Pumpkin Spiced Mayhem 2023!

It's August and you know what that means? The Annual Halloween Party on Zone Base starts NOW! Until the end of the Spooky Season, Pumpkin Spiced Mayhem will run rampant. If it's your first Halloween on the site, there's still regular content, but there's Halloween in between. Think of it as the best kind of Oreo. Unlike bigger sites with all the acclaim and maybe two posts, there'll be a whole lot of Halloween Hootenanny going on here!

Over the years I've gotten a bit of a reputation for posting some of the more obscure media during this time of the year. There's a some old standards and a few annual traditions. However the bulk of it tends to be from pretty far left field. This year I feel like I've curated some really forgotten and undiscovered gems. The play list is back again as well. Now with even more sinister songs for your ear holes. You can find it on the side bar or on Spotify.

Thank you all for celebrating Halloween with me again this year. I look forward to this all year and hope everyone enjoys the scary fun. Thank you so very much for continuing to support Zone Base. Don't forget to bring a glow stick when you go trick or treating and please share with your friends!

Cheetor (Studios Series/Voyager)

While the prior Cheetor toys from Rise of the Beasts have been more in line with his classic design, the Studio Series release has our favorite cool cat in his new movie looks. Like I've said before, Cheetor is one of my favorite Transformers characters. It's going to be hard to be impartial with this one, and to be honest, I love this toy. I'm going to gush. This is a good, solid, figure and great representation of Cheetor's movie appearance. He's a Voyager class figure. That seems a little large for a character who's normally in the Deluxe range, but it's nice having this larger toy. The Maximals size up to regular Transformers in the movies, so it's not too odd. Not to mention, with his movie looks...it just fits. I can't believe I'm comparing this with toys like Clench or Stalker... but the larger size feels super appropriate here.

Cheetor turns into a cheetah of course. As with the case with the other movie beast warriors, it's a techno organic cheetah. If I were to compare it with anything, this Cheetor looks like a cross between his Transmetal and Beast Machines design with a dose of late Euro G1/G2. It's a mix of design cues that somehow just works. If I had any complaints, I wish the yellow was a little more varied. Cheetor is a somewhat metallic Dijon mustard that works, but I'd have preferred something different. The colors are a little darker than normal because movie, but I feel like there was other dark yellows that would have worked better. It's not a deal breaker at all, just a slight nit pick. 

Transformation is a breeze, and kinda works exactly how you'd expect. I do really appreciate the fact that his weapon doesn't form from the beast mode tail. Tail weapons are pretty standard for beast type toys, so it's really refreshing then they're not. Cheetor's spear splits in half and can be held as a whole or in halves. It also mounts on his back in both modes. That's not a big feature or anything... but I feel like that really adds to his look. Since his arms are made from the cheetahs front legs, the claws can either fold out of the way, or over the hand as a melee weapon. For some reason this reminds me of the claw gimmick from Supreme Cheetor. Not his most popular figure, but hey... this one is much better!

Bios: Wreckloose

An eager fighter for Scourge, Wreckloose throws himself wholeheartedly into battle. He rarely carries a ranged weapon, preferring to use his bladed shield in close combat. Able to blend in almost perfectly with the Jungle Planet underbrush and move silently through even the densest vegetation, he will wait in hiding for days just to ambush a challenging opponent.

Strength: 6.5 Intelligence: 5.5 Speed: 7 Endurance: 8

Rank: 4.5 Courage: 8 Firepower: 5.5 Skill: 8.5

 

 

 

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Spooky Summer~ Market Basket

Summer is a Spooky Season.

Arcee (Studio Series/Core Class)

In Rise of the Beasts, Arcee manages to merge her G1 and Energon designs into one neat little robot. So far she's gotten a  few figures, but we're going to look at her Core Class figure from Studio Series. Core Class is quickly becoming my current favorite size class. Not just because I like the smaller figures and cheaper prices... they're generally neat. I know I've been comparing the recent ROTB toys to other Transformers figures a lot, and that's something that's been fun for me.

