This Daggum Weekend Past

It's Monday already, dammit. I got off Saturday morning and went with the wife to Bed Bath & Body Works and Yankee Candle. Saturday was the launch day for Yankee Candle's Halloween collection and her usual tradition is to hit that and BB&W for a spooky shopping spree. BB&W put their stuff out a few weeks ago, but she held off as she likes to do them together.

We got to the shopping center early and went to BB&W first since Yankee Candle wasn't open and the line hadn't formed yet. I held a shopping bag as she filled it up with random pumpkin and ghost scented candles. Afterwards she got int the now forming line at Yankee Candle while I put two heavy bags that smelled like fall into the car. We stood there for about 3 minutes before the store opened as a Space Mountain sized line formed behind us.

Apparently there was a slight bit of candle drama as this years figurine theme was a haunted hospital and you know that whole pandemic. Of course the stuff was in production before the crap hit the fan, so it's not like it was intentional. You know, a Plague Doctor has been a very popular costume for a few years now. Wonder how well that's going to go over this year?

Also folks were complaining about stuff selling out online already, which we found out that ordering from the store comes from a different stock, so I guess now we know. Just remember, when somebody gives you trouble for collecting toys, they probably rioted over fancy candles and a football game.

We stopped by Walmart after to pick up a few things needed outside of the grocery order. Like a toaster. I was happy to see Masters of the WWE Universe figures and grabbed an Undertaker. Also picked up a Star Wars Mission Fleet Clone Trooper and Ghostbusters Hot Wheel. They had reissue Blaster, but I've got one on order, so I left them for others. Also have a Godbeast order on the way, really looking forward to it. This wave's theme is reverse Scarabite and I love how the Scarabite colors look in reverse. Can't wait for it to get here.

Come to think about it, I haven't assembled the last few Glyos drops yet. That move really threw me out of whack. Hopefully I can put some micro console time in this weekend. It's a holiday weekend, meaning this will be the longest week in history. I specifically want to play Bonk.

The wife did some in house Halloween decorating Saturday night while watching 'Over the Garden Wall', another tradition of hers. I picked up boxes. We have a lot of Halloween decorations. We'll finish that next weekend as some other household things we've been putting off since moving. Plans were to do that Sunday, but that became watching a mix of watching TV and Bill and Ted 3 while waiting for a pot roast to cook.

I usually don't talk about Monday on these weekend posts, but, there was a Friday the 13th marathon on all day. I'd enjoy that more if not for the migraine I woke up with. I was in and out of sleep all day periodically waking up at random parts in movies. You guys won't believe it, they only played part 5 once. Well, at least before I went to work anyway.

Bios- Cheetor

Like a bolt of greased lightning, Cheetor strikes fast and strikes hard. Quiet and confidant with incredible reflexes, he is equally efficient when battling in robot mode or in his artificially enhanced organic earth form. Cheetor constantly stalks the jungle in search of Predacon enemies, daring them to challenge him and his laser-powered quasar cannon.

Tim Burton's Hansel and Gretel (1983)

I'm not sure if you've noticed, but I love Halloween. By proxy, I'm a big fan of Halloween specials as well. Some people follow the NFL, I follow the Great Pumpkin. While various Halloween specials are produced every year... I prefer the old ones. Because nostalgia? Maybe, but also because they were vastly different. The gloves were off, obviously too much fun being had behind the scenes, or maybe it was a good opportunity to try something different. The more obscure the special, the more out there, the better. Such is the case with today's post.

The video above is a Disney Channel Halloween special from 1983. At the time a young Tim Burton was a Disney employee and made this short for the company. It was literally only shown once, on Halloween in 1983. Even as a Halloween special it was a little too dark. Even for Tim Burton. It might be cursed.

I've used the term fever dream often to describe things here and... that's a nice way of putting it. We have a retelling of Hansel and Gretel which is a pretty good story for Halloween. You know, they get lost in the woods and find a witches house. In this telling, their step mother tries to get rid of them by getting them lost in the woods (involving a robot duck), which leads to the witches house and some of the weirdest hellscape I've ever seen on film. You'll have to pause it occasionally.

Enjoy!

Guardian Beast Formation

This is the Tyrannosaurus Rex Zord from the new Hasbro Dino Megazord set. Today's post was going to be all about him as a companion to my prior Zord post. Somewhere in between then and now I went to Target and got the missing set of Zords to complete the Megazord. 

This is now a post about the set. Which is probably going to be more interesting than just a few words about a toy robot dinosaur. Now it's a few words about five toy robot dinosaurs. Much better.

I already talked about the Mastodon and Pterodactyl, so I'm going to focus on the other three and the finished Megazord. I've linked to the prior post twice and it's like maybe three posts down anyway. It should be easy to find.

Of the five Zords, the T-Rex is definitely the nicest. He comes packaged by himself with the the power sword. Forming the bulk of the Megazord, he has the most articulation and is the biggest boi in the crew. His mouth opens to take a bite. Duh.

The legs feature a range of motion with points of articulation at the hips, knees, and ankles. This comes from the combination, but also makes for a reasonably nice toy.  His tiny arms have a small range of movement as well. If you noticed the pegs on his knees, you've probably figured out those are connector ports for the other two Zords.

