Tarn [Legacy United 4-Pack/Voyager Class]

I can't explain why exactly, but ending the year with a look at Tarn just felt right. Also from the Target exclusive Legacy United 4-Pack, Tarn is a recolor of his first toy that I never found. That toy was, however, made into a Bludgeon figure that I talked about during this years Halloween Hootenanny. I liked it quite a bit, so there was a lot of positivity going into this figure. This Tarn is meant to represent the character as he appeared in the Cyberverse cartoon. In which he was a Decepticon Supersoldier from an alternate reality who rose to power.This version of Tarn became the big bad guy in the final story arc of the series. Representing this character in toy form means Tarn has a brighter color palate than his prior toy's darker color scheme. I prefer this as it gives him something of a cyberpunk vibe that feels out of an early 90's CD Rom video game.

To my understanding, Tarn is largely the same as his first version aside from paint. Bludgeon was pretty similar aside from head sculpt and the additional sword. This Tarn comes with Bludgeon's sword as well... which just feels right. I love a good super robot with ridiculous melee weapon. Tarn has some large cannons that can be held individually or doubled up. I suppose if he misses his target, there's still the option to use the sword. Tarn is a larger toy as a Voyager and feels like it thanks to his design. He looks tall, you know? His Decepticon symbol mask always looked cool, but something about those highlighting colors makes it a little better to me. Transformation was less pleasant than it was with Bludgeon. I had a problem with a few parts constantly popping off while moving around. That's frustrating. Not sure if the plastic grade is different or the mold is showing some wear. So far it's been used for two different Tarn and two different Bludgeon figures. I'm sure some wear and tear has to be showing by now. It happens. Overall it's still a good toy and looks great. 2024 was a hell of a year. I guess it takes someone like Tarn to see it out. Happy New Year!

Atomic New Years Week

We're roaring into the second week of our little holiday break. I hope you've had a great Christmas and want to thank you again for reading Zone Base. Like last week, this week will be a little light on content due to the holidays. Regular posting will resume next week, until then, Happy New Years everybody!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas Zone Base readers! Thank you all for your support. I hope everyone is enjoying their holiday. Don't forget to share with your friends!

Cliffjumper [Legacy United 4-Pack/Deluxe Class]

I thought a good way to end out the year and start the new one would be taking a look at the Target Exclusive Legacy United 4-Pack released this past summer. I got one as soon as they were available on the Target app as these exclusive sets of theirs are usually pretty great. While this one didn't get a catchy name, it sure does have a great set of toys inside. I also figured with Christmas being this week, somebody red would be a good choice to cover. This Cliffjumper toy is a representation of how he appeared in the Transformers Prime cartoon. Like the other characters from Prime in Legacy, he ditches some of the signature style from that series to blend in with a more traditional Transformers aesthetic. It works out pretty well for Cliffjumper who looks a lot like a his on screen counter part. So much so that it's hard to believe he's a repaint and retool of a prior toy.

Cliffjumper used the Chase mold as a base that works pretty well. New to the mold is the bull like robot head that Prime Cliffjumper had as well as a pair of bullhorns attached to his car mode hood. Chase's light bar is removed, but that's to be expected. Cliffjumper was initially voiced by the Rock and they really worked The Brahma Bull into his design. It looks great and natural on a muscle car. I can see some Texan driving this in a Cannonball Run movie. Like with Chase, the transformation is easy, albeit a little involved. In robot mode the figure looks great as Cliffjumper, I really like the red. There's plenty of articulation and he retains Chase's weapons that are now in a pleasant translucent black. I liked Chase quite a bit, so it's probably to no surprise that like this Cliffjumper. I say on the site a lot that nice things are nice. Seeing as I'm posting this on Christmas Eve, nice things tend to be favored by another guy in red. This Cliffjumper definitely isn't getting any coal in his stocking.

Merry Christmas, I'm Freezing my Ass Off

It's not just the start of a new week here on Zone Base, but the beginning of two consecutive holiday weeks. I'm sure you all are aware that Christmas is this week and New Years is next... and frankly I'm surprised anyone is reading this. I know you all are busy enjoying the holidays with your loved ones and so am I! Actually, I'm balancing a weird offset work schedule split up with various days off for the next two weeks. I hope you all understand site content will be a little sporadic. There's going to be some content... just not as much as normal. Don't worry, regular posting will resume after next week. Until then, I hope you all enjoy the holidays and want to thank you all so much for reading Zone Base. Please don't forget to share the site with your friends and Merry Christmas!

Gamer Edition Ratchet [Studio Series/Voyager Class]

One of the earlier posts this year was a Ratchet toy, so I suppose it's only fitting that one of the last posts of the year would also be a Ratchet toy. As the 40th Anniversary year comes to a close, it feels super appropriate to me that Ratchet makes an appearance. I've mentioned it before, but those older issues of the G1 Marvel comic where Ratchet took a starring role have always stood out and endeared the character to me. This specific figure of Ratchet represents him as he appears in the War for Cybertron video game. As the game is set during the early days of the war, Ratchet has a Cybertronian based design. That's something I've always gravitated towards in Transformers, I love those creative takes on the characters. Ratchet looks badass, which was a hallmark of those games. Everything and everyone was just awesome looking.

Ratchet is a Voyager Class figure and the larger build suits his bulky design. These War for Cybertron Studio Series figures have featured a removable arm to mount the weapons on in a way that mirrors the game. That's present here, but in a pleasant twist, Ratchet can forgo that gimmick and just hold his 'Energon Repair Ray' in a more traditional way. Or the gun can be stored on his back in case he wants to hold his battle axe with both hands. Considering how big it is, I understand. Fortunately Ratchet is articulated very well and can assume whatever pose you'd like to put him in. Well, I think he can anyway. Transformation is pretty easy and it doesn't take too long to get from robot to Cybertronian Medical Vehicle form. It's definitely not an ambulance, but I can see him rushing to the front of a battleground to administer some first aid in this form. It looks cool and I love the white and red colors on this design. His weapons store on the vehicle nicely and in all is a satisfying little car-like thing.

