Rodimus Prime [AMK Mini Series Wave 2]

Rodimus Prime is an Autobot leader whose own self-doubts often cloud his judgment. Considering he was practically thrown into the role unexpectedly… I don’t blame him. One day he’s just fishing with his little buddy Daniel, and the next he’s leading the Autobots after defeating Unicron. Add in his guilt over the death of Optimus Prime, and that’s a lot of weight to carry.

Honestly, I think Rodimus gets a bum rap over the whole Optimus situation. Megatron was already about to shoot Optimus while playing possum. Hot Rod tried to save him while everyone else just stood there. I’d like to think Optimus would’ve done the same — and decisions like that are probably why the Matrix chose Rodimus in the first place. After all, we all know how beaten down and war-weary Optimus Prime was. I’m sure he’d faced countless similar moments. Rodimus, though? He’s young, and literally was just fishing the other day.

Yolopark’s AMK Mini version of Rodimus Prime looks great and really captures his unique design. The detailing is well sculpted and he looks exactly like he should. They did a fantastic job with his flame deco, and I really like the chrome on his smokestack forearm guns. His twin Photon Lasers are also nicely represented and finished in that same chrome. That chrome means a lot to me for reasons I can’t fully explain — maybe because I’ve always loved how it was used on classic G1 toys.

The improved articulation introduced in AMK Mini Series Wave 2 really shines here. Combined with the included closed fists and open palm hands, you can pose Rodimus in just about any way you want. It’s especially fun to have him posed mid-speech, right before dealing with whatever nonsense the Quintessons or Decepticons are stirring up next. His colors look sharp against the angular sculpting, and the whole package feels very impressive — especially considering the kit assembles in just minutes.

There’s also a Shattered Glass variation available in the Wave 2 blind box releases, which is… awfully tempting. When they came up with that mirror-universe color scheme, they really struck gold. Sure, Rodimus may struggle with his own sense of self-worth most of the time, but at least he can feel confident knowing Yolopark made a great AMK Mini kit of him.

Altered Beast [Console Heroes/SEGA Genesis]

RISE FROM YOUR GRAVE!

This week’s Console Heroes post comes just in time for two different occasions. First off, Setsubun is in a few days, and while Aggar may not technically be an oni… he is a giant red horned ogre. Second, I’ve been wanting to talk about something a little ooky spooky. We’ve got almost a year until the Halloween shenanigans kick off here on the site, but monsters are in the site’s description. It’s always a little spooky when every day is Halloween.

Altered Beast is a classic SEGA game originally released in arcades, and it completely blew my little mind the first time I saw it at the local Circle K. I was a kid who couldn’t get enough of monsters, and the ability to play as a werewolf absolutely floored me. The Ancient Greek setting, packed with other monsters, was just icing on the cake. While multiple home console versions were released, the most popular was the SEGA Genesis/Mega Drive version, which also happened to be the system’s original pack-in game.

This Console Heroes Altered Beast diorama, aptly named the Graveyard Diorama, represents the first level of the game — which is what most people immediately think of when they think of Altered Beast. This opening stage is where Zeus resurrects you, the Centurion, and sends you to rescue his daughter from Neff, the demonic ruler of the underworld. Here, you fight zombies and other freaky monsters while defeating giant wolves to POWER UP! Each time, you transform into a stronger version of yourself until finally becoming a werewolf. Shortly after, Neff confronts you and a battle with Aggar ensues. After defeating Aggar, Neff reverts you back to your base form. Each subsequent level introduces a new monster form to POWER UP into, along with even more freaky bosses.

The diorama features the familiar cartridge replica opening up to display the graveyard level as it appeared in the game. Included is a werewolf figure in a fighting pose, a fireball accessory with one of those clear rod doohickeys to make it float dramatically in the air, and a large Aggar figure for the werewolf to hurl that fireball at. There are also life and status bars that clip onto the clamshell, further selling the game recreation.

Overall, this is a really solid set. Aggar doesn’t actually plug into the pegs on the diorama base, but that’s not really necessary. Both the werewolf and Aggar look great, and I really appreciate the dynamic fighting pose… even if it does result in a werewolf showing off his butt in toy form. Seriously, man — put some jorts on or something.

While Altered Beast does get merchandise from time to time, it’s nowhere near as common as other SEGA properties, which makes this set feel like a special treat. There are also a lot of Easter eggs in Altered Beast that reference other SEGA games. In my mind, it exists in the same continuity as Golden Axe and Streets of Rage. Maybe even Shinobi. I like to imagine a shared SEGA universe — which is funny, considering SEGA also gave us the excellent Michael Jackson’s Moonwalker arcade game (and an okay console version). Michael Jackson famously contributed to the Sonic 3 soundtrack (we’ll get to that one soon), and possibly even more SEGA projects, as that bit of history is a little murky. Thriller was also an inspiration for Altered Beast, which is pretty sweet — and fittingly, Thriller is also the name of an album by Matthew Sweet, who later named an album after Altered Beast.

You know… I think it’s time to be welcomed to my doom and go play this game again. It’s been a while.

Changeables are go!

GO TO MCDONALD'S!

Jazz [AMK Mini Series Wave 2]

It’s been way too long since we’ve taken a look at a Yolopark kit here on the site, and AMK Mini Series Wave 2 feels like the perfect time. As some of you may recall, I was a big fan of AMK Mini Series Wave 1 a few years back and was anxiously waiting for this newest batch to drop. I’ve finally got a case in hand and I’m ready to start looking them over here with you all. We’re starting with Jazz, because… how do you not start with Jazz?

