Transform Squadron 55- Monster Insect Robo

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This month: Rob talks about Star Raiders and Transformers One before looking at Bug Bots by Buddy L.

Pocong Public Safety

Summer is a Spooky Season.

Soundwave [AMK Mini Series]

If you ask a random person what they remember about Transformers, usually someone will bring up Soundwave. He's one of the more iconic characters from the franchise thanks to his way cool cassette partners and trademark speech pattern. It also doesn't hurt that his head is the design of the villain faction. This AMK Mini Series model of him is a really great representation of the character with plenty of articulation and hand alternatives (open, closed, or pointing) for classic poses and lot's of expressiveness. Soundwave is also packing his trademark shoulder and handheld guns. Unfortunately there's no cassette minions included to round out the package. Considering he doesn't transform, that's not surprising and it doesn't take away from the figure. Like the other Mini kits, parts snap together quickly and easily. These are really simple models that result in great results

Let's have One great Week

Good morning Zone Base readers and welcome back to another great week of robots, monsters, and misadventure! I hope you all had a great weekend. Mine was pretty great too! It was a rainy weekend full of TV and rest. I feel asleep watching Zyuranger and TMNT a few times and even watched the new Garfield movie. As far as toys go, I got the Go-Bots Guardians 3-Pack! Heck yeah! I had somehow missed out on the pre-orders, but found it at my local Gamestop. Well, I've got a busy day ahead of me. It's the last week before our Annual Halloween party starts for the next 3 months! Hope you're all looking forward to some Pumpkin Spiced Mayhem! Well, I've got a fun week planned for you all. Thank you all for reading Zone Base and please don't forget to share the site with your friends!

Halloween is coming...

Optimus Prime [Legacy United/Voyager Class]

Returning to Legacy's updates of Transformers Animated characters is Optimus Prime! The leader of the Autobots had a slightly different role in Animated, being in charge of a crew of misfits in a setting where Prime was a rank without a magic device granting extra abilities. Animated has been in regular rotation on the Transformers channel, so I'm sure the renewed interest is helping sell these cool new toys. Optimus is a solid update to the original toy. Like the other Animated Legacy toys, he can fit in next to your traditional Transformers just fine... but still retains that Animated aesthetic. Unlike the original toy, there isn't a flip up 'battle mask' mouth plate. Instead you have an open faced Optimus, which is how he normally appears onscreen in Animated when not in a fight.

Optimus has his rocket powered battle axe, that can be extended for a two handed weapon. It can also be stored in vehicle mode, which looks totally natural. Transformation from robot to truck isn't very hard. There is a few odd spots where arranging the robot mode arms into truck bits felt odd to me initially until it just suddenly worked. Which probably means I was doing something wrong. There is a spot where you must rotate his hips and it just did not work on mine. Come to find out, many have been poorly trimmed from the mold sprues at the factory. Most folks are dissembling theirs to file down the spot... but somehow my giant hands wore it down after a few twisting attempts.

Once transformed, Optimus looks like he should. It's the 'cab' portion of a firetruck, the rest is not included nor was it with many of the toys during Animated run. Ultimately, it just looks like a standard Optimus Prime cab with a light bar. I liked this toy a lot. It's a good update of a great design. There's plenty of articulation and despite an easily fixable factory error, there's nothing to complain about. Animated homages Mighty Orbots in a few different ways, but it wasn't until this particular figure of Optimus that I noticed his design was pretty similar to Tor. I'm not sure if that was completely intentional or just a coincidence, but I'm not complaining.

BIOS- Shockwave

"Clarity of thought before rashness of action."

Function: Military Ops. Commander

An awesome warrior. Plots the destruction of the Autobots with the same cold, computer-like efficiency as in planning the overthrow of his Decepticon leader, Megatron. Believes that only one as logical as himself can lead the Decepticons to victory. Left arm shoots a wide range of electromagnetic armaments from explosive gamma rays to super-hot infrared particle beams. Paired with Fistfight, a loathsome terror droid who enjoys dissecting late model cars when he's not in his long range, laser-sighted, lightning rifle mode.

