Ratchet [Shining Version 01–Shining Roll Out]

Despite the mountain of Blokees Transformers Blind Boxes kits I own, I’d never picked up any Shining Version blind boxes… until recently. I grabbed a few at Toylanta from my friends at Polaris Bros, and Ratchet here was one of them.

Shining Version kits are essentially upgraded Galaxy Version releases with light-up features. This Ratchet is based on his Galaxy Version 01 kit, which I never actually owned—though I do have the Shattered Glass version. That led to a brief moment of confusion where I could’ve sworn I’d built this before. Of course, Ratchet shares a lot of parts with Ironhide, which I have covered, so that probably didn’t help either.

Rather than retread familiar ground, I want to focus more on what makes the Shining Version different.

Ratchet is largely based on his original cartoon appearance, which I prefer as a cartoon guy. That said, it’s a little hypocritical on my part—my attachment to Ratchet actually comes more from his role in the early comics. It's complicated.

The standout feature is, of course, the light-up elements. His eyes and chest both illuminate, and it looks fantastic. The real highlight is the chest, which is formed from the windshield of his ambulance mode and features a readout on the surface. When lit up, it looks incredible. I keep finding myself imagining a little animated screen in there.

The eyes look great too, but the chest is absolutely the star of the show.

He doesn’t include the snap-on “pew pew” effect parts that came with the original kit (and with Ironhide), but he does come with an Energon Cube—one I somehow forgot to include in my photos. It’s the same cube included with several other kits, and I’m actually pretty fond of that accessory, so I’m a little annoyed with myself for leaving it out.

Another thing I did intentionally leave out is the display stand. I’ve gotten so used to newer Galaxy Version kits not including stands that I almost forgot they used to be standard. The Shining Version stands are a bit larger than the older Galaxy ones, which is a nice touch, and they include plug-in Autobots and Decepticon symbols still.

Overall, this is a really fun variation on the standard Galaxy Version kit. The added light-up feature gives it just enough extra presence—and, that chest readout really makes it all special.

Battle for Monday

Good morning Zone Base readers, thanks for coming back for another week of robots, monsters, and misadventure! I hope everyone had a good weekend, mine was a little chaotic thanks to a family emergency, but thankfully not terrible. The Mrs and I did manage to get some shopping done where I picked up Transformers Studio Series Devastation Bumblebee and a Godzilla blind box. I pulled a clear red chase MechaGodzilla! We watched some of the new Stranger Things Tales from '85 animated series and I played plenty of Pragmata. Next weekend hopefully things will get back to normal. I didn't even get to work on any models Sunday (dammit). Oh well, a little chaos every now and then is to be expected. I've got a fun week in store for you all. Thank you so much for reading Zone Base. Please remember to share it with your friends and be excellent to each other! 

The Insecticons [Galaxy Version–06,08,09]

This is a post I’ve been wanting to write for a while. Longtime readers know about my affinity for insect-based robots, and that absolutely includes the Insecticons.

They’ve always been this creepy subgroup of the Decepticons that tend to follow their own path. Wherever they go, they consume everything around them, leaving nothing but wasteland behind. You’d think that wouldn’t be such a big deal—there are only three of them, at least in the cartoon—but that’s never really been the case. They can clone themselves, creating an entire swarm.

The Insecticons originally began as the Waruders in Diaclone. While I’ve got various G1 versions of the characters, I’ve never been lucky enough to own the original Waruders themselves. Thankfully, in 2005, E-Hobby released an exclusive recolor set in those Waruder colors. Within Transformers fiction, they were meant to represent the clones—so in a way, they finally brought the Waruders back into the fold. I jumped on that set immediately.

These days, Blokees Transformers Blind Boxes kits (and similar model lines) have become a big part of how I enjoy Transformers. Starting with Galaxy Version Series 06, they began releasing the Insecticons, and I knew I had to complete the trio. Each one even comes with a tiny insect-mode partner, which is absolutely my thing. I’ve always had a soft spot for partner figures, so this set was basically designed to hook me. 

Let’s take a look at each one.

Kickback – My personal favorite of the group. Between the wings and antenna, he’s just a great-looking design. As a grasshopper, it makes sense that his specialty is jumping long distances. He’s probably the Insecticon most people associate with the team. Released in Series 06 Parallel Universe, he comes with a tiny Shrapnel and his Electrothermic Blast Tube.

Shrapnel – The leader of the group. My older brother had one when we were kids, and I’ll never forget thinking his pincers looked like horns. They’re used for his electrical attacks, which always looked great on screen. He comes with a tiny Bombshell and his Grenade Launcher. Released in Series 08 One Shall Fall.

Bombshell – Arguably the most dangerous of the three. His Cerebro-Shells let him control other beings, launched from that dramatic rhinoceros beetle horn over his head. I’ve always had a thing for rhino beetles, so he’s hard not to like. He comes with a tiny Kickback and his Twin Ion Impulse Blaster. Released in Series 09 Darkest Hour.

Each figure comes in a blind box and is fairly easy to assemble. The included insect-mode partners are fun little builds too, and I really hope Blokees continues doing things like that.

As expected, they all include open and closed hands for posing. Kickback, being from an earlier wave, uses the older body style—slightly less articulation and a higher resting head. Shrapnel and Bombshell use the updated construction, which allows for more dynamic posing. It doesn’t make Kickback look bad by any means, but the difference is noticeable when you’ve got all three together.

Even so, there’s a strong sense of cohesion across the set, which is important for a team like this. My only real gripe is that Shrapnel’s Grenade Launcher is purple while the others weapons are gray. It’s not a big deal—likely just a result of mold tree layout—but I do wish it matched the others.

Overall, I’m really happy to have completed this trio. I’ve been picking up more Galaxy Version kits individually lately, so finally assembling the full Insecticon team felt like an accomplishment.

I don’t even like real bugs… but I go crazy for robot ones.

It’s weird. I know.

Pilot Liam [Armorsaurs]

Armored Saurus—adapted into Armorsaurs—is one of those newer toy lines that’s been popping up in certain corners of the internet. I’d been seeing people in Microfans sharing the figures, along with various robot groups showing off the mecha, so when I spotted them at my local Walmart, I decided to take a chance and picked up Liam.

The show itself is mostly CGI with live-action elements, similar in style to Power Rangers, the western version replaces the original actors. From what I can tell, the toys are a brand-new line produced by MGA Entertainment rather than imports.

The premise centers around a group of kids involved in a military program using armored dinosaurs. The twist is that they have a special gene that allows them to communicate with the dinosaurs—so they’re not just randomly chosen and thrown into danger. Instead, there’s a reason they’re being put in harm’s way.

Makes sense.

Liam—“Pilot Liam,” technically—is the red ranger of the group and is paired with the T-Rex. On his own, he’s a nicely articulated 3 ¾-inch scale figure with a modular armor gimmick. He comes with a variety of plug-in armor pieces that you can mix and match, which ends up being a lot of fun to mess around with.

He also includes a sword and a backpack that doubles as a sheath. The figure itself is made from a slightly softer plastic that actually feels really nice in hand, without getting in the way of posing or attaching parts. Everything connects easily, and the included connector pieces give you a lot of flexibility when building out different armor configurations. It’s a familiar kind of gimmick, but it works. The Glyos System fan in me definitely appreciates it.

Overall, I liked Liam quite a bit—and I could easily see myself picking up a few more.