Ratchet is one of those characters who gets a lot of toys and that's ok. The main cast in a long running series tends to get the most attention. The War for Cybertron games were a lot of fun and spawned some great toys. These more recent Gamer Edition Studio Series figures are much more screen accurate and have a premium feel. Ratchet comes off great here and looks amazing. I love the more sci fi look of the toy and really enjoy the colors on the design. The figure is well articulated and the vehicle is cool. It's hard for me to find anything about this toy that I don't like. Nice things are nice.

Christmas on Saturn

Merry Christmas...or else from SEGA.

 This year, Marine Toys for Tots has set an ambitious goal to donate 11M in toys. A partner since 1996, Hasbro is proud to champion this challenge by donating more than 4.3M toys in 2024.

 Let's all do something super this Christmas and donate to Toys for Tots if you can.

Gamer Edition Bumblebee [Studio Series/Deluxe Class]

Transformers: Reactivate is a video game that will allegedly come out at some point. That point is probably never, but allegedly should come out at some point maybe. Fortunately Hasbro released figures based on the game on a time table that possibly included a time that the game was promised to come out... but didn't. The figures were initially released in two packs that I passed on, but are now also being released as Gamer Edition Studio Series. I decided to get them now, because they look cool... despite being tied to vaporware. Bumblebee takes a somewhat new look at the classic character as he might have appeared in the game if it ever comes out. It's not going to, but if it did, this is what he'd look like. Maybe. Part of me thinks in an alternate universe, this could have been a live action movie design for Bumblebee.

Bumblebee is a realistic sci fi take on his classic look that looks pretty neat even with those tiny pistols he's packing. Those same pistols can be mounted on his shoulders as well. Robot mode is fairly articulated and looks bigger in pictures than in real life. I say this because I swore it was a larger toy prior to getting one. Alt mode is a sporty dune buggy type vehicle. I like this quite a bit. It manages to resemble the classic Volkswagen vehicle form while being something else. This is a completely solid alternative to the Bug. I recall thinking Bumblebee should be a dune buggy before and having one is great. It just works. Transformation isn't terrible hard, but is pretty involved. There's a few parts you have to really work into place and it's not clear how to do so until you've got it. Once transformed it's a solid car and those guns I spoke about earlier can either store in his undercarriage or mount on his hood (it's the same joints as the shoulders in robot mode). I liked this toy more than I thought I would. It's been funny laughing at the games failure to launch and the fact that there's figures from a game that might never see the light of day. Though the designs are cool and I'm looking forward to getting the others when they find their way out in Studio Series.

Now Loading...

Hello there Zone Base readers, welcome back to another week of robots, monsters, and misadventure! We've been celebrating Christmas the past few weeks and if there's one thing most of us expect to see under the tree is a new video game! Therefore, welcome to a specifically video game flavored week! Hit start and let's have some fun! This will also be the last normal week for a bit as Christmas and New Years will be going on for the 2 weeks after this one. As usual during holiday weeks, there will be content, but it will be abbreviated. I hope you all understand, but hope you have a great holiday even more!

This weekend was a busy one. The Mrs and I spent all of Saturday finishing our Christmas shopping. Stores were busy and things got hectic, but by the time it was done... so were we! Now we can enjoy the rest of Christmas without much stress. That's nice. I did manage to get a few toys for myself. I usually don't buy myself stuff during Christmas, but after I'm done getting everyone stuff, I do end up with a little something here and there. I found a Legacy United Slipstream at Target who didn't initially ring up at the register. Unexpectedly the cashier shrugged and generically entered $5. I'll take a win when I can! Later at a Ross I was hoping to find some of the random toy deals that may can be found at Christmas time. They mostly had Earthspark and Rise of the Beasts toys I had already purchased, but there was one Vintage Reissue Shrapnel to be found under a pile of random crap. Not to mention the Bombshell ordered from Walmart on clearance. Score! I love me some Insecticons! 

Sunday morning meant a last minute run to Target for some extra stocking stuffers before playing some games on my Switch. I maybe slept 7 hours over the entire weekend and honestly have been dealing with some extra body aches that were a little unbearable by Sunday. An Icy Hot patch and some Tylenol came in handy! Sunday evening my Mom came over and we had a little dinner for her birthday. Well, I've got a busy day ahead of me. There's plenty of presents to wrap and household chores to be done. I'm also looking at a hectic few weeks of juggling the holidays and my graveyard shift work schedule. Get in the car, when the going gets weird, the weird go pro. Thank you all for reading Zone Base. I really appreciate your support. I know your busy enjoying the holidays with your loved ones and dealing with the business of the season yourself. If you could take the time to spread the word and share the site with your friends... that would be awesome. Thank you all. Have a Merry Christmas, a Happy New Year, and Mutual High Fives everyone!

Quake with Heater and Tiptop [Legacy United/Deluxe Class]

Quake is a slightly obscure member of the original Transformers cast who made his debut as a Targetmaster in 1988 and didn't have another toy (officially) until 2017 in Titans Return. I loved Titans Return style figures, but it is nice that his third and newest toy is another Targetmaster. I sure do love partner figures and there's just something indescribably great when they form weapons. This Quake toy is the subject of a good amount of derision among the Transformers fan community. Instead of a brand new mold, or using a better suited mold, Quake is a very heavy remold of Legacy Skullgrin. There's so many new parts, you can't help but to wonder why they didn't use another toy as the base.

I do admit that the robot mode is pretty faithful to traditional Quake, so I'm not bothered. I even like it... but I've always had a soft spot for Quake after carrying around a bootleg of him with me for awhile a long time ago. It was purchased randomly and somehow found it's way into the messenger bag that went everywhere with me. Quake is decently articulated and does make for a good update of that G1 toy. The orignal figure was a little flat in robot mode and that's replicated here. I've always liked his colors. Heater and Tiptop are new molds that strongly resemble their G1 counterparts. The two are not articulated and convert very simply into guns for Quake to use. They can also combine into a larger gun by plugging one into the other. As guns they can be held or mounted in vehicle mode. Like other recent Targetmaster toys, I wish recolors of these would be available in blind bags. That would be a super fun thing to buy, you know? There used to be Micron/Mini-Con blind boxes and I loved them. I'm sure I've brought this idea up before, it's a hill I'm prepared to die on.

