WolKaiser

In 2005, the evil Infershia clan made their return to the surface of Earth since their defeat ten years ago in their secret battle against the peaceful Sky Saints of the mythical land Magitopia. Miyuki Oz, mother of five, is the only human who has known what is going on, and remains as the sole defender against the Infershia. But just before she is killed by one of the Infershia’s generals, she reveals to her children their family history as secret defenders, and gives to them wand-like Magi Phones, which allows them to access their magical legacy.

The powerful Infershia magician known as Wolzard is as dangerous as he is wrapped in mystery. When he first breached the Inferno Gate which had sealed the Infershia clan back for ten years, nothing was known about him, and he was able to use this to his advantage when he killed MagiMother, the Oz sibling’s mother. As a loyal servant of the evil emperor N. Ma, he carries one of his master’s eyes in his Jagan Shield to allow him to participate in the battles until he is fully awakened. As one of the Madoushi– a magician who believes magic is to be used for personal gain without limits in its use- Wolzard constantly baits and urges the five MagiRanger, especially MagiRed, to go to the next level of power. But his surprisingly unusual sense of honor sometimes compels him to save the MagiRanger, or even level the playing field if the odds are too much in favor of the Infershia.

Wolzard

Wolzard (back) has almost the exact same poseability and size as the red-&-silver MagiPhoenix figure from the DX Majin Gattai MagiKing set, but has the addition of the Jagan Shield, and his own collapsible black ABS WolSaber, which can be stored inside the shield when not in use. He is also very well done in proportion with the real Wolzard from the series, though some small paint details are absent. As with the MagiMajin from the MagiKing, the molds have excellent details, and are even a little sharp, to bring out his dangerous nature.

Uuza Uru Ugaro!
[change- soldier- element]

Just as the MagiRanger can change their physical forms into giant MagiMajin, Wolzard can also make himself increase in size, though his appearance does not change. But this is usually only for the short term…

“Come fourth, Dark Magic Horse, Barikion!”

Uu Uru Zazare!
[(use) wand- (for) soldier- armament]

When he wants to inflict even more damage on his enemies, he then summons his magical stallion, Barikion through a magic portal from the underworld. Only appearing in a giant form when called, Barikion has a will of his own but no voice, though he always follows Wolzard’s instructions.

Barikion

Barikion (back) is completely void of poseability, and just stands there majestically in his black, gold, & silver armor. He’s a little out of shape for a real horse, with large upper front legs, small back legs, and a small head & neck. His tail is stiff silver-painted PVC. If stored incorrectly before it’s purchased, the tail will curve slight to one side, as it did with mine. There’s also an extra piece of armor that sits between Barikion’s tail & back legs, but that will be discussed later. The only, very risky pose that he could be placed in would be standing on his hind two legs, but this is not recommended as he is very unbalanced this way, and it would eventually wear down the effectiveness of the joints there.

Uuza Touza Zanga!
[change- power- combination]

In Episode 01, Wolzard shocked the five newly formed MagiRanger by merging his giant self and Barikion into a powerful new magic combination, called WolKentauros. Based on the creature known as the centaur, from Greek mythology, WolKentauros wields both his Jagan Shield and a large black & gold spear.

WolKentauros

WolKentauros (back) provides a little more flexibility than just Barikion, but limits Wolzard in his own movements; it is a strange compromise. Also, because Wolzard is in correct scale with Barikion, the centaur-shape of the combination is a little difficult to swallow. Barikion’s head and mane are recombined into a long spear, which either of WolKentauros’ hands can hold when a small peg is raised inside the long black handle.

“Your magic power has been raised. Barikion is brimming with power! Let us show them the power of the High King of Darkness!”

Uuza Touza Uru Zanga!
[change- power- (of) soldier- combination]

As the MagiRanger were still learning to use the MagiKing to defeat Dark Beasts, Wolzard brought fourth a new to challenge. No longer partially transformed like the WolKentauros, this new black & gold humanoid combination showed them what real magical power was. In addition to this, the Jagan Shield now forms an integral part of the fusion, allowing him to access even more power through his slumbering master’s eye. WolKaiser would prove time and again to be the MagiKing’s superior even when they were able to deal several powerful strikes of their own upon him. But, for unknown reasons, he never brought himself to finish the job, and his strange sense of honor would have him frequently walk away from the battle. WolKaiser wields the Bari-Javelin, and can use it for many double slashing and magical attacks, including a finishing attack known as the Dark Madou Slash.

WolKaiser

WolKaiser (back) is a dark cross between a monk and a futuristic knight. The twin werewolf heads on Wolzard’s shoulders now rotate to become part of WolKaiser’s chest, and sit aside the Jagan Shield. A new purple face rotates down from underneath Barikion’s head, which now forms WolKaiser’s, and has red eyes with gold & silver highlights. His Bari-Javelin is a combination of Barikion’s neck, mane, and tail. And there is a pair of horse heads emblazed on his shoulder armor. Again, the paint and molding details are crisp and clear. Poseability is limited to the shoulders, and to a lesser extent, the upper arms, but that is mostly due to how he transforms. In contrast to MagiKing, there aren’t a bunch of little ‘M’s, or in Wolzard’s case ‘W’s, hidden all over WolKaiser’s body and weapons.

Sets required for this combination:

DX Majin Gattai MagiKing (sold separately)
DX Majin Gattai WolKaiser

In Episode 09, MagiRed followed Barikion through a dark magic portal after a battle with the other MagiRanger against WolKaiser. He ended up in the same empty dimension as the elegantly armored creature, but was surprised to find that Barikion had taken the appearance of a normal-sized horse. He also found an arrow in him from the battle. Though he knew that Barikion was also responsible for his mother’s death, he helped the horse to remove the arrow. In return for his service, Barikion returned to the real world with the transformed MagiPhoenix riding on his back.

