"Compassion is the currency of losers."
Not a trace of mercy can be found among his microchips. Insatiable lust for destruction. In battle, lashes out with wings, beak, and claws to cut everything to ribbons. In creature Mode can leap 4 miles in one jump, breathes flame. In robot Mode, carries double-barreled magnetizer that oppositely charges any metal target so it tears itself apart. Combines with fellow Terrorcons to form Abominus.
Like all of Final Faction, this is a 3 3/4 figure with 5 points of articulation. Similar to the Synthoid, it's a much more chunky toy and looks bigger in pictures. Also like the Synthoid, it's one of the more impressive figures in the line. At Toylanta, I was showing Buddy the figures and the two definitely blew him away. I don't want to oversell the toy, but it really does feel like a much more expensive than it is.
Rank- Evil rock warrior
Body Type- Slate: a cold hard rock symbolic of Stoneheart's personality.
Weapon- Slam Ray
Stonehart is the largest and cruelest of the evil rock warriors. He takes special delight in teasing his enemies before defeating them. Extremely unpre-dictable, Stoneheart's first loyalty is to himself and even Magmar thinks twice about crossing him. Stoneheart fights like a raging beast, his Slam Ray hammering foes into rubble.
Roboto is a member of the Heroic Warriors who just happens to be a robot. In most fictional cases Roboto was made by Man At Arms. However in the original cartoon he hailed from a planet named... wait for it... Robotica and crashed landed on Eternia. Where he was then repaired by Man At Arms. This may account for the weapon arm gimmick.The man has a thing for arms after all.
Roboto is pretty freaking awesome. He's got the weapon changing arm gimmick giving him an axe, laser gun, or claw. Regardless of the fight, he has just the tool to whoop that ass! Roboto also has a clear chest which displays his robotic innards consisting of several gears and a heart. Twisting the figure at the hip makes the gears turn and the heart raise and lower. But wait, there's more! Roboto's robot mouth also opens and closes when this is done.
What's not to love about everything I just described?
It's another new week here on Planet Zone! While Kuchisake-onna has been around longer than the pandemic, sometimes I wonder if sightings of her have been increasing over the past year. Scary huh? I hope you find all the fun stuff I'm gonna post this week pretty. There's a new episode of Not As Brightly Lit for your weekly dose of something spooky and we're rounding the corner on our weekly look at the Final Faction toys from Dollar Tree. Just two more figures to cover until the next batch gets released sometime later this year! As always, thanks for reading Zone Base and please share with your friends!
"Leaders are for fools who need to follow."
A fearsome, foul-mouthed nightstalker. Rebels against authority in any form. Lashes out at anyone who even suggests his next course of action. His Decepticon superiors have more difficulty controlling him than the Autobots have fighting him. Binary-bonded to Brisko, a former Nebulan cartographer with a photographic memory. Shoots semi-automatic ion pulse gun. Tail converts to compressed air cannon that produces 200 mph gale force winds. Able to fly short distances in wolf Mode.
Damn He-Man, you scary. Well... maybe not He-Man himself, but his day to day life is. In this commercial, He-Man frees himself from the Fright Zone's monster tree. That's how it starts, already in a nightmare scenario. Then he finds himself in the dark and spooky back yard of the Fright Zone confronted by members of The Evil Horde. He-Man is starting to look like a He-Victim.
Thanks to the production standards, this feels more like the commercial for a late night horror movie on local TV than a line of children's toys. That's certainly part of the fun when it comes to Masters of the Universe. Wizards and warriors mixed with science fiction on a nightmarish landscape full of demons and living Halloween decorations. Sometimes you have to just look back at it all and wonder how in the hell did that happen.
"The greatest truths lie at the greatest depths."
Amphibious assault warrior. Patrols the murky ocean depths, defending underwater installations. Huge webbed feet enable him to swim at over 30 knots. Giant fang-like tusks can be used to shred metal like paper. Electronic eye equipped with advanced sonar, infra-red firing scope and heat and light sensors. Armed with searing ionic field generator. Also armed with plasma cannon in robot mode. Specially reinforced ecto-suit can withstand underwater depths up to 300 feet.
