ToyLanta 2024

It's ToyLanta time once again! My annual trek to the best damn toy convention is going on this weekend! I'll be updating this space daily with my adventures, so be sure to check back to see what all happened. I'll also be hosting the annual Transformers panel Sunday at 12PM if you're in attendance. Speaking of, come up and say hi! Be sure to check out my Instagram throughout the weekend as I'll be updating it frequently. 

Friday: I got to the convention MUCH later than I wanted to thanks to a mixture of rain and traffic turning a 1 hour drive to 2. Once there, I walked in and man... I really like the location. It's the same one as last year and it's great (just wish it was closer). Though I soon found out registration was closed, which was no problem as I've gotten in later before and usually have no problem getting my badge. However, this year Buddy (show organizer) was absent due to illness. Speaking of, get well soon cards for Buddy were being brought around and I made a point to sign one. Since registration was closed, I was just told to wait until the morning to get my badge and just walk around anyway. That was unexpected, but I did just that and took a look around the dealers room as it was being set up. I was very tempted to buy some M.U.S.C.L.E figures, but as it was all shutting down, held off until later.

Friday night at the convention is the popular lobby swap party and of course room trading. I ran into Jacob and chatted for a minute. I then looked around the lobby swap before taking a picture of the room trading board. The room numbers had details on what each offered and I roamed the halls taking in each set up. I found myself in various conversations during this time as I'd cross paths with others doing the same. It became like a fun scavenger hunt for the best room and we'd tell each other in passing. One particular door stunk to high hell, there wasn't a room swap in it, but everyone seemed to have encountered it at some point. I met some cool people like Matthew and Cody. Great conversations and good fun with like minded people. What a convention is all about. 

My Friday toy haul included a Convertors Nofka, which is a scaled down SDF-1. I bought one a few years ago at a prior Toylanta, this one is in much better shape. Both still are missing the back wings/towers though. I then found a Bug Bots Bee Bot in black and yellow! Bug Bots are one of the things I'm specifically looking for this year, finding one so early was a real treat. I got it and a Stranglehold inner robot for a total of $5! Here's hoping I can find more Bug Bots and a Stranglehold Pretender shell this weekend. Last, but not least, a still in box, vintage bootleg Convertors Zardak! A renamed Orguss was such a random find. The dealer had another in alternative colors. I held off incase Shawn wants it. (*Saturday Edit* he got it!) 

I headed home soon after as it was getting late. Thankfully the drive home was a breeze, despite the rain. I'm hoping the rest of the weekend goes well and this year follows the prior years conversations in being the best one yet. This con never gets old and each year feels like an individual experience. I love that. Some more Shawn, Joey, and Brian should be there tomorrow. It'll be great to see them. Hopefully I'll find some Rock Lords and Monster Gobots. Battle for the Rock Lords was released March 21st 1986, it's only appropriate to aquire some so close to it's anniversary. The Mrs had dinner waiting for me. A veggie burger with these seasoned carrots intended to be fry substitutes Birdseye makes. Delicious, I was starving. 

Saturday: Thanks to traffic I didn't get to the convention until 12pm. Not too bad, but I hoped to be there earlier. I got my badge right away and set out to find Shawn, Brian, and Joey. During the search I purchased a Rock Lords Boulder. I eventually found Shawn and Joey and led Shawn to Matthew's table where Shawn bought the Convertors toy. We were twining Convertors. We walked around the dealers area and chatted. One dealer had boxed Microman and even a Devil Satan 6 box set. Dang! 

My Mom had came with me and spent most of the day doing her own thing. However we met up for lunch in the hotel restaurant. On my way to meeting her, I got a Generations Selects Diaclone version Twin Twist. While we waited for our food, Shawn and Joey joined us. Brian joined us not much later and after some food we all roamed the areas and generally had a great time. I picked up multiple Gobots, McDonald's Food Changeables, Zombots, and something else I can't remember right now. Fun fact, apparently Joey's Mom and mine were friends in High School. Small world!

Around 4:30 Shawn and Joey headed home and Brian went to his room. I roamed the areas for a bit. Talked Godzilla with a dealer. Bought a Ultraman Tiga figure, some more Gobots, and a Robotron car. I think it's a Robotron car. Maybe. As the dealers room shut down for the day, I found Mom and Brian with family in tow came down to say goodbye. They'll be headed home in the morning before I get back to the show. The Mrs ordered us Longhorn Steakhouse for dinner when I got home. I was starving. The flatbread I had for lunch was good, but it was time for serious nourishment. There's one more day of the great toy show which includes my panel. Man I hate how it's going by so fast. It's been a great con this year.How many times have I typed I in this post?