One of the most awesome members of the original crew, it’s impossible not to hear Scatman Crothers’ legendary voice in your head when you think of him. This AMK Mini is a great representation of Jazz. Since it’s been a bit since we’ve talked about these sets, they assemble a little differently than most model kits. Yolopark has pre-painted and pre-assembled many of the parts, and your job is to put everything together from there to form the completed figure.

Depending on the size class, this can take a while, as some of the larger kits are pretty intricate. These Minis aren’t too complex, though, so snapping one together doesn’t take very long. Wave 1 was already great, but they’ve really upped the quality with Wave 2. Jazz has more articulation, better paint apps, and an overall higher-quality feel. It’s genuinely impressive — once assembled, this feels like a premium action figure.

Of course, these don’t transform like a standard Transformers toy would… but that’s not why you’re buying them. These kits are all about representing the robots themselves, without the alt-mode kibble that comes with real transforming toys. Jazz looks just like his cartoon counterpart, and that’s something you can really appreciate when there’s no kibble to work around.

All of the Minis come with two sets of hands: closed fists for holding weapons (Jazz has his Photon Rifle) and open palms for more expressive poses. With the amount of articulation here, Jazz can emote just about anything. His color scheme is fairly simple — white, black,  a bit of blue and gray — but it’s a combination that really pops and looks fantastic on this kit. It’s hard enough not to like Jazz as it is, and Yolopark has somehow made an AMK Mini version that’s completely impossible to hate.

Evil out! *throws beans at Monday*

Crap, it's already Monday. I don't know about you all, but I was really enjoying my weekend. Oh well, guess the week has to begin at some point. I hope you all had a great weekend too. Mine was a long one as I had taken Friday off to spend with my wife. Friday was her birthday and after I got home from work and got a little sleep we went out for some fun. She likes to go shopping on her birthday, so that's what we did! Her main place of interest was a visit to Kinokuniya for stationary and some blind box fun. We had dinner at Cheesecake Factory and visited a few other stores. Dinner was specifically good. I had a cheeseburger with fries and was too full for my cheesecake. It took me all weekend to eat that slice. We had ordered her a birthday cake from Nothing Bunt Cakes and Mom gave her a cookie cake. So much cake!

There was a big winter storm this weekend, so we spent Saturday and Sunday at home. Our grocery order came Friday, so it was nice lounging around this weekend. I played video games and watched a lot of TV. Actually, Saturday evening was spent with my laptop building a game library for my Atari Gamestation Go. I had gotten some Micro SD Cards last weekend for this task and working on it was fun. I'm not done, but you're never done with this sort of thing. I did manage to build a good library of games for now. However, I discovered that I've misplaced my SD card hub. So actually playing said games will have to wait until it's found... or I just get a new one. Thankfully they're cheap. Speaking of my Atari Gamestation Go, My Arcade introduced a new model this weekend. The Capcom/Namco version! They had been previewing it over the course of the year and I was tempted to get it instead. However the Atari version has a trackball and keypad, so I'm more happy with mine. I definitely wanted it more. It feels a little more premium, you know? It's funny in various Gamestation forums reading the occasional troll who joins the chat to tell us to buy another retro handheld. It's just like the iPhone vs Android people. Who cares?

I also enjoyed more sneak peeks of Wonderfest Winter kits groups are readying for the show. There's some really fun figures planned, I really like a set of Transformers SD figures one group has. The first American Wonderfest is nearing and I'm super excited to go! More on that later as we've got Toylanta first! Several groups have some neat exclusives planned this year and I love checking them out. There's always show exclusives, but each year it gets bigger and more get made! I really enjoy chatting with the different toy designers there as well. It's such a fun show. The Mrs got me a thermal printer at Christmas and I've been having fun coming up with stickers for Zone Base to hand out. I've always have been tempted to make business cards... but that never felt right. I've got rolls of sticker paper in fun colors to print them on, so if you see me, get some stickers!

As far as toys go, I got some good ones this weekend. While I was sleeping Friday, the Mrs went to the store for a few things left off the grocery order. While there she picked up Age of the Primes Quickstrike! Hooray! I'm a little behind on Age of the Primes toys and was worried about getting him. Saturday I ordered the Blokees Transformers Defender version 06 box. I'd been waiting patiently for it to hit the US shop and can't wait to get my hands on those new kits! Unfortunately the Bruticus kit wasn't available yet, so I'll have to wait a little longer to complete him. Maybe when it shows I'll finally order a box of the new Transformers Wheels kits. I really want some of them too. I planned on building more from my backlog this weekend, but only assembled 6 Defender version kits. Oh well, you're never done! 

Well, I've got a fun week in store for you all. There's plenty of robots, monsters, and misadventure planned for your eyeballs on Zone Base! Thank you all for reading and sharing the site with your friends. Be excellent to each other!

Megatron (2007 Movie Version) [Classic Class]

Megatron’s movie design was a bit of a departure from his original looks. That goes without saying. To me, there was always some King Walder and Acroyear DNA in his new appearance. Considering the 2000s Microman line and Cool Girl — which had a heavy Diaclone influence — were being produced by Takara around the same time those first movie toys were being designed, I wouldn’t doubt there was some cross-pollination. I’ve also always found him a little similar to the Guyver. Not completely, but just enough to notice. Of course, Megatron got a new design in each movie, but today we’re looking specifically at the 2007 version.

