me. Say hello. Hey, how's everybody doing this fine evening? Yeah, you don't know when they're listening to this. It could be next Tuesday or it could be Wednesday. It could be Thursday. So first, right at the outset, we want to acknowledge

[00:01:29] a lot of people out there hurting because of the wildfires and everything. Brennan Wells, who played Rancic on Time Force, he lost his home. And we know a lot of other people in LA lost theirs, lost everything. I have a relative I was checking up with out there. And more broadly,

[00:01:54] we know that there is, um, there's a lot of anxiety out there. Um, and, uh, we just want to say first at the outset that we love you and we hope you're well. And we hope that for next hour, we can, uh, provide some sort of respite, some sort of distraction from everything else going on in the

[00:02:18] world. Uh, so there's not really many good ways to transition away from that. Uh, but, uh, coming up in the episode, we're going to be talking about all the news out of Playmates at Toy Fair, including, uh, well, the new toys as well as, um, some news regarding the show. Um, whether it's good news, bad news, I guess that depends on your point of view. Uh, but we will get into that a little later

[00:02:46] on. First off, Rita's Rewind is out. I played it. I haven't finished. I have this thing where I start games. I just don't finish them, but it's, uh, it feels very retro. Um, Digital Eclipse has been really, uh, very proactive in terms of getting updates out there. Uh, there were a lot of issues with things like the animations. Um, but it's, uh, it's a good bit of fun. It's only up to two player multiplayer last I checked. Um, so you can't like get a whole team of four out there like you would

[00:03:16] maybe like a Ninja Turtles kind of game, kind of game, but it's, uh, it's still plenty of fun and I recommend you check it out. Um, have you, uh, played yet Josh? Yeah. Uh, I recently, uh, I, I, I, I laugh at the, uh, I, I have this habit of starting a video game, but, and, uh, not, uh, finishing it, story of every video gamer's life. Um, uh, welcome to my, my library of backlog games that I still

[00:03:46] should probably have completed five years ago. Um, yeah, I played it. I still haven't beaten it myself too, because I've been, uh, waiting to play with friends, um, uh, for it, but on the single player mode, I've made it about halfway through the story. And then with a friend of mine, we played through and we made it through, oh, about the first like two hours ish, because I think the game in total is about three to four hours and it's fun. It's very enjoyable. I think

[00:04:11] they really did a great job with it. Nothing feels repetitive. Um, and it does feel like an episode or a season of Power Rangers kind of sort of, um, I do think it's, uh, they did get the online working. So I do think that, uh, uh, at least online, I think you can play more than two people now. Um, but we never, we never attested that. It only was me and my friend for that locally. Hopefully you could already do that, but yeah, I'm enjoying it. Um, I know that they said that

[00:04:37] they wanted to do more, um, but like modes and like, uh, options, like, I guess if you want to call it cheat codes, cheat codes, stuff like that. Um, and then make it easier if you just want to like go through the story and have fun with like one hit mode and everything that they're taking care of as well as they did, um, announce, and it is coming out here soon. We are getting a physical version of it with, um, a physical, like I think the metal steel book and it's for

[00:05:06] switch PlayStation five and Xbox series X comes with the physical, uh, one of it. I think it was 39, 49 99. Ah, well, yeah, that's actually used to me. I should probably include that in show notes. Um, yeah, yeah, I think, uh, uh, they, they made just enough, um, where, uh, they opened it up for everybody, but yeah, the physical version. Yeah. It's 49 99 and it comes with basically a,

[00:05:36] Oh, a, a, a steel book with the dragon dagger on it. Some lenticular postcards of like the entire game ish, I guess you would call it like the characters, the zords, et cetera. Um, six trading cards of the original power Rangers, the game, of course, and then like a collector's box. So, I mean, for what it is, it seems worth it on its own right there just for the steel book.

[00:05:58] Hmm. And on the comics front, uh, at comics pro 2025 boom studios back in February announced a VR troopers monthly, which will tie in with power Rangers prime as well as a, another, uh, Ninja Turtles team up. That would be the third. And, uh, I think that's Ryan parrot again. I think that's it. Do we know if it's ongoing or is it, uh, like a limited, like this is a 12 issue,

[00:06:27] uh, series? Cause that's why I actually did not find any additional info on. Yeah. I don't know. Uh, you know, if I figure it out, it'll be in the show notes. Yeah. Cause it's after, uh, free comic book day, isn't it? That's right. And we have a log line for that. Uh, the log line for the free comic book day, VR trooper comic, uh, goes after making their long waited return in the pages of power Rangers

[00:06:53] prime. This issue will give fans a sneak peek at a new era of virtual reality powered action alongside a special flip book calling back to the original 1995 comics. So this will probably be an original, like it won't be part of, uh, you know, one of the books, but it'll probably lead into one of the books kind of like, uh, the story that led into the return

