It’s time for the Zords to combine, because we need Megazord Power! After finally acquiring all the members of the combinable Dino Megazord team, it was time to put them together and see how things worked out.
This is a large toy, so it was a bit of a wrestling match to assemble them. First, I formed the Dino Tanker, which is pretty much the Megazord sitting down and reading an imaginary newspaper.
The Tyrannosaurus folds into place easily. The lower legs fold up into the thighs, and the Sabertooth Tiger and Triceratops connect to the folded-up T-Rex’s knees. You’ll have to adjust the Sabertooth Tiger into proper position. I feel like there was a glitch in the matrix somewhere, as the Tiger has some articulation behind her front legs that I don’t recall noticing initially. The Triceratops pretty much just connects — he’s a basic toy.
The connection points have little release buttons on the backs of the knees that I found pretty novel. Considering the size of it all, locking joints are a good idea.
The Mastodon forms the back and arms of the Megazord, and the cannons for the Dino Tanker. It’s essentially the same configuration, with the positioning of the Megazord’s hands and arms being the deciding factor.
The Pterodactyl is the only really difficult member to utilize in Tank form. She rests on the tank’s back, her missile launchers connecting to the cannons to complete the weaponry. There are obvious connection points I couldn’t get her to snap into due to the Mastodon legs that form back ornamentation blocking the way. The other option is to slide her tail into a docking point between those Mastodon legs. This works and seems designed for it, but it’s not very stable. I think Pink Bird fell off a thousand times while I was putting the tank on a TV tray to get a halfway decent picture.
The joints are nice and clicky, but the combined weight makes this form feel a little unstable. I couldn’t get it to stand fully upright without the tank leaning.
Forming the Megazord, however, was a much better experience. Remove the Pterodactyl and stand the tank upright. Flip the Megazord’s hands out, remove the launchers, and connect them to the back. There’s also some shoulder armor to flip up. On mine, those parts didn’t line up perfectly and came loose a few times. Folding them back down for Mastodon mode required holding everything just right to allow clearance.
The Tyrannosaurus head folds away into the chest compartment, and the Megazord’s head remains — just fold out the horns. The Pterodactyl’s head and wings fold into themselves and connect to form the chest plate. The Mastodon head, which was the front of the Dino Tank, becomes a shield. The Power Sword, which had been sitting off to the side, can finally be held.
In this form, the team is much more stable and satisfying to handle. I’ve seen horror stories of Tyrannosaurus waists breaking, so be careful with yours. The Megazord is a big, chonky robot with nice clicky joints, and I love it.
I’ve seen others online not like it as much, so your mileage may vary. There’s also a boxed set with a slightly different deco if you want to forgo acquiring all five members separately.
Ultimately, I really like this set despite its flaws. The individual Zords are fun, if basic, and the combined Dino Megazord feels like a Shogun Warriors spiritual successor. Later this year, Playmates will be releasing a Thunder Megazord set in the same size, and I’m looking forward to that. Hopefully a Dragonzord will join the team as well.
Dino Megazord/Daizyuzin is a large and fun representation of the classic combiner meant for kids… but loved by this grown-ass man. There’s a real sense of accomplishment in completing a team like this, and I’m going to bask in it for a while.