I got this model kit among a mountain of others at Christmas from the Mrs., who absolutely spoils me. Considering how many redesigns Megatron gets throughout the movie series, I was eager to spend some time with the 2007 one, so building it was a real treat. As a Classic Class kit, Megatron is larger than the Galaxy and Defender Versions that are really popular right now. Once assembled, you end up with a pretty premium-looking figure that just looks amazing. It’s easy to forget how neat his 2007 design actually was. There’s a lot of detailed alien design packed into all those sharp points, and I’ve always appreciated the more feral look of the Decepticons in the earlier movies. I’ve felt for a long time that part of the design philosophy was to make them feel like living creatures. Honestly, the live-action designs always felt like a continuation of Beast Machines to me. Part of me likes to think that if things had continued as originally planned, something like the Bayverse designs could’ve ended up on a Saturday morning cartoon.

This kit looked like it would take longer to assemble than it actually did — and that’s not a complaint. With all the intricate pieces that make up Megatron’s armor, I assumed I’d be building tiny sub-assemblies forever. While there are sections like that, especially in the arms and legs, the process flows pretty smoothly: assemble the forearm, attach armor parts, connect it to the upper arm, attach more armor, and so on. I do find it amusing that at the core of Megatron is a standard Blokees Shining Version upper torso piece. The entire much larger figure builds outward from it, which I just find funny. That core also houses the components for Megatron’s light-up features.

Speaking of his upper torso, you get a choice of chest pieces. There’s the standard chest armor like the one shown in the photos, or an alternate piece depicting his death at the end of the movie. There’s even a tiny Allspark Cube included.

Megatron comes with his Fusion Cannon, which can be held in either hand. You can’t quite combine both arms into the exact pose he used in the movie — maybe an approximation, but not a perfect match. It honestly didn’t bother me. When held in one hand, it almost reads more like a rifle, and that works just fine here. His eyes light up a really satisfying red, which surprised me with how much I liked it. It genuinely breathes a little life into the finished kit.

It’s probably been a bit too long since I spent real time with the 2007 design. Building this made me appreciate the layering of silver over bronze parts much more than I ever did back then. A lot of the toys released around the movie glossed over those details, and I haven’t handled a newer take on this design until now. I always thought it looked cool, but its intricacies are standing out more to me this time around.

His head is amusingly a mix of the final movie design and elements from the abandoned earlier look. It’s funny — what we ended up with was considered to be more “G1.” I can kind of see it, but it’s still very much its own thing. At the time, Megatron getting a new design every incarnation was pretty much expected. So it was pretty status quo at the time. Thinking back, that stretch from 2003 — when the movie was first announced — to its release in 2007 was strange. News came and went, things were constantly in flux, and part of me is still surprised it ever actually came out.

I really like his animalistic face. There’s definitely some H.R. Giger influence there, and the part of me that loves bio-horror is all over it. A display stand with whoosh effects is included, but I found Megatron perfectly capable of standing on his own without it. This was a cool build and a great experience overall. The finished product looks fantastic, and it was genuinely fun reflecting on this version of Megatron while assembling it. At this point, I’m convinced Blokees is incapable of making a product I don’t like — and what kind of idiot would complain about that?

By the Power of Grayskull!

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 [Console Heroes/SEGA Genesis]

It goes without saying that Sonic the Hedgehog was a huge hit. It should come as no surprise, then, that it got a sequel that was also a big hit. Naturally, the Console Heroes SEGA Genesis line took notice and has made diorama sets based on these games (we’ll be getting to part one a little later).

Sonic 2 in Console Heroes form is pretty great. The cartridge looks exactly as you’d expect — a slightly larger replica of the original game cart. Despite being a bit bigger, these replica carts feel really nice in hand. It’s oddly satisfying. When you open the clamshell, you’re greeted with a sculpted incarnation of Emerald Hill Zone. It’s the first level of the game, and very similar to Green Hill Zone from Sonic 1. The look of these levels is pretty much what many of us automatically picture when thinking of Sonic the Hedgehog, so it’s a perfect setting.

There are rings to place on the various pegs, along with great little figures of Sonic and Tails. Sonic is running (it’s what he does), and Tails is in flight with both tails whipping around like helicopter blades. There’s an included clear rod doohickey you can use with Tails to position him in the air. This is a fun little set, and I really like the small bridge in the diorama. You can have the two racing across it to gather rings, or Tails trying to catch up after Sonic’s left him behind again.

This is a great addition to the Console Heroes line — but I have to wonder…
can it Julian fries?

Unicron Head (Clear) [Galaxy Version]

The big bad of all Transformers, Unicron, got a Blokees model kit all his own in Galaxy Version 08: One Shall Fall. A special translucent version was also made available, which originally had to be acquired by scanning QR codes from nine different figures within the set. A little later, Blokees outright put the translucent version up for direct purchase on their site (I wonder if that pissed anyone off?), leading to today’s post.

As of now, I’ve only picked up Hot Rod from Galaxy Version 08, so either completing the set the normal way or scanning all the QR codes has eluded me thus far. When ordering some Defender Version cases with Christmas money, the translucent Unicron Head found its way into the cart (The Mrs added it, thankfully).

Like I’ve said before, I was there opening weekend in 1986 when Transformers: The Movie hit the big screen. Unicron was—and always has been—one of the most awesome things ever created in my mind. While I haven’t collected all of his merchandise, there are just some things I’ve got to have, and a version of this head is definitely one of them.

