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!

Bludgeon [Legacy Evolution/Voyager Class]

For whatever reason, when Bludgeon was created, it was decided that he should be a skeleton samurai and the world has been a better place because of it. This recent Voyager mold from Transformers Legacy has been used in Evolution and United for various toys of Tarn and Bludgeon. Today we'll be looking at the Evolution standard retail version because I like the signature skull face better and well... *ahem* it's Halloween. I like this toy a whole lot. Not just because of the skeleton samurai thing, but it's a fun robot toy. He's a pleasantly large Voyager figure with lots of articulation (even in his hands!) and cool weapons. Of course Bludgeon has his sword that can be held or plugged into places for storage.

He also has a cool gun as a holdover from his tank alt mode. The dual cannon barrels can either be mounted on his forearm or held individually. They can even be combined into a super long gun (EVO-FUSION!) that looks really hard to use in a practical way. The tank mode also feature 2 smaller guns that apparently can be disconnected and held. From what I understand the connection points are really easy to break, so I would recommend caution when doing so. It's allegedly an 'undocumented feature', which usually means a happy accident. So don't unhappily break your toy by accident trying out something that's probably not intended.

Transformation to tank mode is not super hard, but does take a big of 'just right' maneuvering of parts around. I had a little trouble getting his head to store away in the chest cavity thanks to the shape of it. Not to mention, the side of his upper body folds up around that chest piece in a way that's a bit of a tight fit if not positioned correctly. Then there's the matter of his arms. The tank's treads are composed of them and there's a good bit of folding them around, once again, just right to allow the proper clearance for parts to be put into place. Transformation is a lot like an unorganized house move with people trying to walk up the hall while others are trying to maneuver the couch down it and around doors. It will eventually work out, but you're probably going to curse out somebody in the process.

Once transformed, you've got a pleasantly Mad Max style Cybertronian Tank with lot's of firepower! The sword stores on the side and let me just say... I find it hilarious when a heavily armed robot has a sword. He literally has a million ways to shoot you and also a sword if he misses every shot. Just in case, you know. There is a common complaint that his hands are visible in alt mode and that is true. I do find that if positioned correctly, they'll blend in pretty well thanks to some outer hand armor. Tricky transformation aside, this is a great toy that I liked in both modes. I've always liked Bludgeon admittedly, but the actual toy mold is pretty good. Spooky scary skeletons that transform into tanks.

Count Micro Machine Man

I love Micro Machines, this probably isn't a surprise to regular site readers. However being Halloween, how does that factor into the Pumpkin Spiced Madness? Well, in this commercial for the Micro Lights toys (they have tiny headlights, it's adorable), John Moschitta Jr. talks really fast about these new toys in a spooky setting to advertise the gimmick. Fast talking Dracula may seem corny, but it's pretty amazing that he could do the Bela Lugosi impersonation the entire time.

Clone Trooper (Halloween Edition) [The Black Series]

Star Wars has been a constant my entire life and directly to blame for all my interests. Thanks to being a small child during the original saga, it's also forever mentally linked to holidays. Halloween in this case specifically as my older brother wore a Gamorrean Guard mask at Halloween for several years. For whatever reason, he loved that mask. I actually held onto it for a very long time until it finally decomposed to a state that it had to be thrown away. That was a sad moment for me personally. Most people from certain age groups probably have strong memories of seeing Star Wars costumes while trick or treating. Star Wars was just everywhere back then and being one of the biggest properties on the planet has tons of merchandise, especially at holidays. So of course there's Halloween Edition figures every year! My wife always gets me the Droid Factory toy each year. Sometimes they even do a Black Series figure (there's always a Christmas one) at Halloween and she got me this super cool Clone Trooper a while back.

