Power Rangers Cobra Kai Lightning Collection Samantha Larusso Pink Mantis Ranger review

I really appreciated the journey Cobra Kai took the characters through over the course of the series. Samantha Larusso is the classic prodigy character who eventually became somewhat unlikable before coming full circle. I also love how creative the Power Rangers team has been about mash ups with other licenses allowing us to get a Cobra Kai/Power Rangers series. This time we get Sam as the Pink Mantis Ranger.

I liked the idea of these PR ninja figures, but this mash-up got me fully on board with getting the series. That’s good for me, but probably not so much for collectors who already got the PR ninjas already and want to avoid the double dip.

Hasbro essentially made this line a non-starter with its goofy price point for figures that really just had some minor paint changes and a new head sculpt. Fortunately, the first wave hit deep clearance, which was all I needed to hop on and grab Sam and her father, Daniel.

Let’s see if Sam as the Pink Mantis Ranger is a trophy winning figure in the Power Rangers/Cobra Kai collection.

Packaging: Unlike most of Hasbro’s other lines the lack of a window doesn’t bother me as much…provided all the proper accessories are included. This set up is a bit more dynamic than the previous Power Rangers presentation as it now has a lightning bolt and the various animals and dojo logos inside.

Adding bios in here would have been pretty cool, but it’s not shocking that Hasbro didn’t do anything beyond their norm for this easy to repurpose setup.

The left side features a full shot of Sam in her all-out ninja gear while the right side features a neat floating ninja head and making sure we get this is Morphed Samantha Larusso as the Pink Mantis Ranger.

Likeness:  This line is focused on easy reuse with minimal new sculpted elements. The ninja costumes had some great details from the folds of the attire, the sculpted shoulder lining, the studded shoulder, forearms and shins section and the wraps along the gauntlets and shin guards.

The head sculpt is very solid capturing the likeness of actress Mary Mouser well. The big problem throwing off the likeness is a paint issue, which I’ll break down in a moment.

Scale:  Sam should be much slighter and about a head and a half shorter than Daniel. The figure reuse doesn’t really account for much scale diversity and a downside to using the same mold.

Paint:  Pink is a striking vibrant color so it’s easy for it to pop in a simple color palette. Most of the figure is in this bright pink while precise detailing is saved for the gold lining and the outline to the studs.

Her centerpiece pink mantis logo is applied cleanly, and I love the touch of having the Miyagi-do logo on the back of her costume.

Sam’s hair doesn’t look great. Typically, on the show it’s a dark brown, almost black color compared to this flat light brown that badly needed a wash. I wonder if it could be improved upon with a dark brown/black wash?

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Articulation:  With the Lightning Collection articulation scheme, most of the viable poses are achievable. The front tunic does restrict some movement and limits the range of the butterfly shoulders and ab crunch.

Still, it was fun getting the Pink Mantis Ranger in some of Sam’s signature moves from Cobra Kai.

Pink Mantis Ranger has:

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

Accessories:  The accessories pretty much carry over from figure to figure. Like Daniel, Sam has a masked portrait that is similar to the original pink ninja portrait. There’s no change to the ninja diamond as it remains pink.

Sam also has the neck collar piece for a different style ninja look. She also has a translucent yellow energy swoosh, a switch from the previous white effect piece.

Finally, Sam’s got swappable hands. She has a curved upwards right hand and a left fist. They’re skin tone instead of gloved like the white ninja ranger.

Worth it? This line started off at a line-killing price of $27.99. That’s a terrible deal for a figure that’s largely a new head sculpt and a couple of different paint apps. Target had a drastic clearance on the first wave, so I was able to get Sam for $9. I would have been fine paying $20, but this was an excellent price.

Rating:  9 out of 10

With better torso articulation this Power Rangers Pink Mantis Ranger version of Sam would go from being runner-up to figure of the line contender.

Where to get it?  This line was exclusive to Target so that’s your best bet as Pink Mantis Ranger is now up for purchase.