Weekly Halloween: Dead Batteries

 

It's always a nightmare. You fire up the Gameboy only to find out the batteries are no longer among the living. Even worse, there's a nasty storm, the power goes out, and that flashlight next to the bed won't come on. You need good batteries and dammit, nothing says long lasting better than Dracula. He never dies! Those long lasting batteries can really come in handy on Halloween night. You might have a flashlight instead of a glowstick to safety avoid all those pitfalls in the sidewalk or broken beer bottles in that one families lawn (we all know which house, why do we even go there?). That same flashlight will end up on your mom's nightstand eventually. It's a good thing there's some good batteries in that thing to avoid a scary situation.

Run toward the victory Soldier Boy

 

I've spoken of my love of Masterforce here before and dammit I'm going to again. Recently I've been re-watching it, mostly by myself, though the other day while my wife was napping on the couch. She woke up and asked me what I was watching. I just told her robots. We often just say robots in regards to Transformers. She then said 'no, really, what even is this', and I said 'it's my Transformers cartoons'. She still did not believe me and probably still doesn't now. Masterforce is just that different of a Transformers series that it takes people completely by surprise.

Why is it so different? During development, it was decided the ongoing story had reached a natural conclusion and a fresh start was needed. The show is still in continuity with the previous shows and following shows despite of that. It's a little out of place though as it went from the then future, to obviously the late 80's. Sometimes it's best not to dwell on that sort of thing as the show was great regardless. Initially focusing on Pretenders, the show later works in Headmasters and Godmasters/Powermasters into the mix. 

The overall vibe of the show is different too. It's clearly taking inspiration from traditional super robot shows as well as tokusatsu like Super Sentai and Ultraman. MetalHawk and Shuta Go remind me a lot of older Ultraman shows where the Ultra of the series would often serve as a mentor to a local child. The kids before becoming Headmaster Jr's make me think of the team from Hard Gumi. The Pretenders go from standard human disguises to armored mode in battle. Then release their inner robot mode as things get complicated when fighting the monstrous Decepticon Pretenders and Seacons. Which follows the standard fighting sequence of a Super Sentai/Power Rangers series. Godmasters/Powermasters are handled similarly as well.

Aside from the stark differences, the show is just fun. From the all out brutality of the Decepticons to moments like Shuta playing soccer at school. The show is a roller coaster ride, and that's just the first few minutes! Clearly as someone who likes monsters, spooky stuff, Pretenders and loves Powermaster Optimus Prime like I do would favor this show. Not just that, but Transformers every once and awhile needs a refreshing and this was the first major one. Not just a change of scenery or new characters, they practically reinvented the wheel while still staying true to it's roots. It's a real treat to watch the first time and again for the millionth.

Spoiler Alert

 

Spoiler is a Gobot that I have a lot of love for. Which is funny as I didn't know his name until I was an adult. I was given Spoiler, but not as a gift or anything. My neighbor at the time who was something of a family friend had found it in his yard and gave it to me. I was pretty unfamiliar with it and after reviewing the back of various Gobot packages decided he was Good Knight. Now before you point out that he obviously isn't, Gobots generally just had robot modes on cardbacks. That and I was 8. 

Years later I was corrected and it's good to be. But let's talk about Spoiler for a minute. He's one of the Renegades and really enthusiastic. Originally in Machine Robo, the toy was known as Countach Robo. Spoiler is generally a straight repack of the green eyed red version without the extra stickers. He's a pretty good toy. Fairly articulated for the time (shoulders, knees) and a solid alt mode. Not to mention, there's a lot of die-cast metal that just makes him pleasant in hand. Spoiler isn't one of the more well known Gobots. However he's a pretty good one, just not a Good Knight.

Motorcycle at Arms

 

Recently my mother gifted me the Man-At-Arms with Sky Sled set from the He-Man and the Masters of the Universe toy line. I've been a fast fan of this show and the toy's I've purchased from it. Admittedly, I initially wasn't interested in the motorcycle set's I'd been seeing. I mainly want the Eternia Minis and am happy to get a few regular figures (and Battle Cat, whom is awesome). That opinion has now changed after spending an entire day driving this silly little motorcycle around. Let me explain why.

I've always had an appreciation for classic MOTU vehicles. The mixture of fantasy, sci fi, and bizarre designs appeal directly to my tastes. I'm also a fan of clever design. The 'character on a motorcycle' style toy has been ever present in most children's toy lines. So what if instead of sticking a figure on the same bike as the other ones (maybe in different colors) in the series, what if each figure came with a different bike? Well, ok, but what if each different bike was specifically styled after a classic MOTU vehicle? NOW you have my attention. 

