Happy Thanksgiving, Zone Base readers!

I don’t know how many of you are reading this today, but I’m thankful for everyone who visits the site and checks out what I’ve got to say. Even though I don’t make a fuss over it, I’ve always enjoyed Thanksgiving—watching the big parade, spending time with family, enjoying the great food, and, of course, the tryptophan naps. 

The holiday break is a great time to rest and recharge… something I definitely could use right about now. And, of course, there’s the joy of diving into some Christmas shopping on Friday! Nothing like throwing a few elbows in Walmart to kick off the season. By now, we’re all digesting our food… and maybe the new episodes of Stranger Things too. Thank you all for supporting Zone Base—don’t forget to share it with your friends. I hope you win the wishbone and enjoy the day! Mutual High Fives, everyone!

Galvatron [Legacy United/Core Class]

Say what you will about Energon, but the series had some really cool designs. I have vivid memories of Hasbro unveiling it at OTFCC 2003 to thunderous applause. I still like it to this day and feel like a look at the Transformers Legacy United Core Class Galvatron is in order! Galvatron, is not merely a repaint of the Core Class Energon Megatron, it's a repaint of him in (mostly) show accurate colors!

That's important as the original toy had it's differences while the Takara version was much closer (but not exact). Finally, 20 years later, we've got a (mostly) show accurate color toy. While I've covered much of the details about this toy in the Megatron post... I felt the urge to talk about something else as everything is the same here from that toy aside from the colors. The tank/sword weapon. What a weird combination, right? Of course the tank is meant to represent his former Armada body, the sword is an oddity. Instead of being a normal hand held weapon, it plugs into the tank. That's always been a bit strange. In the original toy, the sword would light up and a 'clang' noise would emit from the tank if pressed against something. That's a neat gimmick, sure, but most folks would rather a traditional sword for Megatron/Galvatron to hold. I can't say I'd be opposed to one either, but just took the whole thing in stride.

At the time, lot's of fans were finding work around for the toy so that it could hold the damn sword traditionally. From gluing handles, to using bread ties (I'm not kidding), to tethering it to his hand... folks were really focused on making it a hand held sword. I recall a garage kit version of the sword making the rounds. There was a Wonderfest Exclusive set to convert a Microman female body into Misha to match with Kicker. Maybe it came with it? The specifics of that are a little fuzzy but I remember a friend creating a harness with wire crystal clear. It was a strange, but fun time.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving! Wow, it's hard to believe it was 20 years ago when I watched this marathon in between bites of turkey. I hope everyone reading has a great day and hey... let's watch some Energon.

BIOS- Landmine

"My fists are deadlier than your guns."

Landmine is one of the most powerful soldiers under the leadership of Optimus Prime. His giant fists award him the strongest punch of all the Autobots. Many Decepticons have learned never to challenge him to one-on-one combat. In vehicle mode, he is a powerful construction vehicle with an enormous crane platform capable of lifting ten times his weight. Landmine's crane platform can attach to his cab in robot mode to form a super combination Brute Mode. This Brute Mode is the secret behind his powerful punch.

Strength: 10 Intelligence: 7 Speed: 6 Endurance: 7
Rank: 8 Courage: 9 Fireblast: 9 Skill: 9

Bios: Signal Flare

"My imagination is the key to winning."

Signal Flare is an Autobot Omnicon and one of the greatest energon welders of his kind. His Omnicon brothers depend greatly on his skills and experience. In vehicle mode, he projects a powerful energon beam from his radar dish that can take the shape of massive tools or weapons. Signal Flare is a silent warrior that prefers mastering the artistry of his energon weapons to battle.

Strength: 8 Intelligence: 9 Speed: 4 Endurance: 5
Rank: 9 Courage: 8 Fireblast: 10 Skill: 9

Bios: Cruellock

"By the time you see me, it will be too late."

Cruellock is the most powerful and cunning of the Terrorcons, combining incredible strength with lightning speed. He is a great tactician whose hunting skills are unmatched. In raptor mode, he can jump to great heights and attack his enemies with powerful energon claws and teeth. In robot mode, his energon-cutting blade can slice through anything, or anybody that stands in his way. It has been said by many that Cruellock's gaze is as deadly as his bite. Beware!