[00:07:16] that was in an anthology comic a while back. Oh yeah. It'll be interesting to see how they like fully tie into it. If it's going to be more than just like a few limited episodes, uh, or a few limited comic, uh, issues for it. I mean, that does pave the way for the rest of the franchises though, to get potential like returns for their, uh, uh, their own series, whether that be

[00:07:43] beetle boards, maybe mystic nights, who knows? Yeah. Yeah. Well, it all depends on, you know, things like rights and whether the market's there, but DR troopers is a pretty random poll to begin with. Yeah. I mean that that's digging deep. So I would, I would agree. Yeah. Speaking of old teams, Greg Ronowitz, who was an executive producer on power Rangers SPD is celebrating the arrival of the year

[00:08:08] 2025 by sharing SPD behind the scenes, photos and stories on his Instagram. Just go to instagram.com slash Greg Ronowitz. And he's been doing this since January, um, with all kinds of, uh, things like old sketches of Grum and the story of why he looks like that or, um, did the location

[00:08:34] scouting he did with Bruce Kalish and all sorts of, uh, like fun stories and how he proposed the idea of making a backlot style, like city block or like just a street for that would look futuristic for the Ranger to go to and interact on that would look visibly from the near future, but it was vetoed due to

[00:09:04] costs. In fact, that seems to be the story of a lot of things that were, were vetoed due to costs that he had to work his way around. Like famously, uh, he told us way back in around 2005, six, that he had to make Isenia during his Christmas break because the money wasn't there. Yeah. It's really cool to look

[00:09:29] back on, um, on SPD and, you know, sort of challenges and the, like it's a minor miracle that everything worked out. I mean, among many other series, uh, for it. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Um, and also you can watch SPD and all of the first 18 seasons of Power Rangers. And also now as of

[00:09:54] March 1st, VR Troopers on Tubi, we don't know why they stopped at Overdrive, but that is, that's just where they stopped. It's also on YouTube and MNPR of course is on Netflix, but one show that, you know, one newer show that you can't find on Tubi or YouTube or anywhere is Beast Morphers. That was taken off Netflix at the end of December. There was a worry that Ninja Steel would be taken off as

[00:10:23] well, but that is still there. Uh, Beast Morphers, that's a kind of a bummer. Hopefully it resurfaces on YouTube or, or whatever, uh, because it's still, you know, for all words and all, it's still a very fun show and ties into a fan favorite RPM. And, uh, especially given how recent it is, it's surprising that it would be, um, seemingly vaulted like that.

[00:10:51] It's ironic that, you know, several, some of the seasons that, uh, were difficult watching back in the day or even kind of a little bit difficult to watch now, such as RPM. We're just living up to the tradition at this point. Um, yeah. Cause a lot of it, you can still find on Pluto TV. Um, and I think you can have a free, like, um, a profile and you can just watch them from the very beginning, but yeah, there's there, I don't know why some of the select seasons are just not available for Beast Morphers is

[00:11:20] a great one. Um, for it, I think that's the only one at the moment that you have to have maybe like an Amazon prime or something that's not outright accessible. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, RPM, I remember how hard that was. It wasn't even on in a lot of places when it was airing. Uh, you know, that was like the later days of the ABC kids run. So, uh, something else happening is the, uh, here's the grid or rather it has happened. Here's the grid,

[00:11:49] the eternal Rangers Kickstarter. We talked about this last time. It raised nearly $300. It hadn't actually reached all the stretch goals, but they, uh, unlocked all the remaining stretch goals as to thank you. You, uh, you were backing that, weren't you Josh? I was, uh, I backed it and they really, really made a push for the 300,000 and exactly what you said. They didn't exactly,

[00:12:13] they were like, I think $7,000 off if that, and they said, yeah, yeah, they were, uh, only like little bit of change off from it. So they said, in addition to, they were combining that with the 40% off sale, uh, that was going because for those of you who do not know, it's going out of print. I want to stress that again, it is going out of print. If you haven't got it, pick it up now

[00:12:43] because they made it very clear, which to be fair, the audience, the people following it, uh, uh, uh, have a right to be upset with it when people wanted to do some add-ons for the pledge manager. They said, uh, we're not doing add-ons like it's done after this. We're not printing anymore. Um, so people started to rush the store to order everything and to their credit, I mean, people, a lot of, you can call it requests. You could call it whining. It could be all in the same

[00:13:12] kind of boat. Um, they are going to do a very, very, very short run of forever blue and, uh, uh, the super zeo zords because of the announcement of them not reprinting it, but they did reach the 300,000. They did unlock, um, all the extra Kickstarter goals and everything for that. You know, in general, in my opinion, the, uh, the stretch goals were okay. I think there was, um,