Saber Tooth Tiger and Triceratops come together. The two are of similar size as they form lower legs for the Megazord. I said in the prior post that these figures are building blocks for the combined mode and it's very clear with these two. The tiger is the more elaborate in the pack. The toy has pretty limited articulation, the tail moves as does it's legs. Though they are only jointed at the hips with the actual legs being static. It's still pretty serviceable.

The Triceratops is practically a solid block. His tail/cannon can raise. That's pretty accurate for the Zord honestly. 

When converting the two into their leg modes, heads can move into place as do other extremities. The Saber Tooth Tigers sabers also adjust to move out of the way. I don't know if this counts as articulation, unless you intend to pose them looking to the stars. Full of wonder.

The t-rex moves into combined formation pretty easily. Just straighten him a out, fold in a few parts. His chest opens for dino head storage.

Mirroring the transformation on the show, I went for the Dino Tank first. It forms pretty naturally as it's basically the Megazord 80% transformed. I had a little trouble getting the Pterodactyl to stay in it's proper place. There's a place it tabs into on the Mastodons legs which didn't fit together well. Your mileage may vary. It's a pretty good representation of the tank.

The Megazord itself is pretty cool. A decent representation of the classic design, he almost feels a little lost in time. Like they found some toy design from 1993 and put it into production. As you can see, he can hold the power sword and Mastodon head as a shield. It's an overall good looking toy based on a good looking robot. 

I want to point out that in Zyuranger, the power sword is called 'God Horn'. That's the best name ever.

I've been looking forward to this all year after it was shown off at NYCC. Of course with the pandemic, this year has felt like an eternity. I guess that's why having it now feels like such an accomplishment. I swear I've aged 6 years since March. 

I don't know what the goal is with this toy. It's this random classic toy made anew and sold alongside the other kid aimed Power Rangers toys. Is there more planned? I hope so, but there's no word yet. Except this one.

I'm happy with my new Megazord toy. It's nice and relatively inexpensive. I had fun getting all the sets, even if it only took two trips to Target on different days. I dig it.

Spook Sticks And Wrapped Candy

Before Spirit or Party City, the best place to get your Halloween on was a small store. Halloween in the old days was tailor fit for a smaller store like a Woolworth or your local drugstore. Those old smock and mask costumes always looked at home in the middle of the store where seasonal items usually would reside. Places like Dollar General and CVS are still well regarded by those who bleed pumpkin spice. 

They're almost a tradition for me. I'll make a point to pop in and out of them and check out the wares. Admittedly these days the luster isn't as bright as it was back then. What was once a wonderland of seasonal spooky shit these days is generally a few pumpkins with 'live, laugh, love' on them and maybe some dollar hockey masks. The bullshit ones with a circle shaped vent pattern on the mouth instead of holes. Lame.

Beastly Kingdom Come

WFCキングダムのチーター、ブラックアラクニア、ワーパスかもしれない画像 https://t.co/641aBolRJS pic.twitter.com/OWKnm7A54I

— オートベース愛知 (@autobase_aichi) August 26, 2020

More Kingdom toys leaked out today and holy crap they look amazing. We get a look at Cheetor, Blackarachnia, and Warpath. Obviously Warpath stands out next to the Beast Warriors, but seeing as Kingdom is a mix of G1 and BW, it's good to see him there. Honestly, back in the beast era, I wanted a mix of old and new. In Kingdom I'm seemingly getting that. This whole Generations War For Cybertron trilogy has been a really good series for me as a fan.

I've gotten a nice assortment of different Transformers flavors and have generally liked all of it. Kingdom is still a ways off. While I'm hotly anticipating it, I'm still loving Earthrise as well. It's is weird how the Netflix series and tie in toys are a year behind the main toyline. It's making this trilogy work out in the timeline of a tetralogy. I'm not complaining either, I love it. By all means give it some extra time.

Treat Yourself With The Video Vampire

Nothing better on Halloween than watching some scary movies while giving out candy to trick or treaters. Good thing you've got all that candy, the USA Friday the 13th marathon has shown part 5 for the 6th consecutive time in a row and you're starting to get the munchies. You've stocked up on Kit Kats and ... HOLY CRAP YOU COULD WIN A VCR! THANKS VIDEO VAMPIRE!

Basically Cloned To The Core

There's been talk of Kingdom lately in the Transformers world. The third part of the War for Cybertron trilogy, which has a heavy Beast Wars focus. Of course I'm ecstatic for this, but that's not what we're here today for. 

From the leaked information, the new small figure class is called core class. Sadly this looks to be taking over the smaller 'Masters' figures from the past few years I love so dearly. Though other recent news and the hope that they'll be used for a discount line like Mini-Cons formerly were. Maybe they're not completely done. 

Recently, the Decepticon Clone molds from Titans Return made a return as a two pack. They're specifically a part of the Earthrise line and with their distinctly different build than other recent WFC figures this had lead to a fan theory that I'm subscribing to.

A few years ago when the new Clone molds were introduced, many took notice that they weren't the Legends class figures that were the standard for smaller figures at the time. Small figures, yes, but their own thing. Now here we are with the Clones making another appearance before Kingdom starts. The theory is core class figures are of similar construction to the Clones. 

Now that's just been a theory without any real backbone. For all we know Core Class could have been a new name for Legends Class. After all, Legion Class was originally Legend Class and Commander Class got renamed Legends Class. Confused? Me too, and I'm explaining it. If it's one thing I wish Hasbro would improve, it's the naming system. 