Transformation to tank mode is a trying process. I found Skullgrin (and Cybertronian Trooper) to be relatively easy to transform. Despite being made from the same skeleton, Quake transforms quite differently. His body fold up and the tank treads fold out from his legs to wrap around the base. It's an odd transformation that I did not care for. It was frustrating ad those tank treads seeming got hung up on themselves before magically being in place. I have no clue what happened either. One second they were a jumbled mess, and then it was finished. The tank is oddly proportioned and seemingly the target of that fan derision I talked about prior. I think it's serviceable and you can put the Targetmasters at different posts which does help the alt out. Overall, I like Quake quite a bit, even if the transformation and tank is weird. Maybe I should put him in my sling bag for old times sake.

Have a Ultra Happy Christmas!

Merry Christmas Ultraman and friends!

 This year, Marine Toys for Tots has set an ambitious goal to donate 11M in toys. A partner since 1996, Hasbro is proud to champion this challenge by donating more than 4.3M toys in 2024.

Let's all do something super this Christmas and donate to Toys for Tots if you can.

Jetsam BB-24 [BeastBox]

[Jetsam Legend] Like the one which called Leviathan in the deep seas, Jetsam has his own perspective. Cruising in the vast ocean is the mission of discovery and protection to him. This is a journey to discover endless possibility, and also a task to protect the brightest fantasy.

There's something pleasant about a sea turtle. Just seeing the big reptiles swim about is peaceful. They tend to live pretty long lives, and thanks to the mystique of the ocean... it might be older than you realize. Jetsam is Beastbox's take on a sea turtle and man does he work well as a mechanical being. Jetsam is nice and large with a really cool cannon that unfolds from his shell. The cannon can swivel left to right and be moved up and down. I like to imagine a battle going on and Jetsam just swimming up and being the deciding factor with that cannon. It looks like an inchman could fit in the spot behind the cannon. I should have incorporated some sort of pilot figure just to get an idea of the range of possibilities. Some Beastbox toys do have pilots, so it's not out of the range of possibility. There's a small tabbed piece just behind the hinge. I couldn't get it to move up with my fingers, but can't help but to think it's a seat if folded up.

I enjoyed his flippers specifically. That's a silly thing to enjoy, but something about articulated robot turtle flippers is fun to move about. That colorful beak can also open and close, Jetsam is just so full of life. One gripe I do have is that the turtle shell can be moved out of place really easily. Not sure if mine was locked in place correctly. Transformation to box mode isn't hard, but is a little moire involved that I imagined going in. Those flippers and that shell make up the bulk of the box in a transformation where everything needs to be just right. Once formed you've got a green box that slides right on into the Box Charger without any problems. If it's a tight fit... you did something wrong. Jetsam is a really neat addition to my BeastBox ranks. I find his turtle form charming and like the green used in his deco. BeastBox toys are really creative and a heavily armed sea turtle is impossible to resist.

SⒶnta bring me a New Week

The week has begun and with it more robots, monsters, and misadventure here on Zone Base! I had a pretty great weekend and hope you did too. The Mrs and I did some holiday shopping and some household stuff. Like last weekend, I spent a few hours organizing toys while watching Transformers Masterforce. The Mrs made a great spaghetti dinner Sunday night and all was well. 

I obviously didn't buy myself anything this weekend as it's Christmas time and just not the time to think of myself. Though I really do enjoy the season and all the decorations. There's just something magic about all the lights and trees. I've got a fun week planned for you all Zone Base readers. I hope you all enjoy it and your holiday season. Thanks for supporting the site and please don't forget to share with your friends!

Twin Twist [Wreck 'N Rule Collection/Deluxe Class]

Transformers is a funny toy line. Funny, as in the early years are full of reused toy molds from other robot toy lines. Many, of course, came from Diaclone. The Jumpstarters, were among those. Jumpstarters were more simple figures with pull-back motors. When the vehicle was pulled back on a solid surface, it would roll forward and flip into robot mode. They were often joked about by fans and considered lame, but I've always liked their futuristic appearance. Topspin and Twin Twist have received updates over the course of time, but most notably was their Titans Return figures that were very accurate to the originals appearance wise, but with modern engineering (and no flip changing gimmick). Most notably about those toys were that with the Titan Masters, they had strong resemblances to the original Diaclone toys as well as the Headmasters everyone related the line with. The Titan Master would become the main robot modes head, but could also pilot the alt mode. Titans Return was one of my favorite Transformers lines in recent years mostly because of that. It was neat.

For the Amazon Exclusive Wreck 'N Rule Collection, Twin Twist was re-released in his Diaclone colors and billed as from the Diaclone Universe. Other more recent Transformers repaints have done this and I like it. Though, it is funny considering the original Transformers versions of the toys were made from Diaclone only for the new Diaclone toys to be made from Transformers. I've got the original Titans Return version of the toy (and loved it), but never talked about it here. Today felt like a good time. Twin Twist is a very cool looking toy. The red and blue look sharp on his spacey design. There's a good bit of articulation and he's got two laser rifles that can be combined into one larger gun if so chosen. That combination has more use in vehicle mode. Transformation is pretty involved, but not too hard. There's just a lot going on, but it all just works and everything goes into place just fine. Alt mode is a sci fi drill tank. His Titan Master/Headmaster changes from the robot's head into a pilot for the tank. The pilot isn't named in this release, but was called Flameout in Titans Return. I'm not sure if this is still Flameout or meant to be a generic Diaclone driver.

Those guns I mentioned above can be mounted on either side of the tank or in the combined form. Combined they can serve as another place for a Titan Master (or Diaclone driver in this case) to sit. The main spot for the pilot would of course be the cockpit, which opens and allows for such. I've always liked the Jumpstarters for their designs, especially in a time when Transformers were primarily modern (at the time) Earth vehicles. When I got older and learned about Diaclone, I liked them even more. As a kid back then... we just didn't know. My brother and I would often put Zoids pilots in Transformers seats. I'd regularly send one flying in my Topspin during his flip transformation. These additional gimmicks really add to these figures making them really cool toys. I've always been a sucker for partner figures, especially when the partner interacts this well. As the 40th Anniversary year winds down, it felt appropriate to take a look at Diaclone and reflect on my own memories in the process. Nice things are nice.

Have an Ultra Christmas!

Merry Christmas Ultraman!