These new figures of Arcee are like the Core Class Spike I spoke about not long ago. They feel more like Takara SF Land realized in modern Transformers. Specifically this time, Arcee makes me think of an individual Microman or Diaclone troopers general design. As a toy, Arcee reminds me of a 90's Microman. Like Spike, I'd love to see a Buzzworthy Bumblebee box set with the molds themed as so. They use the Micronauts font there after all.

Like other incarnations, Arcee transforms into a motorcycle. The Energon design is probably my favorite version of Arcee, so thanks to the similarities, I'm fond of this one going in. It's a mixed bag with this toy. I like the robot, like the motorcycle, don't like the transformation. Hard to put into words exactly why and it's possible that it could have just been my own clumsiness. Maybe you might have a better opinion of it. It's not a deal breaker, ultimately.

I do wish Arcee had two of her little rectangle guns like she does in the movie. They make me think of the various Uzis many a GIJOE came with. That's definitely a gun that's seemingly from a specific era. Arcee is a fun little figure from a fun movie. So far, I've liked every Core Class figure I've gotten my hands on. I'm not sure if that's a sign for anyone else, but it just adds to my appreciation of the size class. Can't complain about that.

More Monday, More Violence!

It's Monday again and a new week on Planet Zone has begun! I had a good weekend that I'm sad to see over. The Mrs and I did some more Halloween shopping. Neon is appearing to be a big theme in this years stuff and I find that awesome. Between the Toxitron Transformers and that... neon is a vibe I can get behind. It's one of those times I was accidentally psychic when coming up with the looks of the Halloween party here on the site. That's gonna be starting soon, hope you're all ready for Pumpkin Spiced Mayhem 2023!

Unfortunately I didn't find any Toxitron Transformers this weekend, but didn't come out empty handed. Studio Series Airrazor and Earthspark Warrior Class Jawbreaker now have a home. Speaking of Earthspark, new episodes are hitting Paramount Plus this week! I've got a fun week of content planned for you all, thank you for continuing to support Zone Base. If you could, please share posts with your friends and like and follow us on social media. 

Transform Squadron 46- Shining Code Orange

Rob talks Code Orange, Telecoma Senshi, and various Tectors while not realizing his beard is rubbing against the microphone.

LISTEN NOW!

Rhinox (Rise of the Beasts/Voyager

I've always liked Rhinox, it's hard not to. He's this really likable gentle giant who's also the smartest person in the room (not counting the events of Beast Machines). Being one of the robots from the new movie, he's getting plenty of toys. This is his Voyager figure from the 'main line' of Transformers Rise of the Beasts. It's pretty great. I know I've been saying that a lot regarding these, and that's because they are. To me anyway, you might think differently. That's ok. I'm not pretending to be the definitive opinion on anything. This is just mine, and I like these toys. Being a Voyager class figure, Rhinox is pretty large. He's a big guy, so he should be.

Rhinox is fairly articulated and well sculpted. Many of you might wonder why there's a mainline and Studio Series Voyager figure of the same character... and that's a fair question. The Studio Series is meant to be a collectors line, while this is a better fit for all ages. This Rhinox is a little more toyetic, his transformation is a little easier and has more 'fun' features. These features aren't some sort of play gimmick, but accessories. Rhinox has his twin Chain Guns of Doom and the beast mode horn can be used as a melee weapon or mounted on his shoulder. The guns can rotate and of course pay homage to classic Rhinox's famous weapons while the melee weapon is similar to the one his Transmetal version wielded. That's probably not an intentional homage, but I find these movie beast warrior designs similar to Transmetals. So that's a neat extra, even if accidental. 