Confusing class naming aside, there was nothing to say there was anything more to the theory. Then Rattrap got leaked today. Rattrap is one of the listed Core Class figures. Who indeed has a similar build to the Clones. Well, damn.

Core Class isn't a renamed Legends class after all and a new thing right? Well not exactly, older fans probably had a sense of familiarity when playing with the Clones. 

I don't mean as in a homage either, they felt familiar. It wasn't until I saw the Rattrap pictures today that it fully dawned on me why this was so familiar. Core Class is seemingly the return of Basic Class Transformers, who were a big part of Beast Wars. The original Rattrap was a Basic Class Transformer. Of course like other early Beast Wars Basic Class toys, the original had a spring loaded transformation. This gimmick was abandoned early on and if you'll look at a Transmetal 2 Basic Class figure, you'll see a strong similarity in construction. 

What happened to Basic Class? Well, by Cybertron it was renamed to Scout Class. Scout figures were phased out as Dark of the Moon toys introduced Cyberverse as the smaller class. With the then newly renamed Legions and Commander Class figures, this stuck around throughout the Prime toy line with a new Legends Class taking over in Generations. Hasbro later used the Cyberverse name, which we're all familiar with as it's still running and in it is the new Scout Class smaller Transformers. 

Somewhere there's a hole in the dimensional fabric from trying to explain that.

Safety Tips From... Mel-Mac?

If you hear it once, you'll hear it a thousand times. Have an adult check your candy after trick or treating. This is very important, because there could be a needle in a slo poke or CBD edibles in your bag. Which is kinda impressive seeing how expensive they are at the Circle K. 

Locally produced spots like this are always special because you can hardly hear the narrator over the spooky sound tape. Admittedly I learned something, apparently Alf's home planet is a shoe store. Which explains everything.

Pink and Black Zords

I was pretty happy to luck up on a few of the Zords for the new Hasbro Dino Megazord toy. From what I understand, the set is available this way through Target with a gift set through Amazon coming soon. 

I picked up the T-Rex and Mastodon/Pterodactyl two pack. I'll still need the Triceratops/Saber Tooth Tiger two pack to complete the Megazord. Hopefully they'll have that restocked soon. 

I'm talking about that Mastodon/Pterodactyl set today. I got the two Zords together for $14.99. The Mastodon is pretty big and it'd be pretty easy to overlook the Pink Ranger's Zord on a first glance. Make no mistake about these new toys, they're not high end collectors pieces. These are comparable to the Beast Morphers standard toy line and in similar packaging.

It's weird to see a nearly 30 year old Megazord next to this years model, but I'm not complaining. I can appreciate having older characters available at a lower price. I hope other older Megazords follow in this format. I'd love a Dragonzord to combine with this set. A Titanus or Thunder Megazord would be great.

By themselves, these are pretty basic toys. The pterodactyl has always felt a little shoehorned to me. It's the Megazord's chest piece with wings and a head and there's no hiding that here. It's a serviceable toy of that without any bells or whistles. 

The mastodon is a bulky robot with plug in cannons. These two may seem pretty limited and by themselves they are. They're building blocks for a combined form and don't make any apologies about it. Being pretty faithful recreations of the original design, there's a lot to love about holding such an old school robot toy. If that's your thing.

The mastodon forms the arms of the Megazord and and turrets for the combiners tank mode. Unfolding him for this is easy enough, but be careful. I found myself nervous that I was about to tear the toy apart due to parts not opening up. A pesky connector just didn't want to let go, so don't go yanking on yours carelessly. You could end up breaking your robot elephant.

In all they're pretty faithful new toy of an old robot. I've seen complaints about how basic the toy is, which I guess is fair. Most would assume a vintage design would get a more premium toy. It's not a very elaborate set. Like I said, I'm all for a lower cost version. Toys are overpriced enough as is, and I like the simplicity of older robot toys. So picking up some new old toys is fun for me. 

 

I Went To Spirit This Weekend

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Reaper's Island display with the new animated props at Spirit Halloween for 2020! 🎃💀🎃💀 #zonebase #halloween #everydayishalloween #halloween2020 #spirithalloween

A post shared by The Mighty Orberts! (@roborobspringer) on Aug 23, 2020 at 1:06pm PDT

I did other things this weekend, but probably the most exciting was a visit to Spirit Halloween! I'm pretty sure my eye appointment isn't that interesting. A trip to Target did result in acquiring the Decepticon Clone 2 Pack and 3/4ths of the new Hasbro MMPR Megazord though! I actually plan to talk about those pretty soon, so stay tuned for that, but hey, how about you all enjoy the above video of Reapers Island!

Bios- Starscream

 

Conquest is made of the ashes of one's enemies.

Starscream is ruthless, cold-blooded, and cruel, yet considers himself the smartest, most sophisticated Decepticon of all. He believes Decepticons should rely more on guile and speed rather than brute force to defeat the Autobots. He's a powerful air commander who can reach speeds of mach 2.8 at an altitude of 52 miles, even while flying heavily armed with his heat seeking, air-to-air missiles. 

 

I Was A Third Grade Werewolf

I have an admission of guilt. Even though I am pure in heart and say my prayers by night, I became a wolf when the wolfbane bloomed and the autumn moon was bright. Yes, I was once a werewolf. When the moon was full I changed into a monster and prowled the neighborhood for a victim. My blood lust could not be stopped, I'd kill and kill and kill. Nobody was safe, for you see I was a werewolf.