I've always had an affection for Storm Troopers/Clone Troopers. They're just so cool looking and it's awesome to see a group of them appear. Considering the variety of them, they're a good fit for a special Halloween themed armor. This one is a skeleton and freaking awesome looking. As you can see, the armor is completely black with a green skeleton painted on it. Simple, yet effective. Ever wonder why so many bullies on TV have black t-shirts with a skull? No, you don't. You already know how threatening that is. Imagine an army of this guy coming your way. We've all made the joke about how a Storm Trooper has terrible aim, but the good guys sure do take cover the minute they show up. The classic skeleton costume isn't the only bit of spooky fun that came in the package. There's an adorable Dracula Porg included. Adorably awesome. Adding the to fun is some Beskar painted like Hershey Bars. Somebody has been trick or treating in a rich neighborhood! There's also a black chest full of mystery treasure with a Jabba the Hut ghost painted on the inside... holy crap is that a Dybbuk Box from Tatooine? That's super cool and it can hold those candy bars so they don't get lost. One thing that really stood out to me, is that inside the box, the figure was wrapped in Halloween paper. It was such a small thing that made a big difference. This is a really cool Halloween Special Edition that I'll always hold in a special place. It's awesome.

Orange Beard the Pirate and Odie the Stupid

We love Garfield in my household. From regularly watching his channel on Pluto TV to the army of plushies in our bedroom. So of course his holiday specials are required viewing. Garfield's Halloween Adventure/Garfield in Disguise is one of my favorite Halloween specials that's so good it gets regular viewings all year long! It's Halloween and Garfield wants some candy. Along with Odie (where's Lyman?), he goes trick or treating and gets the scare of his life! It's the ideal Halloween night!

Radioheadar BB-64 [BeastBox]

[Radioheadar Legend] The mainstay underground DJ in steel city, Radioheadar’s voice can be heard nightly broadcasting thru a secret criminal channel. Occasionally he would also interview infamous characters such as Acidghost & Lithiumon.

It's been far too long since I've talked about BeastBox here on the site and there's no better time than Halloween to take a look at Radioheadar. Radioheadar is a bat, who transforms into a box like other Beastbox toys. Unlike many other Beastbox toys, he also changes into an aircraft. That's right, we have a triple changer! Right off the bat (pun intended) I will fully admit to not taking the best pictures of this guy. His wingspan was actually bigger than my spooky backdrop! I'll like to his Amazon page for a full idea of his size and a better look at his modes. It's not an affiliate link, so don't worry about buying directly from it if you want one. This is one cool bat mech with incredibly articulated wings. He can be put into flying poses or perched. There's an included clip to allow Radioheadar to hang upside down from a perch as well. I understand there's a special version available that comes with a perch if you don't have one.

It's not just his massive wings that are articulated, his ears, mouth, and little bat legs feature movement. This is a neat toy. All that articulation does mean a more involved transformation, which I did have some trouble with. Honestly, I had a hard time following the instructions. Often I tend to just look at a picture and figure everything out on my own. This was one of those times I needed to take a look at the manual and still had a hard time. I'm not sure if I just wasn't comprehending it or Radioheadar was giving me a hard time. Going into box mode was no problem, it was the aircraft I struggled with. After a while I got him into the mode, though I probably did something wrong. If this was a post in a fan group, I'd put a laughing emoji after that statement.  If a little frustration in transformation is the only complaint I have (and it could have just been me), then you've got a pretty good toy. I've yet to have a bad experience with a Beastbox (I've got quite a few of them) and that's amazing. They're great robot toys that manage to be extremely imaginative and fun. What's not to love about that?

Track Monsters with Yogurt

One of my annual Halloween traditions is swapping out my daily tube of Go-Gurt for their scary Glo-Gurt holiday variation. I love the season and yogurt. I specifically enjoy the fun glow in the dark monster art on the tubes and fondly remember prior to the Glo-Gurt branding when they'd incorporate the holiday in other ways. Like this fun Monster Tracker from 2007. A tasty snack and useful tool for Paranormal Activity? That's kind of amazing.

