IDW Brainstorm [Galaxy Version 11 – The Lost Light]

To be honest, I wasn't even thinking about Brainstorm when I randomly grabbed this blind box at Full Circle Toys. I just said to myself, "Oh hey, I haven't gotten any of those yet. Grab one."

Galaxy Version 11 – The Lost Light is mostly centered around the uber-popular More Than Meets the Eye and Lost Light Transformers comics by IDW. The books revolved around the crew of the Lost Light, a ship full of misfits led by Rodimus Prime and later Megatron (after a face turn), in pursuit of the Knights of Cybertron and whatever adventures happened along the way.

Ultimately, it's a series about personal demons, PTSD, and the other harsh realities people face, especially during war.

Brainstorm, in particular, was known for carrying a mysterious briefcase around for a good portion of More Than Meets the Eye. The briefcase turned out to be something of a time machine. There's a whole lot more to that story that I'd advise you to read the comic to discover if you're interested. I'd write more about it, but it's practically a post within itself.

This kit comes with that briefcase, something I found pretty charming. For the longest time, it's been a regular 3D-printed item fans have purchased for their various Brainstorm toys. I still remember a friend buying one at TFCon 2014 in Chicago and just walking around with it in his pocket the entire time. He'd pull out money, and there it was.

Wonder if it's still in his pocket?

Honestly, as cool as this portrayal of Brainstorm is, I mentally think of the G1 episode "The Rebirth" or the Japanese G1 series Transformers: Headmasters whenever I think of a Headmaster character. Not just because I'm mainly a cartoon guy, but also because I love them so much that it's just where my mind autopilots.

Either way, I was happy to pull this Brainstorm kit from that blind box during our visit to Full Circle Toys after looking around Spirit Halloween with the Mrs. Despite the IDW look, I could hear him explaining his Headmasters idea to Spike and the Autobots in my head.

Being one of the newer Galaxy Version kits, Brainstorm has that impressive increased articulation once assembled. This does mean additional steps during assembly, which is apparently something speed builders are finding themselves adapting to. I definitely take my sweet time assembling these kits, finding the process normally therapeutic.

I've got a little desk in our bedroom where I sit and assemble kits while listening to the TV. Sometimes, I park my little laptop desk next to my chair in the living room, put my feet up, and assemble while the Mrs and I watch whatever. Just peaceful, happy-place vibes, you know?

Though I do find speed builders charming. I like that various conventions have speed-building competitions. That's fun! It reminds me of older BotCons, when there would be speed-transforming contests, sometimes even transforming toys blind. Good fun with something you like.

I remember a few years ago when an easy-build Gundam kit that came in a bag became a trend. People were assembling it inside the bag without even opening it.

Brainstorm is one of those "more deluxe"-feeling Blokees kits I talk about from time to time, where he just seems fancier because of his parts. The various vehicle-mode kibble wings that attach to his shoulders and legs pair with his head sculpt to create a really ornate robot, and that specific shade of blue just pops in a way that makes me wish more figures came in that color.

Considering I wasn't even thinking about Brainstorm when I picked up a box from the latest wave at my local toy store, I've sure had a lot to say about him.

The video I made from this kit is on TikTok and Instagram if you'd like to see it!

Red Thunder Godzilla [Godziburst]

Happy Godzilla Day, Zone Base readers! Like many of you, I'm taking the time to honor the King of the Monsters on his day, and I'm looking forward to seeing Minus Zero this weekend! Here on the site, we're celebrating with a look at the recent Target-exclusive Godziburst release, Red Thunder Godzilla!

I got this figure a few weeks ago and thought it'd be perfect for today. A common joke of mine is that if they make it, they'll eventually collaborate with Godzilla, and Red Thunder Godzilla isn't just an exclusive. He's decked out in Target's signature red and white! Of course, part of why I've been enjoying Godziburst is those crazy colors, but here they look fabulous! Godzilla himself sports a Heisei-era design, which was one of his better eras design-wise, and he's mostly red with white stripes, making for one cool-looking Goji!

Godziburst toys come with combinable armor bits, and true to his name, Red Thunder Godzilla comes with a red variation of the Thunder Godzilla piece. It attaches over his back plates, giving him a dramatic look inspired by an atomic explosion.

These Godziburst toys are more than just crazy colors and mix-and-match parts. Each one is a specifically powered-up version of that kaiju, and being a Thunder Godzilla variant means he's got some superpowers to be reckoned with.

A Thunder Godzilla has a lightning ray in addition to his atomic breath, and he can also call down lightning from the sky. That back armor piece he comes with represents a flaming atomic burst that allows a nuclear pulse to discharge from his skin. And if that wasn't enough, using that lightning from the sky, he can manifest dimensional portals and bring in alternate Godzillas from other timelines to help him fight.

Just in case Godzilla wasn't powerful enough, this one can bring in a whole team! Which he'll probably end up fighting with, too.

You know, whenever I try to manifest anything, all I end up with is a few wasted minutes and a little more pissed off than I was to begin with. Of course, I'm not the King of the Monsters.

Making things a little more special, there's a small destructible city included. You've got little wrecked buildings, including one that can be knocked in half for Godzilla to smash for no apparent reason. It's been 72 years of Godzilla destroying everything on a whim, so they included something for him to break.

They never include a bus for him to pick up and throw back down.