For exactly one night.

In the third grade.

I've mentioned Crestwood House Monsters here before, so what if I told you the stars aligned just right and I got the Wolfman book from the library the same day I first saw Teenwolf? Because that's exactly what happened. 

I was prepared to read my book that Friday night when a new movie came on HBO. A cinematic masterpiece, Teen Wolf.

It was then that I was bitten, by the idea to be a werewolf for Halloween. I'll wait for you to catch your breath. So there I had the perfect costume in mind but now with a conundrum. How was I going to pull that off? The simple answer would be with a mask and some of those hairy gloves.

The complicated part would be I was in the third grade and what you might call a child.

What I'm saying is, I was still a little scared of rubber masks. I was petrified of them prior, despite loving all sorts of monster toys and movies, having a real one in your face is a different story.

Though after years of my brother reusing his Gamorrean Guard mask, I had matured from pissing myself in abject terror to slight discomfort. However, I still didn't want to wear one. 

Ben Cooper mask, sure. Rubber mask, nope. So how do I become a werewolf? All of my costumes up to this point were smock and mask or make up kit based.

I've mentioned how much I love make up kits before, but I don't think you quite understand. I freaking adore them. 

I love looking at the packaging and at the examples. The variety of kits from cheap to expensive, I just can't get enough of them on the aisle. 

I mentioned it was the weekend right? So of course a trip to the store was in order and wouldn't you know it, the old faithful PAAS make up kit display was standing proudly. 

All the kits were there. Dracula, ghost, camouflage... stupid ass clown... glam rock... left over Easter Egg kit... wait...

wait...

A WEREWOLF!

Needless to say, I had my costume in check. Come Halloween night I was dressed as a werewolf should. Blue jeans, black fruit of the loom sweat shirt, and the mind blowing transformation that only a PAAS make up kit could produce! The kit came with several tubes of make up and instructions on how to properly apply. Also included were plastic fangs and on the back of the box were cut out ears and moon medallion (yarn not included).

I don't mean to brag, but I looked badass. My cousin arrived in yet another bullshit bed sheet ghost costume with some of his moms cold cream on his face to make it white. At least he smelt nice. I got so much freaking candy and even scared a few old ladies. Except the ones who never know what you're supposed to be. EVERYBODY ISN'T DRACULA MRS. EDNA. Same assholes that gives out those stale peanut butter chews. Same ones. Same bag from last year.

That Halloween rocked, maybe even more when my cousin threw one of his trademark tantrums and yard spiked his MCBoo Pail into the ground after tripping on his sheet for the millionth time. We got back to my place for pizza and a viewing of Teen Wolf. The perfect bookend to my werewolf saga.

Bios- Greasepit

An engine is only as powerful as the fuel that runs it.

A small-minded swindler. Siphons gas from the cars of humans to supply his Decepticon comrades. In battle Mode, his station is armed with ionic cannons, rail-launched incendiary missiles and circuit-scrambling jammers. Tower-mounted sonic disruptor emits pressurized sound waves that can crush any target. 

Trick Or Treat With Pizza Head And Steve

It's probably safe to say you're going to eat pizza on Halloween. While it might not be the official meal of the holiday... it might as well be. Nothing beats a slice of the stuff with Garfield's Halloween Adventure on and trick or treating the kids. Everyone has their own favorite brand to order. 

I have fond memories of Halloween parties and Little Caesar's. Dominoes is always good, and I've always liked Papa Johns. Maybe you've got a cool local place. Of course everyone gets Pizza Hut, it's just right and who didn't love Pizza Head and Steve? In the commercial above he has a great little Halloween adventure himself.

I love Halloween.

Of Cobra Commander And Positive Dental Habits

The commercial above has nothing to do with this story, but I thought it would be a good way to showcase some of the cool GIJOE toys in India. I'm taking a little time to lament a pretty cool toy score I passed on a while back. For the longest time in summer, there was a monthly antique sale that would be held near Atlanta. I usually went, it was a pretty good time. A small admission price to enter a city of vendor booths and food trucks. The sale was a mix of actual antiques, folksy hand crafted things (furniture, food, art), and a surprising amount of toys. This is a longer post, so I'm gonna use a break here. Walls of text are just the worst.

Makaimura

Wash Your Car With Dracula

Nothing says Halloween like Dracula. Nothing about washing your car says Halloween at all. For whatever reason, Dracula is here to sell you car wash and detailing products... and it's the funniest fucking thing he's ever seen. Why Dracula is out in day light isn't addressed, but I'm pretty sure Dracula's high. I'll be honest, I had the hardest damn time understanding what the hell he was saying. Last thing I got was Halloween... what the hell is even going on?

Snapdragon 64, Get N Or Get Out

My wife picked up Earthrise Snapdragon for me the other day and I was super thankful. I've been really looking forward to this guy for some time now. Like most recent Generations toys, he's a pretty slavish homage to the original toy. If you've heard the term 'G1 with knees' then you have a pretty good idea of what to expect here. If that's something you don't like... then why do you keep pre-ordering them? 

Snapdragon is a Headmaster like his original toy. They don't make too big of a fuss over this on the packaging and don't refer to him as a Titanmaster either. Like Apeface in Siege before, it's an evolution of Titans Return toys in use here. Basically a modern Headmaster toy. It took a few sentences to explain that, which I wish could have been expressed in an emoji. I save so much time with that poop one.

