An Old Friend
This last week I was home on break from school and graced with some wonderful news… it was the classic tale of an older friend having some toys in his basement he wanted to unload for cheap, but this time just what toys he wanted to unload was just so perfect. As most of the TBDX community seems to know by now, I am not as old as the majority, so when I have fond toy memories, they are not of Mazinger Z, or even Tranzor Z, or any of the Force Five/Shogun Warriors characters, but something from a later era… the show that really cemented my love of all things robots, and even secretly implanted a love for giant monsters, which has only recently surfaced! Transformers G2 aired around 1993, and sparked my fascination with all things mechanical, but I have so many more fond memories of the wonder that was Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers, which aired in 1995. From the theme song to the wonderfully outlandish characters, and even those darned commercials (Too hot to handle!), MMPR took the love of robots that Transformers had sparked, and combined it with crazy special effects, an amazing cast of characters, and most important of all, guys in suits. I have yet to actually see an episode of Ultraman, or any of the other shows from the heyday of men in rubber suits stepping on miniature model cities, but MMPR did it with as much pizazz as the next live action series, and that has always been something that left me hungry for more. But, we were talking about toys, right? I’ve dragged you through this introspective history lesson because I have been brought back together with an old friend… he’s not complete right now, but I’ll get the extra parts eventually, and they’re not important. He’s big and bulky, and has minimal articulation, but he has a huge chrome sword that scared my mom. The Megazord will always be the number one monster-slayer in my mind, and now in my collection as well. I realize I’m gushing, but this toy will always be one of my favorites, and I’m glad to have him back.
Something to note, in true Christmas ’95 fashion, I don’t have a Dragonzord yet… suffice to say I’ll be on the look out for one when I have the cash, and there will be more gushing.