This year, Marine Toys for Tots has set an ambitious goal to donate 11M in toys. A partner since 1996, Hasbro is proud to champion this challenge by donating more than 4.3M toys in 2024.

Let's all do something super this Christmas and donate to Toys for Tots if you can.

Megatron [Legacy/Core Class]

As the 40th anniversary of Transformers winds down, I feel as though it wouldn't be right to not take a moment and pour one out for Generation 2. Often wrote off as neon repaints of G1 toys, G2 actually had a lot of original molds and introduced innovations in engineering Transformers that would pave the way for toys for years to come. Our highly articulated figures of today got their start in G2. The tank Megatron was one of the first original molds in the line and a standout toy for years to come. The figure we're looking at today pays homage to that toy and it's bright colors. This Core Class Megatron figure is a repaint of the Kingdom Megatron Core Class figure.

In robot mode Megatron is pretty great. He's basic, sure, but pretty decent. I like Core Class quite a bit admittedly, but this is a solid figure for the size. He's nicely articulated and that G2 neon green and purple deco just works better on the sculpt than traditional Megatron colors. This just is a much nicer looking toy in eye searing neon. A nice touch that's carried over from the original release is his blaster. In addition to the trademark fusion cannon is a tiny replica of G1 Megatron's gun mode. Transformation to tank is easy, though like the Kingdom figure, leaves a little to be desired. You'll have to plug the blaster into the cannon for it to protrude further out. There is some aftermarket add on upgrades available that extends the cannon and creates a more desirable looking tank if you so choose. It's not the end of the world for me, but also impossible to ignore. I like this toy overall and find it a fun homage to an important piece of Transformers history. MEGATRON ATTACK!

In Christmas Zones

The Thanksgiving break is over meaning Christmas is in full gear here on Zone Base. I hope everyone who celebrated had a great holiday and everyone who didn't had a great week! I definitely enjoyed the days off as this time of the year is pretty tough at work which added to the busyness of the holidays can make for one burned out brain. That being said, this year to celebrate Christmas, we'll be letting the random Wednesday posts focus solely on Christmas fun! It's the holiday season and we're gonna ring it in! 

I spent my holiday break with the Mrs and family getting rest and enjoying some video games. The Mrs and I did get out Friday for a day of Christmas shopping and even though I'm not focusing on myself this month (it's a time to think of others, dangit!), I did manage to grab myself a few fun things. I checked out Ross to hopefully find some of the amazing Transformers deals others were finding. While mine came up mostly empty handed, I did finally find a Legacy Shrapnel! Target had the Super7 ReAction Transformers blind boxes and I grabbed two which ended up being Optimus Prime and Bumblebee.

These are great little figures and it's no secret that I love ReAction figures. I also picked up my Advent Calendar for this Christmas season. Jada Metalfig Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles! This looks like a fun advent and full of two things I can't get enough of. TMNT and Metalfigs! Like the advent calendars from years prior, I'll be opening one every day on my Instagram. Please give me a follow while you're there. If you like my content here, you'll sure to enjoy what I post there. Well, speaking of content, I've got to get to work drumming up pictures for future posts. December is a hectic month, but I'll stay on top of the robots, monsters, and misadventure here on Zone Base! Thank you all for reading and please don't forget to share with your friends!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving! Wow, it's hard to believe it was 20 years ago when I watched this marathon in between bites of turkey. I hope everyone reading has a great day and hey... let's watch some Energon.

Wandering Star BB-63C [BeastBox]

BEASTBOX BB-63A HEATMISER / BB-63B BLOWBACK/ BB-63C WANDERING STAR Meet HEATMISER, an unstoppable monster but also fragile baby; BLOWBACK, on a mission impossible for normalcy; and WANDERING STAR, breaking free with eyes wandering and senses in pure delight. Collect them all!

It's impossible to not love an Axolotl. They're these little, adorable sea creatures that seem like something straight out of a fantasy story. 52Toys recently released a trio of them and today we'll be looking at Wandering Star from the three. They're all the same base mold (as I understand), but each are very distinct from each other as different characters with vivid colors. Wander Star is an absolutely delightful mixture of blues with some accenting purple and silver tech detail. Wandering Star, like the other Axolotls, is a smaller toy. That doesn't limit him in any way as I found him very articulated and expressive. You can put him (not gendering, just using him generically) in a variety of swimming posses. His head can swivel, allowing for some cocked head poses. Like he's looking at you curiously. The tail has quite a bit of pleasant movement as well.

Transformation to box mode is fairly easy, though I kept removing the front legs accidentally. Probably the most involved step is splitting the tail and moving it into place. Really, the best description of transformation is that Wandering Star folds backwards, pokes in his extremities, and folds his tail around himself. He fit's into his Box Charger snuggly... actually let's talk about that Box Charger. Wandering Star (as do the other two) comes with the newer, smaller variation of the Box Charger. This new version is a more compact model that expands into a full size box. The compressed boxes can be stacked together to save room for when not in use. It's a pleasant alternative to the standard Box Charger that normally comes with your BeastBox toy... and kinda fitting for a little guy like Wandering Star. It's probably easy to tell that I like this little toy. The colors are great and an Axolotl is impossible to hate. Wandering Star just looks so happy and full of a joyful existence. I can't look at it without smiling... and that's a pretty solid reason to like a toy.

Neon Genesis Turducken

It's the beginning of a holiday week here on Planet Zone! I'll be on holiday most of the week, but there's still a little content coming your way. It's Thanksgiving, and I'm thankful for each and every one of you that reads the site. Regular posting will resume next week, until then, don't forget to share with your friends and have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Motormaster [Legacy United/Voyager Class]

Transformers Animated was a fun series with some really cool toys. The stylized sculpting was a fun alternative to the movie and classics styled toys available at the same time. It was only natural that the BotCon, which was officially affiliated at the time would offer an exclusive set based around the series. The Stunticon Job was a cool way to introduce the Stunticons to the series and make use of the prior existing toy molds as is a necessity when making exclusives. Motormaster is one of those characters folks automatically assume will be made from an Optimus Prime, so it just worked out naturally. Luckily, the Animated Motormaster was really cool.