As you'd expect from his name, Snapdragon transforms into a dragon. Admittedly he's more the type of dragon you'd see at a monster truck show than fighting a knight. An alien robot from outer space can only be so realistic when transforming into an imaginary animal. There's a lot of charm to this dragon mode however, it might just be me being a fan of these old designs admittedly. He's weird and blocky and that's one of the more lovable aspects of post movie G1.

Remember the part about Snapdragon being a Headmaster? Krunk, his Headmaster partner pulls double duty. He forms both the dragon and robots head in addition to piloting the vehicle mode. Honestly that's one of the things I love about Headmasters/Titanmasters, the piloting vehicle modes. It draws back to the Transformers Diaclone roots and honestly is a fun play feature.

Speaking of Snapdragron's vehicle mode, his is a spaceship based on the SR-71. I've always called this kind of vehicle a spacejet, because obviously. I absolutely love this mode. It's got that classic 80's styling that always looks great and I just want to fly him around while making flying noises. With triple changers one of the alt modes is generally superior to the other and this is that one. While I do like the dragon a lot, I love this more. 

That's partially due to the transformation. I didn't enjoy the change to dragon mode, while the conversion to spacejet was pretty painless. That's pretty much the one complaint I have and it's likely just me being clumsy. Nothing is perfect, and the idea of a perfect toy line is completely subjective to opinion. So far though, Earthrise has been as perfect as a Transformers line can be for me.

DAMN SON

サイバーバース：ウルトラクラス・スカルクランチャー https://t.co/UFmy5dGUHB pic.twitter.com/0LskNnr8V6

— オートベース愛知 (@autobase_aichi) August 18, 2020

Kiss Or Treat

It's not too uncommon to see a a member of KISS at Halloween. A perfect costume in many ways. If somebody doesn't recognize you or your make up runs... now you're a ghost! Boo! If you're too old for trick or treating, it's the perfect costume for a party. With the horribly named 'Kiss your Face' makeup kit by Remco, you can trick or treat all night and eat candy every day. 

 I'm not apologizing for that closing line.

 

Bios- Tripredacus

Despite his long body length and the giant pincher claws he drags behind him, Tripredacus is surprisingly fast; six speedy legs power him forward over almost any obstacle. His greatest assets are the powerful pincher claws that are strong enough to sever most enemies in half. And as all Maximals know, those pincher claws are as dangerous in insect for as they are when he converts to robot mode, which is why they never underestimate the ferocity of this truly evil insect.

Weekend Reportings

I'd like to say I had an awesome weekend, but that'd be lying. It wasn't a bad weekend, or an ideal one. My mother is moving and I spent a good deal of the weekend at her storage unit unloading a U-Haul. Combined with the near 100 degree weather of August in Georgia and you've got the ingredients for a poopy time.

Friday while I was at work, the Mrs. made a trip to Walmart and found me a Earthrise Snapdragon while there! I've been really looking forward to this bot and finally got a chance to play with him Monday morning. Great figure, there'll be a post on him later this week. I didn't think to ask her to check for the MMPR Megazord, but kinda figured he wouldn't have been there yet anyway. Masters of the Universe and Ghostbusters were still cleared out.

We stopped by a Dollar General and Kroger to look at incoming Halloween stuffs and both stores weren't quit there yet. Kroger had some candy and ceramic pumpkins (that we're a little interested in) and the Dollar General was a wet fart. The one by my wife's work already has already got a ton out. This one had like... the boxes sitting on shelves unopened and doesn't look like it's been cleaned since it opened. 

That's kinda the risk with Dollar Generals, either it's pretty ok or a train wreck. No in between. After looking at their site last week, it doesn't look like there's any new monster army figures. Just a repeat of the 2017 and 2018 sets like last year. Bummer. I did see something unexpected at Kroger though. They had 3 3/4th Kenner style Marvel figures in little bags. These may be the same discount line I've seen at Big Lots a few years ago in different packaging, but I'm pretty tempted to go back and snag a few. At least Spider-Man. 

So how did AC/DC manage to have two different singers who sounded like they were passing a kidney stone?

Bios- Military Patrol

The ultimate force is the force of destruction.

The bullies of the battlefield. Learned to fight while terrifying the steel streets of cybertron. As unmerciful and cold as solid ice. Feared by their Autobot enemies for their fierce and unrelenting attacks. Often circle their target, blasting it again and again until nothing but ashes remain. Each firmly convinced he should be the leader of the patrol. Often take potshots at one another out of spite. Constant bickering and refusal to work together make it impossible for them to complete a mission.

A Sam Walton Halloween

Halloween isn't free and nothing says I need to buy something better than a trip to Walmart. With those prices it's no surprise they're as big as they are either. You can load up on candy for trick or treaters only $1.97 a bag! BOGO 2 for $3 on Skittles and those are as good as full sized candy bars.

What the hell was the green nosed kid supposed to be?

Hey Look, Walmart is having a costume contest! We should grab something while there and win 1st place. They've got a few pretty good options.

I've got time to win this now! And you've got the power to come in second! Walmart has costumes for around $4. That ain't bad y'all. We're gonna need to grab some of those pumpkin buckets though to go trick or treating after I kick everyone's ass in the contest. You know... I've heard about stuff some people do to candy at Halloween.