The chain guns can mount on his beast mode's sides giving a pretty fun look to the rhino. In the movie, Rhinox has a big hammer... as does his Studio Series toy. Like I said, they made this version more toyetic... this is fun. Not to mention, I kinda like this better. It's got a little more character. If I did have a complaint, it's that Rhinox could use more color. However, it's a movie toy so... yeah. Despite that, Rhinox is a really fun figure. He's big and chonky, nut not a brick. There's plenty of play value with his various accessorizes and they store away nicely in beast mode. I haven't had much bad things to say about the toys from this movie, and the way things are going, won't. That's a pretty great thing.

Bios: Mirage

Function - Race Car

Mirage is the fastest of the Spy Changers and an excellent marksman. His speed makes him great at spying out enemy plans - he's in and out before anyone's the wiser. His distinguished services include bodyguard and spy. He uses a sniper rifle.

 "You can't hit a speeding target!"

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Spooky Summer~ A Friend in Big Red Shoes

Summer is a Spooky Season.

Optimus Primal (Beast Battle Masters)

It's not secret that I love partner figures, it's said in every post about them. These Beast Battle Masters are a fun addition to the Rise of the Beasts toy line and an easy sell for me as a fan of Battle Masters and partner figures in general. Optimus Primal is another repeating character from this series. Like I said, I'd rather them all be new characters, but it doesn't bother me too much. Optimus is pretty neat. As a Beast Battle Master, he turns from beast to gun. The gorilla form is simple, but pretty good. There's a surprising bit of articulation for such a small and simple little figure. 

Optimus transforms into a pretty large blaster. It can be held by all 5mm compatible Transformers and obviously is a part of Beast Alliance. There's not really any information about the toy, but I like to think it shoots large electrical blasts. Primal's ape mode was inspired by King Kong, so it's only natural that Kong's lightening abilities be reflected in this gun mode. I'm obviously thinking too much about a silly little toy of a gorilla that turns into a gun... but that's fun to do. I really like how these are making me think alot about other things. Rise of the Beasts has some great toys, and this is another one.

Fire beats Wood, Weekend beats Monday

It's one of those Mondays that I feel hung over. However that still means it's a new week on Planet Zone! Thanks to everyone for coming back. I've got some great content planned for all you readers. But before that, let's talk about what I did this weekend. Well, let me talk... hey weekend! Saturday the Mrs and I did quite a bit of Code Orange Halloween shopping. Home Goods, Joanne Fabrics, Michael's, and At Home all have a lot of Halloween merchandise available and dang we bought a lot.

That's not counting the Bath and Bodyworks pre spooky season sale on their site. They have launch day next Monday that we'll be attending. The early online event was fun, but nothing beats the in person experience. Speaking of the podcast, I didn't find any of the new Toxitron Transformers series. Hopefully soon. I was a big fan of the Velocitron Speedia collection last year, and this is a great follow up. I hope Walmart does something like this every year. 

Speaking of Transformers, I did find some new bots while out. Legacy Animated Universe Prowl as well as Core Class Skar and Swoop. That makes my collection of Core Class Dinobots a total of 3. Hopefully I won't have any problems getting the others. I really want to complete the new Volcanicus and love Dinobots. I ate more grocery store sushi and watched more spooky TV. It was a good weekend. 

Sunday started with a movie. The Mrs had gotten free tickets to The Sound of Freedom. We partially was curious if anything crazy would happen thanks to all the urban legends going on around the movie would happen. Allegedly showings get mysteriously shut down by various groups not wanting its message spread. No craziness, but it was a pretty good movie on its own. I love going to the theater, so no problem with a free one.

We spent the rest of the day doing household chores and watching other Code Orange shopping trips on YouTube. Mom came over for dinner Sunday evening and ordered us ice cream for dessert. Winner, winner... it was a chicken dinner! The Mrs is a good cook and made some good food. Currently I'm going back and forth from the Godzilla channel and watching videos on old Japanese computer games. I've actually got to be at work early today for a department meeting, so my mind is in preparation mode. I suppose it's time to get the week started, let's make this a good one! If you could, please share posts with your friends. It's all I ask!

