The long-running Power Rangers franchise will continue on the small screen this year with the latest low-budget TV show addition to the sci-fi/superhero property, Power Rangers Ninja Steel. Meanwhile, Lionsgate and Saban's Power Rangers will be giving the franchise a big-budget makeover on the big screen, complete with re-designed versions of villains such as Rita Repulsa (Elizabeth Banks) and her minion Goldar, as well as shiny new versions of the Rangers' costumes, Power Coins, Zords and even their robot sidekick Alpha 5 (Bill Hader).
Although certain elements of the Power Rangers movie reboot have been unveiled through official screenshots and promotional images for the film, many of the "reveals" and "first looks" for the movie (including, classic lines of Power Rangers dialogue, no less) have come by way of pictures showing tie-in toys and merchandise for the project. That trend continues with the latest reveal for the Power Rangers film reboot: the new design of the Putty Patrollers.
The Putty Patrollers are the (mostly mindless) foot soldiers that, on the original Mighty Morphin Power Rangers TV show, were created by Rita's servant Finster (through his monster making machine) and made out of a clay or putty-like substance. Based on the design for the Puttys in the Power Rangers movie reboot that has been revealed in toy form at the Toys R Us website (see the photos below), the creatures will likewise be formed out of a clay-like material in the new film too.
Previously-leaked photos from the Power Rangers set during the movie's production showed stuntmen in green suits filming a fight sequence with the Rangers actors, with the rumor being that they were playing Putty Patrollers that will be created through the magic of CGI in post-production. These toys support that rumor and suggest the Puttys may be more akin to a lumbering monster (like Doomsday from Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice) in the Power Rangers reboot, as opposed to the comparatively agile Puttys from the Mighty Morphin TV series. The metal rod and meshing visible in the Putty body here also points to the "clay" that they are formed from being taken from the Earth and/or the foundation of a building.
The new design of the Puttys arguably makes more sense for a computer-generated creature than one brought to life through practical effects, as a means of making sure that Rita's foot soldiers - like Rita herself and other aspects of the Power Rangers mythology that are being included in the reboot - come off as fantastical but less campy, compared to their low-budget predecessors on the Mighty Morphin TV show. It is also safe to assume that Rita will have a different means for conjuring the Puttys in the film (possibly, through super-human powers of own), as opposed to them literally being baked in an oven, for similar reasons.
Now that the Puttys have been "revealed", the next (final?) big reveal for the Power Rangers movie reboot should be that of the Power Rangers' mentor, Zordon (Bryan Cranston). Whether Zordon will likewise be revealed in toy form first or through either an official screenshot or the next trailer for the movie, remains to be seen.
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Source: Toys R Us
Header Artwork: SubetaKid@DeviantArt