This translucent version, being more of a special edition, is a really neat representation of Unicron’s head floating through space. Its clear nature gives it a more ghostly appearance, which I absolutely love.

This was a pretty fun, quick build. I’m used to Galaxy Version kits using shared parts to make builds work, but here the only returning part was the display plate. I was expecting some kind of torso bit at the center of the head, like you often see with alt-mode kits such as the Dinobots, but that wasn’t the case.

Being translucent adds a little extra challenge, as some of the parts aren’t immediately obvious. The clear plastic makes things blend together visually. There’s a central core piece that everything builds up from, and one step I found endlessly entertaining was discovering that they gave Unicron a skull.

Before you attach his face parts, you construct his internal facial structure, which looks very similar to the robotic skulls you see when a Transformer suffers facial trauma. He even has eyeballs that fit into the sockets, adding a level of detail that would probably go unnoticed. Unicron’s mouth opens and closes, with the entire mechanism formed around this skull. I spent way too much time making him chomp his spooky skeleton teeth before finally attaching the face parts.

Speaking of the face parts, you’ll need to insert his normal eyes before attaching the face to the skull. Those tiny eye pieces are a little tricky if you’ve got big fingers like me. Due to how they connect, I didn’t try using tweezers, though in hindsight I wonder if they might have helped.

Once assembled, Unicron’s head can be displayed on the included stand with a support arm. It’s actually pretty large all things considered—not huge, but bigger than I expected going in. Also included is a tiny Autobot Shuttle, which you can pose flying past his head as it drifts near Cybertron. If they brought Daniel along, this whole situation probably gives him the willies.

This is a really neat little kit. Hopefully I’ll get more of Galaxy Version 08 soon, or maybe even an entire case, as I prefer to buy these that way. Ideally, I’d like to have both the clear and normal versions of Unicron. As it stands, this translucent version is already something special. It’s always nice owning a special edition of anything—but especially of him.

It really does feel awesome owning it.

I'm so glad it's Monday (said no one ever)

Time to peel away the weekend and face Monday head on Zone Base readers. A new week is here and it's time we punch it right in the face! I hope everyone had a great weekend, I sure did! The Mrs and I had a fun time not doing a lot... and it was great! I actually had a little cold and needed some downtime with plenty of Coricidin, Ricola, and nose spray. I didn't buy any toys, but did get some Micro SD cards for my Atari Gamestation Go. Actually, this coming weekend the Mrs and I have a lot of shopping in mind, so I held off ordering anything in anticipation of our upcoming shopping trip. 

I assembled my Yolopark Transformers AMK Mini wave 2 models and about 9 Blokees Transformers Defender Version series 04 Sunday. That was a lot of fun. I can't get enough Defender Version and Yolopark seems to have stepped up the minis since wave 1. Wave 1 was great... but these just feel better, though I did have a little QC issues that required an email to Yolopark. Arcee came with 2 left upper thighs and no right one and the bonus Clear Hound was missing 1 wheel. I'm sure they'll replace them, but that sure was a bummer. Still, I can't wait to get wave 3! Speaking of can't wait, news leaked of an upcoming new series of McDonald's Food Changeables coming soon! I try to watch my diet, so I'm sure I'll be opting for the buy a toy without the meal options more than Happy Meals. Still, another great thing to look out for! It's like the universe is celebrating Zone Base's 10th anniversary!

Well, I've got a busy day ahead of me. I've got a lot to do. Household chores and some toy pictures to take for upcoming posts. I hope everyone has an awesome week. Mondays, right? Please look forward to a fun week of robots, monsters, and misadventure here on the site. Don't forget to share with your friends and be excellent to one another!

Carnivac w/ Survivor [Age of the Primes / Wreck ’N Doom Collection]

Carnivac is a really cool addition to the Age of the Primes series. He’s the main reason I wanted the two-pack he comes in alongside Fisitron, who I talked about earlier this week. Carnivac is another somewhat obscure Transformers character. He’s featured more heavily in various comics, but exists just under the surface enough that mainstream audiences—and even some fans—may not be aware of his existence.

His biggest role is in the Marvel UK comics, where he was featured regularly. Similar to Dinobot in Beast Wars, Carnivac was a Decepticon whose own sense of right and wrong led him to become a more heroic character. Eventually, after a major event, surviving Autobots and Decepticons formed a new group known as The Survivors, which later led to another group known as Earthforce. I particularly enjoy those issues. 

This is Carnivac’s second official toy to date, the first being a Pretender. This time around, he’s a Headmaster with a new partner named Survivor.

I don’t know if Carnivac being a Headmaster instead of a Pretender rubs anyone the wrong way, but I love it. I love Pretenders, but Headmasters hit a particularly sweet spot for me. Not to mention, he looks a lot like the inner robot from his original toy—which is how I’m used to seeing him anyway from those UK comics.

Also worth noting: my own G1 Carnivac is missing his Pretender shell. I picked up the inner robot for practically nothing from a dump bin at Charticon, so I’m just accustomed to seeing him that way. Another sweet spot for me is that they used a Titans Return mold as a base, which is absolutely one of my favorite Transformers series. This one is hitting all the right chords for me.

Oddly enough, the Takara version has the Headmaster as Carnivac himself, with the main body intended to represent his Pretender shell.

As mentioned, Carnivac is made from a Titans Return mold—specifically Wolfwire/Weirdwolf. There’s only a small amount of new tooling here. He gets a new wolf tail that becomes a sword in robot mode, along with a blaster. Survivor has a new faceplate for head mode, tooled after Carnivac’s appearance in Time Wars. I really like that—he looks almost straight off the comic page and makes me want to dig my copy out and re-read it.

