Megatron and Shockwave [Swapticons]

These Swapticons sure are fun, but they need someone to fight. That's were the bad guys come in! This is a pretty fun little duo as the two combine to form a vehicle similar to Ironhide and Ratchet's alt modes from the Cybertronian scenes in Bumblebee.

It also looks like the vehicle from Moon Patrol (sorta). Regardless of whatever you compare it to, it's a neat looking little vehicle. Each half has a little gun. I wish the robot modes could hold it, but oh well. Robot modes are chonky little shits with devious little faces. Swapticons really are a fun little set of toys. Probably not for everyone, but great for those who'll like them. Seeing as the faces are printed on, I figure there's a lot of mold reuses in the future and this one has potential for some fun sets. Neat.

Halfway 2 Halloween~Tonight we Scream

fatsAlien Nation was a science fiction/crime drama hybrid that delt with lots of social themes. It was also pretty dang good. Of course we're here for Halloween and hey, this pretty good show had a Halloween episode! It's the spooky season as as the Newcomers are adapting to life on earth they're of course learning about our cultures and holidays. Halloween is pretty weird for people that don't celebrate it as is, but imagine being from another planet. It's a pretty big culture shock, not to mention dealing with jerks. Emily is looking forward to her first Halloween, but some of the kids are of course not to friendly towards somebody different. Did I mention the social themes? Yeah, they go pretty hard. The Francisco's are having an interesting spooky season.

It doesn't help that George is tracking a serial killer. Oh hey, a serial killer at Halloween! This episode hits all the major notes! The killer however is targeting Newcomers in a very specific way. In their old culture, there was Overseers and slaves. Now on Earth, they're all equals... but the former Overseers still think they're better than others... sound familiar? It gets pretty heavy. Well the killer is specifically targeting the former Overseers in the manner of a scary folk legend the Overseers would use to scare the slaves into obedience. Needless to say, this isn't your average show or Halloween special.

Originally Posted: 09/01/2023

Jetstream BB-68 [BeastBox]

[Dual Shape of Mecha Jetstream and Cube] Transform Jetstream from cube mode to mecha model and back again in minutes! The whole body of it has fully adjustable joints, allowing to display in a variety of poses.

It's no secret that I joke around a lot, but I mean this with all seriousness. This is one badass toy we're going to be talking about today. Jetstream looks cute and by all means is, but he goes hard. Jetstream is a robotic Rockhopper Penguin with a great backpack.

As of this writing I don't have a bio to go by, but it has a digital readout of 40 degrees. I'm assuming our dude is doing some cold weather research. That backpack has an articulated antenna that looks like a cannon, so maybe he's going to give someone a cold blast with it. As cool as the backpack looks and as much of a Battle Beast vibe it gives me, it's just an accent to the excellent toy penguin Jetstream is. With a small amount of articulation (which is all you'd expect for this beast mode), 52Toys really produced one expressive bird.

His beak can open, his head can move all over the place, those wings move as do his legs, feet, and tail! One fun little feature is the wheels under his body and tail. Jetstream can lift his legs and roll around on them ala a Transmetal vehicle mode. I wasn't even aware of this when I first saw him, nor when I happily found him among my birthday presents from the Mrs. He can just scoot around if he don't feel like walking and I love that about him. Now, one thing about BeastBox is that they can be extremely deceiving. This little penguin converts into a box, how the hell is he going to do that?

Transformation isn't too difficult, but has it's moments of getting everything just right. His chest opens up and each side unfolds. It's just a matter of tucking everything in and plugging everything else into place. As a 4CM scale BeastBox, his Box Charger is one of the newer unfolding versions. Box mode slides locks into place securely allowing it to be stacked with your others. I think I prefer the standard Box Charger... but these little ones sure are neat. Jetstream is another outstanding effort from 52Toys and a solid example as to why the line is so good. Not to mention, who can look at that little guy and not like him? 

Halfway 2 Halloween~Haunted House (1929)

Man, Disney is #@%#^&$* awesome. One of the biggest companies in the world and they do Halloween better than anyone ever gives them credit. Disney's Halloween Treat is still a favorite of the wife and I (we literally have every single version of it... there's a lot of versions) and we're all over everything Disney and Halloween. We hope to make it out to the Not So Scary Halloween party next year because that just looks super amazing. This old Micky Mouse cartoon has the mouse exploring a most radical haunted house with skeletons that play songs on each others butts.

Grim grinning ghosts indeed.

