The following is a comparison of the US version of the SPD Patrol Morpher (Bandai #20122) and it's Japanese counterpart, the Dekaranger Master License.
The Patrol Morpher
The Patrol Morpher uses 2-AAA batteries. Its dimensions are 4 inches in length, 2-5/16 inches to 2-9/16 inches in width (the Mode Selector juts out and adds to the width) and 1-3/16 inches in depth. It has 2 Modes: CHANGE and JUDGE. There is an ON/OFF switch on the right-side of the morpher. No sound is heard when switching from OFF to ON. There is a button located on top of the morpher and in the center, situated between 2 red lights.
CHANGE MODE - slide the Mode Selector to the CHANGE position and when the top button is pushed, the front cover swings down to reveal the Dog-In-Police Shield logo of SPD on the top half and a keypad with raised plastic "buttons" on the bottom half. The top and bottom halves look exactly the same as the SPD Delta Morpher (Bandai #20121), except the logo and keypad are gold colored plastic, whereas the SPD Delta Morpher has silver colored plastic. The keys are for display only and you cannot actually push them.
At the same time the cover flips open, a "morphing sound" is heard and the 2 lights on top of the morpher flash together. This lasts a second, or two. Then, a wailing siren is heard and the lights alternate RIGHT-LEFT-RIGHT during the siren sound. Finally, another "morphing sound" is heard and the lights flash together. The entire cycle described above lasts about 3 seconds.
Once the cover is open, if you push the top button again, an electronic sound is heard that repeats for 8 cycles and lasts about 6 seconds. The light pattern is RIGHT-LEFT-pause; LEFT-RIGHT-pause and is repeated for 4 cycles.
JUDGE MODE - slide the Mode Selector to the JUDGE position and when the top button is pushed, this time the front cover swings down to reveal a different inside appearance due to the Mode Selector allowing a different tab to be held in place, causing a different cover swinging down. There are actually 2 thin covers of the same size. In CHANGE MODE, a tab is held in place and this allows only the front cover to swing open. In JUDGE MODE, there is no tab held in place, so both covers swing open and the inside appears different. The sticker on the top half of the morpher says "JUDGEMENT TIME" on the top and has the Power Rangers logo on the bottom. In the center are 3 concentric green circles that represent innocence. In the center of the green circles are the letters S.P.D.
The bottom half of the morpher shows a sticker with a red colored "X" and the Power Rangers logo on the bottom of the sticker. It looks exactly the same as the SPD Delta Morpher, except that the Delta Morpher had the "X" on top and the "O" on bottom and the word "POLICE" has been replaced with the Power Rangers logo in the Patrol Morpher. At the same time the cover swings down, the words, Judgement Time" are heard (lights flash RIGHT-LEFT-RIGHT), followed by a 2-note theme announcing guilt (lights are synchronized to the 2-notes and increase in brightness.)
Pressing the top button a second time with the cover open will initiate another Judgement cycle.
Dekaranger Master License
The Japanese Dekaranger Master License also uses 2-AAA batteries and is 4 9/16 inches in length; 2 8/16 to 2 10/16 inches in width (the Mode Selector adds to the width) and 1 6/16 in depth. The Master License is slightly larger than the US version. It has 3 Modes: CHANGE, PHONE and JUDGE, whereas the US version only has 2 modes and is lacking the PHONE mode. The ON/OFF switch is located on the right side also, and when turned on, it plays a 3-note sound. This same sound is heard on the Japanese TV series when the Rangers use their phones. US version is silent when turned on.
CHANGE MODE - slide the Mode Selector to CHANGE and when you press the top button, the front cover swings down to reveal the same gold colored Dog-In-Police Shield logo as the US version, but there are 5 small triangles above the shield and the center triangle is overlaid a little bit onto the shield.
The Master License comes with 2 stickers that you can place on the bottom half. One sticker shows a head-shot of Doggie Krueger in his Deka Master outfit, so it looks like you see him on the video phone. The other sticker is a black, blank screen. I guess it's supposed to be what the video phone looks like when it's turned off.