Good thing the hospital will x-ray our candy! I was pretty worried, I heard a kid died from one of those peanut butter things. You know... I'm kinda rethinking our costumes. Masks aren't as safe as make-up.

Dang son, we're going to win this contest for sure! We can use make up and be all sorts of cool things now! That Take-Off will come in handy later as well, I don't want to have weird color spots on my face at school. With make-up, we can be anything.

I'm going to win this thing now! What's that, you're going to be Dracula with green hair? Lame, with Kooky Spooks, your ass is grass and I'm the John Deer! What a great Halloween thanks to Walmart. Now let's go home and order pizza while watching the late night horror marathon.

Turbo Stepping Young Punk

Can we talk Turbochangers for a minute? I mean, I'm going to anyway, but that's generally the way you start out when talking outside the status quo. I've never made my love for Turbochangers/One Step Transformers toys a secret. They're just the right amount of throwback to older super robot toys. Add in the low price and you've got something fun to collect casually. I buy regular modern Transformers still (I don't exactly make that a secret either), but variety y'all. It's a good thing.

Usually when bringing up a Turbochanger, you get some flack. Though there's plenty of folks who get it and just enjoy having  fun with their hobby. Oddly enough, some of the flack you'll get is folks saying they don't sell and are a failure... but they've been steadily on the shelves since 2014. I may buy a lot of these things, but not enough for six steady years of retail presence.

I remember initially being disappointed that they weren't smaller. Somehow I thought they were the size of Hot Wheels. When I picked up Drift and realized they were bigger, I was surprised. Then the little shit somehow went everywhere I went for a week or two. Kept him in my cup holder. That's ridiculous. I keep hoping for G1 ones, because I think that'd be perfect and Cyberverse is pretty close. The Tiny Turbo Changers are pretty close to that smaller toy I initially hoped for with smaller ones.

Thinking about what else I'd like in the format. Pretenders would be neat, especially Deluxe Pretenders. I think about these guys and wish Euro G1 bots would get worked in. G2 stuff also, they're too close in construction for it not to work. I don't know how to end this post, so I'll just stop here.

The Bloody Pumpkin Is A Lie

Ever hear about that scene in Halloween where they find a bloody pumpkin with a knife sticking out of it? I used to hear about it all the time. That and how Michael Myers was based on a real guy. I'll get to the 'real guy' thing later, but for now I kind of want to chat bloody pumpkins and the Halloweens they weren't in. It's the weirdest urban legend as I never see anyone talk about it online. The Jason using a chainsaw thing? Yeah, I still see that occasionally. Bloody pumpkin? As offline as the official Bloody Pumpkin MySpace profile I planned on making in 2005.

It wasn't even that long ago my mom said it when I mentioned looking forward to the new Halloween (wait, that was 2018... ) and she said the original was 'so scary with that big knife sticking out of that pumpkin'. Clearly it's folks mentally combining imagery. Maybe just a little excited playground exaggeration from the one kid who's parents let him stay up and watch it mixed in.

See the commercial up above? It's an old school homemade spot for a local stations airing of Halloween 2. Homemade commercials used to be pretty common back in the day. Did you uh... notice Michael? Somebody got creative to make him look 'badass'. Making monsters look badass is a staple of Halloween and teenagers really into Ozzy Osbourne. Named Chet.

I think it's from some of these type of commercials where folks get that bloody pumpkin imagery. A bloody pumpkin with a knife sticking out of it isn't exactly rare at Halloween. I know I've seen one or two in the past. I've even poured fake blood over a pumpkin myself. Why not? Make it look badass.

Bios- Hot House

Communication is the key that unlocks victory.

A babbling brawler. Talks constantly, even in battle. His fire station is equipped with built-in siphons that draw water from soil to form a high-impact water jet that can blast through granite. In battle, his station's front ramp converts to high-speed battering ram. Also armed with rocket launcher and freeze missiles.

McBoo To You

In the glory days of McDonald's, Ronald rung in the holidays usually with some sort of great Happy Meal promotion. The most famous McD's Halloween promotion would the the various trick or treat pails that were practically an annual tradition. For a few years tacking their commercials onto the 'Scared Silly' spot was another tradition as you'll find various editions paired with that classic bit. 
 
While the obvious intention was to use these trick or treating, they usually became various storage containers. Crayons and other school supplies were a popular use. McGoblin was home to many a Battle Beast in his day in my bedroom. They had a lot of uses, except for actual trick or treating as they were pretty small. 

My cousin generally used them along with his sisters. I'll never forget the Halloween where he was VERY jealous of my Paas make up kit werewolf costume. Dude was a bed sheet ghost with some cold cream on his face. Not even Kooky Spooks and a robe as the official Halloween costume. His McBoo pail got hard spiked into somebodies yard during a temper tantrum after the third time tripping over that sheet.

By The Power Of Mini Grayskull

Mini Figures and Blind Bag/Box toys are some of the building blocks of this site. I'd point out it's named after a Micromaster base after all again, but ... I guess I just did. I've been looking forward to the Eternia Minis for quite some time now. Like I said in the posted link, I missed out on the initial version of these guys and don't plan on making that mistake twice.

I've been excitedly awaiting the MOTU Origins line for what seems like forever and now that it's here, of course the first thing I bought was the entire first series of Eternia Minis. My focus is mainly on the Mega Construx and Minis with cherry picking the regular line. Seeing as people have been buying everything they see at the store with the new MOTU, I decided to complete series 1 of these little guys ASAP.