[00:13:38] uh, basically nice little thank yous as well as like nice send off farewells for everybody. Um, for it, there's some stuff that as people are going to, uh, um, as people get it, they're going to utilize a lot of stuff. And then others, it felt like a lot of filler for it. I feel like there's going, you can't make everybody happy, but I know the rest of the, the stuff that was going to happen was you're going to get like he, the, the creator's journal of how to make your own

[00:14:04] custom Rangers. Um, we're getting the STL files for heroes and villains. Um, Zordon was like the last unlockable. So we're getting Zordon, um, from the comics when he was in his big mech suit. Um, we're getting that, uh, we're getting like extra zords, arsenal cards, and, uh, like some extra Rangers and everything. It looks to be a fun set. I think it doesn't come out till,

[00:14:30] I think later this year, like August, uh, September around this time. Um, oh no, here we go. November of 2025. So we're, we're still a ways off, but they just wanted to make it clear. Like now's the opportunity, uh, uh, for it. There is, I think still time for late pledges if they decide to open that up, but again, stressing it one more time. If you don't get it now, it's forever. Hold your peace. Otherwise you'll have to find it in like a mom and pop shop or on

[00:14:58] eBay and everything. Um, the heroes of the grid distress as well is the only thing that's going out of print. They made that also clear in their renegade con that the RPG and the deck builder for now are not going anywhere. We just don't have any new products or anything, uh, coming down the pipeline, uh, from that, but yeah, I'm looking forward to it. Um, we'll, we'll know here, but this time next year of, Hey, was, were the, uh, bosses too hard? How are you enjoying the other Rangers?

[00:15:28] I backed the first like set, the original set and maybe the first like expansion, but I never have it. Like it was around like COVID. So like there was a tabletop group, a large tabletop group that met at a local tabletop bar, but then COVID happened and that was no longer a thing. So I didn't really have anybody to play with after that. So I have this box sitting, sitting here in the basement and nobody to like, I've barely ever opened it.

[00:15:56] Oh man. You got, you got to get a group together because ironically for me, fun fact, like, you know, it's kind of like getting somebody to play the power of the monopoly or power of the trivial pursuit with you. That is a small, small, small Venn diagram. That's true. But you can always also use that as an event at like conventions and stuff as well, um, for it. And I mean, with it being a hundred dollars, I'm not taking this stuff to like magfest.

[00:16:26] Oh no, no, this would be something to take. Like this would be a print the STL files off for it and use it that way. But yeah, uh, uh, it's ironic you say that because I was a play tester, uh, for it. And when COVID hits kind of like, man, I, I couldn't, uh, uh, split my duties like of work and then working, uh, on the game. But I did a lot of play testing for that, uh, uh, game. Like our,

[00:16:49] my most vivid one is we did a lot of play testing for the Thunderzords. That was, that, that was one of my most vivid ones from, uh, the play testing time, but yeah. Yep. I mean, you know, I'm trying to just like not get FOMO, but you know, if I buy this stuff, I'm probably never going to get a chance to use it. So I have, I have student loans, so I'm not, I'm not doing that. So moving on, um,

[00:17:15] in Tokusatsu news, Wind Specter is, Toki Wind Specter is now out on, um, on Blu-ray in the States through Disco Tech. They also recently announced Kamen Rider X, the Kikaida reboot movie, and John Person. And Kikaida and John Person you can actually, uh, go and pre-order. Um, are you familiar with, uh, with that stuff? I am not.

[00:17:44] But moving on, in Tokusatsu news, Toki Wind Specter is out on Blu-ray from Disco Tech. Uh, they've also announced Kamen Rider X, the Kikaida reboot movie. Not to be confused with the Kikaida series, which they've also already announced. And, uh, John Person. And those are some, you know, real classics, Wind Specter and John Person. Like, you know, sign me up. Uh,

[00:18:09] the Kikaida reboot movie I'm less well-versed in, but I'm still, you know, gonna buy it. Uh, the movie and, uh, John Person are now available for pre-order. And again, Wind Specter is on shelves now. Uh, as far as the Kikaida reboot and John Person go, any extras or TBD, uh, our friend Mike Dent has been writing essays, uh, that have been going on those discs as well as,

[00:18:34] uh, discs from, uh, Shout and other, uh, distributors. So are you familiar with, uh, with these shows? Nope. I'm not familiar with, uh, a lot of stuff that, that branches out with it that I just haven't had time to, like, sit down and dedicate time to watch it. So, uh, no, I'm not. Yeah, I mean, they're, they're really, like, formative in terms of, um, like, what the, uh,

[00:19:02] the genre came to be. Like, you know, these are, like, early, early, uh, metal hero shows. Um, Wind Specter, I should say, and John Person are metal hero shows. Uh, Wind Specter actually came out in 1991, but still, you know, it starred, uh, actually Hiroshi Miyochi. So, uh, so that, you know, he's in a bunch of tokusatsu. So, you know, definitely worth watching for any of his filmography. It's not something, obviously, I have a doctorate in, but it's something that I appreciate.

