Power Rangers Lightning Collection In Space Blue Ranger review

Between Ross, Ollie’s and Amazon sales, my Power Rangers Lightning Collection requires a full display now. The In Space Blue Ranger marks another random team member I’m adding to my ranks for my specialized team and he might be my favorite yet.

I’m enjoying reading the backstories of Ranger teams totally unfamiliar to me. T.J. got handed the reins as the Red Turbo Ranger by Tommy Oliver, legitimizing him for longtime Ranger fans. And when the team went to space, Andros was the leader although T.J. essentially served in that role without the title.

Let’s see if the In Space Blue Ranger was just a good find or an excellent figure worthy of center stage.

Packaging:  In Space Blue Ranger has the older — and new again — windowed packaging.

That makes it easy to spot paint flaws or missing accessories. Fortunately, PR thieves and swappers aren’t that common in my area so that’s not an issue. It’s the usual wide window with the Ranger portrait on the front and continuing on the side.

An uninterrupted portrait is on the right side and there’s a basic, boring image on the back. That really needed an overhaul.

Likeness:  The design of the In Space costumes aren’t as complex as some later era seasons.

The defining elements are the wide V collar, the color strip across the middle representing the Rangers and the standard belt and holster.

Like his teammates, In Space Blue Ranger has a uniform helmet. Since they’re identical, Hasbro didn’t screw around and cheat out on the helmet detailing. Even the small notch about the visor is sculpted.

The mouthpiece, visor and helmet crest likewise have sculpted elements.  His neck piece is sculpted, but the collar section is just handled via paint.

Scale:  T.J. was taller than his teammates. His figure is smaller than MMPR Zack and Dino Fury Zayto.

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Paint:  In Space Blue Ranger’s paint job is decent, but does have more mistakes than normal for Lightning Collection figures. The helmet is immaculate right down to the gold nub. The Ranger color strip across his chest is mostly fine save some noticeable fading around the black square.

The upper arm white section has some sloppy applications of white paint and it really could have used another hit or three to prevent bleed through of the blue. T.J.’s blue is nice and sharp although the shade of blue seems slightly different from the torso and arms and legs.

Articulation:  You know the deal with Lightning Collection articulation. T.J. can hit most reasonable punches and kick stances and makes for a fun figure to pose as a result.

Whether toe to toe or using his weapons, T.J. can handle most poses you want to achieve.

In Space Blue Ranger has:

• neck
• shoulders
• elbow (double-jointed)
• wrist
• wrist hinge
• torso
• waist
• hip
• knee (double-jointed)
• ankle

Accessories:  T.J. has the usual amount of accessories and then he’s got a bonus vehicle with his Galaxy Glider.

It doesn’t have a ton of detail, but it effectively gets the job done in terms of reflecting the source material.

A flight stand would have been a great addition, but those clearly cost more than I think.

He’s also got swappable gripping hands for his weapons.

First up is his Astro Blaster. The detailing on it is very nicely done and features three paint apps, which is impressive for its size.

Next up is T.J.’s Astro Axe. This lacks some of the additional paint apps specifically the red trim around the side, but that actually would be tricky to pull off and look decent.

Sadly, you can’t combine the Axe and Blaster for the boosted look.

There’s a yellow translucent energy piece that can be attached to the blaster. It’s not new but is a welcome inclusion for blast effect and impact shots.

Finally, we get the unmasked head sculpt.

The likeness to actor Selwyn Ward is solid with a strong, stoic expression fitting the group’s actual leader.

Worth it?  Since he’s a deluxe figure, the price tag was higher than a regular figure. Originally, In Space Blue Ranger was $31.99, but the price tag has dropped considerably on him. I was able to snag him at Ross for $8. That’s an excellent deal for a well-crafted Lightning Collection figure and a vehicle.

He’s still reasonably priced at Amazon, which has him for $17.36.

Rating:  9.5 out of 10

T.J. is a rare Power Rangers figure that has enough paint issues to warrant deducting some points. Getting him and his glider for under $10 was a huge win and definitely enhanced his value making for one of the better values all year.

Where to get it?   Unless you can grab him at Ross, your best bet is Amazon.

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