Man-At-Arms for example comes with a Sky Sled inspired motorcycle. He-Man, the Ground Ripper which is themed after the Road Ripper. Get it? It's neat and pretty well done. The included figures are also standard figures in different decos than their carded counterparts. Usually they come with weapons, however Man-At-Arms here didn't come with his big mace. I'm assuming this is the toy that took a hit for the rest of the case assortment to fit the budget. Considering his design probably requires additional molding, I guess I can see why. 

Playing with my new figure across my counter while air frying some lunch, I found myself remembering Spawn Nitro Riders. I was a big fan of this little toy line in the early 2000's. Even though these figures are a little simpler and more chunky (it's not exact). Once I mentally made the comparison, I couldn't ignore the similarities. He-Man Nitro Riders? Sold. Now I find myself wanting more. There's the He-Man and Skeletor sets out there as well as a Trap-Jaw incoming. I wish there was a King Hiss one, just so I could make the obligatory "call me Snake' biker joke.

Send (Wrecker) Hook

 

Robotmasters was a neat Transformers line from the mid-2000's that I have a lot of love for. A mixture of new and old toy molds in fantastic decos in a Transformers multiversal showdown in the Blastizone (a suburb here on Planet Zone). It was pure robot anarchy and I loved it. Wrecker-Hook was one of the early stand outs. Outside of Japan we know him as Tow-Line. He was a lovable character in Robots in Disguise that took his tow truck alt mode a little too seriously.

However by 2004 he had somehow lost his memory and became a Decepticon! During this time Wrecker-Hook became a capable mechanic who can fix almost anything. He got a visible upgrade as well. From the green and purple as an Autobot to black and red with gnarly flames as a Decepticon! Wrecker-Hook seemingly improved himself as a bad guy. Even made himself a new friend in Wingstun!

Weekly Halloween: Living in the Amityville Horror

 

I'm endlessly entertained by the Amityville Horror. Not the movies, but the real life events. I'll watch documentaries and read news clips. It's fascinating to me. Probably because I was a young child when it was a more common 'real life' horror story. One thing that often crosses my mind is, the people that lived there before the murders and the haunting. Did they just see their old home on the news and say 'holy crap'? When the movies and notoriety came, were they like 'we used to live there, holy crap'?

I've heard before that Piper Laurie (the mom from Carrie) once lived there. I can't find anything to back that up online, but that'd be a weird coincidence if true. I'm honestly not that concerned if the haunting is true or not. I do admit, those old photos still make me a little uncomfortable. I used to see them in all those 'house from hell' articles as a kid and nothing can shake off the spooky vibes they carry.

Robots/Monsters/Oh My

 

I got the coolest Press Release today chock full of upcoming Hasbro toys. There's some really cool stuff coming in 2022 and I thought I'd point out a few neat things that I thought might be of interest to Zone Base readers. 

Transformers: Bumblebee Cyberverse Adventures Dinobots Unite Smash Changer Optimus Prime (Ages 6 & up/Approx. Retail Price: $31.49) 

This is a pretty neat looking figure. While being part of Cyberverse, it's clearly Optimus from the Bumblebee movie and upcoming Rise of the Beasts! I really dig the newer movie designs and this one's pretty tempting. That's him in the header image. 

Star Wars™ - Star Wars™ Mission Fleet Boba Fett Starship and 2.5-inch Figure Set (Ages 4 years & up/ Approx. Retail Price: $41.99) 

You guys know I've been a fan of the Mission Fleet Star Wars toys. While I didn't see a picture of this one, I'm really looking forward to it. Boba Fett is one of my all time favorites (I already have his regular Mission Fleet toy) and looking forward to seeing his classic ship in this line,

Power Rangers Dino Fury Megafury Saber (Ages 5 years & up/Approx. Retail Price: $38.99) 

Tokusatsu fans love role play toys and Hasbro has a few Power Rangers ones on the way. I'm pointing out the Megafury Saber as I want to run around the back yard and swing it at imaginary monsters. Or the neighbors kid.

Marvel Mech Strike Monster Hunters (Ages 4 years & up/Approx. Retail Price: $11.99-$34.99)  

Holy crap! I already thought Marvel Mech Strike was pretty great, but they just made it amazing! Now we have Marvel's heroes with super cool mech suits and sci fi weaponry fighting specifically monstery versions of the Marvel villains. I am specifically excited for this, just look at that packaging! With this and the new season of Stranger Things (finally) coming soon, we've got a great start to spooky summer!