Operation: New Week

Monday is attacking again signaling the beginning of a new week. Fortunately for you, Zone Base is here to defend you from click bait sites that will threaten your idle time! I hope you all had a great weekend, mine as pretty good. The Mrs and I went to Costco for Halloween candy.  I hope our trick or treaters are ready for the 10lbs of candy we bought! I always love a trip to Costco just for the food court, that's some seriously good pizza. We cleaned our garage and enjoyed an Olive Garden dinner Sunday with my Mom. I spent some hours with Astro Bot and am fully admitting to stretching out my time with it. I'm super close to beating it, but don't want to be finished with it. I'll probably still be playing it afterwards in hopes of reaching 100%. Of course I should revisit Astro Bot's Playroom and 100% it too. I love that little guy!

I got some cool toys too! Picked up some of the new blind box Godzilla figures by Funko. They have a fun cute sculpt that really gives them a fun charm. I got Ghidorah and the colored Godzilla (b&w is harder to find). Bandai sofubi Godzilla figures are being sold in the U.S again now that Playmates is seemingly going in a full Monsterverse action figure direction and I'm all for it. I'll take both! Sadly, Target hadn't gotten any in stock as of this weekend. I also ordered Star Raiders collection Filch. I will not be denied my Transformers Star Raiders dammit! Not to be left out, I picked up a Turtles of Grayskull Stealth Ninja Leonardo. I just need April O'Neil and Man at Arms to complete the series until the next wave. We're in the last days of Halloween and time to turn Pumpkin Spiced Mayhem up to 11 (million). I'll be sad to see spooky season ending, but New Future is on the way! Thank you all for reading Zone Base. I've got a fun week planned for you all, please look forward to it. Don't forget to share with your friends!

Ferak [Star Raiders Collection/Legends Class]

Ferak first joined the Star Raiders/Star Seekers in the BotCon 2014 convention exclusive set "Pirates vs. Knights", however the character has been around since the G1 comics making his first appearances in the UK Transformers comics. Ferak is a sadist inventor whose creations are usually pretty evil. Despite being around for so long, he's cruelly only gotten 2 toys. Both are repaints of Cyclonus figures and both exclusives. From that BotCon set we just talked about and the newest is today's subject matter.

The only Voyager Class figure in the Star Raider Collection (exclusive to Walmart here in the states), Ferak is a really nice repaint of the Kingdom Cyclonus mold. I really liked that figure even though it wasn't talked about it here. I've generally have always been a fan of Cyclonus and always look forward to his toys. Ferak is mostly a grayish white with some dark grey and red detailing. It looks really nice on the toy mold and really gives it a new life from a sculpt so instantly recognizable as Cyclonus.

Personally the white reminds me of a common white colored bootleg of the original G1 Cyclonus toy that made the rounds in the 90's-early 2000's. I had one myself until finally getting my own G1 Cyclonus shortly after the bootleg fell apart. The shoddiness of it's own existence was too much for it's molecular matter to hold together. As a robot, Ferak is large with a pleasant heftiness in hand. He feels solid in that way you want a Transformers to to feel. It's a nice toy. There's a decent amount of articulation and he comes with 3 guns. The first is a large Oxidating Laser that can be held and stored on his back or canopy in vehicle mode. Then there are 2 thin blasters that can be attached to his wingtips in either mode, attached to his arms, or held as pistols. These are holder overs from Cyclonus and there's no ignoring that, but they still look great.

Transformation is easy, everything goes where it looks like it should. I really like this vehicle mode in these colors. They have that classic space opera look and would match right up next to a Star Bird. Ferak has always turned into some variation of a star fighter style vehicle, so Cyclonus really does work well for him. He was portrayed with a horned helmet in those old UK comics, which makes those bunny ears work out. There's even some great landing gear that can unfold. That's a nice little touch I always appreciate. This is a really good toy that looks great in these colors. I know some folks won't be able to see anything but Cyclonus, but in that case, it's a nice looking Cyclonus in different colors! I really, really, like the accenting darker greys and the reds really pop. It's just a good looking toy no matter who it is.

Miss Switch: Endgame

Mordo has captured Amelia and taken back in time and it's up to Miss Switch (who can time travel apparently) and Rupert to save her! Hey... you guys just notice that if you cover the S... Miss Switch's name is... WITCH! I mean, they covered that in the last adventure... but now we're time traveling and I was too busy hating on my prior school teachers.