When the top button is pushed, you hear a dog barking 3 times (lights flash together); a wailing siren is heard (lights flash RIGHT-LEFT-RIGHT); finally, a "morphing sound" is heard (lights flash together.) The entire cycle lasts about 4 seconds.
Once the cover is open, if the top button is pushed again, the wailing siren sound is heard for 8 cycles and the lights flash from RIGHT to LEFT for the duration of the 8 cycles. The time for all of this is about 4 seconds.
PHONE MODE - only found in the Japanese version. The front cover swings down to reveal a cell phone (video phone too?). The very top shows battery strength and has the words "COMMUNICATION". A little lower, are the words "SELECT SYSTEM" and then numbers from 1 to 5. The bottom of the sticker has the word "POLICE" The bottom half of the cover has the exact same keypad layout as the Patrol Morpher, except that this is a sticker and the US version has raised solid, plastic keys.
At the same time the top button is pushed for the first time and the cover flips open, a phone is heard ringing for 8 cycles and the lights pulse together with the ringing of the phone. If you push the top button again before the 8 cycles finish, it will abort the ringing.
With the cover open, each push of the top button will allow you to hear one of the Rangers speak in Japanese. There are 11 different phrases and the voices you hear are the actual actors from the Dekaranger series, so it's really neat to hear them speak. Deka Green, Blue, Pink and Yellow each speak 2 phrases, while DekaRed speaks 3 phrases. That's the perks of being team leader, I suppose. The phrases are completely random and I would love to be able to tell you what each Ranger is saying, but my knowledge of Japanese is almost non-existent. If any of you know, please get in touch with me and I can update this. I do know that DekaRed says, "Whazzup!" That was an easy one. And DekaPink says something like, "Hurry, I want to take a bath!" In the Japanese series, DekaPink has a reputation for taking long bubble baths with her 3 little rubber duckies and many times is late for meetings.
JUDGE MODE - slide the Mode Selector to JUDGE and push the top button. The front cover swings down to reveal a 3rd different inside look. (The Japanese version has 2 tabs.) A large, red colored "X" appears on the top half, along with the words "JUDGMENT TIME" (at the top in small letters) and the word "POLICE" at the bottom. The bottom half has 3 concentric circles in blue and the letters S.P.D. in the center of the circle. A crashing sound is heard, followed by the words, "Judgement time!" and then the sound of a clock ticking continuously. Both lights flash together in unison.
Push the button again to deliver either a guilty verdict (2-note sound of guilt), or a verdict of innocence (clarion call.) The verdict is random and will be about 50/50 for guilt/innocence. If you don't push the top button to render a verdict, the ticking sound will continue for 30 seconds and then stop. If you push the top button after the ticking stops, a verdict will still be rendered. Pushing the top button again with the cover open initiates the Judgement Mode routine again. This is exactly the same as the JUDGE MODE in the Dekaranger License (Japanese version of the US Delta Morpher.)
The US Patrol Morpher comes with something they call a holster, but it's really just a small (1 1/2 inch by 2 1/2 inch) plastic clip that attaches to the morpher and allows it to clip to your belt.
The sound in the US Patrol Morpher is clearer and a little bit louder than what was heard in the US Delta Morpher, but the sound in the Japanese Master License is still louder and clearer.
The Japanese Master License comes with a holster that is about the size of a pack of cigarettes. You can wear the holster on your belt and the license fits securely in the holster.
The Japanese version is better, but keep in mind you get what you pay for. The US Patrol Morpher sells for around $10, while the Japanese version sells for around $30. I don't think many adults would buy a $30 toy of this nature for their kids, whereas they wouldn't mind spending $10, or less (on sale). Most of these are going to end up in the hands of kids who will be happy with anything that says S.P.D/Power Rangers on it and who couldn't care less that there's a Japanese counterpart.
Personally, I get a big kick out of hearing the voices of the Dekaranger people coming out of the Master License.