Everyday is Halloween, but the spooky season starts officially when? Rob talks about the spookiness of summer and how it's actually the start of the Halloween season.
Though a weird intermingling of metallic and living parts, this fearsome creature arises -- easily able to change from monster-robot to monster-vehicle.
A welcome recruit to Cy-Kill's band of Renegades, Creepy can use his claws to snap GoBots in half, or send a lethal poison shooting out from his spider legs.
The worst of all monsters to creep into existence, Creepy thrills to the sport of his deadly games. Even Renegades must take care that Creepy's power doesn't threaten their existence. Guardians -- Beware! The final conflict may be near!
As their name would imply, the Drone is the basic soldier of the Kharn army. I do like how so far all the Kharn is army builders. Just droves of attacking aliens that can be equipped differently with various accessory sets. The design of these guys is a cross between a Xenomorph and something out of Quake. That mixture of 80's and 90's aesthetics in Final Faction is a big part of what makes it such a fun little line. Like the other Kharn soldiers, I wish the Drone was available in a variety of colors. I could see a 'fire' or 'ice' version of this figure with corresponding included weapons.
"Sometimes, if you wait long enough, problems solve themselves."
Disorganized, neglectful, sloppy; Often goes to war without his weapon, or grinds to a halt for lack of fuel. Relies on others to pay the consequences for his mistakes. Often locked in vehicle Mode because he's left behind his partner, the Nebulan, Lube, without whom he can't transform. Lube is meticulous, short-tempered, and usually at odds with Slapdash. Armed with a powerful electro magnetizer That drains Decepticon power sources.
There was a time when McDonald's made an attempt to be a clean and pleasant place to eat. In doing so they employed the used of demonic creatures who ate the filth of the customers. Often McDonald's would implore customers to throw away their trash in the wastebaskets to keep the restaurant clean. Even producing another subliminal message filled advertisement encouraging you to do so. Unfortunately these trash demons were truly greedy abominations and began consuming everything deemed dirty. After the introduction of the McDonald Land Play Place ball pits containing copious amounts of fecal matter, children started disappearing. The blood deal that begat McDonald's upon the world wrought about the consumption of the very children the product was sold too. Never doubt why the smile Ronald put on was red.
After last years covid-19 induced cancellation, ToyLanta returns for 2021 in a new location! I'm really looking forward to the great toy show and have been preparing myself for it for awhile now. I've got my backpack ready with an ample supply of sanitizer and face masks. This year will be a different kind of con for me. Instead of staying all weekend like normally, I'll be going for just a few hours each day. Not that I don't want to do the whole weekend. Even with the covid numbers dropping as much as they have, we're not out of the woods yet. I'm just trying to be as safe as I can. Hopefully next year I'll be able to do the whole weekend, I'm just thankful to have this experience this year even as limited as it'll be for my own safety.
If you're coming to the show, the annual Transformers panel hosted by Dusty and myself is on Sunday at 2PM. Normally we do this on Saturday, but I don't make the schedule. If any of you are there, feel free to say hi! I'll be periodically updating my Instagram from the con over the weekend. Keep checking for new pictures from the show. Or hey, maybe give me a follow so it'll be on your feed. I tend to post multiple pictures in a post, so be prepared to swipe through a lot.
FRIDAY: After an interesting backroads ride to the new location that included crossing the local haunted bridge, I arrived at the con around 7pm. While getting my badge Buddy walked up to say hi. He then took myself and another dude (sorry I forgot your name dude) down to the Goo-Con showcase room. The room will be having all sorts of demonstrations on customizing and other toy related creations. I really liked the custom molded figure heads that go with a dying resin demonstration. It was neat.
Buddy went to find some food and I explored a little. One thing I learned fast was to switch from a cloth mask to a paper mask. I get hot fast and thought I was going to pass out for a second. Toylanta's new home features a much larger con space. So I didn't have time to check out the entirety of the dealers room preview before it closed for the Lobby Swap Party. I did price a few Rocklords though as that's my focal point this year. I've been kicking myself for not picking them up at the last show and don't plan on making that mistake again. Tomorrow I'm bringing plenty cash and buying some rock robits dammit. There was a surprising amount of M.A.S.K and Dino Riders. Good prices too.SATURDAY: The Mrs came with me today to the show. We got there just before 1pm and man there was a lot more people there today than Friday. After looking around I soon discovered most of the Rock Lords I had priced were already gone.