Unfortunately I wasn't able to make it to that BotCon, nor acquire a set. It always stayed in the back of my mind as a 'someday' type of thing. Flash forward to present day and amazingly enough, things like formerly hard to acquire toys are getting updated in Generations. Giving second chances to get some of these ideas. It may not be the original... but often time it's good enough. That's where Motormaster finds it's way here, as a reworking of the Animated Optimus Prime toy update that was released earlier this year. I really liked that figure, so it's probably to no surprise I liked this one. It doesn't hurt that the happiness of finally getting some version of this Motormaster put a nice cherry on top of everything.

Since I've talked about the mold before, I'm going to focus more on what's different. Most noticeably, the new head. Motormaster famously has a square head. That's replicated here with additional characterization. Long story short, he's Macho Man Randy Savage as a transformer. Specifically, Macho Man as a bad guy. Considering the colors, I like to think N.W.O era Macho Man. Considering Randy Savage is one of my all time favorites, it's probably to no surprise I like this. His colors are mainly black with some purple and green thrown in and it looks fabulous. Both modes look great. Transformation did feel a little looser this time. That could be from mold degradation or just mine in particular. The original Optimus Prime toy was just a good figure all the way around and I feel like this is a total upgrade based on the colors and new head alone.Can you dig it?

Godzilla 1954 [Godzilla Monster Series 5"]

While I've certainly enjoyed Playmates kaiju offerings, Bandai's sofubi returning to US shelves is reason to celebrate around here. Godzilla Monster Series is a wonderful line of kaiju toys in a form factor that I vastly prefer and the 5" scale is absolutely perfect. These figures can really take up some room (the tails alone... ) and no detail is lost at the slightly smaller size. Not to mention... I like smaller toys. They're priced fairly too, I've been seeing them from $12 to $15 at retail. 

Some online stores are charging more, so choose where you buy these wisely. Of course the older, larger figures were only $10 a few years ago... "sigh". This is classic Godzilla as he appeared in the original 1954 movie. It's 5 inches tall with 5 points of articulation in the shoulders, hips, and tail. The colors are great. I've always loved that darker, muted shade of green. Sculpting is really well done with appreciated attention to detail. It's always great to see a Bandai Godzilla figure on a shelf and I'm elated for their return after a long absence. Nature is healing.

Filch [Star Raiders Collection/Deluxe Class]

One of the great thing about the Walmart exclusive collections is that they provide an outlet for prior unreleased characters/toys to be released under. Filch was a Decepticon from Transformers Robots in Disguise 2015 whom never got a figure outside of a Tiny Titan release. In the Star Raiders Collection, she's making her debut as a Deluxe Class toy. Spoilers, it's a good one. The toy is a remold of Kingdom Airazor. Using that mold as a base, the designers make a solid representation of her. Like with Skywarp, the mold makes for a good skeleton. Filch turns into a corvid. However, unlike Airazor and Skywarp, she's not a beast era style beast warrior with an organic looking alt mode. Her alt mode is more robotic, like traditional Transformers with beast modes are. He remolding is pretty extensive and doesn't have all those feathers.

A neat design change was the wings. Where Airazor and Skywarp have those forearm guns that serve as missiles for their beast modes, Filch's wingtips separate and plug into her forearms. This allows her to resemble her show model better and makes her backpack smaller. She can also hold these wingtips as sort of a sickle weapon. Transformation is easy, literally identical to the other mold uses before aside from connecting the wing tips. Corvid and robot mode are very well articulated. This is just a well designed Transformers all around. I really like Filch's colors and feel like they bring the toy alive in a way the prior uses didn't. They're just so pretty. They did a really good jn making Filch from Airazor and did enough to make her different than just a simple repaint.

Keizer Monday

Bloody hell, it's Monday again. Personally, I was having a great weekend too. Saturday the Mrs and I went Christmas shopping and Sunday we saw the newest Venom movie. Actually, I went Christmas shopping Friday morning too. The season is drawing near, meaning I'm going to have some extra busy days working in the holidays with my work life. I'm sure you will too, but no worries, Zone Base is here to keep you entertained with robots, monsters, and misadventure! This weekend will be extra hectic to prepare myself for next weeks Thanksgiving holiday break. Not just a hard work week, but some weekend work to offset the days off. No so great, but it will definitely make the time off sweeter. 

That being said, next week will have a little interruption in the normal posting schedule. There will be content, just not as much. I'm sure you all understand and hopefully you'll have a great holiday week too! I did get some great new stuff for myself while shopping. The Mrs picked up Studio Series Gamer Edition Ratchet for me last week, and I found Studio Series Gamer Edition Bumblebee and Monster Series Mechagodzilla while out Friday. Saturday was busy, but I did pick up Legacy Quake. 

Actually Saturday was kinda a little personal BotCon for me. I only got a few hours sleep. Bought toys, watched Transformers One and played Transformers Minecraft. I had some frozen pizza and fell asleep watching GIJOE.  Just like the old days! I'm actually planning to watch Gobots all day today and get a few weeks of toy pics for upcoming site posts. The holidays are wild times, and I'm sure to ring them in the only way I know how. By the skin of my teeth and keeping it gonzo as always. Thank you all for reading Zone Base. Next week will be a little different, but don't worry, it will return to normal soon after. I've got some fun stuff coming over the upcoming days, please look forward to it! Don't forget to share with your friends!

Bumblebee [Studio Series/Deluxe Class]

We're all Bumblebee fans here on the base and love it when he gets a new toy... which is very often. Today's toy is from Transformers Studio Series 86 and meant to represent him as he appeared in the 1986 animated movie. I've been a fan of the Studio Series 86 toys as they're very screen accurate figures of the original cartoon cast. Bumblebee is a bit of an anomaly in this isn't Volkswagen licensed, so while his robot mode is show accurate. His vehicle mode is a close approximation. That's ok though as the car has the same proportions as the original Microman/G1 toy which was mean to resemble a penny racer. That's really neat!

As I said, BB is very show accurate in robot mode. He's also pretty short, which means he'll be close to scale with other Studio Series 86 and more recent Generations figures. There's plenty of articulation and includes the laser we've seen used in various episodes of the classic series. That laser can mount to the back of his car mode for storage. Kinda like a little gun rack. Transformation isn't what I thought it would be. Sure, the expected car bot steps were there... but there was some unexpected additional folding. Bumblebee compresses down quite a bit creating a surprisingly solid feeling compact little car. Like I said before, it's an approximation of his classic VW Bug this time. That's not too bad as it has the cues you'd expect... just not as round. I do like the penny racer proportions and can see where other Minibots made from this mold will probably come out pretty good. This is a great new Bumblebee figure. I can understand how the vehicle mode might turn off some, but I've really enjoyed him. Guess I just like a good penny racer.