Sunday: Well, a day later and I'm updating for Sunday. I got to the convention around 11:20 am after a mostly easy drive, though I was stuck behind what was apparently the President's motorcade. I think so anyway, apparently he was in town. I met up with Dusty right away and we chatted about Transformers up until the panel started. As the room filled up, a gentleman from the botvscon YouTube channel came in and was an absolute pleasure. The room went from half full to mostly full during the panel as usual and Dusty and I had a great chat with each other and those in attendance. We actually ran over time.

Dusty left for the day after the panel and I roamed around for a bit. I bought some M.U.S.C.L.E figures and another McDonald's Food Changeables toy. I spent a few hours just looking and taking in everything. The con was wrapping up as dealers were packing up. I did find another Bug Bot... but it was the same one I got Friday for 20 bucks. Yikes! The same guy had a  very dirty Boulder for 40. All things considered, I made out like a bandit on the ones I got. However, the guy also clearly didn't have many sales so... maybe I just made out decently and he was a bandit. I was getting hungry and debated getting a fruit bowl from the snack stand but decided to just head home.

The con was over and everyone was starting to leave out. I saw Matthew on the way. It was great meeting him and seeing Brian, Shawn, Joey, and Dusty. Good con this year. Actually, I've never had a bad Toylanta. Each year is my favorite until the next one. It's great how after a decade of attending it, I've never had a bad one. Every year is it's own story and experience. I stopped by the grocery store on the way home to pick up some juice left off our grocery order and got home to take a nap and enjoy a great home cooked dinner.

Thank you all for reading Zone Base. This concludes our first special event of the year! The site will get back to normal for now, but Halfway to Halloween is coming up in a few weeks! I've got a lot of fun planned until then. Please share the site with your friends and don't forget... Mutal high fives everyone!

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Toylanta is nearing

Toylanta is coming up and it's weighing pretty heavily on my mind. I'm really looking forward to going... and also having a little break. Work has been hard lately so some fun is more than welcome. I am a little antsy about the new venue. The show just keeps growing, which is awesome, but that necessitates the need for bigger locations. I was just getting used to the former "new" location the show has been at since 2020 (obviously that year got canceled), though I still vastly prefer the old location. Even though it was getting really cramped, I liked that place. Not to mention the new new location is much further away, meaning a longer trip to and from each day. Regardless, I'm really looking forward to the show.

Each year as the convention gets closer I make up a mental list of things to look for... and don't follow it well at the show. Partially because things change when you get there and see what's available. Honestly, sometimes you just change your mind. One thing I'm definitely looking for is Gobots and Rock Lords. You guys know I love them and for some reason... I just like buying them specifically at Toylanta. I don't know why, but there is something REALLY satisfying about buying them there. It's super proper, it has to be done. I'll throw other robot toys into that idea as well, because I'll likely get some... but it's really about the Gobots and Rock Lords at Toylanta.

I'll be hosting the Transformers panel, but I don't buy a whole lot of them there. Often dealers will have ones I already have or plan on buying soon. When they have something I don't... it's for a price I don't want to pay. Speaking of prices I don't want to pay, Battle Beasts. They're few and far between these days and generally cost more than I'd want to pay. I straight up walked away from a dealer when he quoted me twenty bucks a piece for some a few years ago. For the record they were very beaten and and one was missing an arm. There's some scummy dealers out there and I just don't tolerate their antics. One guy a few years ago wanted $200 for a ReAction Merman, I passed, and got the same one (with weapon... unlike the other) for $5 last year. It pays to be smart.... and with the cost of everything else these days... you need to be.

Another toy I'd like to find is of Demolition Man. I've forgotten the characters actual name... but the Sylvester Stallone guy. Some of (if not all) of that movies toys were made of New Adventures of He-Man figure molds. The main character is a repaint of He-Man... and I'd like to get one within reason. There's also those Micro TMNT play sets that use old Diaclone molds. Those would be great. That's the cool thing about a con like this, there's a little bit of everything and a lot of surprises. Not much drama either... thank god. I generally have a great time and each year is it's own story. Each year is a different experience, and that's awesome.