Outside of that, Wolfwire/Weirdwolf makes a solid base for a very well-done Carnivac update. Despite the mold being about ten years old, it still looks great. Carnivac’s mix of metallic purple, green, and copper looks fantastic and makes the whole thing feel like a more premium offering.

Robot mode offers a decent amount of articulation—more than his boxy looks would suggest. When Titans Return first came out, many described it as “G1 with knees,” which is clearly something people still love, as Missing Link has proven. Combined with his new face sculpt, Carnivac is really expressive. He just oozes attitude, and I love it.

Transformation is very straightforward. Pop the head off and fold the beast-mode head over. You essentially lay him down and adjust the arms and legs into the wolf’s legs. The sword becomes the tail, and his gun mounts on the back for some canine firepower.

Survivor can unfold into his humanoid mode and hang out, or fit into a cockpit on the wolf’s back. He doesn’t slide in as smoothly as you might expect—you’ll basically need to have him in head mode to fit properly—but once he’s in, it’s a snug fit.

It’s impossible for me not to get Zoids vibes from this, though I get that from other beast-mode Headmasters as well. I also get slight Beast Machines vibes, specifically from the legs and transformation, which heavily remind me of Night Slash Cheetor. I always liked that toy, and while this isn’t the same thing exactly, there are enough similarities to make the connection.

Every use of this mold that I’ve picked up has been pretty great, and as Carnivac it really excels. It’s funny how a toy meant to update one character can work so perfectly for another. This is one of those toys that gets me excited and happy in that fanboy way that’s hard to explain to people who don’t get it.

This two-pack is pretty great overall. I might be tempted to grab the other Wreck ’N Doom Collection sets—but I also feel like I already have the star of the show.

Super Street Fighter II Ken Stage Diorama [Console Heroes/SEGA Genesis]

A little while back, I was very pleasantly surprised to discover the Console Heroes line at my local Target. Not only because the line itself is amazingly cool, but also because it was nice to discover something out in the wild. Console Heroes (so far) is a neat line of little retro gaming dioramas, with the current SEGA Genesis series obviously based on my beloved SEGA Genesis/Mega Drive.

The Mrs. saw my excitement, and I was very happy to find almost the entire series under the tree on Christmas morning. The remaining one was bought shortly after, and we’re about to spend the next few weeks looking at Series One here on our random Wednesdays.

The first set we’re looking at is the Super Street Fighter II Ken Stage Diorama, which is currently the only third-party game represented in the series. This is the standard diorama set, which comes as a replica cartridge that opens clamshell-style to reveal sculpted scenery and pegs for the included figures and accessories.

Since it’s Ken’s stage, it’s obviously a diorama depicting… KEN’S STAGE! Usually, Ken was the first World Warrior you’d face in a one-player game, and his theme is one of the songs most associated with Street Fighter. So this is a pretty obvious choice.

The set’s accessories include a barrel and four of those concrete dock things that sit in the corners. I think they’re called pilings, but I’m totally not sure. Also included is a clear stand-up doohickey and a HADOKEN fireball, which can be used together to position the HADOKEN dramatically in mid-air.

Why would there dramatically be a HADOKEN in the air?

Because the two figures included to round out the set are Ken Masters vs. Ryu! These nicely sculpted figures plug firmly into the base, with Ken blocking the HADOKEN that Ryu is firing at his longtime rival/bestie. The figures and accessories can be plugged into multiple ports across the base, letting you arrange the fight however you like.

Last—but not least—is one more accessory: a life bar that attaches to the top of the diorama.

This is one neat little toy, and I’m really happy to have it. The cartridge looks very much like a classic Genesis cart, albeit a little larger. Even the box resembles classic Genesis packaging. The whole series is great and feels like a giant high five to those of us who still love our Genesis/Mega Drives.

I was a big Street Fighter II fan back in the day and still love it now. Like many of you, I’m looking forward to the new movie and have been enjoying the awesome Japanese McDonald’s commercials tied into the crossover promotion.

Round one—we win.

Fisitron [Age of the Primes / Wreck ’N Doom Collection]

Back in the day, Ironfist was a bit of a Mandela Effect for many Transformers fans. He was released late in G1 in European markets, in that gray area between G1 and G2 often called G1.5 by many fans. Like many other G1.5 toys, he was also released in G2. This tends to be confusing, as everything is pretty identical and G1.5 toys are often lumped into G2. To be fair, it is a bit confusing.

Adding to his Mandela Effect–ness, he’s often been confused for an Ironhide toy. This is due to the fact that the Generation 2 Power Master Ironhide toy has a similar alt mode, and obviously the names are similar as well. At some point he was redubbed Fisitron. This cuts down on the confusion—not only is it similar to Ironhide, but there’s also a Marvel superhero named Iron Fist. Fortunately, that one doesn’t have an alt mode.

Fisitron comes in a 2-pack with Carnivac (we’ll be looking at him a little later) as part of the Amazon-exclusive Wreck ’N Doom Collection. The name plays up Fisitron’s role in Last Stand of the Wreckers. This 2-pack was one of my Christmas gifts from the Mrs. this past year, and I was pretty excited to get it.

Fisitron hadn’t really appeared in any official Transformers fiction outside of a toy bio until around 2010, when he showed up in both IDW’s The Last Stand of the Wreckers and Fun Publications’ Wings Universe stories. He’s got two distinctly different personalities in each, though I tend to favor the Wings Universe incarnation. I’m a cartoon guy, and the G1 cartoon is my preferred fiction for these GeeWun bots; Wings Universe is set in an alternate version of the classic cartoon.