Leo Prime/Lio Convoy (Legacy Evolution/Voyager Class)

Lio Convoy is one of those Transformers characters that'll forever be on a higher shelf in my heart. He was introduced in Beast Wars II when I was in college, blowing me away with just how cool he looked. I even made a poster from some Beast Wars II art featuring Lio Convoy facing off against Galvatron. That poster remained a fixture on my walls for a long time. I still have it, though it's folded away and enjoys retirement inside a box these days. When Hasbro announced an update, I was ecstatic. Sure, he's gotten some new toys over the years and I've gotten a lot of them... with the current updates the excitement was much higher. They're just that good. These days he's known as Leo Prime here in the states to be more English packaging friendly, but it's the same guy.

This new Voyager Class toy is a really nice upgrade. As much of a big deal getting the original toy was to me back in the day, it's far from perfect. In Legacy Evolution he gets a nice upgrade. As the name implies, Leo Prime transforms into a lion. A white lion to be specific often speculated to be playing off Kimba the White Lion. According to various sources, his original concept was to be a Cheetor retool as Optimus Prime. Beast Wars was original conceived as a continuation of the original ongoing Transformers story line. Cheetor was intended to be Prowl, and Optimus got toys inspired by Batman and King Kong. A majestic lion Optimus was a natural choice, and not the first time a lion Optimus was considered. For Beast Wars II a new cast was created and with it a new leader. That lion finally found it's way to toy form.

This new toy is a pleasantly large Voyager Class figure with lots of articulation and features. Lio is a little tricky to transform, but not anything resembling the Lament Configuration. Part of his robot design is the regal draping of the lion over his shoulders giving a royal vibe. The lion's mane can be used as a weapon too. It folds out in places to display weapons for an attack mode. This is a throwback to the original toy as is a hidden Matrix of Leadership within his chest. That sort of thing always triggers the same sense of giddiness it did back in the older days when it wasn't as often used. In lion mode, Lio Convoy has giant fold out claws that also can be deployed in robot mode as can the beast mode's attack forms.

They look cool and give that royal look a little edge. Lio Convoy, Leo Prime... whatever he's called is a classic in my book. This newest figure is a wonderful update that makes me just as happy as the original did a long time ago.

Bios: Camshaft

Function: Scout

A daring rogue, his joints have been specially designed to allow him to commit acrobatioc feats impossible for other TRANSFORMERS. He specializes in sneaking undetected into the most heavily guarded enemy strongholds. Using thermoptic and nightvision optical settings and a variety of unconventional hand-to-hand tactics, he is a grim shadow-warrior for OPTIMUS PRIME.

"A sense of isolation inspires me."

 

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Spooky Summer~ Ritual

Summer is a Spooky Season.

Godzilla Minus One

Ironhide (Studio Series 86/Core Class)

It almost feels extra to talk about a toy of Ironhide from the 1986 movie again after the excellent Voyager version released last year. However, Hasbro is seemingly filling the ranks in Core Class as much as they can... and I'm not complaining. I enjoy the size class. Not to mention, with the Core Class Ratchet that came out last year as well... you knew it was coming. I'm not complaining about a fairly screen accurate and pleasant toy of a legacy character. I do find it funny that they've made specifically two different figures of a character from a kids movie where he basically said two lines and got killed in an insanely violent way. There's a reason why Institutionalized by Suicidal Tenancies resonates so well.

Like I said, Ironhide is a repaint/remold of Core Class Ratchet. A toy I like quite a bit and for technical opinions you should probably read that post. I'm mainly focusing on the changes this time. Thanks to his simple colors, Ironhide just looks completely right here in a lower priced figure. He has a new head mold that does a great job... I don't have anything bad to say. Like Ratchet, Ironhide has those twin pistols for that infamous shuttle scene. They can mount on his sides in vehicle mode. I really liked Ratchet, and as well as Ironhide. I've always been fond of these two and don't have anything bad to say.

Let's have a Spirited Week!