Terroar [Snake Men/Origins]

The Snake Men have always been an extra dangerous set of villains in Masters of the Universe. Hailing from earlier in history than the current problems with Skeletor, they are an ancient evil that pops up here and there. Origins is a really unique toy line. Full of homages to the past, but also with new characters that are made to fit in with classic MOTU lore. In recent months, Mattel has been creating new Snake Men much to fan and collector delight. They're really cool. We'll be looking at Terroar today as I love his freakishness. Mattel recognized MOTU fans tendency to make customized figures when developing Origins and engineered them with interchangeable joints from the start. Utilizing this, these new Snake Men figures are all made from existing parts with new colors. Repaints aren't new, but when done this way it's extra neat.

Terroar is made from the parts of Whiplash, Trap Jaw, Rattlor, and Mosquitor. Mostly Whiplash and Trap-Jaw which is more obvious, but the neck extension piece is from Rattlor and the boots are from Mosquitor. When parts from other figures are combined like this, it's often called 'Frankenstein-ing'. That term really fits Terroar as he looks like something from the Doctors lab. I like the idea of this weird reptilian warrior with cybernetic parts. He kinda of looks like a background character from a MOTU mini-comic. Just some freak soldier the artist got a little creative with, but he's got a bigger role in Lord Gr'Asp's (we'll get to him later) crew. The neck extension can be removed or added as you please for that striking snake look, and the weapons can be swapped out on his mechanical arm. I talk about monsters all year on this site (it's in the description), but this one seems perfect for Halloween. He's just so freaky and weird. It's great!

Miss Switch: Minus One

I've had some bad teachers before, but I don't think any were actually witches. Fortunately, while Miss Switch is a witch, she's a good witch. My teachers were probably demons. You've all seen my terrible grammar, know where I learned that? Them. Speaking of evil witches, Saturna has taken control of the Witches council. Her evil knows no bounds... like fixing a local high school football game and other dastardly deeds. You know, considering my teachers focus on keeping the sports kids on priority, maybe they were witches. Will Miss Switch defeat certain evil by putting children in danger? Yep. Come to think of this, my school experience was just like this. Just without the good witches.

Sentinel Prime [Transformers One/Prime Changers]

Despite usually being just the worst guy ever, Sentinel Prime generally has some cool designs. This continues with his Transformers One appearance where he appears as a statuesque winged warrior. I was really looking forward to this toy as I just love this design. Sentinel seems to be the last Prime Changer released for Transformers One as of right now. Hopefully there will be more, they're great. Also, Sentinel is a solid figure, meaning each one of this class has been pretty good. That's really cool for an entire assortment to not have a single turd in the batch. Opinions may vary of course, but this one's mine. Sentinel, like the other Prime Changers, feels like a design from around 20 years ago. This is another example of why I enjoy the more 'simple' Transformers figures, it's like a trip back in time for me.

Sentinel is decently articulated in robot mode. Even his wings can be maneuvered into different positions. You can attach his guns to the wings and pose them in a dramatic fashion if you like. I chose to have them mounted on his shoulders and held in his hands. There's a certain Technobot quality to his sculpt that I can't ignore, so I just wanted this figure to have all the guns to replicate that old aesthetic more. I had fun with it. One complaint I do have is the thickness of his hands. They're a little small due to transformation and it sticks out. Not a deal breaker, but a little more substance would be great. Speaking of those guns, Sentinel has two larger guns meant to be placed on his shoulders, two smaller ones that serve as pistols, and a dual bladed melee weapon that looks like a shield. Considering he carries a different dual bladed weapon in the movie, I assume this toy was based on an earlier design.

Transformation is fairly easy. Arms fold up to become the jet's nosecone and cockpit area while his upper body and wings form the bulk of the mode. His legs fold up onto themselves and firmly become the bottom of the Cybertronian Jet. The shoulder guns attach alongside the cockpit while the smaller guns fit under his wings. The dual bladed weapon becomes something of a tail fin and the whole thing really comes together in one neat looking package that once again gives me Technobot vibes. I really want a red version of this toy now. If I were on the board that created convention exclusives, I'd push for a Technotbot inspired figure based on this toy. I'd like to think it'd be a success because it's my idea and that's how this sort of thing works. Duh. In all, this is another good toy from a movie I really liked. Nothing but euphoria and enthusiasm from me.

