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!