Dammit.SUNDAY: I got to the con around 12PM for the last day of the show. My panel was at 2, so I had a little time to look around. Ran into Marten and chatted with him for a few minutes before heading into the con area. After a quick stop in the restroom to put some eye drops in (allergy season) I ventured into the dealers room and laid eyes on a glass box I didn't see before.
Inside it was various robot figures and a very familiar blue and gray bot. The robots tag said 'unknown Japanese Transformer $5'. I realized it was a Convertors SDF-1 and bought it. A tour around the room led me to the booth that had the Granite I bought Saturday.
Body Type- Brimstone: A foul-smelling combination of sulfur and rock.
Weapon- The Torcher
Brimstone's scheming intellect makes him a deadly foe. Brimestone is always ready to step in for Magmar and take command. Brandishing The Torcher, his flame-throwing weapon, he laughs wickedly as he charges fearlessly into battle.
Going trick or treating is a great time, but let's face it. There's a thing or two that'll really get under your skin while your out and about. Rob goes over a few of his whilst talking the basics of tricks or treats...*sigh*
"Strike fear into your enemy, and you've won half the battle."
A flying fury of flashing fangs and tearing talons. He's a one-robot wrecking crew who has been known to reduce high-rise office towers into rubble within seconds, just for laughs! Also gets his kicks snapping wings off commercial airline jets. His enclosed creature/robot is armed with a high-powered, laser-sighted, photon rifle for intense air-to-surface assaults!
The live action segment of this old commercial is absolutely amazing and makes me wish for a Ghouls n Ghosts TV show. That puppet Red Arremer alone is worth the watch, but then add in the graveyard bursting open with freaks. Pure gold. Spooky shit gold.
Continuing our weekly exploration of Dollar Tree's Final Faction toys brings us to SGT. Steel. Steel is a pretty cool dude as his sunglasses would imply. If the big wings on his back didn't clue you in, he's the jet pack flyer guy of Alpha Team 1. So far the members I've shown you have been heavy duty ground soldiers, so the variety is much appreciated.
He's pretty much the Final Faction version of Red Falcon and that's pretty great. If you want to deck him out with accessories, I'd say the Air Assault and Covert Arms packs would suit him fine. Unfortunately Steel is the only Final Faction toy I've gotten that's had any QC issues. Mine wasn't screwed together well leading to a loose head. Fortunately all it takes to fix this is one of those tiny screw drivers they also sell at the Dollar Tree.
"Prepare for oblivion!"
Megatron once again "takes to the skies in disguise" in his latest aerial-attack configuration. Body armor composed of stealth deflector shields that allow for invisible attacks on Autobot enemies. Twin turbo thrusters rocket him to speeds of up to 600mph in less than 17 seconds. In robot or vehicle mode, this evil commander is one of the worst threats in the universe.
At least it wasn't a peanut butter chew.
HASBRO PRESENTS “HASBRO PULSE FAN FEST” – A NEW VIRTUAL EVENT DEDICATED TO THE HASBRO FAN COMMUNITY
On April 9th Hasbro will host the first-ever “Hasbro Pulse Fan Fest,” a collector-focused event featuring exclusive activations, engaging panels, and product reveals across collectors’ favorite Hasbro brands.
Hasbro is doing a line of reissue Beast Wars toys in vintage packaging exclusive to Walmart. This is in line with the G1 and Headmasters series they have been running and making for an amazing Great Value BotCon 2021! Like the G1 toys, these have very slightly different paint apps from the originals. This still doesn't bother me as they're reissues and I'm not trying to pass them off as originals (shooting birds at Ebay). This is a super fun thing for me and something I can't resist.
Of course this brings up the inevitable invisible battle lines at this years Great Value BotCon. They'll be snarky comments about 'beast crap' from people who think their Great Value BotCon is the one true Great Value BotCon and everyone else is Great Value pond scum. Fortunately these types are usually allergic to air conditioning and Walmart keeps that running all year.