[00:19:32] Also, in other, other, other tokusatsu news, Godzilla vs. Biolante, uh, I'm angling that, probably. I'm not a Godzilla expert either, is headed to their Criterion collection. It is out this month in March with a new digital restoration. Uh, I've seen what's purported to be the box art, and it looks frickin' fantastic.

[00:19:57] Man, and that's, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, a monster I hadn't heard, or a kaiju I haven't heard in quite some time. But then again, I think, uh, uh, Biolante is, like, one of the most requested ones to put in, like, the Godzilla, uh, Kong universe upcoming, um, if there was one to bring over, uh, for it. I do remember that one. That was a good one. That was a good film, um, uh, for it. So I'm looking forward to that release.

[00:20:24] Yeah, and I really gotta go back and kind of revise myself here. John Person was in 1993. I'm a dummy. Ah, it happened. I think it was 80s. Ah, the 80s, 70s, 40s, you know, it all blends together at some point. It was before the decade. Yeah. Or the new century. It's like this is the year or something of, uh, of anniversaries, like, in the future, in the year 1999. Oh, wow, that was, like, in the future of 1999,

[00:20:55] 20-something years ago. Like, Ricky O, or I think, what movie was it that had, uh, the year 2000X? Um. Oh, that's a great question. I know. Man, that sounds familiar, but not off the top of my head. I mean, I, I know. No, no, no. It's like, it's Fist of North Star. Yeah. Close enough. That's right, it is. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. Um, also Gojujur has started. I've only seen the first episode,

[00:21:22] but I've seen, like, little bits of, like, it's actually pretty good. It, um, it's very entertaining. The action is, uh, seems, it's, it's just a ton of fun. And it's, it's an anniversary show, because Sentai celebrates 50th. And, um, and, you know, it seems like, at least to the red, it seems like very likable. I look forward to meeting the rest of the cast in the second episode.

[00:21:51] I have not seen it. Hey, yeah, I mean, well, we're not getting Power Rangers again, so look it up. Hey, there you go. Well, we're not getting Power Rangers anytime soon. I'm not saying ever again. Uh, you know, but I don't really, given the news that we're going to be talking about later, I don't see it happening anytime soon. Same. Same. Uh, no, we got, again, you know, one of those no way to pivot moments,

[00:22:16] but this is news we got to talk about. Hector David Jr. in January, uh, got 45 days and behind bars for battery for Saltine Man in Ohio last year. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced in January. He's already out of jail and tweeting again. Uh, for those who don't remember, he was the, um, Green Ranger in Power Ranger Samurai. He pleaded guilty to misdemeanor battery in Canyon County

[00:22:44] Court. Uh, according to TMZ, he was sentenced to 180 days in jail, uh, with 135 days suspended. Uh, so he, obviously that's why he's already out. He also got two years of supervised probation, and he was ordered to complete 100 hours of community service. Last July, he got into an argument with another man who used a walker over a parking spot in the town of Nampa, Idaho.

[00:23:09] The situation escalated when he shoved the man to the ground, though the man thankfully was not seriously injured. He got in his truck and drove away, but was later ID'd and, uh, arrested. He was charged in late July with battery, but, you know, it seems like he, he's posting like a guy who's probably, who seems like he's learned his lesson and, you know, 45 days, probably that the, the judge believed that was all that was necessary. Um, I, I suppose I wish him well.

[00:23:38] Yeah. Yeah. Not, not, not, in my opinion, uh, uh, they, they didn't take enough lessons from Power Rangers. Hopefully, hopefully everybody gets one for it. So. End of the day, it's a TV show. Yeah. Yeah. Saturn, we have a few Saturn news items to share. Uh, late last year on December 26th,

[00:24:04] composer Toto Fuiki died at age 89. He worked on Ultra 7 and Return of Ultraman, and, uh, he, uh, he was known as the father of Ultra music. He'd worked since 1956, working at the, uh, predecessor of what's now the Tokyo Broadcasting System, and then went to Tsuburaya, where he wrote the theme song for Ultra 7, Return of Ultraman,

[00:24:28] uh, and many other film and TV scores. And, uh, he also taught at Tokugakuen University, and worked to nurture the next generation of composers, according to this report out from NHK. We also lost Robert Baldwin. He, uh, was best known as Ramirez, Kyoryu Sian in, uh, Kyoryuger, and also played Gordo in Cesar X,

[00:24:56] and a number of other roles in film, TV, even music videos over the years. He was a Canadian actor, uh, born and raised in Hiroshima, and he, uh, died of colon cancer on December 26th, uh, according to his daughter. He was really an interesting guy. He, he talked in a Tokusatsu Network interview about how he, you know, likes being able to kind of bounce from job to job.