Originally Posted: 08/24/2018

It's Halftime to Halloween!

It's the start of a new week, but not just any week, we're now Halfway to Halloween! This week we'll infuse a little of that Pumpkin Spiced Mayhem into the site to help hold you over until August and the start of the Zone Base Halloween party!

It may be spring with summer just around the corner, but there's plenty of chills to cool you down! In addition to the spooky fun, we'll be looking at some neat stuff  too! There's BeastBox and more Swapticons in between the tricks and treats. Thank you all for reading Zone Base. Please don't forget to share with your friends and Happy Halfway to Halloween!

Baron Karza [ReAction+/Micronauts]

Following up on yesterdays heroic Micronaut is the evil Baron Karza! Baron Karza is the leader of the Evil Acroyears and general scourge of all that is good. Super7 is using the toy fiction, which makes me happy as I like Acroyears EVIL! As a Reaction+, the Baron is an O-Ring style figure and not held together by magnets like his original. I had the Palisades version with Andromeda for years before giving it to my father in law as those magnets always made me super nervous around my electronics.

That was probably a little too cautious for any rational reason... but a lifetime of being told not to bring magnets around my electronics outweighs any logic. Considering those Palisades ones were notoriously made of brittle plastic, that one's probably a pile of rubble now anyway. With this O-Ring version, I can enjoy my toy without worrying that my computer is going to randomly zap out. Not to mention, I do like him being in comparable size to the other figures. Just feels nice in hand.

Baron Karza was sculpted by Mecha Zone like Biotron was and he really nailed it. That classic head looks fabulous and the body still looks like the Steel Jeeg toy that was reused on the original. While no longer using magnets, he's sculpted and colored to not ignore where they would have been. That's a nice touch. His belly button missile launcher is sculpted in, but obviously doesn't fire anything. I do wish his missile jet pack separated to be used as individual weapons, but understand it not doing so. The look is there, so I'm happy. He's nicely articulated and makes a fine addition to my micro ranks.

Considering the other ReAction ride-able animals, I hope an Andromeda is on the way. As a horse or with a removable head for that sweet centaur action... or both! I also hope a Force Commander is in store as the head swap and recolor should be easy enough. This toy would look so good in white! Knowing Super7, there's likely a bunch of repaints coming. I've got high hopes for alternate color Time Travelers and Acroyears in blind boxes... but would love to see some of those alternate colors for Baron Karza show up. I never could get my hand on those translucent ones Palisades did. The sky's the limit and I'm in for all sorts of variations. I'm so freaking happy that these are getting made!

Biotron [ReAction+/Micronauts]

In January when the new Micronauts toys by Super7 were announced, I didn't think I could be any more ecstatic. The timing of their release around my birthday couldn't have been any as they were the perfect gift from the Mrs. Today we'll be looking at Biotron, or Robotman if you're more into Microman. I've been a fan of Super7's ReAction figures since discovering them in 2014 and their new ReAction+ line is something I've wanted for a very long time.

Much as a standard ReAction takes a character and has them as an 80's Kenner style figure, ReAction+ takes a character and presents them in the style of an O-Ring GI JOE figure.All time favorite figure formats used for a variety of characters? Yes please! Original Micronauts/Microman were O-Ring figures themselves as they were basically downsized Henshin Cyborg figures (which used 12" GIJOE dolls as a base), so this is a perfect format to revisit these characters.

Biotron is a great scaled down incarnation of the original giant toy, or a nice counterpart to the smaller Robotman figure. Biotron and Baron Karza (possibly more, I just know of these two) were sculpted by Mecha Zone (who makes some really good stuff) and they look great! I'm personally blown away by Biotron as he just looks so good! The sculpt is perfect and works great at an O-Ring figure. Certain colors just work perfectly together and the red and blue mix with the white base wonderfully. Of course the chromed head and hands really pop. His tank treads are represented as a removable backpack.

I've seen some conversation that these new Micronauts back ports aren't universally compatible with other similar scaled parts, so whatever else you try to connect there may not work. I'm keeping mine stock though, it looks great. One really nice touch is his chest canopy can be removed to place an Inchman inside. There's been a lot of discourse over exactly which one could fit inside as it's a slightly small size. Dianuats are a little too big, Micro Galaxy Squadron dudes are a little off. I wonder about a Buzz Lightyear Hyperspeed Series? Biotron feels like an award for patiently waiting for a new Micro line all this time. He really feels like a premium toy and knowing Super7, they'll make all sorts of variations. I can't wait.