Strength: 10 Intelligence: 10 Speed: 7 Endurance: 7
Rank: 9 Courage: 9 Firepower: 9 Skill: 9

Koopa Troopa & Pull Back Racer - Bullet Bike

Sometimes the simplest toys are they best toys. My mother loves to peruse the clearance aisles at stores. Not long ago she was doing so and picked me up this Koopa Troopa figure from the Super Mario Bros movie toy line. Just because I love Super Mario and it was just a few bucks. It turned out to be a great little toy. Those familiar with Mario probably recognize the Bullet Bike. In toy form it's a simple, ride-able vehicle with a pull back engine and a good representation of the Bullet Bike. The Koopa Troopa is a little over two inches and a quarter with 5 points of articulation. He's a charming little guy who looks screen accurate to his (or her) appearance in the movies racing scene. I'm not ashamed to admit that the little bike has raced al over my floor, jumped ramps made from books, and pulled off some death defying stunts.

Bumblebee [AMK Mini Series]

Since 2007, we're all used to Bumblebee being one of the main characters in Transformers. Before that, however, the Autobots little buddy often served a a bridging character so kids watching could relate to the characters on screen. He was often paired with Spike in little wacky adventures. This Yolopark AMK mini model of him really captures the look of Bee from the old cartoon really well. Those screen accurate looks combine with great articulation resulting on one pleasant representation of Bumblebee. Like other Yolopark AMK Minis, he has 3 sets of hands. Open palm, pointing fingers, and closed fists that can hold his laser pistol. These models snap together really easily and it just took a few minutes to get Bee assembled.

I'm really impressed with the proportions of this kit. Bumblebee is a small guy, but those feet are pretty substantial. That's sometimes downplayed in various figures. Not so much here, these feet are satisfyingly large. This is all around a great AMK kit.

New Week Rock- 7/22/24

Thanks for coming back for another week here on Planet Zone! I've had a great weekend and hope you did too! I watched Gobots, Transformers, Halloween videos, and Cobra Kai episodes this weekend while trying to stay out of the heat. Speaking of Halloween, the Mrs and I are about to head out to Bed Bath and Bodyworks for the start of their Halloween season. As far as toys go, my Mom surprised me with a TMNT/Universal Monsters Casey Jones. That was out of left field for sure! I picked up Ghidorah from Playmates Monsterverse figures (battle damage, woo!), and ordered the new Transformers multipack from Target Sunday. Really looking forward to that Squeezeplay. Well, I've got spooky adventures in store and hope you all have a great week. Thanks for continuing to read Zone Base. There's a fun week of robots, monsters, and misadventure waiting for you. Please share the site with your friends and Mutual High Fives everyone!

Target Optimus Prime w/ Autobot Bullseye [Target Exclusive/Leader Class]

As someone who shops regularly at Target, this was something I couldn't pass up. Optimus Prime as a Target truck is a fun and cool idea for a toy exclusive that looks great in the finished product. Adding in Bullseye, Target's mascot who transforms into a bubble mailer! This is a neat set of toys overall, though like most exclusives, is made of prior existing molds. Let's start with Bullseye. Despite being a dog, the toy uses the Siege Ravage mold. Now many an old school Transformer fan has heard someone mistaken Ravage for a dog, so I guess it's about time a Ravage toy IS a dog. This is just coincidence as the Siege Ravage isn't terrible feline looking, so it can pass as a dog just as well. The deco on the cassette mode is some well done creativity that makes him really look like a package and not a tape. 

Bullseye can still work with Soundwave or Blaster if you're curious. I wasn't fond of this mold for Ravage... but I've came around to it for Bullseye. Either it just works better for him or I changed my mind. It happens.