Thanks to Rogers & Cowan for providing Zone Base readers with another awesome press release.

Playing with Bat Power

 

It's been 30 years and I'm still not over Batmania. To this day, it's still my favorite era of Batman. One of the best flavors of it's time was the 8 and 16 bit video games. I love a good action platformer and they certainly were. The doom and gloom of the Tim Burton movies matched up with the game play to create something special. I still enjoy going through the motions and playing them. Jump, punch, and throw a dirk at one of Joker's gang.

Bios: Flame

 

"Too hot to handle is ice cold to me."

Function: Troubleshooter

The thinker in the Motorvator team. Brilliant advisor in battle and tracking tactics. Sneaky and cunning in a conflict situation. As mentally agile as Lightspeed is physically fast, he leaves Overlord behind him in the brain power stakes. Housing Energon figure equipped with problem solving analytical compu-unit. A vastly intelligent mechanism in comparison with Overlord's basic function Energon operators. Flameproof laser-evader proton armor makes both vehicle and robot an invincible attack force.

Land Shark

 

Somewhere within Skeletor's forces of Evil Warriors they got something right. Someone created the Land Shark. In a world terrorized by living Halloween decorations, somebody made a shark tank. A shark tank with a giant mouth that opened and closed. In the original cartoon the Land Shark was seemingly alive. A primitive robotic shark creature that lived to ride around and eat what it couldn't shoot. Or eat what it did shoot. Basically a death machine.

Outside of the cartoon, the Land Shark was just a vehicle that Skeletor used often in the mini comics. In Revelation, the Evil Warriors had a fleet of them, which was just great. Despite being totally ridiculous, it's also completely bad ass. If I described it to you, you'd probably laugh. However, if you saw it coming after you, you'd run in terror. Such is the weird world of Masters of the Universe. It's absurd, but in the most awesome way.

There's a new Origins toy I must get. I do have an original and the Hot Wheels mini. Something about a little die cast version of this horror show is impossible to ignore. I love the colors too. The purples and dark blue contrast nicely on the awesome look of it all. Something about a robotic shark tank being driven by a buff living skeleton is just so hard to express fully how awesome it is. I'm just in awe of it all.

Dialing into EarthSpark

 

Earlier today, Hasbro previewed the new Transformers cartoon "Transformers Earthspark". It's coming this fall on Nickelodeon and hopefully Paramount Plus. It should to no surprise to any of you that I'm looking forward to this. While it's too early to form an opinion, the clip looks great. I like the designs quite a bit and hope some cool toys come from it. I'm certain they'll be previewed over the next few months. If they're like the Cyberverse toys before, I'm looking forward to some cool old school super robot style figures. It's always exciting when a new Transformers cartoon is debuting. Here's hoping it's as good as it looks so far!

Storming the Quicksand

 

Recently Hasbro previewed the upcoming Walmart Exclusive Sandstorm. This is a pretty big deal to me. The original is one of those figures that's always been just out of reach. It was a BotCon exclusive in the older days when they were a bit more hard to get and from a year I couldn't afford to go. This new Sandstorm is made from the Kingdom Scorponok toy that I loved. Frankly, I'll be satisfied with it. Being Exclusive to Walmart, it shouldn't be too hard to get. Though also being exclusive to Walmart means I don't trust their pre-order system and will have to essentially stalk my local stores when the sightings start happening. No problem, I'll practically live there if I have too. This is a must have toy for me and I can't wait to get one. It's so exciting to see something like this happen and honestly I'd love for more to come out.

Weekly Halloween: Dracula vs Frankenstein

 

Nothing says Halloween more than Dracula and Frankenstein. That being said, I'm sure a bag of Halloween candy costs more than this film did to make. Still, it's got all the markings of the Horror Marathon that'll play while you give out that candy to trick or treaters between bites of pizza. It's even got Lon Chaney Jr! Sadly it's during the last unflattering days of his career, but it's still always good to see him. The monsters headquarters in the movie is even underneath a haunted attraction! Look, it's not a great movie. However, you tell me a team of monsters have a base under a haunted attraction and I'm sold. Trick or treat guys.

Bios: Ricochet

 

"Shoot first, why bother with questions."