Michelangelo [Turtles of Grayskull]

Mikey may be a party dude with pizza on his mind, but he has a new purpose: be the Most Powerful Turtle in the Universe. He grabs a blonde wig and begins emulating Eternia’s greatest warrior, He-Man.

I've probably mentioned it before here on the site, but Michelangelo is my favorite of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. I've also mentioned before that the late 80's/early 90's incarnation of TMNT is my favorite. That being said, my specifically favorite version of Michelangelo is perfect for an adventure on Eternia. Not because I particularly prefer him... he just fits. Perfectly.

After meeting the MOTU gang, Michelangelo decided he wanted to be just like He-Man. So here he is dressed just like him, yellow wig and all. Neatly enough, he kinda resembles Flying Fists He-Man in this armor (the colors are off, but the idea is there) and his nunchucks could be considered similar to the spinning weapons that version of He-Man used. Michelangelo's turtle shell can become a shield like all the other turtles, but I wish it had some sort of spinner on it as well. Just to play into that some more. There was the Rock 'N Roll Michelangelo figure from the original turtle line that had a spinning hand. Of course his nunchucks were the ideal weapon for that gimmick, but he also had a shield that worked well with it. That's where my mind is going with this guy. Of course the similarity might not have been intentional. Regardless, this is another excellent figure in an awesome line. The wig is removable in case that's too silly... but that's why I like it there.

Demon Dart BB-32 [BeastBox]

[DEMON DART Legend] Despite being a veteran of the Cavalry Army, Demon Dart is troubled by his rookies face. Although the corp disbanded ages ago, he still keeps some of those old fashioned habit, and never adopt the noise suppressor is one of them.

I do love a beetle. Well, maybe not in real life... but absolutely as a toy. Demon Dart, who we're looking at today, is a really neat robot beetle. Something about the boxiness of a robot toy really works great with bugs. Demon Dart really pulls off the insect robot look really well in his cool red and black colors. It's a simple color set, but just looks so striking on his design and make me think of the EVA-02. BeastBox toys always look cool, but there's something extra special about this one. One really neat feature of Devil Dart is his flight mode. Not only do the wings open up, but a set of jet wings unfold from underneath. After the little nosecone is in place, you've got a cool a flying beetle ready for battle. The flight mode reminds me of the vehicle modes in Beast Wars Transmetals. They weren't much more than a few parts that folded out of the beast mode, but it made for a fun design. I'm reminded of Transmetal Waspinator's vehicle mode in particular.

You'd think going from the beetle to a box would be tricky, but transformation very easy. It's an involved transformation to be sure... but everything just works without any hassle. Devil Dart is a pleasure to change from one mode to another. Box mode is nice and compact. It really does just fold up cleanly without any kibble in any mode. That's some really impressive engineering. Box modes slides easily into the Box Charger without any fuss with plenty of room to store his little missiles. Demon Dart is such a cool toy. He's simple to transform, but not a basic toy. Those six legs articulate in a pretty wide range of movement. You can open the beetle wings without unfolding the jet wings as well if you choose. Despite looking like a nightmare of you found one in your kitchen, this is a pleasant little bug bot. Just a pleasure all around. I love it.

New Week, same old Spin

It's the beginning of another week of robots, monsters, and misadventure! I hope everyone had a pretty great weekend, mine sure was! The Mrs and I did some household stuff and watched The Wild Robot while enjoying some home cooked chilli! The wife is a great cook and that was a great movie! I finally let myself play the final stage in Astro Bot to complete the game. The final stage used Thunder Force V music in an enjoyable shooter stage. The ending was amazing, but I've got a few more things to do in the game. I don't think I'll ever put this game down, truly one of the great ones.

Unfortunately I didn't find any new toys while out shopping. Others are finding Blokees at their Walmarts and I'm literally chomping at the bit. Not to mention new Transformers Legacy figures that haven't shown up here yet either. I ordered a BeastBox toy, so the weekend was still fruitful. With Christmas approaching, I don't want to spend too much on myself. However small surprises are ok. Well, it's time to get this week started. I've got some fun posts for you all this week, please look forward to it! Today is Pocky and Pretz day, make sure to enjoy a box if you can. I've got a Strawberry Pocky box to enjoy at work tonight. Thank you all for reading Zone Base. The site keeps growing and I really appreciate it. Don't forget to share with your friends and hey... have a great day!

Road Pig [Star Raiders Collection/Deluxe Class]

Yarr matey! The Star Raiders continue to plunder the galaxy with a look at Road Pig today. Road Pig is an update to the wonderfully cool Transformers Generation 2 Laser Cycle that frankly just doesn't get enough attention. Road Pig is a repaint of Crashbar with a new head. Using Crashbar's parts means Road Pig can also be taken apart and made into armor or weapons for most other  current Transformers toys.

The exhaust pipes can be attached to his forearms to create a mode faithful to the original toy robot mode. I kept them on his back as I love those big honkin guns he's packing. Like Crashbar, one of his bike wheels can separate and become a blades weapon or shield. Road Pig's deco is very faithful to the original toy. The exhaust pipes mentioned above are in a pinkish red hue that simulates the originals light up feature. Neat!

Transformation is easy and can be done without completely dissembling the figure like earlier Weaponizer figures. I did have a little trouble getting the parts to fit into place a little. Not sure if that's from mold usage and repair or big clumsy hands. It's not a deal breaker either way. Once in motorcycle mode, Road Pig is a pretty solid homage to his original toy again. Just needs his windshield. I've very fond of the Transformers logo and G2 symbols on the motorcycle. Transformers from from late G1 and G2 tended to have logos on the vehicle modes. It's silly, sure, but also looks cool. I've always liked the G2 logo and at times have preferred it. I can't see it without instantly being reminded of older fandom times due to it's regular use back then. Road Pig is a great update of a classic toy and another cool member of the Star Raiders Collection. I really enjoy these Walmart exclusive series from the past few years. The random homages blended with fun themes is awesome.

