Review: Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Re-Ignition Rita Repulsa by Playmates Toys

Retlaw
Jul 20
4 min read

Updated: Jul 23

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Earlier in the week, we reported that numerous collectors were finding the shipper containing the first wave of the Mighty Morphin Power Ranger Re-Ignition toys from Playmates Toy. Well yesterday, we also found them. We bought 2 complete sets of them, one to open and review while the other set is for my son who wanted them as well.

Evil Space Aliens Rita Repulsa

First up, we're going to be taking a look at the new basic action figure of Rita Repulsa from the Playmates Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Re-Ignition line.

One of the core things of any Power Rangers toy line is obviously the action figures, sure the roleplay toys are integral as well, but every kid wants their favorite Ranger and villain so they can re-create the epic battles and stories shown in the show or create their own stories of how the Power Rangers helped saved Angel Grove from the evil Decepticons (true story, I did this as a kid).

Packaging

The packaging for the basic series of action figures are like other toy lines, the toys come on a blister card but not just any type of blister, the blister for the Re-Ignition toys feature a cut away on the front and rear so you can try out the action feature which we'll get into each of the figure's action features later in their respective reviews.

Packaged inside the blister or bubble, is Rita Repulsa with her staff and spell casting effect part which the figure can hold either one in either hand.

The front of the card has each of the individual core five Ranger helmets down the side, the Re-Ignition logo and "Spell Castin' Action" across the top, and an insert showing off the "TRY ME!" action feature image and Evil Space Alien Rita Repulsa text along the bottom.

The rear of the card has the same Re-Ignition logo, Try Me action feature image as well as a basic summary of the Power Rangers which reads "The Mighty Morphin Power Rangers are five ordinary teens chosen to receive amazing abilities. They summon the spirits of their mighty Dinozords and morph into the incredible Power Rangers. When Evil Aliens look large, they Dinozords combine to form an even more colossal battle machine, the Megazord!"

There is also a short little bio with some basic information that reads; "A powerful sorceress, Rita Repulsa was imprisoned by Zordon in a space dumpster for ten thousand years. Now free, she's determined to take over Earth but finds herself time and time again foiled by the Power Rangers."

Name: Rita Repulsa

Skill Set: Evil Sorceress

Personality: World Dominator

Weapon: Magic Wand

Sidekick: Goldar

There is also a section of a checklist of the six Power Rangers, Rita Repulsa, Goldar, and Putty Patroller figures. It's interesting to note that this checklist on lists the action figures themselves with "Collect all the Power Rangers and Villains!" text and each of the toy types in this toy line have similar checklists on the rear of their package, I think it's a neat way of handling a large first and second wave (only in the United States, International releases aren't splitting the real first wave up like it's being done in the United States).

Action Feature

As I said before, each figure has their own action feature, and Rita Repulsa is no different. Rita features a button on the rear of her figure that when pressed, raises her right arm. She comes with both her Magic Wand (as it's called on her package but it's a staff really) and a spell casting part and depending on which is in that hand, will result is two different types of action feature. The spell casting part mimics her casting a spell with her hands like in the show (there were times where they showed her manipulating props like the Green Candle with magic) and her staff kind of looks like she's saying "Magic Wand, make my monster grow!" It's a fun gimmick that other Rita figures have never had before.

Comparison

I, unfortunately, only own one other Rita Repulsa action figure and that's the Hasbro Lightning Collection Rita and it clearly towers over this figure since it's a six-inch collector's figure compared to a kid's toy with action features. Each figure has their merits and disadvantages but it's something that doesn't bother me in the slightest, I'm a Power Rangers collector and I love all things, Power Rangers.

Neither figure really does a good job of capturing Rita's likeness that well, but the Re-Ignition toy line is a more stylized take on the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers characters anyway.

The Hasbro Lightning Collection figure obviously has much more articulation and more accurate cloth goods dress, but again it's a more collector's figure than a figure that's meant to be played with for kids. The Re-Ignition figure only has a few points of articulation; namely in the arms where she has hinge and rotation joints in the shoulders, elbow rotation and hinge joints, and wrist rotation. Her head is on a ball joint but doesn't have much range of movement due to the chin strap of her head dress. There is some basic and limited articulation in the lower body with a simple waist rotation and what I found odd is that she does feature hinge and rotational joints in her hips but due to the dress, it's insanely limited.