I'm your Tubro Beetle

It's been so long since I've talked about robot bugs that I feel like I owe it too myself as much as I owe it to you all to talk about robot bugs. Not to mention it's been awhile since I've pointed out the whole 'today's more simple toys are throwbacks to older toys' thing I never seem to shut up about. Up above this paragraph is a picture of Beetras, I've made a few posts before about Beetras (follow the tags below to see) and man don't they look great? Just great old school robots from a time that seems forgotten despite it being homaged so much with various high end and regular retail releases. As the Deluxe Insecticons, Convertors, odd bootleg toys, or even in their original release, Beetras are just awesome robot toys. I really wish there was a new Beetras style figure so I wasn't continually living in the past and had something new... wait..

Look at that glorious robotic sci fi beetle. LOOK AT IT. One again the 'simple' sub lines aimed more at younger children comes through with an extremely old school super robot toy. This is the new Cyberverse Shockwave Turbo Changer/ One Step Changer toy. Inexpensive and quick to transform, Shockwave's weird insect alt mode when reduced to a mode simple form looks like a Takatoku toy lost in time. It's not just limited to alt mode either.

Look at that angry cyloptic menace to the galaxy! Sure it's not exactly a reproduction of the old Beetras, but it's pretty darn close. I wish he came in multiple colors. I can see it in red or green or grey. I want to put a chrome weapon in his hand. Seeings has one hand is already a blaster, maybe a sword. Part of me wants to chrome some of those parts up, but seeing the nature of a Turbo Changers transformation involves lots of folding up... it could scratch off. The similarities are probably coincidental, but I'll take it!

Beetras don't bug me

Zone Base readers know of my affinity towards insect based robots. Which is funny, since I don't like real bugs that much, I mean they look kinda neat, but gross. Regardless, you make that bad boy a robot and there I am. With Halloween around the corner (I'm not sure if you've noticed, I kinda like the holiday) nothing seems more appropriate than bugs... ok, I'll talk about insect robots whenever but... so...

Beetras are a robot line of particular note for me. Most Transformers fans recognize the use of the molds as the Deluxe Insecticons, maybe in Convertors, or even odd discount store bootlegs. The toys are just good looking. My favorite is Beet-Gugal/Chop Shop. Just a sharp robot who looks super tough. Even his newer toys manage to capture the essence of the original (but now with knees!) proving you just can't beat a good design.

Beetras was originally a line by Takatoku, who previously had made some pretty successful robot lines, but by the time Beetras was coming out, they were pretty much on the way out closing the business soon after. Mark had made some budget versions of Beetras, those are the molds used in Convertors and probably most bootlegs. Bandai eventually bought out Takatoku and Hasbro licensed the molds for the Deluxe Insecticons. Sometimes you'll see odd budget insect robots that kinda work alongside whatever Beetras uses you may own, but sadly there wasn't anymore new molds. I think Hasbro's use of them are the most famous, as most folks instantly recognize them.

Baby got Dorvack

It's not much of a secret that the toy molds for Whirl and Roadbuster came from a toy line/anime called Special Armored Battalion Dorvack. To me, this was a big point of confusion growing up as smaller versions of the toys were used also in the US in the Convertors robot toy line (I think there has been at least fifty million robot toy lines called Convertors in the course of history). Those were the versions I had. They were smaller and somewhat fragile (not sure if it was cheap plastic or cheaper design due to the smaller size). In fact, since Whirl and Roadbuster were practically a non entity in Transformers here in the states (they got a bigger role in UK comics, which I didn't read until I was in college), I specifically always think of them as those Convertors toys.

Convertors didn't have much of a fiction, being a cheaper toyline, the story was basically a good guys vs bad guys blurb on the packaging. Often, Wheels and Chopper (their Convertors names) found themselves with other various oddball robots fighting waves and waves of random dinosaurs and monsters.

It wasn't until the early 2000's that I learned of a Dorvack anime that one day I'll watch. I'd really like to. I swear I've seen the Roadbuster and other Dorvack designs in some of those random discount bin robot cartoons I've talked about here before that use stolen robot designs. I think if anything, those cheapo robot cartoons make for the ultimate fiction to my version of Wheels and Choppers adventures.