Optimus is made from the Legacy Laser Optimus Prime cab with the Earthrise Optimus Prime trailer. Considering this would be the 4th version of the Laser Optimus Prime toy in 2 years, the different trailer breaks it up some and makes things feel fresh. I have all the other versions of the mold and love them individually... but it would be an odd choice for a tanker trailer. So why not just use the Earthrise Optimus as well? Because the flat nosed truck isn't very modern and by combining the two parts... you get something you'd see driving down the highway. I actually like the Laser Optimus mold quite a lot, so I have no complaints. Optimus transforms fairly easily into a long nosed semi and looks fabulous in the Target colors.

Despite the colors gracing various Optimus toys before, it looks really unique here. Optmus's chest opens up to reveal a removable Matrix of Leadership and his shoulder launchers open as well. There's a series of missile pods located in them to keeps any Decepticons at bay. The trailer is a standard 'G1' style Optimus trailer. It opens up to become a battle platform and features the classic inner robot. The robot features articulated arms and can be removed. You can then put the robot wherever or fold it up to form a weapon that Optimus can hold. It's worth nothing Optimus can also hold Bullseye in mailer mode. Overall this is a really neat set. The box art shows Optimus using one of those giant red balls in front of Target stores to play with Bullseye. Sadly one isn't included, but I think I may stick a red Bakugan in there to serve the purpose. The whole thing is meant to be fun and it really is.

BIOS- Roadgrabber

"Destruction has a beauty all its own."

Function: Gunner

A road-ripping demon of destruction. The cruelest of the cruel. Able to hide undetected inside his bullet-proof protective shell and use its front-mounted claws to crush his enemies. Transforms from robot Mode to fast attack hover jet with vectored thrusters for lightning-fast maneuverability. Built-in, turbo-powered boosters enable him to reach speeds over 3000 mph. Also equipped with subspace capabilities. Armed with dual pom-pom action freeze lasers that convert to flamethrower cannons.

Strength:7 Intelligence:7 Speed:7 Endurance:8
Rank:6 Courage:8 Firepower:7 Skill:8

Gates of Hell

Summer is a Spooky Season.

Optimus Prime [AMK Mini Series]

The main man of the franchise himself is a solid entry in Yolopark's awesome AMK Mini series and seems like just the bot to look at today. He features plentiful articulation and is easy to build. Like the other Mini kits, there is three pairs of hands. Open fists that can hold his iconic rifle, open palms to hold a basketball that's sadly absent, and pointing fingers to direct the Autobots into action. This is a really good representation of Optimus, which is to no surprise as all of these Yolopark kits have been really great. They assemble into really nice action figures without any glue or painting necessary. That's pretty neat. Getting into these was a good decision, I've been having a great time and look forward to getting more.

Challenge of the New Week

Welcome back to Planet Zone for a new week of robots, monsters, and misadventure! I had a great weekend and hope you did too! The Mrs and I got some great Code Orange shopping done (we got a Bluey Halloween blow mold!) and I managed to get some great TV viewing in. Episodes of Ronin Warriors, Gobots, Robotech, Transformers, Ghostbusters, some Godzilla and Universal Monsters movies... all around good stuff! Now that I see there was an update to Star Wars Hunters, I wish some gaming time was had. 

As far as new toys go, Party Wallop finally came in and I found the Studio Series Concept Art Megatron from the Bumblebee movie. Some great toys that will eventually get covered here in the coming weeks. Speaking of, Pumpkin Spiced Mayhem is just around the corner and we're gearing up for the wildest one yet! Tfcon Toronto and G-Fest were also going on this weekend. There's some great pictures  and videos from the two shows conventions online making me wish I was there! Well Zone Base readers, it's time to get this week started. Thank you all for supporting the site and sharing it with your friends. Time to enjoy an iced coffee and pass around the Mutual High Fives!

Starscream [AMK Mini Series]

Starscream is one of those Transformers characters that people just can't get enough of. When he comes to mind I remember my initial impression, which is part of why I like his Yolopak Mini kit so much. I've mentioned before the commercial that's pretty much responsible for my initial interest in Transformers before. The Seekers all had black faces and for whatever reason, that stood out to me. Their toys did as well. However when it came to cartoons and comics, there was gray added. Of course this made the face distinct from the helmet, but I always remembered those solid black faces. This toy, while cartoon accurate, has that black face.