Another Monday has come to ruin the fun we were having all weekend. However Zone Base is here to help make your week a little bit more awesome. This weekend was spent with the Mrs watching paranormal videos and old Halloween specials. A little shopping resulted in some fun toys. A trip to Ollie's brought Bug-Eye Ghost and Fearsome Flush home for pretty cheap. Now if I could just find that Ecto-1, the vintage collection would be complete! I'm pretty close on the Fright Features figures from Afterlife, so hopefully Ollie's will eventually come through. 

A trip to Walmart finally brought me Legacy Inferno! The original is one my my favorite Predacon toys, so this update was much desired. Now if I can ever find Transmetal 2 Megatron or the new Armada updates. When they update favorites, I can't say no. The back to school section is always fun. A few weeks ago, I got some cool Star Wars stationary. Saturday I found a Stranger Things notepad with some way cool Demogorgon and Hellfire Club art. It looks like the old occult books I checked out from the library back in the day. 

There was also time spent doing household chores and much playing of AEW Fight Forever on our PS5. Currently I'm eating breakfast and drinking some iced coffee. It's a rainy day, but it's Ultraman Day! So there will be plenty of Ultraman watched on Tokushoutsu before work tonight. I've got a fun week planned for all you readers. Thank you so much for reading Zone Base and supporting my nonsense. Please share posts with your friends and check me out on Threads!

Bumblebee with Snarlsaber (Beast Combiners/Beast Alliance

As we continue our dive into Beast Alliance, we should take a look at Beast Combiners. While the main robot figure is still compatible with Beast Battle Masters, the main focus is combining with animal partner figures. With my love of partner figures, there's no surprise I was instantly hooked. The armor aspect is fun and I love the super robot looks it gives to the movie style robots. It's a pretty cool concept and a fun little toy line. A set costs around $16 here in the states and to accommodate the low cost, the figures are a bit more simple than a normal toy. It didn't bother me too much, but is impossible to ignore. Especially after the pretty great Beast Weaponizers. It's meant to be a line for kids to have fun with, not for a middle aged robot nerd to put under a microscope. It's Beast Summer, so here we are. 

Bumblebee turns into his Camaro that we're used to seeing in the live action movies. The VW from the Bumblebee movie would have been preferred, but with the maybe it's a prequel/maybe it's not nature of these new movies, I get it. That's not me being a Geewuuner either. I like the Bug more and enjoyed his look better in comparison to the Camaro bot styling. However, they did work as much of that design into this new movie as they could, so happy middle ground. I love me some Bumblebee, but this isn't his best toy showing. While these figures are more basic due to the gimmick and price point, this could have been any generic bot. It just doesn't scream Bee to me. In car mode, sure. The robot could have used more character. As is, the figure is perfectly fine. Simple, but fine. Articulation is limited and transformation is simple that'll turn off some. It's not a deal breaker, just hard to ignore. 

Snarlsaber is a large black cat/panther who isn't Ravage surprisingly. Like with the Beast Weaponizers, the new character partners is very welcome. Ironically, even though he isn't Ravage, Snarlsaber makes me think of Panther. Who was Ravage in the Beast Wars Metals manga. Also, a Happy Meal toy. Putting aside my love for the McDonald's Beast Wars toys for a moment, this draws the obvious criticism. He looks like a Happy Meal toy... and that's fair. With the simple nature of the toy and plastic quality, that's a reasonable complaint. It doesn't bother me, but I'm not ignoring it either. Snarlsaber converts into Bumblebee's armor with a spring transformation and a little finagling over BB's head and shoulders.

