Put a Smile On

Summer is a Spooky Season.

Shadow Panther and Ravage [Swapticons]

Continuing our journey through the Summer of Swapticons is a duo of black cats. Obviously, whenever you get a Cheetor and Tigatron, Shadow Panther and Ravage are coming. Well, Cheetor and Tigatron were in the first series of Swapticons, so we've got Ravage and Shadow Panther here in Series 2.

For a change, Tigatron and Ravage aren't repaints of Cheetor. Instead, Tigatron was a new mold and Ravage is a repaint of Tigatron. Both turn into a butt.

Funnily enough, in the past, the infamous Ravage X-9 toy was a heavy remold and repaint of the Transmetal Cheetor figure and was later repainted into Tigatron for a BotCon 2001 exclusive figure. That's a toy I have and a BotCon I've attended.

It was a good time, and due to the layout of the hotel, the dealer room was split into a larger and smaller set of rooms. It's 2026, 25 years later, and I can still smell that smaller dealer room. Good lord, the amount of body odor in that small space was a crime against humanity.

Funnily enough, the following BotCon in 2002 also featured an exclusive made from a Cheetor toy that hasn't made another appearance yet: CatSCAN. I'd love to see a new version of him.

That BotCon, however, is where a story about Shadow Panther comes from.

There I was in the dealer room (only one that year, more room to breathe) and came across a table selling Ravage X-9 figures for $60 each. That was a steal, even back then, and as I reached into my pockets... I realized I only had $30 on me at the time.

These were the cash-only days at conventions, so I found myself rushing to the ATM... which was out of cash. Dammit.

I had been staying at the convention's overflow hotel, which was about two blocks away, and had stopped at an ATM somewhere in the middle of the walk to the convention center. Remembering that ATM, I made a mad dash toward it, got some much-needed cash, and hurried the hell back to that dealer.

...he was sold out.

I looked over and saw a guy laughing like Muttley while carrying the stack of them to his dealer table.

Said guy then put a much higher price on his new stock of toys and, out of spite—pure, unadulterated spite—I refused to stop by that booth for the rest of the weekend.

However, the dealer with the decently priced Ravages had a Shadow Panther for $20... and I bought him.

Ever since then, I've felt a kinship with Shadow Panther.

Which rings true about this site. We're the rejects and the weirdos that get overlooked while someone else gets all the attention and gets overvalued. Ten years in and millions of views later, us rejects are still here flipping the bird.

Speaking of weirdos that don't cost too much, this Shadow Panther comes with Ravage and it's a fun toy of two bots that fit together to make a very long black cat. I talked about the Cheetor and Tigatron toys this set is a repaint of last year, so feel free to check that post out for a more in-depth discussion of the actual toys.

Clearly I've got a fire in my ass today.

Home Base

Normally, this is where I'd post a Weekly Update and talk about what I did over the weekend and what fun stuff I picked up.

Well, I moved.

I moved from my home of the past six years to a new place just a few miles away. It's an upgrade, sure, but it's also a lot of work. I'm writing this a few days ahead of time, already knowing I'm going to be dead-ass tired by the time you read it.

Normal posting will continue this week, but today... I'm sleeping in.

Thank you all for reading Zone Base. Please share the site with your friends and be excellent to each other.

Dinobot Snarl and Grimlock [Swapticons]

It's summer, the Summer of Swapticons, and since this is Zone Base... you all know Halloween is cooking in my brain. This isn't just a me thing either. If you look around, you'll see the term "Code Orange" in certain circles. This is due to the early stock of Halloween items in some stores, which has led to the whole Summerween thing. We're taking over.

What does this have to do with Swapticons? Well, as I've mentioned way too many times, I was Snarl the Dinobot for Halloween in the 2nd grade. Specifically Dynabot Snarl, as the Collegeville Costume box said. So, with spooky season in mind, today's a good day to talk about the Snarl and Grimlock Swapticons pack!

I actually like Snarl for more reasons than Halloween. For one, I think he's cool-looking. Also, things like Armor Geist in Exkaiser help solidify just how cool his design is to me. Grimlock, on the other hand... we all love him. The leader of the Dinobots and one of the most impersonated characters in the history of the series.

Times when I've spoken with Greg Berger have led to what's become one of my favorite bits of Transformers trivia. During those original cartoon days when he took on the character, the voice was so demanding that he took lessons from a heavy metal vocal coach to ensure he didn't destroy his vocal cords each session. In short, this is an ideal Swapticons set... and I just like dinosaurs.

In this 2-pack, Snarl becomes the rear of the dinosaur with Grimlock forming the head. The result is a dinosaur that looks like a MechaGodzilla version of the 1998 American Godzilla... or Zilla, as real ones know it by. Frankly, that makes me like the beast mode a lot, and being Swapticons, you can mix and match to create a lot of fun alt modes. Dino truck, kitty-saurus, stego... sports car... or tank... you get the idea.

Once again, they've got that wonderfully boxy and silly Swapticons design that I really enjoy. I mean, look, these clearly aren't for display cases and for ahem serious collectors. These are straight-up toys, and that's what they are. Me? I buy a ton of ahem serious collector toys... and these are more fun to blog about.

You can throw a few in your messenger bag, entertain yourself at your desk, and store them in a shoebox. Once again, part of me wonders if the designers who worked on these also worked on the most recent Changeables from McDonald's. And yes, I am comparing a retail toy with a fast-food premium like it's something noteworthy to think about, and that's because it is. After all, what may have been the first figure of Arcee was made from Happy Meal Power Rangers figures and Sculpey. Not to mention, designers work on a whole slew of products, and it's pretty damn fascinating.

Also of note, Grimlock and Snarl's combined form looks like it's taking a nap, and that's freaking adorable.