Not to mention, he’s a gun nut there, and I absolutely cannot not associate Fisitron with Doom Guy / Doom Slayer due to his appearance in this toy. The Wreck ’N Doom Collection name doesn’t hurt either, as you’re all well aware I enjoy playing Doom for hours on end. For what it’s worth, it’s hard not to love Fisitron in Last Stand of the Wreckers as well—I’m just more of a cartoon guy.

Fisitron is a pretty extensive retool of the Legacy: Evolution Detritus toy we looked at a little while back. I enjoyed that figure quite a bit, but I can honestly say I like Fisitron a whole lot better. The new parts really upgrade the mold for the better. I’ll be focusing on Fisitron in this post and his differences, so feel free to check out my take on Detritus in his post.

This version of Fisitron is a combination of his different designs. There’s a mix of the G1/G2 toy along with his IDW and Wings Universe looks. It makes for one attractive toy, though I do find his mostly gray alt mode funny, as it resembles that G2 Ironhide a bit. It never ends.

Fisitron has a new head that, of course, resembles him instead of Detritus. Most notable are the new roof and windshield areas, which cleverly change a Jeep into an armored truck. Is that called a canopy? I have no clue. If I were an influencer, I’d say “let me know in the comments” (cringe).

Speaking of that vehicle roof area (maybe it is a canopy, who knows), they’ve added some new parts that are removable and can be used in robot mode.

Those parts resemble the original Ironfist’s Lightformer gear when in vehicle mode. Unfortunately, they don’t form a cannon like the original does, but I appreciate the effort. The parts can be removed from the roof (can we call it a canopy?) and used in robot mode. Well, the laser gun can, obviously. But also the round dish-like thing—whatever the hell it’s supposed to be—can be removed and used as a shield if one so chooses.

The other portion remains as a backpack, which is where I chose to leave mine’s dish-like thing in this post’s pictures. It never occurred to me that it could be a shield; you don’t have to let me know in the comments. The laser makes for a nice rifle, with a bright yellow that contrasts nicely against Fisitron’s grays, blues, and copper colors.

I really like this toy—more than I thought I would going in. Detritus was already a good toy, making a solid base for the new parts to improve on. It’s like that extra pass over the mold provided room for improvement. Not to mention, Fisitron just looks sharp.

It’s a great-looking figure of a formerly obscure character who, despite a little time in the limelight, seems to be slipping back into obscurity. Hopefully this great figure inspires future uses of him in Transformers media.

Still Here

Another weekend has sadly come and gone bringing the start of another work week. Fortunately, Zone Base is here to save the day with robots, monsters, and misadventure! I sure have a fun week in store for you all, but first let me catch you up on my weekend. Well, first off, I hope yours was great. Mine was a nice and relaxing spent mostly at home. It was actually pretty rainy and a tornado even popped up Saturday afternoon. Winter in the American South can be tumultuous. It gets very cold, but storms roll in occasionally bringing humidity and creating all sorts of chaos.

I went out briefly for a few things needed outside of our grocery order and man, it was crazy out there. Too many people for me at the moment, with lots of folks just standing in the way. Good grief! As far as toys go, Target was pretty barren. Being just weeks after Christmas, it's going to be that way for awhile, but it's always jarring. I've been on the hunt for a Big Convoy and Quickstrike (in addition to Combaticons and Primes) and it's disappointing to come up enpty handed. They had a Razorclaw who is the case mate of Big Convoy, so they did have him at one point. I picked Razorclaw already, so the hunt continues! I didn't walk away empty handed this weekend, as Yolopark's mini wave 2 is on the way! I've been meaning to order them already, so it'll be good to finally get my hands on them.

For whatever reason, my temperment wasn't there for video games this weekend. It seems like everything I tried to play felt like a struggle. It didn't help that I'm stuck in a few different games that I've been playing. Oh well, it just goes that way sometimes. However, I had fun with the Mrs opening my new Blokees that came in during the week. I had ordered Defender Version series 04 and 05 with some Christmas money (as well as the Unicron head) and it was fun seeing who all I got. We generally do this together as even though Transformers aren't her thing, she has fun opening blind boxes. We opened them while watching The Twilight Zone movie. 

A new season of 1000lbs Sisters started and we enjoyed the premiere during one amazingly good dinner. It was my cheat meal of the week and we had Steak and Shake! Speaking of dinner, the Mrs made an excellent Sunday dinner that I enjoyed while building more Blokees! I assembled Classic Class 07 Movie Megatron and that Unicron head! I've got quite the backlog that's fun to work on! To be honest with you all, with the way toy prices are going, models might be the main focus of my buying going forward. That's not to say I still don't want regular Transformers. But distribution and rising costs are not making it an easy hobby. So while I'll definitely still be buying regular Transformers, frequency might slow down a little. It's a good thing the universe has been steering my focus towards various model kits anyway. I've built models on and off my entire life. So it's just another day for me. 

Speaking of Transformers I want to buy at stores, Tiny Turbo Changers have returned! I've got the codes for wave 1 ready for packs to appear... now if they'd just appear. Currently they're repaints of the Cyberverse figures from years ago. Seeing that the last waves were impossible to find and I loved them so anyway, no problem! Here's hoping new molds do appear. According to online leaks, there's more Cyberworld on the way as well. I'm chomping at the bit for more Cyber Changers, so here's hoping it's not a long wait.  Generations may be making itself difficult to buy, but thankful there's other retail lines that I've had no problem getting!