Strength: 8 Intelligence: 8 Speed: 9 Endurance: 8
Rank: 4 Courage: 5 Fireblast: 6 Skill: 6

Megatron (Legacy: United/Core Class)

The Unicron Trilogy was one of my favorite eras in the past 40 years of Transformers. That time frame was a fun time for me in my fandom. The stuff that came out and went on was just great. It's kinda a dividing line as a before and after the movies came and the big boom. I'm not begrudging the movies or the big boom, just fondly looking back at a fun time. Both the Armada and Energon designs of Megatron are some of my favorite versions of Megatron to this day. Thankfully recent Transformers releases have paid attention to Armada (we'll be getting to that a little later), but today let's look at this super cool update of the Energon version of Megatron in my much loved Core Class.

Toy engineering is a funny thing, the original Energon Megatron came out 20 years ago and was a fairly large and impressive Leader Class figure. 20 years later, this MUCH smaller toy is a pretty accurate recreation of that figure. I wouldn't say it's exact, but it's close. Megatron turns from robot to spacecraft/jet in a few simple steps. It's very similar to G1 Thunderwing's alt mode, which lead to several fans hankering for a Thunderwing repaint back in the day. The original toy (and it's smaller alternate version) got released in a variety of colors as versions of Megatron or Galvatron, but never Thunderwing. It's funny how the toy looks like G1 Galvatron in robot mode and G1 Thunderwing in vehicle mode. The Unicron Trilogy toys were full of homages while still coming up with new things.

The tank/sword weapon returns in a much simpler form. You can no longer separate the sword from the tank nor does the tank fire a missile or feature any lights or sounds. It's a really simple version of the original accessory. Folks would often find ways to have their Megatron hold the sword more traditionally back in the day. There was also garage kits of swords that Megatron could hold. It was neat seeing all the cool stuff people were coming up with. Still, it was always an odd choice for Megatron's Armada body to be his weapon in this upgraded body... and they held onto it for this new toy. Somebody at Hasbro or Takara is REALLY stuck on that. A neat newer feature is that the shoulder cannons can be removed and held as traditional blasters. The orignal guns were on joints that would allow for pivoting. These are much smaller and cannot, however can be plugged in either standing straight up, or forward. Neat! This is a cool little update of a fun design and a great little figure all around. I'm very happy with it, not just because of my personal fandom for the character... but it's just a neat toy. I'm hoping some of the other recolors of the original toy get released. That would be awesome.

Bios: Beachcomber

"I never spotted a Decepticon I didn't dislike."

Beachcomber is a young Autobot warrior responsible for the seaside patrol of Ocean City, one of the Autobot bases of operation. He is programmed with infrared optic scanners that allow him to spot an approaching enemy up to five miles. Whether it is day or night, few Decepticons have been able to infiltrate Ocean City during Beachcomber's watch. Although he is very serious about his job as guardian, Beachcomber likes letting loose with his Autobot comrades. He is a known trickster and enjoys telling a joke or two...especially when the subject of the joke is Megatron.

Strength: 8 Intelligence: 7 Speed: 9 Endurance: 8
Rank: 5 Courage: 7 Fireblast: 7 Skill: 6

Bios: Snow Cat

"There is no terrain, or opponent, that I cannot conquer."

Snow Cat is a powerful Decepticon who can overcome any environment. He transforms into an all-terrain vehicle and has given his Decepticon allies a strategic advantage in battle on many occasions. Though unruly at times, Snow Cat has proven to be one of Megatron's most valued warriors. His insane fighting tactics are feared by his enemies, and sometimes, his allies.

Strength: 8 Intelligence: 6 Speed: 6 Endurance: 5

Rank: 5 Courage: 6 Fireblast: 6 Skill: 7

Bios: Inferno

"Always look before you leap."

Inferno is a true Autobot, always looking out for the safety and well being of those around him. In vehicle mode, he is a powerful firetruck capable of heroic, and often dangerous, search and rescue missions. In robot mode, he is a skilled targetmaster and sniper. Inferno thinks before he acts, aware of the consequences of his actions. He is able to powerlinx with Hot Shot and always provides a well thought-out approach before battle.

