Drivemax Megazord

Drivemax Megazord has just rolled out to stores in the U.S. and given us Bandai America's latest rendition of beefy robot toy magic. This latest incarnation of the Power Rangers saga gives us a less detailed robot aimed squarely at the young boy demographic and much less targed for the collector. No problem. This is a sturdy kids toy.

Drivemax Megazord, or collection of Power Ranger parts (Zords), keeps things simple. Zord parts are labeled "blue zord, pink zord, yellow zord, black zord, megazord head, sword, and megazord legs." There is no wasted print here folks; kids appreciate simplicity.

Push and pull the zord joints together and you can have two combined modes-- a Drivemax Megazord robot and then a giant "Truck Mode" (yep, E-Z terminology). Each Zord vehicle can fit together into a rolling mega truck with the black zord and head making a truck cab. The red dumper holds the sword and remaining parts. The sword is held on by two pegs for convenient storage.

As I morphed the zords (played) over quite a few days I came to appreciate the friendly design that makes boys happy. Dump trucks and spaceships have always been best sellers. Then I appreciated the way all the parts were self contained or stuck together. There aren't many parts to loose & Bandai kept things sturdy.

One minor gripe with the toy was the very tight joints. My sample was quite difficult to stick together, with arms barely fitting on the body. As I worked through a few hours of transformations, the parts became easier to fit together. Just keep extra elbow grease ready for the first transformation.

On the other side of the balance sheet were some very well thought out megazord legs. Yes, Power Rangers megazords have evolved. We now have knees, ankles, hips, and extra points of movement. The big guy is suprisingly nimble. Kudos to the people that broght this new feature to the big blocky robot world.

Overall the packaging was minimalist, the overall robot look average, the paint application sparse, the instructions simple, but darnet it is a fun toy to enjoy. Again we are seeing fewer frills on the outside in favor of low prices and great play value.

My guess is that collectors will find the Japanese variation a bit more interesting, but not be that thrilled. Kids, THE target market, I bet will love Mr. Overdrive Megazord. They have trucks and planes and more trucks to enjoy with a simple, sturdy design. There is a beauty in simplicity here.

-Ed