Hot Rod and Bumblebee [Swapticons]

It's time we look at the newest 'silly' Transformers line from Hasbro called Transformers Swapticons. Swapticons are a new line of smaller, simpler Transformers obviously intended for younger children, yet being enjoyed by a middle aged robot nerd.

These fall in line with other silly, but fun lines like Q Transformers, Kre-O, Bot Shots, and BotBots that I've enjoyed in addition to my 'serious' Transformers. Swapticons are similar to Micromaster Combiners in that an individual figure makes up one half of an alt mode. You combine 2 for a full vehicle or animal. These little bots are chunky little blocky guys with extremely simple transformations. Combination into alt mode is done by interlocking the robot heads together. The fun part is in the variety, you can get creative and stick any 2 Swapticons together. The silliness is played up as the characters have BotBot style silly faces.

Now that we've spent all that time explaining a silly toy, let's take a look at Hot Rod and Bumblebee. The main figures come in 2 packs for not a lot of money. As you can tell by this pack, they tend to be good pairings. I really like Hot Rod, the little blocky body really works well with his traditional looks. It's just a solid little representation. Of course his wacky face give it a bit of goofy characterization... but it works pretty well. Articulation on these guys is basic to put it mildly. They have little simple fold out arms that are just enough to express that they are arms. The toy is in the gimmick more so than the figure.

Bumblebee looks pretty good too, though I admit some of his detail is lost in all the yellow. He's your standard Evergreen Bumblebee. There's nothing wrong with that, it's just that Hot Rod looks so much more detailed next to him. They're a solid duo regardless and their combined vehicle mode is pretty cool. Hot Rod forms the rear end with Bumblebee becoming the front. It's a neat looking combination of the two. I'm really having fun with Swapticons so far. Right now I have no complaints... though like with other smaller toys... I wish they came with a sticker. A Bikkuriman style sticker would go perfectly with these little bots. Regardless of my endless fascination with autocollants, these are great.  I look forward to filling a shoe box with these silly little bots.

Shoot... it's Monday

Welcome back for another week of robots, monsters, and misadventure! I had a great weekend and hope you did too! It was Easter and a pretty good time! The Mrs and I exchanged Easter Baskets and man did she pull out all the stops! Transformers, TMNT, a squishy Cody Rhodes, and some candy was much appreciated! She even put Blokees in eggs and hid them around the house! I'm now the owner of a case of Transformers One Blokees and look forward to putting them together! We had Easter fun at my Mom's house with my brother's family before enjoying a relaxing Sunday evening at home. The 2016 Doom remake was on sale on the Nintendo e-shop for just 5$, so that was an easy purchase.

Speaking of Blokees, it looks like Walmart is making a solid effort into including them into their normal stock. I've been seeing Reels with folks not only finding Galaxy Version boxes at stores, but the larger kits as well. Hopefully they'll be able to keep them in stock as they are popular. I sure love them! Hopefully my Galaxy Defender case ships soon and didn't get back ordered (I swear I hate pre-orders). Of course there's more than just Blokees as far as new Transformers goes... but it's hard not to just focus on them.

There's other toys as well coming out that I'm loving, it's such a fun time on Zone Base! Speaking of, I've got a fun week in store for you all. It appears that an anomaly has been detected in orbit over the planet thanks to those darn quantum computers. Weirdly enough, Planet Zone has been registering as Planet Micro again on various notes around the base. Weird, wonder what's going on? I'm sure it's small. Regardless of universal streams distorting everything, thank you all for reading Zone Base. Don't forget to share with your friends!

Glittering Ironhide [Galaxy Version Defender/01 Shining Version]

In addition to the neat cab mode Blokees Optimus Prime I got at Toylanta is Glittering Ironhide! Two good pulls from a surprise con find! Glittering Ironhide is a translucent version of the classic Ironhide that just looks great. These new Defender Blokees are smaller than the normal Galaxy Version.

The smaller size combined with the signature Blokees style makes for a great little figure that's not to like. Ironhide is pleasantly articulated and has a laser rifle. You'd think assembling something so small would be frustrating, but I actually got the kit put together easily and in a lot less time than a standard Galaxy Version. Ironhide also came with a Megatron coin, there looked to be some variety in coins in the manual. I'm not sure if it's completely random or assigned for each kit. Certainly a neat little extra regardless. I'm obviously a fan of the Blokees Transformers and really look forward to getting more Defender types soon. These little guys have a lot of charm and character... and somehow feel extremely badass.