Function: Bodyguard

Ricochet, the twin brother of Autobot Jazz, is the result of Prime's experiment in splitting an Ember in two and joining each with a new body. Though Ricochet and Jazz were activated seconds apart, the two couldn't be more different. Trained by Prime to serve as one of his elite bodyguards, Ricochet is known for his wild attitude, acting first and asking questions later. Many times this leaves the Autobots without a hostage or serves to eliminate anyone who plans to usurp Ricochet and take his position by Prime's side. Ricochet works extra hard to betray others first, believing that those around him are out to sabotage him. Much to his annoyance, his twin brother Jazz has always been Prime's favorite. Though Ricochet only "acts" crazy from time to time, some fear that this knowledge will lead to it no longer being an act.

Inter-Changing Things Up

 

Inner Space has been on my mind lately. I've always been a fan of this particular part of Transformers, even before I knew it was part of Transformers. I was just a kid playing with his Pocket Super Heroes and Buck Rogers figures and those neat shiny head guys sure were cool. A weird thing with toy molds is that they often live strange lives. MEGO wasn't the only company to reuse Micronaut molds. There was Lords of Light and Inter-Changeables for example. Unlike Lords of Light (I'll talk about those later), The Inter-Changeables were almost identical to Micronauts/Microman. Considering the packaging and presentation, you'd almost expect them to be a new series by MEGO. 

They weren't, but you'd swear they were and I think that was the intention. Note the hint about joint compatibility on the package above for Cosmo-Man, the new version of the classic Time Traveler figure. Released by Hourtoy for the first series and the second series by M&D Toys, the figures were near identical with just some different colors and names. However these were no bootleg toys, the molds were licensed by Takara (or were they? check down in the comments). I've seen others speculate that there's a MEGO connection. Maybe? They're odd for sure, but I've always appreciated the weirder aspects of these things.

Fighting the Quantum via Kabuki

 

Unfortunately, not everything works out. Case in point- Kabuki Quantum Fighter (Jigoku Gokurakumaru in Japan). Clearly HAL and Nintendo planned to make this a series. You've got a very recognizable hero who says "I'll be back. Watch for my new adventure." in the end credits. Not to mention a premise that lends itself to those future adventures. Our hero, Colonel Scott O'Connor, whose transferred his brain into the main defense computer system to fight a rouge program. Of course that rouge program resents itself as various monsters and other bad guy types for our hero to fight. As a computer program, Scott's self image is a kabuki as he is the descendant of a kabuki actor.

The Japanese version is a little different. Instead, the game is a tie in to the movie Zipang with a boy named Bobby entering a computer system. Inside the system he's a samurai. The setting got switched up a little to make Quantum Fighter. It's a solid premise, not too unlike Gridman. I do wish they'd made more as it's a good game as well. I was just replaying and having just as much fun as ever. It's an action platformer, which is a favorite type of mine. Scott uses his hair as a melee weapon and various projectile/bomb attacks are obtained as you progress. It's a weird and fun sci fi setting with some scary visuals mixed in. Unfortunately it's also been 30 years since the release and no sequel. I'd love a figure of Scott, unofficial or not. I'd love a new game as well, but at least the original is still fun when revisiting.

Transform Squadron 29: Neon Shadow Gang

 

Listen Here!

In this episode, Rob talks about toys he’s looking for and goes on several tangents while doing so.

 

picture credit :https://micromanclub.tumblr.com/

A Hyper Galaxy

 

Cybertron/Galaxy Force is one of those lines that feels like the last of it's kind. It was the last series to run before the 2007 live action movie changed everything. Sure, 'classics' happened in between. However that didn't have a cartoon and generally filled out the time before the movie (which had been delayed) released. Cybertron was the last of the Unicron Trilogy (Galaxy Force was stand alone) and a fun ride. Following up on the gimmick heavy lines of the Unicron Trilogy, it took the 'activated' gimmick from Armada and improved it. I liked the different themed planets and variety of robots that came from it.

A neat Kabaya candy toy line sold as part of Galaxy Force was Hyper Galaxy. Hyper Galaxy was a figurine line sold mainly at convenience stores like other candy toys in 2005. There were 3 total figures in the line- Galaxy Convoy (Optimus Prime), Galaxy Convoy Super Mode (Optimus Prime Super Mode), and Master Megatron (Megatron). Each was individually labeled (not blind boxes) and came with a piece of gum. 