Don't let anyone ruin your Great Value BotCon and enjoy your Transformers the way you want. Between all the various 90's stuff making a comeback, I'm in heaven. Before I had said there was a real thrill in buying G1 Transformers at Walmart again and I'll say it again. This is an awesome feeling. You can't go back in time like the Maximals did, but it's fun to pretend a little. Before I watch Sting wrestle on TNT, I'm gonna run to Walmart and grab some Doritos 3D's and grab a Cheetor. What year is it again?
When it comes to Eternia, I wonder just how much of it is demonic haunted houses compared to space opera? Is there warring design groups? The metal guys vs Epcot season pass holders? Somebody has to be in the middle negotiating demonic haunted castles and space ships.
"I'll go anywhere in the universe, so long as it means scrapping Decepticons!"
Springer spent much of the war with the Decepticons going it alone, making friends along the way, but never staying in one place for any extended period of time. As word of the defeat of the Decepticons on Klo made its way throughout the galaxy, Springer was a bit disappointed when he thought that there would no longer be a war to fight. When he was approached by Grimlock to join the crew he was leading to hunt down Bludgeon and his army, Springer jumped at the opportunity. Serving as Grimlock's Security Chief, Springer is one Autobot that the Decepticons usually think twice about crossing.
Every neighborhood has a haunted house, but what if a Satanic guy also
lived there? This week, Rob revisits the neighborhood that Suicide Hill
was located in and talks about it's other place of horror. The haunted
house that a Satanic guy lived in.
"If we don't finish the job and flatten them - we might as well not be in the fight at all."
A vital cog in the vast Autobot battle machine. Can
endure the most extreme battle conditions and still fight fearlessly
to the last. Ties up all the loose ends as he mops up the action
behind the troops. As a tough vehicle will take on any endurance
challenge and defend with devastating water power. Is just as deadly
as a robot.
The Brute is a Kharn troop that resembles a demon straight from hell. These are the big bruisers that are usually carrying some heavy firepower into the battle and are twice as hard to kill the regular soldier. You know the type.
The figure comes with a big alien gun that looks like it would be more than enough in a fight. However the Quake Arms and Shock Arms accessory packs provide extra firepower to do some serious damage. It's really surprising to get such a cool figure for just a dollar. Let alone a completely cool line for a dollar each.
FUNCTION: PARANORMAL INVESTIGATOR
"When life splatters you with goo, just go with it"
When the GHOSTBUSTERS need a ride to the next paranormal hotspot, it's nice to have one who can also handle a Proton Pack.
Stay Puft doesn't have a ton of articulation. You can move his arms and twist wrists. For some reason his top half can rock sideways at the hips. It doesn't serve a purpose, but it is fun to bop back and forth. It's like they intended a child to play with it or something. The main feature is a face changing gimmick. With a push of the button atop a marshmallow man's head, the face of the destructor changes from happy to angry.
Doing this is literally hypnotic. His mood swings are far more entertaining than they have any right to be. One minute he's sweet and asking for you to donate to his patreon. The next he's pissed off that you wouldn't and told him to get a job. You've got some nerve. This is a great figure and fun to play around with. He matches pretty well with whatever set of Ghostbusters figures you pair him with. Seeing as Afterlife was recently moved to a November release from a Summer release, I expect (hope) the toys to start hitting stores sometime soon.
Stay Puft has a figure in the upcoming Fright Features line (a spiritual follow up to The Real Ghostbusters toys) but I can see this toy being intended to pair with those as well. It's generally with the other GB action figures and not the Playskool toys on store shelves. Even if he's an odd marshmallow man out among the other toys, it's a fun toy to play around with. Who thought mood changes could be so fun?
We all know that sense of fear that only a Monday can bring, but here on Planet Zone, that's a good thing! It's a new week and that means more mayhem and fun here at www.zonebase.org! There's a new episode of Not As Brightly Lit for a little of that Halloween spirit in March... MARCHOWEEN! I've been enjoying Pacific Rim: The Black on Netflix and really happy with how Power Rangers: Dino Fury has been going. Godzilla vs Kong is due out towards the end of the month and Toylanta in just two weeks! It's gonna be a great month, but first things first, a great week. Thanks everyone for reading and as always please share with your friends!