In addition to Transformers, I've been on look for a Donatello for my TMNT x Godzilla figures. He's the only one of the set I haven't gotten yet, and when I do, you can be sure to see all 4 covered here on those weird, random Wednesday posts! Speaking of Wednesday posts, starting this week is the first of a cool 5 part series on a neat line I discovered shortly before Christmas. One that Santa surprised me with under the tree! Hope you all are ready for some Blast Processing! 

Before I end this  week's weekly update, about those bootleg Micromasters I spoke about last week. The correct assortment came and they were marvelous! I got a box of 40 Micromasters that despite being unofficial, are really cool! Coming in a variety of wild colors, there was some straight recolors of existing toys, and a lot of original creations using Micromaster skeletons. As in, they made ones with new vehicle bits! New Micromasters! There's a few mystery bots as well, some tiny transforming bots from a line I don't recognize as well as some Hot Wheel bootlegs. Funnily, they bootleged some of the Speed Demons series. That was a line of monster Hot Wheels I loved as a kid and occasionally pick up still. So  those few in my crazy case of bootleg Micromasters were a welcome site. The Micromasters are available on Amazon, but be careful if you buy them. The sellers offer different sizes for different costs. They mistakenly sent me the 16 count case... and those were not Micromasters! It looks like the 40ct will get you the set I got. They're also available in a 28ct Valentines set. I'm not familiar with the cost, but you get 28 Micromasters with Valentines cards. Pretty neat!

Well, I've apparently written a novel this week. I guess after a few weeks of brief updates there was a lot to say. Thank you all for reading Zone Base. You'd never know it from social media, but THOUSANDS of you show up each day to read my thoughts on robots, monsters, and misadventure. That's extremely flattering and it means a lot to me. Thank you all so very much. I don't plan to make the biggest deal about the sites 10th anniversary, but starting the 10th year with all you reading feels amazing. Thank you. Please share the site with your friends and be excellent to one another. 

IDW Optimus Prime [Galaxy Version 06 – Parallel Universe]

What is Megatron without Optimus Prime? Also in that Galaxy Version 06 – Parallel Universe case I bought a bit back was an IDW Optimus Prime, naturally. Optimus represents his Cybertronian form as seen in the IDW Transformers: Stormbringer comics. To be completely honest, I never paid this design much attention back then. No real reason — I guess my mind just glazed over it. However, when assembling this kit, I found myself appreciating it quite a lot.

This is another one of those Blokees Galaxy Version kits that feels a little more deluxe than the others. There’s even a chase version of it as Orion Pax that looks spectacular as well, but there’s really no beating a good Optimus Prime, and that’s exactly what we’ve got here.

Optimus looks pretty stocky, which is funny since he’s not the squared-up version we’re used to thanks to his Earth-based designs. Actually, pre-Earth designs for him are usually extra stocky or at least adjacent to his traditional look. This one feels like it stepped straight out of a mecha shooter game. I could totally see him in something like Virtual On. Actually, does anyone remember that SNES Generation 2 game that got cancelled? Obviously he would’ve looked more traditional in that, but a design like this would have been amazing in something like that.

I’m pretty fond of his forearm blasters — come to think of it, I think I always like forearm weapons. They just look cool, you know? Optimus also has twin blasters mounted on his back, which look super cool as well. They create a nice parallel to his smokestacks in more traditional designs.

I know it’s just the standard mix of red, blue, and gray with some yellow highlights, but the classic Optimus Prime colors really pop on this design. They’re a little brighter and give him an almost electric look. Optimus has a variation of his Ion Blaster, which may be intended as a different rifle, but it’s what I associate with him by default. It’s a pretty rad-looking gun, and honestly, Optimus looks pretty hardcore. You know — for a pacifist… he’ll absolutely kill the shit out of something.

Of course, he’s got the standard set of Galaxy Version hands and the display stand. Like Megatron, he also came with a pew-pew blast effect that I didn’t include in the photos. I actually took the pictures and noticed it sitting off to the side afterward. I know some folks really like those effects, but I’m admittedly a little indifferent.

This is just a really sharp-looking Optimus Prime once you’ve got him assembled. Galaxy Version, being a blind box series, really benefits from all these alternate takes on familiar characters. Someone like Optimus has had a million different forms over the years, and that could get boring in a regular toy line — but it’s fun here. The design looks great, and in Blokees’ signature style it really shines. It’s a solid Super Robot look — a mix of tech and ornamental design that just works for me, man.

Skeleton Action Figures 4 Pack T13 [MMXBGS]

I have no clue why we’re all so scared of skeletons, considering there’s one inside all of us. And yet… I guess our insides are creepy. Despite just being our insides, skeletons are spooky tropes that show up all the time—in games, movies, books, seasonal and personal style décor, and memento mori stuff. They’re just everywhere, and specifically in today’s post… as some really neat 3D-printed action figures.

The Mrs. got these for me at Halloween, and I’m just now getting around to showcasing them here on the site. They’re a rad set of four differently colored skeletons, absolutely chock full of articulation. From all the various 3D-printed action figures I see online, I’m assuming she chose from a wide selection. This particular set is especially neat because she clearly went for the TMNT colors. She knows me.