[00:25:23] You know, one day he'll be acting, the next day he'll be translating. Um, because, you know, it's almost like an ADD thing. Because, also, it's like something different every day. He expressed a desire to play some kind of role in Dino Charge, but they obviously, as we know, went in a different direction with that character.

[00:25:52] And, uh, also, we lost David Weatherly. He, uh, died December 12th. Uh, he was 85, so good long life. Really a hell of a guy. He, he posted on Ranger Board a lot during Overdrive. He obviously played Spencer, and he voiced Bangalow in that season. Really an interesting life. He was born in England and moved to Canada to join the Armed Forces.

[00:26:19] Because it seemed like fun, basically, to a 17-year-old. And in 1961, uh, he, uh, moved to New Zealand after his CO in Vancouver offered him a, uh, commissioned position in the Armed Forces of New Zealand. But he also brought his motorcycle with him, and that turned out to be a bad idea, because only a week later, he wound up in a motorcycle crash. And after a couple years of working desk jobs, he followed his mother to an amateur play reading.

[00:26:49] One thing led to another, and he found himself playing the part of John Willard in a production of The Crucible. He went on to become really known for his stage work. Uh, the Mercury Theater in New Zealand, he appeared in around 120 productions over the course of 20 years. Uh, and he, like, pretty much half the country, he was in Lord of the Rings. He played, uh, uh, Barley McButterbury in Fellowship. He was also in Hercules and Xena, what have you.

[00:27:19] Uh, and, uh, yeah, what a guy. I mean, he was one of my favorites in, uh, Overdrive. And it's just why I was like, I think I saw those news, that news when I was watching, like, you know, on Pluto TV. It's like, oh, yeah, I forgot, like, he was one of my favorite ones in the series. And then it's like, oh, yeah, he passed away, like, yesterday. Oh. Oh, okay. Yeah. Yeah, yeah. But he was, uh, he's a really affable guy.

[00:27:47] I think, you know, people, you know, whatever you think about Overdrive, I don't think there was anybody who had a foul word to say about Spencer and about his performance. You know, he really, uh, gave Spencer a lot of, uh, a lot of dignity. And, you know, he's very, um, I think I'm almost like an adoptive parent to those Rangers. Yeah. It always makes me use the comparison of Alfred with Batman. Say what you want about some of the Batman's films,

[00:28:15] but nobody has ever had a negative word about Alfred in those films. Yeah. All right, so we're going to take a break. And when we come back, we are going to talk about all the, uh, stuff at a Toy Fair. My nephew, like the Power Rangers. And I did this on his birthday where he had all his friends around. They were like, Green Ranger? I said, let me show you the real Sentai. I'm going to show you the episode where Green Ranger actually dies. And they were sitting there looking. A couple of kids started crying like, no, Green Ranger and Big Daddy.

[00:28:45] And the parents were like, what are you showing our kids? The Anime World Order Podcast. Not suitable for children because the truth hurts. Visit us online at www.animeworldorder.com. And we're back. Now this past week, as we record this, was Toy Fair up in New York. And boy, do we have things to talk about. Playmates unveiled the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Reignition line. Uh, we already saw some photos in the days leading up

[00:29:14] of the Automorphin figures. And we got a better look at those and some other things they had come, including the Megazord and, uh, mask. I shouldn't say helmet. I shouldn't say mask because that's the way they are. Power Blaster, evil space aliens. Um, first the good. I, the last time we got a Power Blaster toy was way back in the Bandai days. So, that's a good choice bringing back. That's a good choice for a roleplay toy.

[00:29:43] Also, I like that they're copying what Bandai did in their early run of toys, which is they're putting out Rita, Goldar, a Putty, King Sphinx. Uh, that was a really, uh, a really nice touch. I also like the fact that they're selling the Zords both separate and a Deluxe Megazord. I think that's a cool idea. And I, I don't think

[00:30:13] that masks are necessarily a bad idea. Uh, you know, when you pair that with Power Blaster, the Morpher, you know, that, that, that's actually, that's actually pretty cool. Now, the bad. Bandai, their Automorphin figures were, back in the day, were great. You know, because they're, uh, they were more pretty streamlined. Um, they were too bulky. Hasbro used a different mechanism that made

[00:30:42] their toys a little more bulky. Uh, not, I, I don't mean like, you know, bulk-mire. I mean bulky. Uh, the thing with these toys is that there is a very, very visible hinge on the front that makes these figures look less appealing. I mean, the face, the face molds are great for the, you know, the, the actor likeness is, those are great.