This past weekend I finally finished getting all of the wave 1 Headmasters at Walmart. I lucked up on Mindwipe in January, but was unable to find the rest until just now. Just in time as the second wave is popping up. I love this sort of thing.
The vintage style packaging really does it for me. It just looks great and while I understand the need for updated packaging- there's nothing quite like those old G1 style boxes. When Shokaract came in a Masterforce style box I was blown away. These toys would be ideal con exclusives.
I'm getting myself back into a con mindset, ToyLanta is just a few weeks away. I adjusted to the virtual/online con model really quickly since the pandemic started. Gone is haunting the dealers room between panels. Now I watch panels on my phone while going to Walmart. Getting these Headmasters during a online con would be just right.
Like pumpkins and spider webs, nothing say's Halloween as much as a pair
of plastic vampire fangs. This week, Rob talks about the holiday stand
by and it's many uses.
Reports of new dollar store GIJOE mini figures have been floating around recently. I've been hot on the trail, but so far they've only been popping up at 99 Cent Store locations. I don't have any of those in Georgia. I do have plenty other discount chains though, and many closer by since moving this past summer. Realistically I could just make a day out of hitting them all up looking for these guys.
The toys are small, under two inches (I've seen them next to a M.A.S.K figure in comparison pictures) with no articulation. The figures look pretty great. There's also a Power Ranger series I'd love to find. Not sure if they're new though. I've just seen then on the pegs in pictures. At a dollar each (maybe more at some places) I'd scoop up one of each on sight.
By the end of summer when these stores start ramping up their Christmas stock I should be able to find them. If not sooner. I could see a fun morning spent hitting up each discount store on the hunt. It's been awhile since I've been on one of those drawstring backpack adventures. Just fill the thing up with dollar toys. Good times.
Ruck is the ground artillery guy in Alpha Team 1. Like Steadfast, he's also a cyborg . Ruck has robotic legs and his covered in cool sci fi armor that you can plug various guns into for more firepower. He's pretty much a walking tank in these regards. Ruck comes with a backpack mounted gun that can fold over his shoulder. It matches up with the sculpted on headset that likely gives him a heads up display for use with his various attached weapons.
I see that armor and think Alien Syndrome. A major part of why these Final Faction toys are so cool is that old school flavor in the designs. Ruck is a great example of that. Like I said above, you can attach various attachments to him via accessory sets. The gun pods from the Air Assault set would be a natural fit though I think he's general enough for most things from the sets to match up pretty well. This figure with a helmeted head would make for a good army builder figure. He's a solid action figure from a line with a lot going on for it. I just can't say enough good things about these toys. It's a amazing they're exclusive to the Dollar Tree. There's more heart in these than much more expensive figures.
When the crypt goes creak, and the tombstones quake.
Spooks come out for a swinging wake.
After what seemed like forever, I finally completed the Hershey's Treasure Surprise Transformers toys. I had been steadily putting two on each weeks grocery list. Sometimes they were out, sometimes they weren't. There's a visceral joy after bringing your grocery delivery inside and opening the little blue treasure chests. Though after many, many, many repeats of Starscream and Optimus Prime... it does get a little tedious. A random trip to CVS last Sunday lead to an entire brand new case and I grabbed one on a whim. This finally gave me a Bumblebee completing the set. I have no clue how Bumblebee was the impossible one to find.
The figures are roughly an inch and are cast in their primary colors with a small touch of paint for details. They're a stiff plastic, not soft and rubbery as you'd think looking at them. The sculpting is pretty good with some than others. Optimus and Bumblebee have more simpler sculpts than the others. Megatron and Grimlock are pretty impressive and probably my favorite of the bunch. Starscream is good, probably a the mid point of the series. Despite the frustration of getting a lot of repeats, I did like chasing after them. I'd like to see another series. This kind of thing is my specific thing.
It's Monday, and you know what that means? That's right! Another week of robots, monsters, and misadventure here on Planet Zone! If you missed it, there's a new episode of Not As Brightly Lit for a little something spooky. I talk about a urban legend from my childhood and the day some friends and I took it on. I've got a fun week of posts planned for your eyeballs that just might scar you for life. As always, thanks for reading and don't forget to share with your friends!
