After my mixed reception to the SMP Time Shadow, I was hoping beyond hope that the Quantasaurus Rex (V-Rex) wouldn't disappoint. Also, I broke one of the leg joints on Time Shadow while messing with it, so now I have no choice but to rely on those stupid back pieces I don't like to hold the Megazord mode into place. I personally blame the fact that I bought that kit used and it didn't come with the piece of gum. I got my Q-Rex brand new, it had the gum, that has to count for better vibes, right?
Doing these Time Force (or Time Ranger if you're not a dumb American) model kit reviews has opened the nostalgia flood gates for me, I started binging the entire show while assembling the first Time Robo kit. I was brought back to the moments where I noticed Mode Blue only killed one monster in the entire show (Time Shadow combinations don't count), Katie is wonderful, and I love her, and, just how much of an emotional ride those final 3 episodes were. Then I randomly remembered the toy commercial for the Deluxe Quantasaurus Rex Megazord figure. I think I've made it clear enough that I like dinosaurs and giant robots through the course of my reviews, so is it any wonder that the Q-Rex was my favorite Zord from the show? Hell, it might be my favorite Megazord, period. I remember wanting that toy, but for whatever reason I could never bring myself to ask my parents to buy it for me. But now I get to scratch that itch with this new model kit. That is currently, more than double the price of what the original toy went for.
Actually, I could've probably bought the original toy for what I paid for this kit. But capitalist hellscape worries aside...
One building session later, with surprisingly little sticker placements (I still used sharpies for some bits,) I was looking at the Q-Rex in all it's glory.
This thing looks fantastic!
It's not an exact show model match, but I still think it looks close enough. It actually looks closer to the show model while combining aspects of Bandai's original Deluxe Megazord figure, and with good reason.
This head sculpt is appropriately fierce looking, you can almost hear the stock dinosaur roar sounds coming out of it. I love how the eyes look, the inner jaw panel in the mouth. As for the emblem on the top of the head, I'm glad they made that a sculpted piece and not a sticker, it sticks out so much better.
In terms of paint everything looks pretty good. I have seen some people who have spray painted their grey bits to look more metallic, and while that would have been cool to do, I'm personally fine with how it looks. The only stickers you'll see in it's dinosaur mode are the 6 emblems on the head and the green bits on the laser turrets.
The chest though is where things get iffy as I remember it being black, not grey. That really sticks out to me. Perhaps I'll color it myself later.
The rest of the body looks nicely sculpted, compromises aside. I also love all the little panel lines and details all throughout the body. I was about to complain about the lack of any covering on the neck to hide the head of the Megazord Mode, but while rewatching the "Clash for Control" 2-parter, that is in fact show accurate. Maybe not to the extent the figure shows it, but I still find it funny seeing that head poking out.
The laser turrets/Megazord arms really add to the commanding presence of this big mechanical dinosaur and the backs of them are made of metallic plastic, that'll look awesome later...
When it comes to articulation, the Q-Rex excels in some aspects and falls short in others.
Aside from the mouth which can open super wide, the head and neck are stuck in place. Unless you unpeg the pieces I'm showing now the head is on a ball joint and now you can rotate the head and make it look up in all it's sculpt breaking glory.
The entire torso is basically one big plastic brick.
The arms can move in/out, up at the shoulders, bend at the elbows and the hands can rotate. The upper 2 claws can open and close.
The laser turrets can rotate on the side of the body. And that's all I'll say for now...
The legs can move forward/backward, move in/out at the hip, and rotate at the thigh. The knees are double jointed.
The feet can bend, turn left/right (not a full rotation) and pivot. I would recommend using a lot of caution when moving the feet as I'm afraid this entire structure of joints holding the feet might break if not handled with care.
Also, there are wheels at the bottom of feet. They're tiny and kinda functional.
Finally, the tail is on a large hinge allowing it to move up/down (again, more relevant later.) The tail is made up of 6 pieces
Q-Rex can get into some pretty cool poses and it also comes with a stand adapter you can plug into the chest and then attach it to a standard Bandai figure stand and that can help improve the posability of the figure.
Have I mentioned that this sucker is HUGE?! The scale of this figure is nearly twice as big as Q-Rex was in the show. This may bother some, and yeah it sticks out to me, but I don't care that much.
First, take the Time Robo in it's Correct Mode and equip it with the first accessory, a larger version of its Time Sword. Next, bend the knees, exposing the holes on the bottom of the leg pieces and plug them into the ball joints of the included clear connector piece.
And now you can recreate the scene where the Time Force Megazord rides atop the Q-Rex from Episode 30 "Destiny Defeated." A really cool addition.
Personally, I would have included a way to place Ranger pieces atop Q-Rex's head, but what are ya gonna do?
Alright, Megazord time!
This Q-Rex comes with a unique gimmick, as you build the figure, you also build it's semi-automatic transformation function.
Now you can simply rotate the shoulder cannons and the figure should automatically stand upright, provided you also press the locking tab on the back, then unlock the appropriate tabs on the sides, and crotch (yes, really.) A clear throwback to the original Deluxe Figure, no Quantum Morpher required. Still would have been nice though. Bandai, do a rerelease of the Time Force Morphers!
After the simple transformation, I can say the Megazord Mode is also pretty fantastic!
Really my only grip with this mode is the head is pretty tiny compared to the rest of the body. If you're thinking of taking some "ground level" shots looking up at the figure, unlike the show, that head ain't gonna be seen. Also, do the eyes look darker than they should?
Regardless, the head is sculpted very well. It can rotate and if you pull the head up just before it pops off the ball joint, it can look up.
As for the Megazord arms, they look great and come with their own gimmicks.
The arms can rotate, move in/out and vertically at the shoulder, rotate, move in/out and forward under the Max Blizzard cannons, bend at the elbow and both hands can rotate at the wrist.
The right arm's Quantum Missiles can detach to make it seem like they've been fired and the left arm has a detachable Quantum Thunder Fist. A separate open hand is also included for the left arm.
Personally I would have added plastic tubes of varying sizes to attach to the missiles and the wrist to give them an added firing effect.
The leg articulation remains the same and posability is great for the Megazord Mode. Again, be careful with the feet.
One final accesorry is a Red Ranger piece, obviously the Quantum Ranger (TimeFire in the Sentai) and that can attach to tabs on either side of the Megazord modes shoulders.
In the end, even with the size discrepancies, I still feel comfortable saying: This figure is amazing! I love both of its modes and after my experiences with Time Shadow, I am extremely happy that this met my expectations. A small hole in my heart formed by my childhood's lack of transforming Q-Rex toy has been filled with this new model kit.
But as we all know, there is still one more Megazord from Time Force/Time Ranger to complete the cast that hasn't gotten a model kit announced yet. We can only hope that in the future, Bandai will...Provide Us with it.
...Eh?
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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