The figures were neat overall. Galaxy Convoy Super Mode was my favorite with Master Megatron coming in second. The regular Galaxy Convoy was fine, just not as neat as the others. They were well painted and honestly something I would love to grab from a convenience store. I could easily see myself picking up one while stopping in for a Bueno Bar and bottle of Coke Zero. Unfortunately these cool toys don't reach my small stores. I got my set at BotCon that year. I don't remember the exact price, but it wasn't expensive. The three stood by my computer monitor for a while with some Beast Wars gachapon figures. That was a cool set up.

Weekly Halloween: Kid Dracula

 

Now you're playing with power: Spooky Power! Considering the new week posts are just me complaining about never finding Studio Series Soundwave and everyday is Halloween... what I'm saying is we're going to start each week with the spooky shit. Don't worry, Halloween is still the same on the site. We just need more of it dammit! Not to mention the mini Halloween later this year.. what? You saw nothing. Weekly Halloween will be a little something spooky to start off the week here on Planet Zone! 

Kid Dracula is a weird little Castlevania spin off that features Alucard as a little boy. Kid Dracula calls himself the Demon King and Galamoth (another demon) comes to challenge him for the title. Alucard takes his fathers cape and has a spooky adventure through the castle fighting all sorts of ghosts, goblins, monsters, yokai, demons, and other creepy crawlies. It's been released on several different platforms and isn't too hard to play these days.

The Master of Oil

 

While looking at my Nemesis Primal figure, I found myself wondering why he wasn't Oilmaster? Let me rewind a little and bring my train of thought up to that opening question. Legacy Iguanus was previewed by Hasbro. Like other Pretender updates before it, Iguanus's robot mode is based on his Pretender shell with inner robot alt mode while ignoring the inner robot mode. It's a fun happy medium if they're not making a full Pretender style toy. The toy is a Core Class figure, a size class I do like a lot. Leading me to hope other Pretender updates in that scale happen.

I like Pretenders quite a bit. Always have, they're just fun. As time went on after their release and information became more readily available, the unmade Pretender shells became more common knowledge. They were certainly cool and as things work, the gorilla one became a character in E-Hobby comics. He was named after Oilmaster, a popular fan blogger. I always found that super cool. That's one of the things I've always enjoyed about E-Hobby toys. The inclusion of the greater Transformers universe. 

More time went on and in 2015 Oilmaster was made as part of that year's BotCon Exclusive set. A brand new shell and the Legend Swerve mold was used to create the character. After all this time it finally existed! I do wish to eventually acquire the BotCon/TFCC Pretenders. They are some of the coolest things that came from the Fun Publications era. 

So here it is some time later after that. Every so often I proudly look at my recent Walmart vintage Transformers toys. You know, the ones that come in 'vintage' packaging? I really like them. The recent Beast Wars ones are a particular strong source of emotion. I loved Beast Wars and that whole time era. I honestly miss it. That first gorilla Optimus Primal toy has always been a stand out Transformer toy for me. Sometimes I find myself imagining exclusive figures if I was in the position to create them. I can easily see myself pitching that toy mold as the toy that would become Oilmaster. 

Then we get to that Nemesis Primal figure. He came in the 'Worlds Collide' Buzzworthy Bumblebee boxed set exclusive to Target. One of the reasons I like store exclusive Transformers is that they're essentially the modern day equivalent of BotCon exclusives. They're also pretty neat. The Worlds Collide set pretty much was an old BotCon exclusive box set in execution and certainly felt like one. Nemesis Primal was an alternate universe evil clone of Optimus Primal made from the Kingdom version of Optimus Primal. When the set was initially previewed, I took it as a throwback to Galvatron Lio Convoy/ Galva Convoy initially and thought it looked like the old Kabaya model kit. Which is pretty much is/does. However with Iguanus making the rounds and getting me all excited... I guess you can see what I was thinking in that opening question.

Fuzzy Pumper Monster Shop

 

Fuzzy Pumper Monster Shop is probably one of the the worst names for a toy that I can imagine. There's just no way to say that out loud without feeling a little embarrassed. Oddly enough, Fuzzy Pumper (sigh) was a line of Play-Doh sets that still continues to this very day! Now they're called 'Buzz n' Cut' or 'Crazy Cuts' because... dude. Awkward names aside, this is the classic Play-Doh barbershop. You know how it works, Put the head on the thing, push the 'doh' through and watch the wacky crazy hair grow! Then give it a hair cut, any crazy style you want. Any color!