Suko w/ Titanus Doug [Godzilla x Kong]

Ever since Godzilla vs Kong came out in 2021, Doug has been in the hearts of many a kaiju fan. Don't ask me how this cute little guy who makes the briefest of appearances managed to become so beloved... but I had to have one too. Fortunately the little guy reappeared in the follow up Godzilla x Kong : The New Empire. Playmates released a toy of the lovable little guy in a 2 pack with Suko... that little shit you wanted Kong to punt into lava for 3/4ths of the movie. I've been speaking highly of Playmates kaiju figures and they did a great job with this two pack. Suko is pleasantly articulated for such a little guy and Doug has the movement you'd expect from a toy his shape. For $10 these are a great value. There's even a rock for Suko to throw. I do wish Doug had brighter paint apps... but it's pretty true to form. Playmates has seemingly shifted from GxK to Monsterverse as a whole and I'll be getting into some of those here eventually. With Bandai sofubi making a return to US shelves I don't know if Playmate's kaiju run is over, or if they're strictly Monsterverse now. Either way, what they've been churning out is solid toys. Playmates always makes good stuff and I'm really looking forward to their upcoming Power Rangers figures.

Chinese Dragon MB-14 [MEGABOX]

[CHINESE DRAGON Legend] For thousands of years it has symbolised prosperity, strength, luck and imperial authority. Unfolding into a 29cm long mythical creature, the exquisite MEGABOX MB-14 Chinese Dragon has descended!

2024 isn't just the 40th anniversary of the Transformers or 50th anniversary of Microman and Hello Kitty. It's also the Year of the Wood Dragon! To celebrate, we're taking a look at Megabox Chinese Dragon MB-14. Megabox is a companion line to Beastbox that has featured licensed characters or in this case, characters from East Asian mythology. Chinese Dragon is exactly as his name implies, a traditional Chinese Dragon. I'm saying 'he', but no gender has been implied to my knowledge. Chinese Dragon is a really ornate looking toy. The green and gold colored plastic really compliment each other as does the translucent orange bits. This is a really pretty figure. Chinese Dragon is also very long, with plentiful articulation allowing for cool flying poses. I get the mental picture of Mythical Qi Beast RyuseiOh/Red Dragon Thunderzord flying into action. His legs also are articulated and the mouth can open.

Transformation into box mode is a little involved to say the least. It's pretty hard to imagine Chinese Dragon's serpentine shape forming a square... but it really can. This involves a lot of folding and splitting the tail right down the middle. I'm used to the BeastBox's folding into boxes with obvious corner points forming pretty quickly during the transformation process. With Chinese Dragon, you actually form him at an angle. It took me a second to realize I had made the box after I had formed the corners together. Once finished he fits into his Box Charger for storage. Speaking of, the Box Charger is a nice green color that really pops. This really is a very good looking toy. I've been enjoying BeastBox quite a bit and a part of that is based on the creativity each toy has. It's hard to imagine a shape like Chinese Dragon's turning into a box... let alone something angular. Once you've done it, it takes a moment to let it sink in. That's really cool.

New Week, New Future

Monday has happened again. Of course that means a new week of robots, monsters, and misadventure is starting here on Zone Base! I hope everyone had a great weekend. Mine was busy with lots of house work to be done. Halloween is sadly over, meaning lots of decorations had to be put away. Not to mention a good household cleaning. Some shopping did happen and I brought home some fun stuff. Target had the new Bandai Godzilla Monster Series 5" figures just in time for Godzilla Day this weekend. I picked up the Godzilla 1954 figure and the Skeleton Godzilla 1954 ReAction figure. I felt that was a solid way to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the original movies release. Unfortunately Target didn't have any Transformers I needed, but did have a Turtles of Grayskull April O'Neil. I got her, leaving me just needing Man-at-Arms to have the line complete until the newest wave releases. 

A later trip to Walmart also resulted in no new Transformers. I still need to find the remaining Star Raiders and the new Legacy/Studio Series figures as well. In due time I suppose. I did pick up a Culturefly Meltz Transformer toy and got Shockwave! These are neat little blind bags that are the characters represented as ice cream bars. Neat! I was hoping to find Blokees now that Walmart is carrying them, but no such luck. I guess it just wasn't in the cards this weekend. Of course I also played some Astro Bot (still avoiding completing it) and got some Transformers Minecraft levels completed. It's fun, but it's becoming clear that I need to remap some controls. Speaking of games, the new Nintendo Music app is on mobile and a lot of fun! You need a Switch Online account to use it (which I have), so thankfully there's no ads. It's great digging into various game soundtracks without the same commercials every few songs like on Spotify. Well, time to get my day started. I've got a few chores to do and pictures for upcoming posts to take. Halloween may be over, but Zone Base is still here. Thank you all for reading, please don't forget to share with your friends!

Happy Birthday Godzilla!

70 Years Strong!

Frankentron [Universal Monsters x Transformers]

Like Draculus before, I was super excited when Frankentron was announced and pre-ordered one right away. The Universal Monsters have been a life long fandom of mine and having them Crossover with Transformers is just pure bliss. If you would have told the small child version of myself always toting his Remco Frankenstein Monster around that one day there would be a Transformers version of it... well, you'd have one happy little boy. Frankentron is a pretty heavy remold of the Siege Impactor toy with several new parts. I really liked Impactor and think it was a good choice for a base mold. His blocky yet well articulated design really lends itself to the classic Frankenstein Monster look. Let's talk about the new parts. Frankentron has open palm hands perfect for classic lumbering poses. Then there's his new chest that looks like a bare chested monster.

Of course there's the new head with that signature flat top. It's really a great robotic take on the classic Jack Pierce design. Last, but certainly not least is the new Tesla Coil weapon with electricity effect. This serves as the monsters tank cannon, or a weapon in robot mode. It has a cool burst of purple energy that can be attached for an attack effect. I like to pose it upwards in robot mode with the intention of generation energy for the creature to use in a rampage. Transformation is pretty easy. Aside from folding a few parts here and there, Frankentron basically folds over in a 'touch your toes' position. Those few parts I mentioned fold into place and with that Tesla Coil weapon inserted you've got one wild Cybertronian Tank that shoots electricity. It's as though Dr. Frankenstin developed a Maser Tank. After Draculus I wasn't expecting another Universal Monster to get the Transformers treatment and they made a really great figure. I hope the rest of the monsters find their way to Cybertron. Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween from Zone Base!