It's a small detail, but appreciated. Here at the 40th anniversary, it means something a little extra to me. Just a little reminder of that commercial I saw 40 years ago that lead to a lifelong fandom.

Of course there's more to this Starscream than just his face as it is a pretty nice AMK kit. Being a Seeker, there's extra parts that are needed. The wings, his null rays,  those shoulder hood vent... things. There's a lot of extra detail they could have phoned in, but didn't. These mini AMK models are simplified compared to the larger premium ones Yolopark also produces. That clearly doesn't mean any skimping is performed. The finished product is very nice and has me reconsidering the idea of making a specific display as opposed to mainly storing my toys and just keeping more recent ones out. Starscream has the same amount of hands as the other AMK Minis. Open hands, closed fists, and pointing fingers combined with the plentiful articulation allow for expressive poses. Yolopark really has a great product.

BIOS- Street Speed Team

The talent of the members of the Street Speed Mini-Con Team for working in tandem while racing at top speed across a battlefield or crowded city freeway has made them invaluable as spies and scouts for the Autobots. All three are in love with racing, and they sometimes disappear for weeks to compete in the Speed Planet rally circuit.

Strength: 8 Intelligence: 7 Speed: 9 Endurance: 8
Rank: 4.5 Courage: 8 Firepower: 5 Skill: 6

Raphael [Turtles of Grayskull]

After tracking Shredder to Krang's Technodrome, Raph charged in headfirst, then a flash sent the Turtles to Eternia. Wearing Ram Man's spare armor, he's tracking Shred Head and seeking a way back home.

Cool but rude, Raphael is wearing Ram Man's outfit to fight the Evil Warriors and Foot Clans team-up. It's easy to say this line goes hard, but in this instance, it goes really hard. Raphael looks amazing as a Ram Man analog, and considering his stubbornness... it's a fitting match. Outside of that it just looks great. Raphael comes with a cool twist on his trademark Sai, one is a large Eternia variation that can be stored on his shell. The other is attached to a gnarly gauntlet that allows for a real Punch of Kill Everything. Like the other Turtles, his shell can be detached and held as a shield. Everything just works so well and looks so cool, Ralph should really be the poster boy for the line. He just sells the line theme and gimmick so well. Of course he has the standard MOTU Origins amount of articulation and like the other Turtles his bandanna even has articulation. This is such a cool figure.

Nucleous [Legacy United/Deluxe Class]

We've got another Armorizer to look at and it might just be the coolest yet. Nucleous is a heavy remold of Magneous with a lot of new parts. Like most Armorizers, Nucleous can be split apart into pieces to form armor or weapons for other Transformers figures. However they might want to be careful, because as his name suggests, Nucleous is composed of raw Nucleon! To much exposure could cost them the ability to Transform! Or in the case of the Marvel comics, eventually shut down completely. That stuffs dangerous, and he's a living rock creature made out of it. Oddly enough, raw Nucleon looks a lot like milky quartz.

I quite like Nucleous's looks. He's a mixture of living rock and radical robot. Love that head sculpt. Transformation to rock car is pretty easy as it's  the same as Magneous. There's not need to split up the parts, though the 'car' roof part that can either mount on his back or be used as a shield will need to be adjusted a little as one of the rocky rocket pods has to fit under it. Those rocket pods, BTW, combine to form a club for Nucleous... or I guess a torch similar to Magmar's weapon.  Nucleous is a really cool addition to the Armorizer ranks, and despite being a remold/recolor feels like a brand new toy. I'm admittedly smitten with these new rock robots. I love the homage to past lines and their connection to Inhumanoids. These are some cool toys, and that's a rock fact!