 

Strength: 8 Intelligence: 7 Speed: 8 Endurance: 10

 Rank: 8 Courage: 10 Fireblast: 10 Skill: 10

Beast Riders of the Storm

 

There's nothing more serious in Transformers than when Unicron shows up. The all out destruction of the Universe tends to take a little priority over the ongoing war between the Autobots and Decepticons. In case a giant demonic planet robot that eats other planets in a quest to destroy all life wasn't scary enough... he has heralds. Personally, I'd like to think his arrival would be obvious (he's pretty big after all), but still the need for someone to show up and tell everyone just how doomed they are is needed. In Energon, this got a little extra apocalyptic. 

Let me wind back the clock a little. Armada was much more popular than Hasbro anticipated. So much that another line of repaints had to be made to keep product on the shelves fast. Part of the scramble for new toys was reusing some Beast Wars molds in Armada. In all new colors  with  Mini-Con ports molded on, various Transmetals joined the ranks. Transmetal Megatron (now Predacon) and Terrorsaur for the Decepticons. Transmetal Rhinox, Airrazor, and Cheetor for the Autobots. However, they sure didn't blend in aesthetically did they? 

Some fans came up with the theory that the deluxe toys were in fact Unicron's four horsemen. Customs, fan art, and such were made of this idea. Simon Furman, who had been writing the Armada comic apparently came across this idea and liked it. The Armada comic transitioned into Energon and the war continued as Unicron returned. I'd hate to spoil a 18 year old comic, but it's kinda necessary. Also, that comic is 18 years old. During the big fight in Armada, Unicron took notice in the 4 beast characters and abducted them. 

Later in Energon- Heralding the return of Unicron, the now evil and scary beast warriors returned... as Unicron's Four Horseman of the Apocalypse! Riding skeletal monster steeds and spouting off words of foreboding doom, the four attacked Cybertron. There was much fire and brimstone and fighting. It was a Dio album cover staring Transformers and it was awesome! Ok, some fans took issues with the idea. Most days end in a Y as well, so whatever. While the evil and scary beast warriors were defeated, they did return in the unpublished later issues. 

Personally, I thought it was a pretty cool idea. While not just being different than the others toys due to their beast modes, the overall design was different from Armada and Energon's particular look. They stood out. While most of us didn't pay it too much mind, it clearly stuck out to some. Making four of the characters into demon flavored servants of Unicron was a pretty fun idea. Not to mention, the whole thing just evokes heavy metal imagery. Which, who doesn't love? We're spending the summer with a focus on all things scary and I'm pretty sure the apocalypse is kinda on label.

Scorponok the 13th

 

It's Friday the 13th and a pretty good time to enjoy some of the more spooky side of things. I could point out how various talent from Transformers and Friday the 13th have worked on both franchises again, but I thought it'd be a good day to look at a more forgotten member of the scary robot crew. Dark Scorponok! Now, Scorponok is hardly forgotten and generally a featured character, but in the case of Dark Scorponok he was literally just a repaint used to fill out some gaps in Cybertron when the line was just releasing.  With a Black Zarak inspired deco (I'm regretting skipping that Legacy one now, dangit) Dark Scorponok was a pretty good looking update to the Energon Scorponok toy mold. I strongly recall many of us in the Transformers fandom speculating that he was going to be a BotCon exclusive based on early leaks.

This was when Fun Publications first took over and nobody knew what to expect yet. He wasn't a BotCon exclusive, but a normal retail release! However, his characterization was solely in Fun Publications fiction. During Cybertron, the fan club magazine's comic was a side story to the Cybertron cartoon with a variety of exclusives and non-show toys led by Vector Prime addressing the problem on Cybertron. I quite liked the comic and had fun seeing all these toys get some form of life. Dark Scorponok was among the bad guys. As he died in Energon, Scorponok was resurrected as Dark Scorponok on this wasteland of Cybertron that's being destroyed by Unicron's evil.

Dark Scorponok is a almost mindless monster who's main focus is devouring the sparks of other Transformers. He's a pretty big threat whom is eventually dealt with by the Autobots. As a toy, Dark Scorponok is mainly a repaint of the Energon toy with a remolded tail piece. Now instead of a lever to control his 'Hyper Mode' guns, there is a slot to insert a Planet Key matching Cybertron's toy line gimmick.

