Weekly Update 8/31/26- See You Around Peter

It's the beginning of a new week here on Zone Base, and like many of you, I was saddened to learn about the passing of Peter Cullen last week. It's an unfortunate part of life that even the best of us will one day have to leave. Despite knowing the inevitability, it's never expected or wanted, and it's always a shock. Peter left his footprint in so many of our minds and hearts by being the voice of so many characters that stuck with us.

I had the honor of meeting Peter at different times at different conventions. Of course, most of those encounters were the usual shake-hands-and-meet-and-greet sort of thing, but there's one particular time that has stuck with me for almost twenty years.

BotCon 2007.

This was just before the release of the first live-action Transformers movie, which, as I've said countless times, changed everything in the Transformers world. With the movie coming out, that year's BotCon was basically one giant media event, including an advanced showing of the film for attendees. It was a huge treat to see it that way, and thanks to the way the seating worked out, I got to watch it with a group of friends, including my best friend since childhood, who came with me that year. That trip is a story within itself.

The showing was Friday night, with the annual convention dinner taking place Saturday night. As was tradition, my group of friends went out for karaoke after dinner, which was only a short walk from the venue. On the way back, while walking with a group of friends, we ran into Peter.

He was standing outside the hotel smoking a cigarette with his agent.

We ended up talking with Peter, who told us all sorts of stories and talked about how much he loved meeting all the fans. It wasn't some big organized convention appearance. We were just a bunch of fans who happened to run into him outside the hotel, and he was happy to talk with us for a few minutes.

Eventually, his agent excused us and took him back inside. Before he left, Peter took a moment to shake our hands and thank us for enjoying his work.

Of course, we were absolutely glowing afterward.

We made our way back into the hotel lobby and started chatting with some of the other friends who were around hanging out. At some point, Peter and his agent were heading up the nearby escalator when the entire lobby of people suddenly yelled:

"GOODNIGHT, PETER!"

It was pretty late.

Peter looked back at everyone and yelled:

"Goodnight... go to bed!"

Form Blazing Candle

The wording of this commercial gives me pause. "Pre-Halloween?" I'm assuming that's meant to say they're showing it a few days before? I dunno.

Jack O'Lantern is a pretty fun cartoon that's a bit wild. Jack is a pumpkin-headed guy who arrives on the scene and immediately gets into one hell of a fight with a witch and her crew.

Jack is actually a leprechaun piloting the pumpkin guy... it's weird.

What is cool is the fact that it's a Rankin/Bass production, meaning it was outsourced to Japanese animation studios. Either Topcraft or Mushi Productions animated this little special, and it looks really good.

While I doubt the studio had anything to do with the script, part of me can't help but find what's essentially a Pumpkin Super Robot cartoon hilarious.

R.I.P. Peter Cullen

Gigastorm and BW Galvatron [Defender Version 07- Power of the Beast]

@robfromzonebase BW Galvatron [Transformers Blokees Defender Version 07-Power of the Beast] #zonebase #transformers #blokees #blokeestransformers #beastwars ♬ rondo - Uz:ME

Admittedly, I get pretty excited for just about every character Blokees includes in a Transformers Defender Version assortment. Of course, like the other Beast Wars characters they've released, I was ecstatic when these two were revealed. With Defender Version 07: Power of the Beast, Blokees dipped into the Japanese-exclusive Beast Wars series and included characters that have always been a really big deal to me. I was blown away to see both Galvatron and Gigastorm from Beast Wars II included. Frankly, it surprised me since there was already a version of G1 Galvatron in the assortment, and I never expected them to tackle something like Trypticon or Gigastorm in the Defender Version size class. This one still kind of blows my mind.

Galvatron serves as Lio Convoy's counterpart and the main villain of Beast Wars II. The Emperor of Destruction eventually becomes corrupted by Angolmois Energy and later falls under Unicron's influence during Beast Wars Neo. Depending on how you look at it, that technically makes his original toy the first Unicron action figure. For a long time, the original Beast Wars II Galvatron toy was considered one of the greatest Transformers toys ever made, and mine is still very special to me. I'm hoping to pick up the new version soon, but just like the other Beast Wars characters in this assortment, there's a lot of love attached to him. The kit itself does a great job capturing the character's look and even includes his signature Galva-Axe rather than a generic weapon.

In Beast Wars II, Galvatron has a younger brother named Megastorm, whose toy was a reuse of the original Generation 2 Megatron mold. Thanks to the effects of that pesky Angolmois Energy, he and several other Destrons were mutated into gnarly cyborg beast warriors. Megastorm became Gigastorm, who was created from a remold of the original Generation 1 Trypticon toy. At the time, both Megastorm and Gigastorm became affordable ways for fans to obtain molds they might have otherwise missed. Around the early 2000s, these toys seemed to sit on clearance at online retailers forever. Gigastorm was especially fun because he featured a large nose horn that somehow made an already giant dinosaur even more kaiju-like than Trypticon had been.

@robfromzonebase Gigastorm [Transformers Blokees Defender Version 07-Power of the Beast] #zonebase #transformers #blokees #blokeestransformers #blindbox ♬ 苦悩の聖人 (Saint of Suffering) - Akuma Dollz

Gigastorm is an especially impressive kit. While building him, I kept finding myself impressed by just how well Blokees adapted the design. Assembly follows a similar approach to other beast and dinosaur Defender Version kits, with a central frame surrounded by shell pieces that form the body. The limbs then plug into place around that structure. While this certainly isn't a Master Grade-style build or anything, I really enjoyed assembling the head. The horns fit through slots in the upper head section, which also houses the eyes. The lower jaw then attaches before the completed head connects to the neck and upper body. It's not especially complex, but it feels involved in a satisfying way.

I had actually built Dino Mode Sludge right before Gigastorm, whose head wasn't much simpler, yet somehow Gigastorm's assembly felt more substantial. The neck section is particularly fun, as it can be connected regardless of position but only looks correct when oriented properly. It's a small touch, but one I appreciated.

Another detail I absolutely loved was the inclusion of the tiny Gigascouter attached to his body, just like on the original toy. That's the sort of detail Blokees could have easily skipped, but they didn't. If you remove it, you'll even find a tiny molded Predacon/Destron symbol underneath. Again, they didn't have to do that, but they did. Those little extra touches are one of the reasons I enjoy these kits so much. Blokees could cut corners, but they usually don't.

Of course, seeing Gigastorm in this line immediately gets my imagination running wild. If they can do Gigastorm, then surely a Defender Version Trypticon can't be too far behind. I'd be completely on board with that. Honestly, I've always wanted a red Trypticon. Maybe they could even do a special version inspired by Starriors Cosmittor or Zoids Rex. I also hope Gigastorm's inclusion eventually leads to Megastorm, which in turn could pave the way for a proper Generation 2 Megatron.

That would be awesome.