Galactic Weekly Update- 7/8/24

It's Monday and a new week is beginning here on Planet Zone! Thanks everyone for returning after that long holiday break for more robots, monsters, and misadventure! I enjoyed my holiday, but dang, it went by too quick. There was family fun spent at my brother's house for a Fourth of July cook out and the Mrs and I took in a good bit of Halloween shopping Friday. Saturday and Sunday saw a lot of downtime resting at home while getting some work done for the Pumpkin Spiced Mayhem starting next month. I made a point to get some quality gaming in with my Switch and Super Pocket as well. 

I haven't done a weekly update in a few weeks. In that time Challenge of the Gobots has started airing on the new MeTV Toons channel and I've been happily enjoying watching it again. I've got some DVDs of the show, but seeing it aired on TV again is a real treat. Unfortunately the show airs at an inconvenient time as part of a late Saturday night/early Sunday morning 80's cartoon block. Fortunately the Frndly TV app has DVR. Challenge of the Gobots gets a raw deal, but really is a pretty good cartoon!

Toy wise, I picked up Cybertron Starscream and Vector Prime from Legacy United this past weekend. That and a TMNT Nano Metalfig vehicle set and a weird block figure set of aliens vs monsters. The weekend before saw Armorizers Nucleous and the Target Optimus Prime get delivered. Party Wallop should be here in the coming weeks. I had pre-ordered him a while back, so of course it's already showing at some retail locations. I hate pre-ordered lol. 

Well, time to get this week started. I've got some fun content planned for you all. Thank you so much for reading Zone Base. There's been a lot extra of you all lately and I really am thankful for the extra eyes my little site has been getting. Please don't forget to share the site with your friends and Mutual High Fives everyone!

Optimus Prime [Galaxy Version 1 Roll Out]

I probably don't have to explain who today's post is about. It's Optimus Prime, literally the main guy and cover bot for the entire brand. As a Blokees figure he's quite fun. The proportions are quite fitting for his overall look. That classic Convoy design works well cutesy or super serious. It's the proportions and overall style that make me like these kits so much and Optimus just really works out well in the cute Blokees look. Like the other kits, he comes with both open and closed hands. However, this kit also comes with an Energy Axe and a pointing finger hand. It's a little extra that goes a long way and makes Optimus feel more like a deluxe kit as opposed to the others.

There's an alternate version of Optimus in this series of Blokees in a super cool chrome deco. Being the chase figure of the assortment it's a little harder to get. Still, I really like the good old traditional colors. This is a good Optimus Prime figure. Assembly is pretty easy, once you've gotten a couple of these assembled, it's pretty much known from the jump. Once again, the classic Optimus design really lends itself to almost any type of style you throw on it and let me just take a second to appreciate the circuitry on his windows. It's a small detail that looks so good. Part of me always wished he had some sort of digital readout there. Well, it's time for me  to start my vacation. This is a short week of posts here on the site, but next week we'll be back to more robots, monsters, and mayhem. Thanks for reading Zone Base, don't forget to share the site with your friends!

BIOS- Autobot Battlefield Headquarters

"Speed and power are the driving force for victory!"

Function: Regional Ground/Air Defense

Keeps the peace on land and in the air! Full-Barrel and Overflow use their overpowering size to rumble to victory over any Decepticon adversary. Highly mobile, stock-piled to the max with energon defense armaments, including twin, wing-tip rocket launchers, pivoting high-intensity heat lasers and dual concussion mortars. Non-oxygenized, vacuum-sealed cybernetic computer system control all on-board weapons and energy output. Provides safety for Autobots under attack. Utilizing the Micromaster Combiner feature, tractor trailer separates to form two aerial defense crafts, then they combine to produce sub-orbital space station!

Strength: 10 Intelligence: 6 Speed: 7 Endurance: 5
Rank: 7 Courage: 9 Firepower: 10 Skill: 7

Have One Great Week!

It's Monday and the beginning of a new week here on Planet Zone! This is a holiday week and I'm taking a little vacation. There's some fun content in store for you, but the posting schedule will be a little lighter this week. Don't worry, I'll be back next week with a full week of robots, monster, and misadventure! Thanks everybody for reading Zone Base, don't forget to share with your friends!