Mastodon Dinozord
| The Mastodon Dinozord was the personal zord of the Black Mighty Morphin Power Ranger, which could join with the other Dinozords to form the Megazord. | |
| First seen | Day of the Dumpster |
| Last seen | The Mutiny, Part III (used), Ninja Quest, Part I (Thunderzord form) |
| Series | Mighty Morphin Power Rangers |
| Length | 24.7 m |
| Height | 15 m |
| Weight | 108 tons |
| Speed | 120 km/h |
Table of Contents
Discovering the Mastodon
Shortly after Zordon instructed Alpha 5 to recruit five teenagers to become Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, he would go on to assign each of them a Dinozord. Zordon assigned the Mastodon Dinozord to Zack, who would become the Black Ranger. Soon after facing Goldar in their first battle, the Rangers called upon the power of the Dinozords. The Mastodon Dinozord appeared from a hiding place in an frozen, arctic-like location.
Despite being named after the mastodon, the Dinozord more closely resembled the ancient wooly mammoth. The Zord was mostly black in color save for some yellow highlights on the body and head. The head of the Zord featured large silver tusks and an articulated silver trunk which expelled a white vapor as it roared. The sides of the Zord also featured a large stylised letter ‘M’ near the head.
Taking Control
The Mastodon Dinozord was controlled by the Black Ranger who would pilot it from an internal cockpit. Leaping into the air, the Black Ranger could access the cockpit of the Zord through a hatch allowing him to drop into the pilot’s chair. The cockpit was small, surrounded by metal walls on three sides with a glass canopy screen which allowed visibility of the outside. The rear of the cockpit was adorned with a large black and white illuminated symbol identical to the one on the Black Ranger’s Mastodon Power Coin.
The Zord had a standard control scheme that was similar to that of the other Dinozords. At the front of the cockpit was a small panel with two black colored controls each molded in shape to allow a hand to grasp it. The Black Ranger would log on to take control of the Zord by gripping the controls, which would emit a chirping beep in response.
The right-hand control had a port in the center into which the Power Crystal could be inserted. Above the controls were three circular symbols featuring the Black Ranger’s helmet, the Mastodon Dinozord and the Mastodon symbol.
When the Rangers first took control of the Dinozords, the Yellow Ranger remarked that she seemed to be able to operate her Zord, despite not having any prior experience. The Blue Ranger also mentioned that operating his Zord seemed like second nature to him. Given the level of proficiency demonstrated by each of the other Rangers over their Zords, it seems that the knowledge required to pilot them was part of their powers. [MMPR1: “Day of the Dumpster“]
Powers and abilities
When the Rangers combined their Dinozords to form the Megazord Tank Mode, the Mastodon Dinozord formed the large cannons of the formation. These cannons could fire powerful blasts that were strong enough to knock back or faze giant-sized monsters like Goldar or King Sphinx.
When attacking alone, the Mastodon Dinozord could blow a freezing mist from its trunk, which was strong enough to paralyze the Pineoctopus [MMPR1: “No Clowning Around“] but was ineffective against the Minotaur [MMPR1: “Teamwork“] and Spidertron. [MMPR1: “Itsy Bitsy Spider“]
The Mastodon formed the arms of the Megazord and Dragonzord Fighting Mode. In Megazord mode, the Megazord could wield the head of the Mastodon as a shield that could reflect energy blasts [MMPR1: “Green with Evil, Part II“] and withstand physical attacks like those used by the Peckster. [MMPR1: “Fowl Play“]
In late 1993, Zordon equipped the Zords with a new security system designed to protect them from destruction if they ever lost in battle. The system would disassemble the Zords piece by piece and return them to their secret hiding places to re-energize them. [MMPR1: “Doomsday, Part II“]
Powering the Thunderzords
Lord Zedd’s Pirantishead monster was able to use its powers to freeze four of the Dinozords, including the Mastodon. [MMPR2: “The Mutiny, Part I“] As the Rangers scrambled to regain control of their Zords, Lord Zedd stripped the Zords of their power and sank them into lava under the Earth.
Alpha 5 recalibrated the Morphin Grid to encase the Zords with static power, giving them time to return the Zords to their hiding places. With the Dinozords saved, Zordon and Alpha were able to use their remains to create the new Thunderzords.
The Mastodon Dinozord was used to create the Lion Thunderzord. Upon summoning, the Mastodon was struck by lightning which caused the Dinozord to morph and reform into the Lion Thunderzord. [MMPR2: “The Mutiny, Part III“] The Lion Thunderzord was used successfully for the first year of Lord Zedd’s assault on Angel Grove, but was ultimately destroyed in the battle against Rito Revolto. [MMPR3: “Ninja Quest, Part I“]