Happy Halloween Zone Base readers! The big day is finally here and I hope you've got your costume ready. Thank you all for celebrating another Halloween with me here on the site. This is my favorite season and I look forward to it all year long. Thankfully tonight's the big night, so Halloween 2024 will go out with a bang! I hope each and every one of you enjoy the holiday. Give out some candy, go trick or treating, carve a pumpkin and watch the all night horror marathon. Whatever you do, I hope you have a great time doing it. Pumpkin Spiced Mayhem 2024 has been a great one. Thanks for reading Zone Base and sharing the site with your friends. Spooky Season might be coming to a close, but we've still got plenty of robots, monsters, and misadventure!

Transform Squadron 58- Dead of the Brain Module

LISTEN NOW!

Halloween is here and there’s no better time to talk about ZOMBIES! Optimus and the gang have dealt with the living dead on more than one occasion and Rob’s here to talk about it. Also a look at the upcoming Transformers Wild King line because it’s awesome. Trick or Treat!

Mr. Bones (Orange/Black) [Super7 ReAction]

Mr. Bones was a favorite candy of mine when I was little. The little plastic coffin filled with multicolored candy bones that could be assembled into a full skeleton was a lot of fun. I'd save the coffins that were just the right size for a smaller figure to have a funeral in. that was totally normal, right? You can imagine my excitement when Super7 released a Mr. Bones figure in their awesome ReAction line. The Mrs got me the regular version and this way cool Halloween edition we're looking at today. Cast in orange and black colors, Mr. Bones is a 3 3/4 action figure with five points of articulation in the vein of an older Kenner Star Wars figure. Neatly enough, the Halloween version comes in a little coffin similar. Also included is a small gravestone with the tagline 'He's So Real'. The gravestone is a replica of the artwork that would be on the display box you'd find the little colored coffins in. That's a really cool little extra.  I still miss the candy, so this little figure is definitely appreciated.

Dracula and Saved Halloween and maybe the World

As Pumpkin Spiced Mayhem comes to an end, it's time for a viewing of my all time favorite Halloween special. The Halloween that Almost Wasn't/The Night Dracula Saved the World is about Dracula and his fellow monsters trying to prevent the Witch from quitting her duties to fly over the moon at Halloween. It's hilarious and full of noticeable little goofs that make it even better. Happy Halloween everybody, thankfully Dracula saved it... and/or the world. Maybe both.

Code Red [Strangers Things x Transformers]

When Code Red was announced last year, I was quick to pre-order one. Stranger Things is one of my favorite TV shows and a collaboration with Transformers is just a fun idea. Of course he's perfect for Halloweek. Code Red is a unique toy as usually these types of Transformers reuses the engineering from a prior release. I think he uses Studio Series 86 Ironhide's engineering, but he feels completely different. If it is based on that toy, the remolding is so extensive that it practically feels like a brand new design. When he was announced, there was confusion as to why his name was Code Red. In season 2 Dustin often calls the guys over their radios claiming they have a 'Code Red'. I don't know if you can see it well in my pictures, but Code Red is wearing Dustin's headset. It's a fun bit of synergy between the show and the toy. Dustin's my favorite character from the show, so I probably enjoyed it a little more because of that.

Dustin isn't the only character referenced here. It's pretty obvious that Code Red transforms into Argyle's Surfer Boy Pizza delivery van. The van is a licensed VW  Vanagon that's pretty small considering the larger robot it's from from. Transformation is pretty easy and I didn't fumble with any part clearances. Everything just worked fine. Robot mode is fairly well articulated and features some great accessories. Most notably is the Surfer Boy Pizza sign converts into a shoulder cannon. There's a pizza box and flame effect that compliments this pretty well. Then he has an axe and spiked baseball bat similar to Joyce and Steve's weapons. Hopefully any Demogorgon isn't big enough for him to need them... but the Mindflayer was pretty big in season 3. All the weapons store in vehicle mode. In addition to the show's homages on the toy, there's quite a bit in the Surfer Boy Pizza box that Code Red comes with. Too many to mention here, but they're very clever. That's probably the best descriptor for this toy, it's clever. There's a lot of fan love in this crossovers figure. 

Enough to Make you Hallowscream

I've never been to Kentucky Kingdom, but judging by this commercial from 1995, it's pretty great during Halloween. While I'm sure in more recent years they've probably updated the scares with more modern frights... there's just something special about those classic monsters running around and scaring folks.

It's gotta be Halloweek

It's Monday, but not just any Monday, it's the Monday of Halloweek! The big day is Thursday and we're going to end Halloween 2024 with a big bang! Please look forward to pure Pumpkin Spiced Mayhem this week! I'll be sad to see the holiday end, so I've got to really get the most out of it in these few days. How was your weekend Zone Base readers? The Mrs and I did quite a bit of house cleaning in between enjoying spooky season fun. The Mrs made one great spaghetti dinner Sunday followed by an amazing cherry cheese dump cake. She's a hell of a cook and I'm lucky to have her! My life is awesome.

I got some cool things this weekend. Though now that the holidays are around the corner, that will be slowing down a little as my focus will be on others. I picked up Transformers Legacy United Animated Motormaster. I missed out on the original BotCon toy, so this is a nice addition. I also bought and downloaded Retrorealms: Halloween for my Switch. It's a fun action platformer starring Michael Myers. There's more Retrorealms games to get and they link up. Initially I was only interested in the Halloween one... but might get more now that I've dipped my toes in the water.

Of course more Astro Bot was played. I am fully stretching it out now, and thankfully more speed run levels have been added. Game of the year. Also in exciting news, Transformers Wild King appears to be on the way and I am EXTREMELY EXCITED FOR IT. I'll be talking about it on the newest Transform Squadron episode coming soon. I hope you'll enjoy it, it'll be the last Halloween episode of the year and boy do we have a fun topic. Well, I've got to get to work recording that and getting my week started. Thank you all for reading Zone Base. It means to world to me when I see you all come out for the robots, monsters, and misadventure! Don't forget to share with your friends!