Who's Witching the Kids?

Usually this time of year I post one of my favorite Halloween specials, a weirdo little cartoon called Witch's Night Out. However it's been pulled from YouTube. I guess that's fair considering it's still being sold on DVD and on streaming services, but man does it feel weird to watch it go. Of course it's available on a magical place for now...

New Week Energy

Good morning Zone Base readers and welcome back for another week of robots, monsters, and misadventure! I hope everyone had a great weekend. Mine was good with a mixture of shopping and household work to be done. More Astro Bot was played, I've almost completed it sadly (I've only been playing on the weekends) untill the upcoming dlc brings more to the game. I really do love Astro Bot and wish I would have discovered him earlier! The Mrs and I enjoyed some Halloween fun and I had some great sushi! Sunday evening the Mrs made pizza and the new season of 1000lbs Sisters premiered! That show is so oddly addictive. 

As for toys I picked up Turtles of Grayskull Stealth Ninja He-Man and Jada Metalfig Optimus Primal. I had been convinced that he was purchased prior, but had been proven wrong! Not to mention a cool new fidget toy for my desk and a Star Wars Micro Galaxy Squadron blind box! Walmart still had no Star Raiders collection Transformers much to my chagrin. I ordered Road Pig in retaliation! They damn well stock the rest or... I'll order them too! We've got just under 3 weeks of Pumpkin Spiced Mayhem on the site, so let's make these last few weeks of Halloween count! I made a new backdrop for post spooky season pictures as well. The end of Halloween this year makes me sad, but I'm excited for things to come. I may not be a great blogger, but I try to be a decent one. Thank you all for reading Zone Base. I've got a great week planned for you all, please look forward to it. Don't forget to share with your friends!

Thundertron [Star Raiders Collection Multipack]

Rounding out the Star Raiders multipack is Thundertron, the captain of the pirate crew. This version of Thundertron is a repaint of the Legacy United Thundertron I talked about a little while back with some new molded parts. While he may not look much different initially, the colors match his original toy much more as well as his new head sculpt is also much more like the original toys. In addition, he now has a hook in place of a right hand. This makes me wonder if he has history with Skullcruncher. Understandably some fans may choose this multipack over the single release or vice versa. The main draw for me personally was the other included robots as well intention to complete the Star Raider Collection as I have with the Toxitron and Velocitron Speedia 500 Collections prior. These are super fun sets of exclusive figures that excite me as a long time fan.

Nightstrike can sit on Thundertron's shoulder, that's neat.

Despite owning the prior Thundertron figure (and the original), this is still a fun version of him. I like his new head sculpt and hook hand. Like the other Thundertron figures, you can remove his right foot and store it on his sword as a more pronounced hilt. Personally I prefer both feet shown, but displayed the peg leg this time. It's really neat that Thundertron is a pirate and his beast mode is cool. His name being a combination of Thundercats and Voltron is fun. I do wish the Star Seekers/Star Raiders were a bigger deal in the world of Transformers. Their appearance in the Aligned novels is neat, but I'd love to see them in a cartoon. The Legacy version of Thundertron's lion mode is a Zoids crossover as he crashed onto Planet Zi in search of Armorizers. Judging by Calcitron in this multipack, he found at least one. Zoids will always have a special place in my heart. I have fond memories of assembling them on the kitchen table with my brother back when they were called Robostrux and grew up with them. This is a cool toy from a great set of Transformers. Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me.

Freddy has to Potty

Judging by the pee pee dance Freddy is doing, he even scares himself! These low rent mail order commercials were all over local channels when I was a kid. The Nightmare on Elm Street Dream Package does look like a great deal just in time for Halloween in 1989. Know what else is scary? The price!

