Power Rangers SPD (2005)
The aerodynamic design of the helmets gives the swept shape of their opaque visors a very "alien" shape, especially from the side, which flows right into their flashing sirens and perfectly cements their "Space Cops" theme. The numbers along the
side makes for an excellent "uniform" motif as well.
They really went all out on additional rangers this season, not only to we have the white Omega Ranger, but also Shadow Ranger and Cat Ranger. Omega himself blends with the other five well, opting for a roman numeral in place of the other's side numbers. Shadow and Cat Ranger on the other hand fell much different, which is appropriate enough since they don't team up with the rest of the group all that often so their design work well on their own. I particularly like Cat Ranger's hexagon pattern on her breastplate, a seven-sided shape to indicate her place as the seventh ranger rather than a corresponding number like the rest.
They really went all out on additional rangers this season, not only to we have the white Omega Ranger, but also Shadow Ranger and Cat Ranger. Omega himself blends with the other five well, opting for a roman numeral in place of the other's side numbers. Shadow and Cat Ranger on the other hand fell much different, which is appropriate enough since they don't team up with the rest of the group all that often so their design work well on their own. I particularly like Cat Ranger's hexagon pattern on her breastplate, a seven-sided shape to indicate her place as the seventh ranger rather than a corresponding number like the rest.
Power Rangers Mystic Force (2006)
Bold and bright. Theres gold and black relief colors spread
throughout the costume for a good balance. Capes are a nice flourish. We've got Zeo style
faceplates with their visors in the shape of their mythical power animals rather than sculpting the helmets to match the shape of that creature.
Having the two girls with white leggings looks better and more balanced in the lineup than Ninja Storm’s one token girl.
Having the two girls with white leggings looks better and more balanced in the lineup than Ninja Storm’s one token girl.
Solaris Knight is appropriately shiny if a bit busy at first glance. Fortunately theres just enough blue to keep the shimmering gold pieces from being overwhelming.
Power Rangers Operation Overdrive (2007)
Why are the sleeves divided in half? We already have lots of
white along the torso, do we really need to brighten up the underarm?
The shoulderpads do nothing. Helmets are supposed to be… what? Excavation
Vehicles?
The compass symbol is good for establishing their adventurer/archeologist theme, but thats one of the few things it has going for it.
The compass symbol is good for establishing their adventurer/archeologist theme, but thats one of the few things it has going for it.
Then theres Mercury Ranger. By golly, it hurts to look at this thing. Giving the sixth ranger a black relief color just doesn't work unless everyone else has it too. The sharp scoop of the visor combined with the center antenna makes him look like a shark. I know, it sounds weird, but consider that this guy has sirens embedded in his shoulderpads. Weird is par for the course!
Power Rangers Jungle Fury (2008)
I know this design isn't very popular with fans, but I like how its willing to take risks with the classic elements of their costumes this season.
Here we ditch a number of familiar attributes like belts, or silver mouthpieces, or gloves and boots. Given the animal/martial arts theme this round, I think these changes are more than appropriate.
Having a suit that isn't divided up by belts or excess decals creates this unbroken path from the chest down through their legs, which in my mind emphasizes their speed and agility. Fitting for a team were the primary three are based on jungle cats. I also think giving these three personalized motifs along the sides befitting their unique animals is very creative touch.
Our supporting rangers, White and Violet are rather different from the group, but work in their own right. White has a suit inspired by a karate uniform, while Violet's costume is much more flashy to match his backstory as a wrestler. Form meets function all around.
Having a suit that isn't divided up by belts or excess decals creates this unbroken path from the chest down through their legs, which in my mind emphasizes their speed and agility. Fitting for a team were the primary three are based on jungle cats. I also think giving these three personalized motifs along the sides befitting their unique animals is very creative touch.
Our supporting rangers, White and Violet are rather different from the group, but work in their own right. White has a suit inspired by a karate uniform, while Violet's costume is much more flashy to match his backstory as a wrestler. Form meets function all around.
You don't post often but this all makes up for it when you produce a post that not only entertains but educates me about something you know so much about and I do not. You can't know how rare it is for me to NOT be an expert on something.
ReplyDeleteThanks Kal. I teach because I love.
DeleteSince the start of the new year I've been trying to at least have one new post per week to help establish a better Internet presence. Hence the recent tread of "Sketching Sharing", but I do like to shake things up with more editorial pieces like this or the one about the "Frozen" posters when I'm in the midst of working on a bigger project.
Now I remember some of these! But I truly had no idea about all the details involved with their suits. Like Kal said, i like that you are able to explain all this because it causes me to look at the design of these suits in a very different way. I liked Jungle Fury a lot. I had some of the action figures and I wish I had collected from the Mystic Force line. It was such an interesting series. I'm really impressed with all of these articles you have done!
ReplyDeleteThanks Michael, I do remember seeing a Jungle Fury action figure in the background when Toy Miss M and Michelangelo were doing their Christmas shopping.
DeleteI'm glad to hear that you, Kal and the others have been enjoying these articles. I do like to have a few editorial posts on the back burner to fill in the gaps in between my bigger projects.