The set includes four separate skeletons, each with an array of weapons and two sets of hands—one open and one closed. The closed hands can hold the weapons, while the open ones are obviously for more expressive poses. Speaking of expressive poses, these guys are articulated up the wazoo. I didn’t try it, but I’m pretty sure you could roll them up into a ball. Super articulated, and even their skeleton jaws can open. These things are freaking neat.

They’re technically troop builders—meaning identical figures meant to form an army—but thanks to the different colors, they manage to convey a bit of individuality. I can totally see the purple one as more of a magic-wielding skeleton, while the red one just screams bloody dungeon corpse.

The weapons are pretty interesting too. There’s a hatchet and a halberd, both slightly gnarly, with some neat ornamentation on the halberd and bones used throughout. There’s also a skull-headed club that could easily double as some sort of spellcaster’s staff. My favorite, though, is the nunchucks made from bones. A bit silly—but honestly, it makes a lot of sense. I mean, why wouldn’t skeletons use bones lying around for weapons? And even if they don’t know martial arts… it’d still hurt like hell.

Each skeleton comes with the same set of weapons, giving your spooky skeletal troop plenty of options in battle. This is a really neat set of figures the Mrs. surprised me with, and I’ve been enjoying them quite a lot. Of course, the colors make me think of Microman, but also of random dungeon encounters in some old PC game. They’re genuinely cool toys that can interact with other figures you pair them with in a battle.

Really freaking neat.

IDW Megatron [Galaxy Version 06 – Parallel Universe]

Megatron had a pretty fun design in the More Than Meets the Eye comics, so seeing it represented as a Blokees Galaxy Version kit is pretty great. I lucked up on a case of Series 06 – Parallel Universe at a local Target not too long ago, and he seemed like a great choice for today’s post. Today’s post is, of course, the first toy post of Zone Base’s 10th year — well, aside from the regular weekly update on Monday — but I think you get the idea. For the start of Zone Base’s 10th year, he felt like the right pick.

I’m not sure if you reading this are aware of where Megatron was in the IDW Transformers comics around the time this design represents, but he had switched sides and joined the Autobots, eventually finding a home among the misfit crew of the Lost Light and its adventures. More recently, Megatron also switched sides in the Transformers: EarthSpark cartoon series. The “bad guy becomes a good guy” trope gets reused a lot, but I don’t mind it when it’s done well. My personal favorite version of this is still the G2 Marvel comics, when he and Optimus teamed up to battle Jhiaxus. Sure, if that comic had continued, Megatron probably would have gone back to his old ways eventually — but he really came off well in those issues.

As a Blokees Galaxy Version kit, Megatron comes out great. Admittedly, I can’t really find fault in anything Blokees does, but their signature style matches his design especially well. I’ve compared the Galaxy Version look before to a Mega Man X–style design. There’s just something very 16-bit game energy about these figures once the model is built. Megatron feels like he should’ve been in a PC Engine CD-ROM game. Galaxy Version 06 uses the sturdier bodies with improved construction that I’ve raved about in prior Blokees posts. There have been more waves with that improvement than without at this point, and I still can’t stop talking about it. This Megatron is one of the nicer Galaxy Versions, with a more deluxe set of parts — you start to get a feel for that sort of thing once you’ve built enough of these. It’s a really nice kit, and I especially like his backpack. Even though these don’t transform, the alt-mode kibble displays really nicely.

Megatron, of course, comes with the standard closed fists and open palms for a variety of poses, as well as the display stand that Galaxy Version kits included up until recently. He also comes with a purple blast effect that plugs into his cannon. I didn’t include it in my photos (total brain fart), but it’s a newer version of the pew-pew laser effect that comes with some of these kits. In addition to his standard parts, he also has a new set of forearms unique to this version, which are more comic-accurate than the usual Galaxy Version forearms.

Overall, Megatron just feels more extra than what you normally expect — and I like that. It’s neat that some of these figures are nicer than others; it makes the blind-box nature of the line a little more exciting, you know? There’s also an all-white version of this Megatron that was produced as an exclusive for a campaign at the Toys “R” Us in the Power Plant Mall in the Philippines. That would be super neat to own, but unfortunately it’s a little out of the way for me. Thankfully, the standard version is excellent in its own right. This was a satisfying experience all around.

Thinking it's Monday

A new week is upon us Zone Base readers! A new week, and a new year! 2026 is Zone Base's 10th year and I hope it proves to be a great one! Like many of you I'm dealing with the hecticness that comes with getting back to the real world after the holidays. My Christmas and New Years were great, I hope yours was too! I got a mountain of new toys, games, and neat stuff. More than I can wrap my mind around. You'll be sure to see some of it in future posts here on the site. One thing I'm not sure if I'll talk about in a regular post is a box of bootleg Micromasters. The listing showed a neat option for 40 of them with lower quantities available. Well, they came and... the wrong assortment was sent. Apparently the lower assortments had different bootleg robot toys. Smaller robots, but not Micromasters. I've handled the return and am just waiting for the correct assortment to arrive soon. I'll tell you all about it next weekly update, assuming they send the right box. Well, I've got a busy day ahead of me. As usual, household chores and pics for upcoming posts need to be done. See, back to normal! Thank you all for reading. Please don't forget to share with your friends and be excellent to each other.

Happy New Year!

It’s the start of a new year—but not just any new year. 2026 marks the 10th year of Robots, Monsters, and Misadventure! That’s right, Zone Base turns 10 this year, and as always, I’ve got some fun content headed your way.

Thank you all for supporting the site and sharing it with one another over the years. It genuinely means a lot.

Happy New Year, Zone Base readers!