Casey Jones [Turtles of Grayskull]

On earth, Casey fights baddies as a hockey-masked vigilante using the sports gear he can fit into his bag. Now, on Eternia, he loads up on Castle Grayskulls’ best battle gear to join the fight against evil.

I've always loved Casey Jones. One of the coolest characters in TMNT whose just a human who happens to be friends with the guys. He's romantically linked with April usually and generally something of a misfit. Casey Jones is a vigilante who attacks criminals in the streets with sports equipment and wearing an old hockey mask

Just some crazy punk rock badass fighting ninjas and aliens alongside a bunch of turtle mutants who were trained to be ninjas by a rat. I enjoy how that sentence is totally factual. Like the rest of the gang, Casey has ended up on Eternia and joins the fight against the Evil Warriors and Foot Clan. In all honesty, Casey already looks like a MOTU character, so he was an easy fit. There's some lateral moves to make it work and it does very well. Instead of his sneakers, he's got those furry boots. Some tights instead of sweat pants. The odd bits of football/soccer/hockey guards are swapped out for Eternian style armor.

The Jitsu glove cracks me up, I can see Casey picking up and immediately wanting to slap someone with it. He's stuck some spikes in his hockey stick and replaced his golf club bag with some sort of Eternian carrying case full of swords, spears, hammers, and axes. These aren't simple pick pockets he's about to beat the snot out of, it's the living Halloween decorations that populate Eternia. Just for good measure, time to swap out that old hockey mask for a gnarly metal face guard. You know, I clearly love a character in a hockey mask. Jason Vorhees, Rick from Splatterhouse, and Casey Jones. This is a great Casey figure that really fits the theme. I've loved all the Turtles of Grayskull line so far and have yet to get bored. It's so creative and fun, especially considering it's based on two series that are fairly old and seen plenty of revisions. Good job Mattel.

Which one of you is a Witch?

Halloween is a season more so than just a holiday. I say that knowing many of you will be spending an evening or two in good company enjoying something spooky. In the early 70's you might have found yourself playing a game of Which Witch? Perfect for anytime you want some spooky fun, but absolutely just right for a creepy autumn night. For a board game commercial this production goes hard. Between the almost dark web look of the live action witches to the forbidden nature in the way the game is presented overall... Which Witch? feels more like a cursed relic than a good time.

Nightstrike [Star Raiders Collection Multipack]

Pirates are a normal site at Halloween, but vampires and bats are as symbolic of the spooky season as a pumpkin. Amazingly, Nightstrike is all 3! As member of the Star Raiders, there's much pirate mayhem done he takes part in. However, his bat robot form utilizes a sonic scream to scare his victims before he drains them of their Energon as well. Nightstrike will trap a robot in their own nightmares while draining them of their life force as one of the most Halloween appropriate Transformers ever. He even turns into a pirate flag, which is you know... a skull. Which is a memento mori, a reminder of the inevitability of death and a cornerstone of the seasons decorations. Neat huh?

Nightstrike is a repaint of the Generations Selects Skar mold which turns into a shield. You'd think it could be used as a cassette for Siege Soundwave, however it doesn't actually fit in his cassette compartment. The shield is meant to be a pirate flag as Nightstrike's alt mode, which is incredibly silly and awesome. Just give whichever Star Seeker a flag to carry, things can get wild. In bat mode, Nightstrike can mount on Thundertron's shoulders as we'll see a little later this week. Transformation is extremely easy as he's a simple toy. However the bat wings are fairly articulated for such a small and basic thing. Nightstrike first appeared in Robots in Disguise 2015, so having a 'GeeWuun' version of him is neat. Aside from the silly alt mode, I really like his colors. It's impossible for me to hate such a neat little guy. He's just a neat toy!

Resident Biscut

I've been enjoying Pocky forever. As a kid, my mom would often go to a local Farmers Market/Grocery store to buy produce and for whatever reason it had a big international foods area. I'd often get Pocky or other Asian snacks and one of those giant cans of Ecto-Cooler to enjoy with whatever video game I'd rent while we were out. These days I tend to keep a box in my desk as the occasional stick makes a perfect work snack. Of course it'd make a great treat to hand out at Halloween. I wonder if the kids would be able to do the Pocky dance?