Sasquatch [Mountain Town Toys]

I got this little Sasquatch keshi at Toylanta from Mountain Town Toys. When deciding to do this 'smoll toys' week I figured it'd be just the thing. Mountain Town Toys is a cool shop a few hours north of me that not just sells toys, but makes their own. This isn't the first keshi I've gotten from them. In 2022 they gave me a Sasquatch one they made from recycled coffee cups (they also have a coffee shop).

They're from North Georgia, in the mountains. Sasquatch is often sighted there. I do wish the idea to write about this little guy would have came to me sooner. I cropped the picture of him out of a convention haul pic (thus the less than spectacular pic). It's a good little sculpt full of character. That's one of the great things about these independent toys, just full of character.

Optimus Prime Vehicle [Galaxy Version Defender/01 Shining Version]

I've been chomping at the bit to get a hold of the new Defender style Blokees kits. Trying my best to be patient for Amazon to stock them (coming soon) and waiting for the opportunity to get Blokees in general can be frustrating. Fortunately I was able to get two Galaxy Version Defender 01 Shining Version kits at Toylanta this year. Some dealers had Blokees and they went fast. Even casual fans can't resist them.

Defender Versions are smaller and some characters are in their vehicle modes that can be ridden by the robot mode figures. For all those who like to make Action Master comparisons and complain, here's more ammo. Of course I'm pretty sure if that's a complaint, Blokees aren't your thing regardless. Clearly a lot of us love these and they're lot's of fun.

This is Optimus Prime in his vehicle mode as you can tell. The kit snapped together super fast and looks great. His trailer isn't present, but the Auto-Launcher robot from the trailer's combat deck mode comes mountable on his trailer hitch and can be raised or lowered for offensive capabilities. You may have noticed the small guns on top of it's cockpit that aren't traditionally there. Those swivel to become handlebars so Optimus can be ridden like a scooter by robot mode Defender Version Blokees. Those are the new, smaller figures that are big time fun. This is a fun way to make the most out of these vehicle mode kits that's pretty adorable. Cab mode Optimus with the Auto-Launcher attached looks pretty great alone if that's not your thing. This is a great little toy that I enjoy a whole lot. You know, despite how cute these are... there's something seriously badass about them as well.

Smol Week, Big Smile

Another week is beginning here on Zone Base and with it robots, monsters, and misadventure! I'm sad to see the weekend end, but thankful to see you reading my nonsense. Not much really happened this weekend, spent time with the Mrs and played Kirby games. I should have worked on organizing toys... but ever just enjoy a lazy day? Maybe next weekend. I did find some toys on a shopping trip. Apparently my Walmart had gotten some Transformers One Blokees in during the week that had been cleared out by the time I got there. Fortunately, I found a lone box sitting on a shelf. Add that to the case of Galaxy Version Defender kits I ordered and I've got a whole lot of fun coming! The TF One kit was Orion Pax btw, I look forward to building him soon... and hopefully finding more. These little shits move fast!

I also picked up Age of the Primes Waspinator. The Mrs suprised me with Age of the Primes Slingshot and a Turtles of Grayskull Rattlor! The Reptile Wars have begun! Not to be outdone, the Mrs cooked a fantastic chicken dinner Sunday night that was enjoyed while we watched IF. Who'd of thought that would have been as good of a movie as it was? Well, I've got a fun little week in store for you all... we're going to focus on some smaller toys. I sure do love them and considering the site is named after a Micromaster base... it's time to get back to the little guys. Thank you all for reading Zone Base, please don't forget to share with your friends!

Optimus Prime with Lionblade [Beast Alliance/Beast Combiners]

We've reached the end of our look at the Beast Alliance toys from Transformers: Rise of the Beasts with today's look at Beast Combiner Optimus Prime with Lionblade. This is a rather fun toy as it draws strong comparisons to Lio Convoy, but also makes me think about the old Action Master Optimus Prime concept art involving him combining with a lion partner. This toy is a super fun idea.

The base Optimus Prime figure is a pretty decent representation of his appearance in ROTB in a simplified figure. It has a decent rang of articulation, not as much as a Generations figure, but decent enough for a basic toy. He transforms to truck mode fairly easily and mostly how you'd expect him to go... and can I make a comparison here?

