SHOKUGAN MODELING PROJECT TIME ROBO | Figure Review

Model kits. They can be a relaxing activity, an occasionally stressful time, and a rush of excitement upon completion. I have some experience with them, mostly simple Pokémon ones (Mega Blaziken, Charizard, Dragonite and Groudon, if you're curious) and a Lady Avenger model kit that I technically finished minus the tiny stickers I simply don't have the patience for.  
My friends have a few Megazord model kits from Mighty Morphin Power Rangers and Power Rangers Wild Force, and seeing these made me really want to own Megazord model kits from my favorite Power Rangers show, Time Force.
Yes, I know they're Japanese toys based off of the Super Sentai shows and this is from "Mirai Sentai Timeranger." But I didn't grow up with Super Sentai, I'm a dumb American who grew up with dumb Power Rangers and I will continue to use those dumb names. Calm down, Sentai fans!
I'm sorry for your loss btw...

Anyway, I got my wish around the beginning of the new year when I saw a Tokullectibles ad on facebook showing the Time Robo figure, clicked on it, and immediately saw they also had the Time Shadow and Quantasaurus Rex also up for pre-order.
After some deep thinking, I decided to pre-order them. Never mind the fact that I waited too long and ended up missing out on the Time Shadow pre-order. (I'll get it eventually)

Opening the box for this kit, I have to admit I was a tad overwhelmed. This included a lot more frames of pieces than I was used to. It felt like I was building my own Transformers toys. Also, there was a piece of gum inside the stickers/instructions bag. According to my friend, that's apparently a thing Japan does with their products to cut through the red tape of overseas shipping, by marking their shipments as "consumables." I admire the sneakiness. 

After a couple hours of snipping, attaching, pressing, and laying on stickers later, I ended up with 5 Time Jets, a Time Flyer and a sword.

Let's start with the Time Flyer (aka: Time Jet.) It's a smaller craft that's not as detailed as the bigger vehicles, but what detail we do get is pretty good. I think it could've used more gold accents around the laser barrels, and it would've been nice to get some Ranger pieces to attach to the Jet, but that's just me.
Also, the Jet turns into a gun. More on that later...

Now we move on to the Time Jets themselves. (aka: Time Flyers. Wait what?)
Building them was both a lot of fun and a test of stress. I have pretty big hands so delicate handling isn't always my strongest suit, especially with the stickers. I think I did an alright job with them, although I just know that some seasoned model builders out there will want to tear out their hair and scream at me over some minor thing I did.
Just don't look at that one panel on Time Flyer 3 for too long...

Once finished they all look pretty good. There's not much I can say on the designs in general other than they make for decent looking futuristic vehicles. I know there's only so much that can be done with figures this small, so some of the finer details aren't going to show up as well, but I think they look good regardless. One nice feature I appreciate is each Flyer comes with an opening cockpit and you can put a little Ranger pilot piece in. 
Of course the Flyers can combine together to form even cooler things and the instructions are easy enough to follow for all 3 combinations. 

Stands aren't included, I used my own.

Getting this out the way first, is the Time Jet Gamma (or Time Force Megazord Jet Mode) and it's mainly just all the Flyers smooshed together to form a bigger Flyer. I haven't seen Time Force in a while, but from what I remember this thing wasn't utilized much except to cause tornadoes and blow mutants away before turning into the Megazord. 

You'll also need a few separate clear parts to attach the Yellow and Pink Flyer pieces to the bottom. Yes, just like the show, even the models resort to parts forming.

Alright, Megazord time!
Keep in mind, you might need to have a tool on standby to help with the folding or separating of certain parts. I used a flathead screwdriver.

First up is Time Robo Beta (Time Force Megazord Mode Blue) and I gotta be honest, I'm not the biggest fan of this Megazord design, it just fits into the alright category. When you look at the plethora of Megazord designs, this one just sticks out as the odd one out. 

Aside from the absurdly huge shoulders, the figure itself feels a tad oversized in some areas, I assume mostly to compensate for the combination and articulation. 

Speaking of articulation, it's certainly there. 

The head ain't moving more than a tiny wiggle. 
The arms can rotate all the way shoulder and you can move them forward and backward, bend/rotate at the elbow and the hands can rotate/pivot.

Waist can rotate. You can bend backward, but that bit of movement isn't as relevant until the next transformation. 

The legs are where things get a little funky.
The legs can move forward/backward at the hip, but the front and back skirts limit that movement. That's when you want to take advantage of the joints just below the skirts, rotate them accordingly, and now they can really go forward/backward.
And if you move up the side panels, the Megazord can do the splits. 
The knees have a nice bend, the feet can rotate, move up/down and have a slight pivot. 

Mode Blue can get into some decent poses. Despite the massive shoulders and hollow feet, getting this figure to stay standing isn't too big of an issue.

One gripe I do have is that the shin connection isn't the best and always ends up separating when ever I try to move them. I would just glue those pieces together, but I can't or else I can't complete the other transformation. 

Lastly you can take the tiny Time Flyer, fold up the wings, extend the turrets and it becomes a gun for the Megazord. 

Moving on to the mode that actually matters.
Time Robo Alpha. AKA: Mode Red. AAKA: The mode that always gets the job done. 

This is more in line with what I think of when I picture a Megazord in my mind and this figure brilliantly captures it's show appearance. The sculpt is fairly proportionate, although the legs may be a little thicc and they will rub against each other. 
The back of the figure is also good, but unfortunately there's no getting around the massive gaps in the legs.

The painting is also nicely applied, but to be honest the ratio to parts that are painted and what parts are stickers could be better. I'm talking about the silver below the waist specifically, I'm probably gonna have to get a sharpie for that.

But not only is Mode Red better than Blue in terms of design, sculpt and paint, but also the articulation is significantly improved!

We have actual head movement this time! It's on a ball joint so it can fully rotate, tilt side-to-side, sort of look down, but it can't look up at all. 
Arms rotate and move in/out and forward/backward at the shoulder, you can move the shoulder pads out of the way for extra movement.

The same joints from Mode Blue come in handy to maneuver Mode Red's arms. You can rotate the hands, but the covers for the Flyer modes just make it a pain to do so. I would have just included some removeable parts for Flyer mode to add hands to.
Body can rotate and crunch forward at the waist.
At the waist the front and side skirts can lift up which allows the legs to move forward/backward and do the splits. Knees can bend, as can the feet and the feet have a nice pivot to them.

Possibility is improved from the previous mode.
In fact, some poses would look even better with some weapons and that's where the Chrono Shield and Space Time Sword come in! And yes, the guards can move like clock hands.

Mode Red can also wield the gun. I tried to make Mode Blue hold the Sword and Shield, but it's a tight fit on the hands, so I wouldn't recommend it.

THIS WAS A MISTAKE!

This whole set is overall amazing! You basically get 9 toys for the price of...well 9 toys in this economy, but they're all great! Despite my opinions on the designs and gripes with stickers and functionality, I think Bandai's Shokugan Modeling Project line are pretty much the definitive toy lines for any Power Rangers Zord/Super Sentai Mecha enthusiasts out there. 
Needless to say, I'm really looking forward to the upcoming Time Shadow and Q-Rex models.
Also, what about that one Zord that sends the other Flyers through the time portal, we are getting a model kit for that one...
Right?

Till next time, I have been your host Gryphon 
and thank you for joining me here in my lair. 
So long...

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