The little Castle Grayskull capsules really add to the experience. If you'll notice the pegs in the above picture, the capsules can serve as a base for displaying your Mini's. They also can be linked together like a fence when opened to form a Grayskull fence. What's the point of that? Well, you can put it behind the figures when you display them. I wouldn't have thought about it if not for the picture of said fence option on the tag. Future capsules will be based on Snake Mountain and The Slime Pit. I doubt I have to explain just how cool mini He-Man castles are. You could have Eternia's landscape on your desk and still have room for a fancy post-it dispenser.

The figures themselves are pretty great. About two inches tall with stylized looks. They have a little bit of articulation and individual accessories. Mattel showed off upcoming vehicles and other neat stuff at Power Con this past weekend. It's really cool to see so much attention into a side novelty line. For weirdos like myself, it's a treat to have extra silly things like this. My mind has been racing to all the various things they could include into it. Imagine a tiny Eternia playset. Would they call it Eternia Mini or Mini Eternia?

Oh hey, the codes are located on the bottom of each capsule. It's a simple A-H.

A – He-Man

B – Skeletor

C – Man At Arms

D – Trap-Jaw

E – Ram Man

F – Jitsu

G – Buzz-Off

H – Slime Pit He-Man

More Orange Sprinkles

A Halloween tradition of mine each year is getting some spooky ass donuts. I usually prefer Dunkin' Donuts for this trip, but latley my local Dunkin' has been a complete let down in this department. I don't know if it's a chain thing or just incompetence on the behalf of that particular store, but regardless, it's the worst.

Ever since I was a kid, Halloween Dunkin' Donuts has been a favorite of mine. I've mentioned before there's something about artificial flavoring that I can taste... and I'm not kidding. Something about weird colored foods usually tastes better to me. Not to mention, Dunkin' makes really good donuts. So good, that used to be the name of the store. But Dunkin' Halloween donuts? Exquisite.

Thankfully, Krispy Kreme has stepped up their game in recent years with an annual Halloween pack of donuts. Though I did just move and that new nearby Dunkin' might be worth a gamble on. Hopefully they'll not disappoint. Those Krispy Kreme ones are great, but man, don't forget the werewolf.

Bios- Sparkplug

We must all learn to live in peace!

Sparkplug is the Mini-Con partner of the Autobot leader, Optimus Prime. Sparkplug converts into a super fast sports car and helps Optimus Prime on reconnaissance missions. He also combined with Optimus Prime in battles to increase the Autobot leader's strength.

Only 84 Cents?

What would the local party store be without Halloween? One of the few times during the year you actually go inside because you know they put the Solo cups away and brought out the good stuff. You guys see that trick or treat bucket, it was only 89 cents. That's kinda amazing. Wait, pumpkin lawn bags? Only 84 cents? How do they plan on staying in business with those prices?

A Weekend Of Happened

This past weekend was pretty low key, thankfully. I had gotten off Saturday morning and watched Tokushoutsu off and on while napping and waiting for the grocery order to arrive. Shortly after I went out to Target and Walmart to pick up a few other things we needed. High hopes for the new Hasbro MMPR Megazord at Target were dashed as they had a spot for the toys, but none in stock. Dammit. They did have one more of the Cyberverse Tiny Turbo Changers I've been hunting for and Chewbacca from Star Wars Mission Fleet. Those and some Baby Yoda stuff were grabbed for the wife.

Walmart still didn't have anything new on the TF front aside from the mountains of Netflix stuff. I'm getting strong early 2004 vibes from the over ordered waves of toys. Oh well, they'll crowbar the new stuff in when it comes. New Micromasters have been popping up and I never have trouble finding those at Target. Hopefully those will end up in my possession soon. Ghostbusters stock was still wiped out, though the Real Ghostbusters shelf tags are still in place. Hope I can get that Ray and Winston soon. Same amount of GI JOE, soon I'll be grabbing those. Admittedly I'm letting the rush slow down a bit so I can get the ones I want.

Walmart finally put out some Masters of the Universe stuff! Some! While they didn't bother with any WWE MOTU, there was a bunch of Skeletor, Battle Cat, and Sky Sleds. I would have gotten a Skeletor, but they did have a full shelf box of Eternia Minis. Since folks are buying the entire case of at a time, so I decided to go ahead and buy a complete set of series 1 while I had a chance. Next week I'll get regular MOTU if it's in stock.

Right now the stuff is pretty limited for it's run as a Walmart exclusive line, so it'll be easier to get next year when it's everywhere. I'm trying to be patient as I can, but seeing dudes clear out stores in groups is a little piss offy. It might be first come, first serve. But it's also a free market and I have a little problem buying from third party sellers. Karma mofo.

Power-Con was also this weekend and since the pandemic and all, they did a free online version like other cons. This would have been awesome if not that it was done exclusively through Zoom without replays available. Between the time difference from Georgia and California, the panels I was most interested in was on while I was getting some sleep. Without the video put up for later viewing like other cons, I couldn't watch it later like with KaijuCon.Line. Considering it was a free, I'm not complaining. Just wished I could have taken part in it. I did though read the news and am pretty excited for the stuff coming for MOTU.

The rest of the weekend was spent with a little room organizing and watching movies on Netflix. Hopefully I'll have my room somewhere near were I want it within the next few weeks. While I just moved in the middle of June and work on it's taken a backseat to more important things, I'd also like to be done with that project. Admittedly parts of it will always be in flux. Some Halloween planning was also done and man, the kids in our new neighborhood are going to love us.