[00:31:11] Uh, but the rest of the figure leaves, I mean, at least for us, older fans, leaves something to be desired. I don't know about kids and parents. Uh, but what did you think about the Automorphins? I thought they were ugly. I think that, uh, based on the original 1993 run, the updated ones we got before, the Lightning Collection or, uh,

[00:31:41] the Hasbro ones from a couple years back and now these, these to me are like the worst and using these as like to unveil the Reignition uh, line, uh, I think it was a complete miss um, for it. I don't think, I, I don't know who it's marketed to for the flip, uh, heads. I feel, I feel like this is, uh, it's for someone, I just don't know who. Well, I think we're gonna find out who

[00:32:10] because according to Playmates, perhaps this is from friends with No Pink Spandex, they, there will be a remastered version of Power Rangers with the power of AI and they'll be releasing these, I guess Hasbro will, they will, whatever, starting in July with MNPR Season 1 on Netflix and YouTube. Now, this is not to be confused with the reversioned MNPR, the 32 episodes that, that Disney made

[00:32:39] in their last days of owning the franchise. I mean, I guess if the raw materials aren't available to do a proper remaster, I suppose AI is the only option, but that's kind of fraught. What do you think about that? Boo! I'm booing this! Boo! No, yeah, I'm not a fan of the AI stuff. Like, this seems like

[00:33:09] to be, I, I, I'm, I'm very upset with them going in the AI direction because what has actually worked with AI cleanup that was not negatively received. I remember, like, I want to say Disney tried to do that with some of their classics and made them just look way worse. I feel like they're more of just, like, trying to keep the, in this particular instance, they don't have any direction they're going in, so why not just, like,

[00:33:39] throw out the, the first season yet again, even though, you know, like, there are other options, in my opinion, with it. Not a fan of the AI stuff at all. Yeah, just this week actually, the version of A Different World, the Cosby show spinoff, it's on Netflix and this week somebody noticed that whoever licensed the show to Netflix or Netflix itself scaled this old footage,

[00:34:09] which was originally shot in the film as Power Rangers ones. The show was added earlier this month that it's listed as being HD, but it's clear that there's some sort of algorithm being used to increase the sharpness that is from the site Futurism. The intro credits show like mangled hands, facial features that look off and smeary lines. They're just these consistent graphical issues, like for example,

[00:34:39] in one scene there's a sign in the normal version says Resident Director, but it's all kind of smudgy in the AI upscale version. Yeah. There's a photo of the Cosby family that looks like it was done in watercolor. Yeah, like it just seems like this is one of those trying to make a quick buck to say like Power Rangers is still on the market,

[00:35:09] but I think it's a complete miss. I think this is not it. Yeah. This one particularly is not it. The guy who first brought this issue with a different world to light said the show was in its original format blurry, but it didn't really matter because you watched it far away on a CRT. You know, he said absolutely kind of show and you can upscale it. You can make one blurry pixel into four pixels or four pixels into 16 pixels, but you got to have the information come from somewhere and there

[00:35:39] still isn't enough information here to make these main characters, he said, look correct. Like even though it looks amazing, he said in 4K and HDR, he said there's obviously something wrong with bits and pieces of the way these people look and text gets jumbled badly because the AI doesn't know how to read. It's, yeah, it's frustrating. Maybe down the line, yeah, maybe down the line we will have a better AI

[00:36:08] composition like that. It just, unrelated to Power Rangers, it makes me think of what Funimation tried to do with the Dragon Ball series where they kept re-releasing Dragon Ball Z and it's like, oh, we're going to upscale it, we're going to clean it up, except all they did was stretch the picture and didn't really remaster it at all. I feel like that's what they're doing with Power Rangers with the AI. They're not really cleaning it up more than just remastering it. Air quotes.

[00:36:37] Yeah, but on the other hand, if this leads people to, if it, you know, if it keeps Power Rangers more front of mind, like right now, it's not on toy shelves, it's not, you know, being marketed to people, if this, if this, it could lead to not just more series getting this treatment, but it could lead to, you know, at least keeping the show

[00:37:06] fresh in people's consciences. And isn't that a good thing? I guess. I mean, I'm always going to be mixed on that, Rito, because I feel like them doing that with, I would say making it more accessible at this current stage in media would be keeping it at the forefront of everybody's mind. So 2B, Pluto TV, or just putting it on streaming services, or release DVD or whatever in general. Yeah, well, I

[00:37:36] mean, DVD is kind of dying, but it's not like this isn't the only thing they're doing. According to the Montyverse, their strategy is all about bringing a whole new audience to the entertainment. Their plan is to, quote, power up the socials with new short-form content, like stop-motion content, and work with creators like Ninja Kids. With the toys, they're thinking 10% will be aimed at the collectors like us, with the other 90% directed at

[00:38:06] kids. They say they're 100% open and willing to make toys for more seasons, depending on how this product performs, these MMPR toys. so, like, one of the, like, you know, as much as we want to nitpick, like these automorphins or this other stuff and that blocky power morpher, whatever our issues with it, these things are going to be some kids first power in the toy, and that's a good thing.

