Super7 ReAction - RITA REPULSA!

ReAction - Mighty Morphin Power Rangers - Rita Repulsa - Super7 2021

When I started collecting ReAction figures, I told myself I would limit my purchases to 1980s (and earlier) properties. This has proven ideal for me. It provides me (necessary) collecting boundaries and still hits all my favorite characters from vintage toons and monster movies. But as soon as the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers figures were announced I knew I would make a big exception. Even though MMPR and its source material are firmly placed in the 1990s, there is an aesthetic that always seemed late 70s or early 80s to me. Especially the villains. I think Rita Repulsa is the most iconic villain from MMPR. As one of the only Japanese-action-scene characters with an exposed face, she became known for crazy expressions in the midst of the smoky battle chaos. She was a shoe-in for my ReAction collection. And this post is timely since Scorpina and Pink Ranger were just announced this week (So she won't be lonely for very long). Let's check out Rita below!

Power Rangers - RITA REPULSA!

Power Ranger Lightning Collection - Lord Zedd & Rita Repulsa - Hasbro 2020

I always love a ridiculous over-the-top villain. I love crazy schemes, maniacal laughter, and a healthy dose of buffoonery. Rita Repulsa is a quintessential example of this type of character. I only peripherally watched Mighty Morphin Power Rangers when it originally aired, but her image still made a major impression on me. As an adult collector who decided to re-visit the Power Rangers franchise 10 or 15 years ago, I was truly surprised that she had never been merchandised. But with a few years Bandai gave us a 4" figure that would tide me over until now. This Lightning Collection wedding 2-pack is a GameStop exclusive and finally gives us the Rita we've always wanted. Of course, my personal preference would be to replace the bulky shapeless soft-goods gown with a sculpted rubber number, but beggars can't be choosers. The headsculpt, shoulderpiece, and hands are sculpted with fantastic detail. It makes me very excited for a potential Scorpina down the line! Let's check out Rita Repulsa below!

Mini Power Rangers - RITA REPULSA!

Power Rangers Blind Bag Series 01 - Rita Repulsa - Hasbro/Playskool 2019

With the recent announcement of the Gamestop-exclusive Lightning Collection Rita Repulsa, I realized I never posted anything on this adorable little Rita. I was pretty sad when Bandai lost the Power Rangers license to Hasbro, but it wasn't necessarily because of the collector-level 6" Legacy figures that I had been buying. Rather, I was most upset because the Power Rangers Imaginext line would also be coming to a close. Over the course of a few years, Fisher-Price had released a really fun collection of figures (including the first ever Scorpina action figure). For those collectors who dive into the preschool market, it is well known that Fisher-Price (Mattel) is much better organized and productive than Playskool (Hasbro). The Playskool Marvel line has almost no character diversity, just the same 5 guys over and over again for years. The occasionaly solicit a new character, but they are almost always cancelled.So I feared the same neglect for the Playskool Rangers (and it seems my fears are well founded).

Spotlight on RITA REPULSA (Movie Version)!

A Collection of Rita Repulsa Figures from the 2017 Film - Bandai & Funko 2017

I apologize for the long hiatus in my postings. I've be re-doing two rooms in my house and my workload at the office has literally doubled (temporarily while coworkers are on leave). And on top of all that, I'm getting a new computer next week.. and I predict a rough transition unfortunately. But I haven't stopped toy hunting (follow my Instagram!) and I have such an exciting backlog of toys to photograph (which I will be starting in a few hours). And at the same time, I have stockpiles of older reviews I've been intending to post. This Character Spotlight on Elizabeth Banks' version of Rita Repulsa from the 2017 Power Rangers movie has been a long time coming. It was urged on by the fact that I finally watched it for the first time on Tuesday. I really enjoyed it and I'm glad to hear that Hasbro is developing a sequel. I loved how they had a backstory where Rita was a former Green Ranger (with Zordon being the Red Ranger). It was a fun twist. Let's check out all the Ritas below!

Power Rangers Imaginext - RITA REPULSA (2.0)!

Imaginext - MM Power Rangers - Finster & Rita Repulsa - Fisher-Price 2015

In advance of the upcoming Mighty Morphin Power Rangers movie and the presumed popularity of Elizabeth Banks as Rita Repulsa, Fisher-Price released a pretty great repaint of last year's Rita figure (that came packaged with the oversized Goldar vehicle/figure). This new figure is much more show accurate and is a fantastic redeco overall.. I think the only part of her that remained the same from the original is her hands. Rita is the main antagonist from the original Mighty Morphin Power Rangers series. She is an alien sorceress who rallies the evil space mutants against the Rangers time and time again. She went on to appear in 6 other incarnations of the show after the first three MMPR seasons. I'm pretty sure that her constant presence is unparalleled among the show's antagonists. These Power Ranger Imaginext figures are just great. I hope they continue coming out for a long time. Perhaps we'll finally see a figure of Scorpina! Let's check out this redecoed Rita Repulsa Imaginext figure below!

Power Rangers Imaginext - RITA REPULSA!

Imaginext - MM Power Rangers - Goldar & Rita Repulsa - Fisher-Price 2015

Woohoo!  I didn't expect to start finding these figures so quickly.  About three weeks ago I was having an irrational craving for more Imaginext figures.  I had just found the Series 4 blindbags so I should have been satisfied for a while, but I instead found myself Googling for Series 5 pics like a lunatic.  It was a bust.  But then Eric over at Toyriffic sent me an email letting me know about the upcoming Rita Repulsa figure.  I was ecstatic.  Not only was it another in the growing family of  Imaginext females, but a witchy villainous one to boot.  I have a thing for bad girls. I expected them to show up sometime in Fall, but I surprisingly stumbled across a display at one of my TRUs this weekend (they only had a few different pieces, not the whole line yet).  After getting my hands on this figure and Goldar, I predict the Power Rangers line will be really strong in this format.  I fully intended on selling Goldar, but I'm pretty much obsessed with him.  Hopefully everyone else will be too.  Let's check them both out in detail below!