Power Morphicon, the official Power Rangers fan convention, may have come and gone for another 2 years but we wanted to bring you one last memory from the show.
Released exclusively at Power Morphicon was a limited (only 500 made) Ranger Key Set for the Power Rangers Super Megaforce toyline! TokuNation got the reveal and first look of this incredible set at San Diego Comic-Con in July and we're now proud to bring you this gallery of the Lightspeed Rescue Titanium Ranger & Jungle Fury Wolf Ranger Key Set!
The story behind these keys is a bit strange. Earlier this year Bandai held their Morphin' Madness elimination bracket. Pitting some of the franchises greatest rangers against one another the ultimate goal of the bracket was to decide the 5 greatest rangers in history. And the 5 winning rangers would be made into a limited edition Ranger Key set by Bandai. Sadly due to some voting scandals on both sides of the competition the results were a bit soured. One of those final 5 rangers however was none other than Titanium Ranger! Who made it into this exclusive pack. Sadly the other winning rangers who didn't already have keys have only been seen as prototypes at conventions. Wolf Ranger however wasn't actually one of the winning rangers but lost out in the final round to Titanium Ranger himself. So this set is more of a final battle pack! Perhaps one day Phantom Ranger & Time Force Pink will see release, MMPR Red & White have been done multiple times already as is.
As a convention exclusive this set comes in it's own unique box style. The two keys are "revealed" via Power Rangers style lighting bolts and are accented on each side by their respective rangers helmets. Since this represents rangers from two TV shows as collectible items in a third show it has each of the logos for Super Megaforce, Jungle Fury, & Lightspeed Rescue on it as well as the PMC logo.
Each side of the box gives us a bust shot of each ranger, and the back of the box gives us the same images a bit closer up in addition to mini-biographies of each character. Honestly they fit a ton of stuff on to such a small box. Also advertised on the back is the Legendary Morpher phrase either of these keys can unlock "Power Morphicon!" This phrase had been known of for quite a significant ammount of time prior to these keys even existing. Bandai of America had pre-programmed that sound into the morpher well ahead of any key that may have activated it. That way no matter what was made as the PMC exclusive it would activate the sound.
The first key in the set is the Jungle Fury Wolf Ranger Key. If you didn't know by now, American Ranger Keys are much smaller than their original Japanese counterparts. A little over half the size of a Gokaiger Ranger Key these keys make the tradeoff of having a spring loaded flip gimmick built in. A gimmick that's pretty hit or miss based on QC. Now the wolf key has been lavishly painted in a nice selection of metallic colors to really give it that con exclusive flair.
The key itself has accurate paint application placement and looks like a miniature of the Japanese key. However the paint apps themselves are not of the greatest quality. With the difficulty involved in getting an exclusive such as this and they prices they demand on the secondary market, it's disappointing that their isn't better quality control. The paint apps on the arms and legs aren't even remotely symmetrical on mine, the knees being the worst as one's an entirely different shape. Not to mention the fact that the paint used on the majority of the figure was applied rather thickly. Based on my Wolf Ranger is appears the paint was still wet when it was assembled at the factory as the arms were almost glued in place by the paint. I actually had to pop the key apart and pry the arms out of the shoulders just to get them to rotate properly the first time.
Now here's where the real appeal for the set is, for me at the very least. The Titanium Ranger key! As a wholly original US character the Titanium Ranger is as of this moment the ONLY Ranger to exclusively exist in the US toyline! Since he has no Japanese counterpart no key was ever produced. And without the support gained for the character thanks to the Morphin' Madness contest this key may not have existed here either. Fans demanded it and they got the chance to own it.
Now despite the joy of finally being able to own this key I do have some issues with it. Though not as obvious Wolf Ranger the QC for Titanium still isn't on par with what I think of for convention exclusives. While the majority of the silver paint used for his body looks fantastic, there are several inconsistencies. Scuffs on the fists, a few minor scuffs on the legs, paint overspray on the blacked out portion between his legs, one fairly nasty scuff on the center of the key where it rotates on the spring, and sadly some pretty soft details on the headsculpt.
Despite the QC on this key I'm extremely happy to own it, and to feel some sense of pride for the fact that it exists. As the one truly unique key in this toyline it brings me great joy to own it. Phantom Ranger next please!
Now I know this set only retailed for $10 at PMC. But there were only 500 of them produced. With such a limited production run I feel more care should have been given to the product. As is these keys aren't remotely worth the inflated secondary market prices they command. It's a little saddening honestly because this is the only way to own either of these keys in the Super Megaforce toyline. And it isn't likely they'll ever be re-released in another way.
However, if you were lucky enough to purchase this set at the convention, or had an amazing friend pick one up for you like I did (Thanks Kickback!) then of course it's worth it. It was $10 and you get Titanium Ranger! As BOA sweeps new unique keys under the rug in favor of re-releasing yet more keys in metallic paint for cons, the PMC 2014 Titanium & Wolf Ranger Key set may be the only truly unique convention release in this line.
I really, really wish they had made a Titanium Ranger Key easier to get.
I loved the character as a kid and would have loved the opportunity to have this key of him now.
Oooooooh yessssss.... This is an awesome set. Even with its problems, Wolf would still be a sweet key to own.
Titanium is cool, and the whole photo gallery itself is awesome with how you were able to show off the keys. Awesome job.