[00:38:36] But for the next two or three years, it'll only probably be MMPR as they cover all those first three seasons. Man, see, I would feel like if, I feel like some of the market though has tapped out a bit for some of the figures and stuff. There are always new kids. There are always new kids. That's true, but it's also, to me, there's a right way to do it.

[00:39:05] So, Marvel or DC in the 2000s when they had the animated universe. Well, the thing with Marvel, that's actually a perfect comparison. you know, in fact, like, like right now, like, okay, don't get me wrong. I love characters like Kamala Khan, but You like what? I'm sorry. I love characters like Kamala Khan. Gotcha, gotcha, gotcha.

[00:39:33] But, I didn't mean to single her out because there's gonna, you know, that makes it, that makes it sound the way I don't want it to. But, Marvel has... You can re-record that part. Okay, God, Jesus Christ. Okay, so don't get me wrong. I enjoy a lot of either characters in some of these newer Marvel movies and all the TV shows. But,

[00:40:03] at the same time, what sells, like, nothing sells like Iron Man, nothing sells like Spider-Man, nothing sells like Captain America. And, I mean, yes, we still have a Captain America, but we don't have Steve Rogers. And, you know, that's why you're seeing Marvel even pivot back to, you know, what do we do? Let's get Robert Downey Jr. back. And, you know, Power Rangers,

[00:40:33] it's always the security blanket because they, you know, the reason why Bandai put out a bunch of MMPR toys, but the reason Hasbro put out a bunch of MMPR toys and different iterations on MMPR, like Metallic Armor and all that, is because it moved. And, I think whatever our reservations are about having three years of Mighty Morphin toys, we gotta just accept that they're not for us and that's okay. Not everything needs to be for us.

[00:41:03] I'll give you a counterpoint. Using the Marvel example, though, yes, you're going to have your fan favorites. Spider-Man, Hulk, Wolverine, etc. I think the difference, though, is Marvel updated with the times versus Power Rangers that they have not. I absolutely agree with you that Beast toys may not be for the adult collector, may not be for us specifically. Like Hasbro tried to mix up the Lightning

[00:41:33] collection, but we all know how that went. Yeah. I think, I think, I mean, that one almost becomes a less of why did they pick X character and more of no one was buying it because of the quality control issues. Like, that was more of I'm not picking up something. I really don't think quality control matters as much as we think it does.

[00:42:03] Oh, I think it does. We'll agree to disagree on that, but where I'm going with that is I don't think if a kid with a toy under their tree or whatever isn't complaining about the paintwork. Man, I don't know. I think it depends on your age and stuff, Ford. I think at some point you do start caring about put ourselves to the target market is. Not only who's buying these toys, but who's enjoying these toys, and I

[00:42:33] think we need to look at what's best for I don't I hate saying like Neilink or thinking like he's like you, but I think what's best for the long-term health of the brand. And even if these toys, outward appearances to us look whack, there's going to be kids out there who are going to love these things. I'll give you a but to use the Marvel example though, on it, Marvel updated with the times. We have three examples of this

[00:43:02] already with X-Men in 1992 when they decided they were not going to go in the direction of having Stan Lee narrate the episodes and let the viewers basically experience it. That was revolutionary. when they released Iron Man in 2008, Iron Man remember was a B-list character. He wasn't an unknown, but he wasn't this popular character like a Wolverine or a Spider-Man. Because they had no choice but to put Iron Man forward.

[00:43:33] Correct. Same thing with Guardians of the Galaxy, but they made it work and updated it with their audience. I think same thing with X-Men 97, just to use that as an example. They never talked down to their audience. They just continued the storyline. I think in the different vein, Power Rangers did that very well with the Boom comics, but did not do that well enough now with the show. I think that circles even back more around it's okay to recast the original crew. It is

[00:44:03] completely okay to update with a modern audience, with modern stuff, while keeping the core things that made Power Rangers delightful. That made it the lightning in a bottle. sell out to the universal want that everybody has. It's okay. I just don't think they got to get someone like a brand manager to do that. I don't think re-releasing an AI upscale of a 93 show is pulling people in. I don't think releasing the line from 1993

[00:44:33] is pulling people in. If we're not making a new show right now, I think that it's the best bad idea going. I do acknowledge, I do want to say, because I don't want it to sound negative, I also know that there is challenges that Power Rangers faces that other franchises do not. For example, animated series. That's going to be controversial. They tried to remake MMPR.