Avoid Peanut Butter Chews At The Magic Manor

Your costume has to be on point if you plan to get plenty of candy this Halloween. Thankfully The Magic Manor has all those masks of gorillas and old men to avoid. They also have classic monster masks and make up so you can actually have a good costume. Real talk, gorilla and old man masks get you those gross peanut butter chew things. Frankenstein? Fucking Skittles.

Bios- Road Fire

Abilities:A Powered Master like Dai-Atlas, his strength in land battles is surpassed only by his leaders.  Can combine with Dai-Atlas and transform into Land Powered mode. Blows away his enemies with his Burst Cannon.
Weapons: Burst Cannon

Call 1-900-660-FEAR

There's nothing like a good scary story at Halloween. Between marathons on TV, VOD, and creepypasta; folks can't wait to scare you! But back in the day, if you were willing to pay, there was always a hotline promising some spooky shit! I'm not sure what was more scary, the story or the phone bill. That's where I'd type 'lol' or use a wacky emoji if this were Facebook. While I was never allowed to call these numbers, I always enjoyed the commercials like this one. They made sure you knew absolute terror was waiting for your call. Or somebodies drunk Uncle dressed as Dracula.

Monogram Your Bag With Optimus Prime

So Monogram has these cool Transformers blind bag clips coming in September. I've been a fan of Monogram's blind bag bag clip figures for a little while now. From the Godzilla to Masters of the Universe, they're a fun thing to collect. Even my wife has enjoyed the Mandalorian series. So of course I'd be happy to pick some of these up at Target, which these days has a pretty good blind bag selection these days.

I see myself wanting all of them. Though one thing about Monogram is they wrap the figures in a piece of card inside the bag, making it hard to bag feel the figures. So multiples are probably likely without codes. Really like Wheeljack and Soundwave. Grimlock and Bumblebee too. Barricade looks great, I really like the "G1" version of Police car Barricade. Barricade was in G1 already, but the Police car from the movies really stuck and this more traditional one just works man.

Pumpkin Light Your Way

I can't express just how important it is to have some sort of light when trick or treating. According to every psa leading up to Halloween is that you are completely invisible to drivers. Something about a car windshield makes trick or treaters invisible. Real talk, you need a light.

There's always that flashlight your mom keeps on her nightstand, but don't be ratchet. You need a specific Halloween light. I was always partial to glow sticks, and let me just tell you. You can tie some yarn to that sumbitch and make a necklace. Maybe one of those cool pumpkin flash lights. They do the job pretty well and let you represent properly. Top tier though, is the Pumpkin Light.

A more premium light that as you've noticed has dual uses. Either in place of a candle in your jack o' lantern, or around your neck. A pumpkin shaped medallion that puts off a blinking light ensuring near death by the way of Ford Taurus isn't in your future. The Pumpkin Light is a quality product that's gonna last for years. It's going to sit on your nightstand for awhile before being going in the closet for next year. When you'll buy another anyway. 

Star Wars In Fleets Of Mission

The Star Wars toy line has been around forever and still manages to have really neat toys. The new Star Wars Mission Fleet figures are definitely really neat toys. I missed out on their Toy Fair preview as it's near impossible to navigate a flood of news an event like that generates. It was through other mini figure fans on Instagram that I discovered them. Honestly, it's one of those things that it really takes a picture to give you a solid idea of just how cool these figures are. I'll try to describe them anyway. Because that's how blog posts about toys work.

Pumpkin Spice Mayhem Begins!

Happy Halloween! What? It's too early? You're wearing a mask right? The annual Halloween celebration at Zone Base starts NOW! Normally my rule is to wait until Halloween stuff is on store shelves to start up my nonsense... and starting last year that began in June. Like I've said, Halloween stuff doesn't really start until halfway into August when the back to school rush is over... uh

It's been a weird year.

What's Halloween like on this site? You're probably well aware by now as it's undoubtedly the most popular time of the year around here, but in case it's your first time, I'll gladly explain. The site is about robots and monsters and all sorts of stuff, but imagine an all out assault of anything and everything Halloween while also being about robots and monsters and all sorts of stuff!

Old Halloween commercials, specials, and other random related (and usually weird) media while you sip that Pumpkin Spice latte and munch on those snack sized candy bars you bought at Kroger. Just like that bag of fun sized candy bars, I'll double dip with some of the classic stuff. It's too good not to! Halloween is my favorite time of the year and I can't wait to celebrate it with you. Three whole months of Jack O Lanterns, skeletons, black cats and bats, Frankenstein drinking Shasta, Garfield going trick or treating, Dracula saving the world. It's the most wonderful time of the year.

New this year is the official Zone Base Halloween Playlist. I can tell you're impressed. To be completely honest, I wasn't ready for Halloween to be over last year. So putting this together was one of the ways I let myself have some Halloween fun through the year. It's four hours of spooky season appropriate music that you can listen to anytime you want. Either here on the side bar (hey mobile users, there's a side bar on the desktop version of the site) or on Spotify. I'd like to think it's perfect for a Halloween party or a spooky day at the lake. It's a mix of old standby's, scary sounds, and a few I felt that just fit in. Kinda like that 'Happy Fall Y'all' sign your mom has on her door.

Happy Fall Y'all.