When I returned to my look at Beast Alliance, it was just as the Transformers Wild King toys were starting to get shown off (I'm about two weeks ahead in writing posts, mind you) and I just cannot shake the mental comparisons I'm getting between this figure and Energy Master Optimus Prime. I wonder if there's some shared engineering going on. Energy Master Optimus Prime certainly has plenty of new parts and looks bigger... but look at the truck modes. They're very similar. Seeing a these toys are all designed in CAD these days, I don't think it'd be super hard to reuse designs. It could just be me seeing the similarities and coming to some wild (pun intended) conclusions... but I can't unsee it.

Lionblade, Optimus's animal partner is a new Maximal character who so far only exists as this toy. He's a nicely sculpted white mechanical lion with a gold mane. Yes, he's very similar to Lio Convoy in beast mode. I do wonder why they made him a separate character, but I'm not gonna argue with a new character. They're rare these days. Like the other Beast Combiner partner figures, he's large... but limited. Only his legs can move in a basic fashion. Actually, mine was loose right out of the box so I had to use some trickery to have him stand for the picture. Hopefully yours is better.

Transformation to armor is pretty much the same as the others. Remove tail and the top of the beast head, fit body onto the shoulders of the robot. The spring loaded gimmick modes parts into place whilst you plug that head onto whichever hand you chose and the tail becomes a melee weapon. Don't forget to position the bottom jaw from the beast mode as it's now a gun. In Beast Combiner mode, Optimus looks awesome. These toys feature a mixture of classic super robot and Beast Wars looks in a fun package. My only complaint is that the beast parts do limit Optimus's arm articulation some... but any robot toy veteran is used to limited possibility in combined forms. If I ever get those three Japanese exclusive Battlemasters, I'll make another return to Beast Alliance here on the site. For now though, our look at the line is done. It's a fun set of toys tied to a fun movie. The upcoming Transformers Cyberworld and Wild King feel spiritually similar and I'm looking forward to covering them here.

PC Engine CD-ROM

Don't forget your System Card.

Arcee with Cheetor [Beast Alliance/Beast Weaponizers]

The last of the Beast Weaponizers, Arcee, is who we're looking at today as we close the book on the Beast Alliance toys from Transformers: Rise of the Beasts. Like Wheeljack with Rhinox, Arcee comes partnered with a recolored Cheetor. I don't mind the mold reuses as it's a good Battlemaster, but would have preferred a new character with a new deco. I guess they wanted to keep as many onscreen characters relevant as possible.

I've liked the Beast Weaponizers best out of the Beast Alliance 'main' figure types, so it's probably obvious that I find Arcee pretty pleasant. I know that I compare lots of Transformers to Microman figures, but this Arcee really looks like she could fit in with them. It's the sculpting. Like the other Beast Alliance figures, there's some hollowness here and there. It's most noticeable on her back as there's just a large open space. Fortunately it's part of her design as that's where the wheels go from alt mode. So that space does get filled up. Arcee is fairly articulated as Beast Weaponizers generally are. Transformation to motorcycle is pretty easy, everything just goes into place. Her windshield piece can pop off easily, so be careful. This is actually my second one as I initially didn't notice my first was missing out of the store. Dang it! Both modes are pretty good and part of me wishes I would have checked to see if another figure could ride the motorcycle. Maybe one of those Micromen I keep comparing toys too.

Cheetor has the same cheetah root mode and claw weapon mode as his regular Beast Battlemaster release. It's a very slight redco of that toy with darker yellow,and lighter gray plastic with less spots. It feels like a weird choice, possibly a last minute decision. Cheetor turns into the same claw weapon that I still like to think is some sort of electric gun type ranged weapon. It's just too awkward to imagine as a melee weapon... but I guess could serve as one. Once again, I really wish he was a different character or at least in a much different set of colors. Still a good toy, so my only complaints feel like a nitpick. Though I feel it's a fair one. Arcee can hold him in weapon mode or he can mount on her forearms, which would be more suitable looking for a melee weapon. Overall it's a decent set and another satisfying addition to a really fun series of toys.

Stick it to Monday

It's Monday yet again Zone Base readers and I'm admittedly a little late with this week's Monday post. I had an annual medical test to do first thing this morning that ate a bit of my time. I hope you all had a great weekend as I sure did! The Mrs and I did some weekly shopping and I got some great stuff! A trip to Five Below resulted in a cool Kirby figurine and a minifigure of Mohawk from Gremlins! I got some othet stuff, but I doubt you all care about a power brick for my Galaxy Watch.