This unnamed riding combination puts MagiPhoenix in a less dominating partnership with Barikion than WolKentauros does, and looks a little more normal. MagiPhoenix snaps onto Barikion’s back in the same way he does to the larger MagiDragon using the tabs on the back of his upper legs. He can still wield his Phoenix Sword as well, but there are no reigns attached to Barikion’s head he can grasp like there are in the series.

Giruma Maagi Magi Jinga!
[(use) power- (to) change- soldier- combination]

“Wh-what!?”
“Kai-chan and…”
“The enemy’s horse…”
“Combined!?”

MagiPhoenix surprised the other MagiMajin- and Wolzard as well- when he formed a friendship combination with Barikion, called FireKaiser. This new form does not put MagiRed’s avatar-like form into a new cockpit, but rather causes him to assume full control over the combination. One of his finishing attacks, known as the Fire Spin Braid, ignites the large silver que on the back of his head, and then strike opponents repeatedly with the flaming whip. He can also wield an unnamed Bari-Javelin variant different from the one WolKaiser uses. After the Dark Beast was destroyed by FireKaiser, Barikion went back to Wolzard’s side. But he then told MagiRed that Barikion now acknowledged him as a warrior.

FireKaiser

Yuujou Gattai FireKaiser (back) is similar in almost every way to WolKaiser, except for two points:

• When MagiKing is formed, MagiPhoenix has MagiFairy snap between his arms to become its chest. Barikion’s tail armor now goes there, becomes part of the chest, and also forms FireKaiser’s new head.
• Instead of Barikion’s tail, neck & mane becoming the Bari-Javelin, FireKaiser’s spear uses his head, and neck & mane. This is because WolKaiser’s head is also Barikion’s, but FireKaiser’s isn’t.

MagiPhoenix provides FireKaiser with a new look by having a large “M” blaring on his chest. The large silver & gold que on his head is pretty cool too. Poseability is exactly the same as with WolKaiser. The alternate Bari-Javelin (which has no name) is really just the WolKentauros’ long spear, except FireKaiser grasps the long handle, not the small hidden peg.

Now, because MagiPhoenix and Wolzard have the same basic shape, they are interchangeable between the DX WolKaiser and DX MagiKing. Though these other combinations have never been seen onscreen, this means:

• MagiPhoenix can join with Barikion to become an alternate version of WolKentauros
• Wolzard can ride on Barikion’s back
• Wolzard, with his Jagan Shield, can combine with the MagiTaurus, MagiMermaid, & MagiGaruda to become an alternate version of the MagiKing, but without MagiFairy & MagiPhoenix (though, I’m sure the MagiMajin would find this disturbing!)
• Wolzard can ride on top of MagiDragon (though, I’m sure MagiDragon would find this disturbing!)

As of the posting of this review, the English version of ‘MagiRanger’, called ‘Power Rangers Mystic Force’, has already been airing since February 2006. However, early reports from Bandai America suggest that the DX WolKaiser will not be making an appearance in American toy stores due to marketing strategies. They say that the black robot would not sell very well, though they may release it later in 2006 as a store-exclusive. They will, however, be releasing the rarer white-&-gold DX Tenkuu Gattai Saint Kaiser in a general release as the Deluxe Steedergon Fury Megazord. What the changes there are will be covered in another review on CollectionDX later.

There have been very few times in Super Sentai history where a DX version of a regular, non-hero mecha was made-

• DX Daijinryuu (“Gousei Sentai DaiRanger”, 1993) appears towards the end of the series, but wasn’t aligned with either side of the conflict
• DX Majuu Gattai Gao Hunter Evil (“Hyakujuu Sentai GaoRanger”, 2001) became Hyakujuu Gattai Gao Hunter Justice after an evil spirit was banished from the possessed GaoSilver. There were four different versions of this same set released; one was a repaint called Gao Hunter Blue Moon, and there was a special Korean variant that was all silver but this was a very rare set.
• DX Ikazuchi Gattai Gouraijin (“Ninpuu Sentai Hurricanger”, 2002) is controlled by the rival Gouraijer brothers, but then they allies with the heroes
• DX Bakuryuu Gattai KillerOh (“Bakuryuu Sentai AbaRanger”, 2003) is evil through most of the series because AbareKiller joins the villains
• DX Bakuryuu Gattai BakurenOh (“AbaRanger Deluxe”, 2003) is an evil mecha similar to the heroes’ own lead mecha, but is controlled by the movie’s villain

-so this adds to the value of the DX WolKaiser. Also, you usually can’t get a villain character unless it’s a standard action figure. However, all of the above Rangers eventually turned to the good side; Wolzard’s Darth Vader-like backstory is tragic, but will bring him around to the good side by the end of the series.

WolKaiser looks like an evil mecha, regardless of the crisp & elegant details. There were very few issues I had with the toy, or with the combinations. There are one or two little things that had me scratch my head, but that is a matter of personal taste. I am quite impressed with the DX Majin Gattai WolKaiser. Overall, I recommend it highly. If they’re anything like the WolKaiser and MagiKing, I’m anxiously looking forward to the other DX toys in this show’s line.

I also recommend that, if you like this design as well, when Bandai America finally gets their hands on it, you tell them that you want the Deluxe toys from the “Power Ranger Mystic Force” line left as is!