Happy Halloween 2026

We've done it again, Zone Base readers! Another Halloween season is coming to an end. Like many of you, I'm looking forward to a Halloween night full of spooky shows and costumed kids. It's been another amazing Spooky Season, with thousands of you showing up every day to trick-or-treat with me on the pages of this site.

Pretty soon, the red moon will set and things will revert back to normal around here. But that doesn't mean scary things won't happen from time to time. That cursed tape is still playing, stuck in that VCR in the basement.

Happy Halloween.

Unicron (Planet/Transparent Version) [Galaxy Version]

Around the beginning of the year, I talked about the transparent Unicron Head model kit Blokees had released. In that same vein, they'd recently released a kit of his Planet Mode as well. Like the head, it was originally available in a standard series, with the translucent version obtainable by scanning QR codes for redemption, before they eventually made it available to the masses. Well, it's available to everyone now, and that's what we're looking at today.

Like the transparent head kit, this is one sharp-looking Unicron. Obviously, he's getting featured a lot this year due to the 40th anniversary of the movie, but let's face it: Unicron's kind of a big deal in Transformers. He's going to pop up from time to time regardless. It just so happens there's a specific occasion to observe this year that makes it a little more special.

Like the head kit, I was looking forward to getting this one, especially in the translucent colors, as it looks so much neater.

Going in, I wasn't expecting to have too much trouble assembling the kit, as Galaxy Versions are normally quick builds. And this one probably isn't normally a problem for most people.

ME, though? I fumbled my way through the entire process, completely all thumbs.

I can see a Master Grade builder reading that and laughing at me, and it's probably well-deserved mockery, as I clearly wasn't paying enough attention to the instructions like I should have been. Being a Galaxy Version, the instructions came in full-sized booklets that are much easier to read than the ones printed on the backs of the cards I normally deal with when assembling Defender Versions and Wheels. So, like an arrogant ass, I just skimmed them over and completely missed that, despite so many parts looking like they could fit wherever, they totally couldn't.

For example, one of the first steps is assembling the rings that fit around his sides. Only one fits on one side, and the other fits on the other. I have no clue why, but it took a few seconds of trying to put one piece in the wrong hole before I finally thought to try the other one.

For the record, I don't claim to be a rocket scientist.

Then, after joining that bit of rings to the Planet Mode core, you put on the planet surface pieces, which are four shell pieces that look practically identical for the most part. They're also translucent, so it's super easy to just NOT see a detail because it's see-through.

Basically, two distinct shell pieces were meant to go on the bottom, while the other two went on top. Two of the shells had connector pegs with an additional little shape, while the other two had standard pegs that would actually fit into the openings intended for the ones with that additional little shape.

Remember when I mentioned the shells look almost identical? Yeah, I threw an additional little tantrum after getting it wrong for the millionth time.

Actually, I'd get three on, and for whatever reason, I couldn't get the fourth one on. Then I'd take them all off and try again... and the fourth still wouldn't fit. I actually got mad, put it to the side, and came back to it a few hours later.

When I came back to it a few hours later, I STILL somehow got it wrong, got mad again, and then, like a damn child, took it and the remaining shell to my wife, asking her if she could tell where the difference was because, for whatever reason, it was escaping me.

She looked for a minute and pointed out the different opening that I'd somehow overlooked. I thanked her and had a snack because I'd been having a rough time and needed a few minutes away from Unicron.

Who is an asshole.

Afterward, I put those shells on with no problem and began assembling the other set of rings that circle Unicron horizontally. This time, it was the instructions' fault for not being super clear, but after some trial and error, I got these pieces in place.

There are four pieces that peg in at the top, bottom, left, and right. Like the shells, they had different pegs depending on their location for some reason, along with connecting pieces that fit in between them. After a little trial and error with those connector pieces, I got the larger set of rings assembled and then put the stand together in about two seconds because that part was pretty simple.

Aside from me bumbling through the instructions, this is a pretty great model kit of Unicron's Planet Mode.

I know some people criticize Transformers products that don't transform. Admittedly, when you name something after the gimmick, it's going to be an ongoing thing. But something like this makes the lack of that transformation worthwhile. Unicron has had a few transforming toys by this point, and that transformation is usually a complete nightmare due to the fact that he transforms from a humanoid shape to a round one. That, and he's expected to be giant, so now you're wrestling this big thing with a million folding parts.

A smaller model kit of just one mode manages to be screen-accurate without becoming a giant nightmare... aside from somehow reading the instructions completely wrong.

I swear, I normally feel like a somewhat intelligent person unless I'm trying to tap to pay (it's literally a different place to tap every single time!), but man, I really screwed up reading these instructions.

What I'm saying is, I had a challenging time assembling him, which was likely my fault, but OH MAN, was it infuriating.

The finished product, however, is really nice-looking. Like with the head kit, the translucent colors look amazing, almost like something intended to be more premium.

The assembly of his maw (which my wife insists is just a big butthole) allows the pinchers to open and close by pushing on the maw/butthole. This is done with a clever little joint that installs underneath, which the pinchers individually attach to.

Overall, this is another solid Blokees product that, like their other offering, I absolutely love. With the rising costs of toys, focusing mainly on model kits like Blokees feels like a more favorable way to go much of the time. Looking at this Unicron sitting on my bookshelf alone is a pretty good selling point for that idea.

*edit* the video for the post that was planned before they stopped working is here.