What's so special about this set is that it's a particularly spooky themed one. MONSTERS! The wolfman's got a funky green and red beard! Frankenstein's got a pink dreadlocks! The Zombie has a Chelsea because it's into 90's alt rock! Then when your monster customer gets mad at the terrible job you did on it's precious hairdo, you can just lock it up! There's a crypt to store your monster away with a chain! Everyday is Halloween on Planet Zone. With the Fuzzy Pumper (sigh) Monster Shop it can be Halloween at your home base too!

Bios: Magnificus

 

Function: Outcast

Once the Military Consul for the Decepticon domain of Mebion, Magnificus was framed and convicted thanks to a crafty trap set by Decepticon command staff who were jealous of his position.  He was ousted and sent to be a pit-fighting robot in a remote region of space.  His partner Ga'mede was a member of the royal family of Xeptos, a planet existing a subatomic inner space, but just as he was to be executed over a family dispute, he was rescued into the macroverse thanks to Magnificus' matter-enlarging scope.  The two were bonded almost immediately by implicit trust owing to their similar circumstances, and have crossed numerous battlefields and parts of the underworld together.  Their travels have gained them a suitable stock of wealth and armaments, with which they carry out a campaign of heartless revenge on the traitors who brought Magnificus low.

MEGO's Multi of Micro

 

One particularly I enjoy about Transformers is the trivial associations. Due to the nature of it's creation and history, Transformers as a brand has formed quite the iceberg so to speak. Even the official mainstream stuff is in murky waters making it more of a lost continent than iceberg. One such dark corner is MEGO. It's pretty common knowledge to most fans that Microman was one of the toy lines used to initially create Transformers. It's also fairly well known that MEGO drew from that same well to create Micronauts. What may not be as well known is what else MEGO did from there.

Companies often reuse existing resources. While it may rub some the wrong way, it's just smart business. It's not much different than you using the same bottle of Tylenol for a different problem than you first bought it for. Things like toy molds are very expensive and usually easy to use again. MEGO for awhile was a pretty popular toy brand before they went into a downward spiral. Aside from Micronauts, their Pocket Super Heroes sold well.

Pocket Super Heroes was a 3 3/4 action figure line featuring Marvel and DC characters. The line was popular, but eventually sales slowed. Micronauts had also waned in popularity leading to extra resources left over. Often through their Lion Rock label, MEGO released various vehicles for use with the Pocket Super Heroes using several Micronauts molds. Ampzilla became Ampzilla for example. Pocket Super Heroes wasn't the only recipient of these molds. MEGO's Buck Rogers line featured the Star Searcher, made from the Micronauts Star Defender. Which itself was the Microman Surveyor 3 originally.

Neat, huh?

RX-78-2 (US) Gundam (American Type)

 

RX-78-2 is pretty much the main Gundam in the overall sceme of things. It's kinda of like the Optimus Prime of Gundam. Ironically Takara copied the head for Convoy, but that's another post. My point is, it's every where when it comes to Gundam. This particular version is a Entry Grade Gunpla sold exclusively at Target. Fictionally it's a statue from Gundam Breaker Battlogue, I like it because it's neat. I'm a fan of oddball variations like Police versions or in this case, an American edition Gundam. So you can see why I was happy to find it included with the gifts from the Mrs at Christmas. 

I mentioned above that this is an Entry Grade model, which means it's a simple kit that can be assembled easily in not a lot of time. I had a good time with my nippers assembling this guy while watching paranormal TV a few weeks back. I also ate a salad, it was exquisite. You probably notice the stickers that match the patriotic colors. They were pretty simple over all and the 'RX' logo on it's right should also came in red. I opted for the blue. I think I put the stripes sticker on the shield upside down. Something I didn't notice until it was too late. Fortunately they look the same regardless. 

This was a fun, simple kit that looks great. The American version is a fun variation that's not too far removed from the standard look of the RX-78-2's. The finished figure after assembly has a good deal of articulation and can be put into a variety of poses. While the simplicity of the build may not appeal to advanced Gunpla folks, it was a fun evening for me.

Bios: Iguanus

 

"The shortest path between two Maximal points is a heat seeking missile."

Function: Demolitions, Artillery Expert

Iguanus is a master of combat calculations. Armed with long range tactical missiles capable of carrying a wide variety of warheads, his firepower rating is among the highest of the Predacons. Able to accurately calculate target position from incredible distances, he obliterates enemies from thousands of kilometers with cutthroat precision. Special titanium armor plating withstands even the most severe blasts.