New Week Combine

Welcome to another week of robots, monsters, and misadventure here on Planet Zone! I hope everyone had a great weekend. Mine was pretty solid, played Astro Bot and enjoyed some good food. The Mrs made barbecue Sunday and we had Japanese Saturday night. Actually the Japanese ended up far more memorable than I expected. On the way home from weekend shopping, the Mrs and I placed a pick up order from a favorite local restaurant. Hibachi for her and sushi for me. There was a special for $3 off when a Coke was ordered, so I got a Coke Zero. When we picked up our order, included was a big to-go thing of soup. But it was no soup, it was my Coke Zero! They had filled one of those big to-go soup containers with soda! I used a knife to cut a hole in the top and inserted a straw. Hell yeah I drank out of it!

As for toys, Walmart still hasn't stocked the deluxe Star Raiders collection. In fact mine seemingly hasn't stocked in a few weeks. Not to worry, I ordered a BeastBox! In addition, earlier in the week the Mrs and I exchanged out Halloween presents. We always do it early in the month as to enjoy the stuff during the season. She got me a great pair skeleton Hey Dudes (my favorite brand of shoes), Turtles of Grayskull Skeletor (he matches the shoes!), and this years Droid Factory Halloween Droid! Spooky fun! Halloween fun was had all weekend. Speaking of, I hope you all are enjoying the Pumpkin Spiced Mayhem. We've got a few more weeks of the Halloween party left in 2024, so let's see it out with a bang! I've got a fun week of content for you this week, please look forward to it! Thank you all for reading Zone Base and don't forget to share with your friends!

Calcitron [Star Raiders Collection Multipack]

It's a happy day because there's a new Armorizer arriving at Zone base! Calcitron is the newest rock bot to join the ranks and he's a cool one. Unlike the other Armorizers, Calicitron has sided up with a group. The Star Raiders- Thundertron's crew of space pirates can boat that they have their own dedicated living rock creature among their ranks. As his name suggests, Calcitron is mostly composed of blue calcite. Blue calcite is a very pretty stone that allegedly adds to your positive aura and will clear negative energies. Hopefully the pirates can benefit from that little bit of spiritual energy as the galaxy can be a scary place. Personally, I like to think the various mysticism surrounding some stones makes for an interesting trait in Armorizers and Rock Lords. I've always really liked when robot cartoons blend in fantasy elements.

Calcitron is a repaint/remold of Magneous like Nucleous was. While not as extensive as a remold as Nucleous, Calcitron is a rather cool remold all the same. The only new part is a head, which ties into the Rock People of Daira from the Headmasters cartoon. Ultimately though, it's still the same base mold as Magneous, so there's nothing functionally new aside from appearances. Fortunately Magneous was a really good toy. There's plenty of articulation and transformation from rock person to rock truck is pretty easy. He has the same axe/crossbow weapon and the roof of the rock truck can be used as a shield or worn on his back. The axe/crossbow can be mounted on top of the truck like a rocket or in front to serve as a battering ram. I feel like Calcitron would like a crossbow. Like most Armorizers, individual parts can be removed and made into armor or weapons for other Transformers figures. The blue colors look great giving Calcitron an almost icy appearance that's really pretty. That's a rock fact!

The Curse of Muffy Mouse

Hocus Pocus Alimagocus, it's Halloween at the store! The gang's all here in one big Celtic festival of the dead. I'm pretty sure Silver Shamrock made Jeff's hat.

Mer-Man [Turtles of Grayskull]

The Ocean Warlord heeded Skeletor's beckoning from Snake Mountain at his own peril. The two always held an uneasy alliance, but Mer-Man did not suspect that he was walking into a trap. He was taken by an alien called Krang, covered in Mutagen, and awoke forever changed in both his mind and body.