Walmart actually had new toys! Someone had the new Age of the Primes Red Alert and Prima Prime! Fortunately I saw them and brought them home! We'll be looking at them soon enough here on the site, but for now let's finish up with our look at Beast Alliance Transformers and next week will be a themed week! What's that? I guess you'll just have to see. I renewed the url this weekend and feel like it's a good time to celebrate another year of Zone Base doing it's own damn thing! Thank you all for reading and don't forget to share with your friends! 

Wheeljack with Rhinox [Beast Alliance/Beast Weaponizers]

I really enjoyed Beast Alliance upon it's release (as you all noticed) and taking this look back to finish the series just as Transformers Wild King is debuting is making it a little extra fun. Both Wild King and Cyberworld feel like successors to the Beast Alliance series from Transformers: Rise of the Beats and I'm all for it. Today we're looking at Wheeljack with Rhinox from the Beast Weaponizers portion of the series.

Beast Battle Masters and the Beast Weaponizers were my favorite part of Beast Alliance and Wheeljack is a great example as to why. When I covered his mainline toy, I had a lot of fun joking about the naming, but really enjoyed the characters design all together (I really wish he was another character). I haven't gotten the Studio Series version of Wheeljack yet, but this might be my favorite toy of the ROTB version as good as that mainline toy was. Beast Weaponizer figures are similar to a Core Class figure, but just a little bigger. Wheeljack is nice and bulky with a pleasant amount of articulation. It's pretty amazing just how satisfyingly chonky this figure is in hand. There's some hollowness here and there and some skimping pf paint apps... but nothing feels lacking you know? They just did and all around good job.

Transformation is easy and everything just goes into place as it should. Thanks to the placement of joints, his windshield looks as though it has eyes. That's a funny little side effect of the engineering, but isn't overwhelming. Just funny. Unfortunately his Battle Master isn't a new character or new mold. Fortunately it's a good Battle Master with a slightly different deco. Beast Battle Master Rhinox partners with Wheeljack making a great pairing. Traditionally the two are smarty pants, but as this version of Wheeljack is beefy, they contrast nicely.

Rhinox is of course a rhino and as a Beast Battle Master turns into a gun that Wheeljack can either hold or be mounted to his vehicle mode. There's a good amount of points to stick a Battle Master onto Wheeljack, so maybe you'd prefer Rhinox to be arm mounted instead. Rhinox has less colors for this version, making him look more like a natural rhino. I do wish the barrel of his chain-gun mode had some color to add detail. Overall, I really like this set. Wheeljack's Urkel inspired looks contrast with his stocky build nicely and Rhinox pairs well with him. I'd love to see this mold get reused in Cyberworld or elsewhere down the road. It's a good one.

Bios- Billy Lee

Height 5'10"

Weight 165 lbs. 

The Hero of our story, he began his Kung Fu training at age 12 and became a Kung Fu-Sosaiken Master at 20.

Scourge [Beast Alliance/Battle Changers]

It's been almost 2 years since we began our look at the Beast Alliance toys from Transformers: Rise of the Beasts and with all the excitement surrounding the upcoming Transformers Wild King line, now seems like the perfect time to finish the series. Today we'll be looking at Battle Changers Scourge. Since it's been awhile, Battle Changers were the lowest priced toys from the Beast Alliance series and as you can tell from the picture, pretty simplified figures. It is what it is and they are what they are.

For the price, Scourge looks pretty good. He's got a pretty decent sculpt that looks great in his limited deco. Honestly, he could pass for an Acroyear. Obviously, there's limited articulation (shoulders, legs at the waist), but he does have the weapon gimmick that other Battle Changers have, and that's a built in weapon that can be folded away. That's a nice way of giving the character a weapon, but including it as part of the figure and not another molded part (they've got to keep it cheap). Considering the Beast Battle Masters are compatible with all the other figures in the series, it's a good trade off. Scourge's weapon is the double bladed sword he used in the movie, and that oversized left hand is also a cannon. So he's coming out ready for a fight even without a Battle Master to partner with.

Transformation is obviously simple, but results in a decent enough truck mode. His robot arms are visible in alt mode, but one could argue they're part of the overall post-apocalyptic look he has. I have to laugh with some of these far out vehicle modes. They're robots in disguise, but who's not going to notice him driving by? Scourge is the last of the Battle Changers from Beast Alliance and one the better of the class, second only to Rhinox. I like the sculpting and the colors. Like I said, he could almost pass for an Acroyear. So obviously that's working in his favor. He has a neat design that can carry even the simplest of toys. Not to mention, it's good to have a bad guy now and again.