[00:45:02] That's what Saban Brands was doing for a few years. Megaforce. Yeah, I mean, it didn't work because they had forced slapstick comedy in it. I feel like they tried doing that, but also context. I feel like we're like, oh, boy, we're getting spicy. Well, Mighty War and Power Rangers, the first season had poor

[00:45:31] slapstick comedy. Go back and watch those episodes. I have. I felt like they did. I feel like it flowed more naturally. It fit more with the setting for it. The only difference is the fart jokes. Oh, God, those jokes. The nightmares that never end. I felt like they were less mandate, but you have to remember too. I think the show

[00:46:01] needs to move forward. If it comes back, it needs to move forward. So there is something to add to that, those characters evolved, though. They weren't just these slapstick. They had six years to do it. That too. And I think that's a We had a bunch more episodes than any show would dare ever film in a year. Yeah, and I mean, that goes into another long-term debate of

[00:46:32] did they actually long-term harm the franchise by doing it yearly, where cast members were isolated, like, into their own seasons? That can be debated left and right for it. In the slapstick instance, I would say yes, because you don't see those characters evolve from the goofy school bullies to heroes in space for that. But that is one isolated case for that. But I also think, too, comedy has changed, though, a whole lot,

[00:47:02] where slapstick comedy like that was gold in the early 90s. That's not really, I'm not going to say it's not a thing, but it's not the mainstream comedy that it is now type of deal. There's different forms of it. But, again, to me, they need to do, I mean, realistically, move forward with an animated series, and then you can do that without the controversy, and it lets you explore more of the worlds, the what-ifs, and everything at that point, too.

[00:47:33] To be honest, we've been down this road before. Yeah, we have. It's the same old road, old beaten road we've been down before. But, we'll know how successful it is. like I said, I agree with you that the toys and stuff aren't meant for the adult. They are meant for the kid, sure. I just want to know, I guess my big question is, okay, if the new Reignition series

[00:48:03] is not for the adult collector, it's for the kid collector, or the kid, what is having, what is the lasting power of bringing it in right now? Because, to me, that's like rehashing the original, like Star Trek, it's rehashing the original series, again, when we could be updating it for, so I just don't know, what has more lasting power right now? Relaunching the 1993 toy line, or Rita's Rewind? I would argue

[00:48:32] the later, but, I would say relaunching the original 1993 toy line. And that, I don't know. And I say that not because it's the 1993 line, I don't think toys are as nearly as popular as they were in 1993. That's kind of where, to me, that is a mini Death by Thousand cuts. It may not be the sole reason, but it's so many that built up, it may not be the right direction to be going,

[00:49:02] and what could they be doing for that? But, I mean, to be fair though, how much can I complain when at least they're releasing a Megazord in their first year versus Hasbro, where it took them, what, three or four years on their own just to get the Zap Megazord out? Yeah, well, anyway, we'll see what happens when these toys come out later this year, next year. I'm not sure, I think we're supposed to see the first toys this year. We'll see what happens. We'll see how things shake out with the toy line,

[00:49:32] and maybe they listen to this feedback, maybe they don't, but I feel that whatever I think, whatever my frustrations are with it, I feel optimistic that there's something out there for anybody. This is an opportunity for the franchise, and I look forward to seeing where things go from here. Before we wrap up, I will throw this idea out at you,

[00:50:02] because this is a thought that just occurred to me, talking about the toys, and talking about the show. I do have wonder, did Hasbro just, instead of, because I think we were all initially thinking that Playmates was going to be, you know, like a boom, or like renegade game throughs, and just doing their own line, but it seems more or less that Hasbro has contracted out Playmates to lead the franchise,

[00:50:31] and I'm curious on No, I think they said, I think, I forget where, but the guy, whether it's No Big Spandex or Montyverse, the guy, the rep said that, you know, whatever they do with the show, like in terms of film content would have to be, you know, in consultation with Hasbro and Toy, so they don't, they don't like, you know, they're not going to go out, like, that's not really Playmates thing, I know they have bought into some

[00:51:02] shows in the past, but I don't think in terms of live action, I don't think that's really their thing, I mean, obviously, they played a role in Ninja Turtles. Rita, there was one more thing, and it's not related to on the news, but a friend actually just texted me, did you know there is a Power Ranger book coming out? Not like a book book, but like a novel.

[00:51:31] Are you talking about more phenomenal? Yeah, I talk about more phenomenal. I'm well aware, I actually did, I actually was interviewed for that book, though I don't think he used it, he did use a photo that I provided. We're actually going to have Josh more on to talk about it at some point, so trust me, I'm very well aware.

[00:52:01] Oh, cool, cool. I'm behind the times. Yes, yes, yes. All right, well, thank you so much for hanging out with us for this hour, and we hope to see you next time on RangerCast. Bye-bye, everybody. Have a good one, everybody. If you like what you just heard, find us at rangercast.net, or look us up in your favorite podcast app, and be sure to leave a review. That's the best way to help more people discover the show.

[00:52:31] You can also find us on X, Facebook, and now Blue Sky. Our opening theme is by Daniel Park. The ending theme is by me. RangerCast is distributed under Creative Commons license. Attribute and share alike.