In Beast Combiner mode, the toy looks pretty great. There's fun overall cat theme thanks to the big cat kibble and head. It's pretty adorable. Snarlsaber's tail detaches and becomes a bladed melee weapon and the top half of his head becomes a shield/gauntlet attachment. The beast leg kibble on BB's right shoulder can fold up to become a blaster for some extra firepower. This is a cool armored upgrade. I had made the super robot comparisons (and I'll swear by them), but there's some tokusatsu in this too. I'm strongly reminded of Gridman/Servo with his toy. The base robot and the way it works is similar to the original toy. Which was also designed by Takara. It's pretty neat. Snarlsaber as well as all Beast Combiner partners are interchangeable with other Beast Combiner robots. If you don't mind the more simple bots, there's a really cool toy here.

Bios: Jazz

Function -Special Operations Expert / Special Ops. Agent

Clever, cool, and adaptable, Autobot Jazz takes on the riskiest missions with trademark flair, dazzling emenies with spectacular sound and light displays. His vast knowledge of Earth culture makes his especially valuable in Earth operations. Equipped with photon rifle, flame-thrower, full-spectrum beacon and 180db stereo speakers.

"Do it with style or don't bother doing it."

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Spooky Summer~Don't order the Grimace Shake

This all started yesterday. I’m still in shock. Traumatized, even. Me and my friends went to McDonald’s. A little backstory, me and my friends just graduated college. It was hell. But we always loved McDonald’s. So we figured we should go. After all, we wanted to try the new Grimace Shake.

So we pull up to the first window, and grab our Grimace Meal. The meal itself, was fine. But the shake… After my friend, Kayla, tasted it. She was fine. We hung out for an hour. Kayla, and the rest of my friend group were staying the night at James’ place. I love James. He’s my best friend. I declined. I was way to damn tired to do anything.

I went home, and passed out. It was 1:00 AM, where it happened. 25 missed calls. 101 missed texts. “What the hell?!” I shouted. I looked at the voice messages James sent me. “Holy shit! David! Please help! He’s here! Oh shit! He’s coming!” It was followed by static, and screaming. “David! Grimace! He’s real. No! Leave me alone!” No more messages. Nothing. I contacted everyone else. They didn’t answer. I put on the news. “5 dead teens were found brutally murdered.” My heart sank. Grimace…did he really? Now, here we are. I’m still in shock. As I’m writing this, I feel Grimace watching me. Stalking me. He’s coming for me! Please! Send help! Help me! Grimace is a monster! He needs to be stopped! Whatever you do, don’t order the Grimace Shake!

source

Mirage (Battle Changers/Beast Alliance)

Returning to our looks at the Battle Charger class is Mirage from Rise of the Beasts. Like the others before him, he's a simple figure to scale with others in the Beast Alliance sub-line. He's also a lot like the Bumblebee Battle Charger in that there's no interacting with Beast Battle Masters unfortunately. One can't be held nor one cannot be plugged into a port. Ignoring the gimmick incompatibility, Mirage is still a neat little figure. I'm not the only one who has noticed Mirage's toys aren't exactly screen accurate. Like some of the Cheetor toys, I'm guessing this is another result of designs getting changed during toy production. Maybe one day we'll get a more screen accurate figure, but honestly... I like the look of the current toys.

Thanks the silver, Mirage makes me think of Baron Von Joy. His simplicity goes with that comparison. I initially thought there was a mouth plate instead of the face we all know... but was wrong. He's got a mouth, just not a super obvious one. Admittedly... I kinda like the idea of a mouth plate. It may not be screen accurate, but it'd match this design. Mirage turns into a Porsche 911, which looks pretty great. We've all had the Jazz conversation before, it just is what it is. I don't mind it so much here. Maybe because it's so hard to hate on Mirage after seeing the movie. Like other Battle Changers, a hand will flip out into a weapon. It's a harmless way to give Mirage a gun that won't get lost and works well on such a simple toy. I like the gimmick. I like this Mirage, he's a simple little toy for not a lot of money.

Happy Independance Day!

It'd a holiday weekend here in the states and I'm certainly enjoying the long 4 day break. However, regular posting will resume tomorrow (the wonders of posting in advance) despite still being on a mini vacation. Thanks to each and every one of you fro reading Zone Base and don't forget to share with your friends!