Bootleg Robots from Parts Unknown

I'm mentally gearing up for Rangerstop this weekend. This morning before I went to sleep, I looked at various keshi and other mini figures and made a mental shopping list. Sure, I hope to score to score a SPD Megazord to make up for that one I never got around to buying or another few particular items, but smaller figures are a focal point for this show.

My first introduction to Rangers was late night viewings of Dynaman on USA. Here was this cool show that was like a combination of Voltron, Godzilla, and video games that was funny as hell. It didn't take me too long to notice the gumball machine toys I would get from the grocery store and other cheap rack toy robots and monsters looked familiar. I was a kid, I didn't know what a bootleg was, but I knew those cool figures in the gumball machines looked like some of these guys. Years later, Power Rangers started up and these guys looked like Dynaman! 

Around a year ago I talked about bootleg toys from gumball machines, thanks to those gumball machines and random cheap toy purchases I developed an affinity for smaller figures when it comes to Power Rangers. It wasn't until a little later when I started using the internet to get a full understanding of what these various toys were knock offs of. I had learned what Super Sentai was not long after Power Rangers came out thanks to an extremely informative TV Guide article (that's why they look like Dynaman!) already.

Unlike Transformers where I seemingly buy everything (with especial love for the little bots), I mainly buy smaller Power Ranger toys (outside of the occasional regular toy). That stems from my initial enjoyment of Power Rangers that came from little toys. Even when PR started up and other shows like it came around, I'd gear towards smaller toys of the characters. I'm literally chomping at the bit for the new Fisher Price Ranger toys and have the best time with Micro Morphers right now. Holy crap the level of anticipation for those blind bag Fisher Price Rangers I have is absolutely absurd. That absurdity is thanks to little toys of dubious legality in front of Kroger.

Dynaman

When I was a kid, like others I would stay up late on the weekends. Double feature slasher flicks on HBO,  Police Academy on Showtime, and at a point USA started showing this awesome show that was like Godzilla with superheroes and was funny as hell. This cool show called Dynaman came on every Friday night for a while and despite the jokes usually being over my head, I loved it. As time passed, so did the airings of Dynaman. Years later Power Rangers started showing on Fox Kids and I was excited, here was that show I used to watch on USA! Ok, it wasn't as funny, but still had the awesome multi colored superheroes fighting monsters and giant robots. Not much later, I started learning about the roots of Power Rangers and it all started making sense.

Ninjas have particular steel

That would make a great Trapper Keeper.

The new Power Rangers show, Ninja Steel, is starting soon and I'm pretty excited for it. I've always been pretty casual fan of Power Rangers, but this one has me stoked. I've always been a fan of Godzilla and other giant monsters in movies. It wasn't until much later in life I learned the word kaiju, but damn I knew I loved them. Fortunately, TBS showed one practically every Saturday afternoon hosted by Grandpa Munster.

As I got older, USA started showing Dynaman late Friday nights. They dubbed the show with hilarious comedy and I loved it. Then a few years later, Ultraman started showing on local channels in the afternoon. By the time I was in high school and Power Rangers started, I knew I liked this kind of show that was like Godzilla. So, I watched Power Rangers every afternoon after school and eventually VR Troopers and Super Human Samurai Cyber Squad joined my viewing. I watched Power Rangers regularly up until the end of Power Rangers Zeo.

That was pretty much when it became a show I watched when it was on and I was in front of a tv, versus make time out for every day. I've pretty much been like that with Power Rangers and similar shows since then, if it's on when I'm watching TV, I'm watching. So, I fairly admit to being a pretty casual fan. I know of it's Japanese origins and have watched some of different toku shows in subtitles, but I just like good old cheesy Power Rangers. Regularly older episodes of different Power Rangers shows and similar shows would be on my cables in demand menu, so I'd watch them.

This past summer I finally became a regular Netflix user. Before I'd off and on have a membership, but the wife and I decided to use the service more regularly and oh hey... pretty much all those shows were now available all the time. So, my usual Saturday night routine of watching tv while working on a 6 pack of beer, has became watch old episodes of Power Rangers while I work on a 6 pack of beer.

I've bought toys from these shows off and on. Not a lot, just a few. I just enjoy watching the shows. Ok, I've pretty much gotten all the Imaginext Power Rangers, but can you blame me? They're awesome.

So when the various adverts for this new series starting soon popped up online, I was pretty interested. I like the way the show looks and dude, pretty much all the monsters are contestants on a intergalactic game show.  So I've decided to watch this one completely. Just like I used to, but instead of after school, it would be off my dvr instead of watching reruns of The Middle before work. I'm kinda looking forward to it. I like ninjas.

And there is no way I can't watch this little guy