I've been saying this entire time that Turtles of Grayskull feels like a designer toy line and nothing is a better example of it than Mer-Man. I am not a professional photographer, so hopefully the picks can come close to just how cool this toy is. Freaky sculpted detail and colors brings this classic character to life in an all new way. Mer-Man has been mutated and is even more monstrous now.

You can swap out his traditional legs for a fish tail for a more... mer-person... appearance. Just LOOK at this thing! A small detail that really blows my mind is the use of translucent plastic. It's not just really pretty, but makes Mer-Man look like he's from the deep dark ocean. Speaking of, they've given him a Angler Fish flavored mutation. Which just makes him look even scarier. In addition to the freaky looks, he's carrying a trident and a gnarly take on his classic sword for battle. Both weapons are super fitting. It's really hard not to be enamored with this toy. The Creature from the Black Lagoon is one of my all time favorite monsters, which makes me appreciate Mer-Man as is. However, the new mutated version of him is AWESOME. Dang, Angler Fish are scary.

That morning, I looked like any other boy...

Did you really think we'd get through another Halloween season without my raving about PAAS Halloween Make-Up Kits? Admittedly I post this thing a billion times throughout the year regardless of the season. That's because I love them. It may not look like much to some of you now, but at the time they were amazing! There was just something about that cardboard standee at the grocery store holding all the different kits that just beamed "FREAKING AWESOME". I love looking at the make-up kits throughout the spooky season. The packaging, cheesy pics that you'll never quite replicate. All the broken open ones spilled on the shelf, all the unsold ones showing up at the local liquidation stores long expired and usable the following year. Just the visage of them is pure Halloween to me. PAAS wasn't my first make-up kit, or even my last. That PAAS Werewolf kit though, was the best.

Originally Posted- 10/26/2021

Quintesson High Commander [Transformers One/Prime Changers]

The Quintessons are some of the villains from Transformers that have remained interesting and cool ever since their introduction in the 1986 movie. While I haven't seen Transformers One as of this writing (but will have by the time you read this), the trailers have portrayed them to still be quite a threat. It's nice to see that they've managed to not only stick around all this time, but essentially remain the same threat that they've always posed. I've been a fan of the Quintessons ever since the 3rd grade when I first saw them in the theater. They're cool villains, you know? This figure, Quintesson High Commander (well call him QHC for the rest of the post, that's a lot of words) is another excellent toy in the Prime Changers price class.

I said above that Quintessons haven't changed much since their introduction, however their appearance sometimes does depending on the medium. QHC reflects a new look for the classic baddies while still somewhat similar. For the record, he's not a Judge. Those are the five faced Quintessons that people are the most familiar with. I say that as it's probably a question that several have by this point. The other Quintessons tend to have a singular face with tentacles. Similar to Alpha Trion, QHC feels like an unused Beast Machines design that was recently discovered. It's a really unique toys that thanks to it's alien design that comes off really bizarre compared to a normal Transformer.

QHC is a mass of tentacles attached to a torso with a base formed from the vehicle modes kibble. Vehicle mode is a Quintesson spacecraft that looks both weird and neat. I don't know if any of the Quintessons transform in the movie yet, but am sure this is for the sake of the toy. QHC comes with a tiny Energon Cube that can be stored within his body in both modes. Energon Cubes are forever neat, so this is a welcome addition. Transformation is relatively simple, though I did fiddle some with a few spots to get everything in the right place.

QHC is fairly articulated, though obviously not to the degree of a more traditional figure. Overall it's a pretty neat toy. To my understanding it's exclusive to Walmart here in the states, not sure about other countries though. I like his weird alien looks and overall creepiness. Hopefully more Quintessons from the movie will make their way to the toy line.

Much thanks to Hasbro and Paramount Pictures for providing Zone Base with this review sample. It's an honer and a privilege. Thank you.

You're moving it

Countless Halloween ghost stories start off with a round of Ouija at a slumber party. In true scary story fashion, a ghost indeed will then cause havoc for the rest of the night only to be defeated by the following morning. Though there'll always be that one kids that the rest stopped talking too who later did something horrible. Was it the ghost? Or did that guy just suck?