Up to Energon

 

The Unicron Trilogy era was a pretty fun time. Transformers as a brand was huge and there was a ton of available product for fans at pretty fair prices. Didn't like Armada/Energon/Cybertron? There were reissues, Universe, Alternators, Robot Masters, etc to pick from. Armada has a lot of derision in the fan base. Well, it had a lot of derision from the loud mouths who talk over everyone else. It was fairly popular and sold gangbusters. To be fair, the cartoon had it's issues and the toys were quite different from what came before. Like I said, it sold very well. Money talks and bullshit walks.

By summer 2003, Energon was gearing up to take over and fan excitement was high. After initially being developed as Super Cross, the line as a whole was very similar to Multiforce with the combination gimmick for the Autobots. As early looks and leaks made their way out, fans eagerly gobbled up every bit of it. Rodimus was a big deal. At the time, the only Hot Rod or Rodiums Prime stuff was from the G1 version. The only new products of him would be reissues or random merchandise as well. Several (including myself) wanted a Rodimus Primal in Beast Wars or thought Sideburn should have been Hot Rod. So when Rodimus finally made a return, it was a joyous occasion. Energon was a pretty good time with some great toys. Sure the cartoon had it's issues, but once again it sold well. For a pretty good reason.

Hammerbyte Is Pretty Jawesome

One of the new Cyberverse toys I've been looking forward to the most would be Hammerbyte. A new character in Transformers is a rarity these days, but it doesn't hurt that he's pretty dang neat too. Like all of Cyberverse, Hammerbyte is firmly rooted in old school super robot style. He really feels like a left over design from another line. His sculpting makes me think of an Energon figure. Maybe a little smaller and he'd fit right on in with the Ominicons.

Hammerbyte is a Cyberverse warrior class toy though and like others in that class he features an action feature. His is the 'Rip Thrash' which not only sounds like a Street Sharks character, but results in making him look like one as well. To activate it, you twist his left arm and CHOMP! The sharks head (which is his backpack) snaps forward combining with the shark tooth necklace on his chest. Now Hammerbyte is ready to bite your head off! It's pretty silly and I can't imagine anyone not getting a laugh out of it. Unless you're an asshole.

 
By now I probably don't have to tell you Hammerbyte turns into a hammerhead shark. Unless he was a car that just happened to have a sharks head hidden in it's trunk to use as a weapon and now I really want a toy of that. If you have an aversion to Beast Wars style animal alt modes, you'll be glad to learn that his is a mechanical shark mode. While I love Beast Wars, it's hard not to appreciate just how good those hard angles and robotic bits look on that shark. The shark tooth necklace from his robot mode is a bit of fake kibble as the jaws are actually contained in his shark head. They fold away completely helping the illusion a bite.

If you can't tell from what I've said here or the pictures used (check out our Easter decorations y'all), I really like this toy. His robot mode is chock full of character with the crown and prior mentioned shark tooth necklace. If anything I wish he had a trident or a harpoon gun. All those various shades of blue transfer into one super pretty toy shark. It was cool getting a new character and even better that his toy was so good. He's just nice, you know? Nice things are nice.

Saber Win...ger.. and the.. something something... IN THE SKY

Sometimes I'll like the damnedest things. One such Transformers is Wing Saber from Energon. Wing Saber is a sort of homage to Japanese late G1 robots in design as he absolutely fits in with toys from Victory, Battlestars, or even Brave. This is pretty intentional as his design is meant to invoke Star Saber and Predaking visually. Wing Saber is a super good looking toy, though admittedly a brick by means. His articulation is limited to elbow articulation and if you want to split hairs, his knees swivel. This has given the figure a certain level of stigma through the years as such a old school toy stood out around other figures in Energon. Articulation is a funny thing to me I can either take it or leave it. Sometimes I wish a toy might have more, others I couldn't care less. Wing Saber is in the later category. I think he's great.

His vehicle mode is some kind of spaceship that kinda looks like a bird. The flying bird has firing missile launchers for shooting fools. If that was all there was to Wing Saber, then this post would be a lot shorter. If you've noticed the seam running down the center of the toy, then you've noticed a key point to it's existence. The figure comes apart in four parts to create not just one, but two different armor modes for the Energon leader class Optimus Prime.

This formation is called cannon mode as it gives Prime some heavy firepower. Perfect for dealing with the waves of Terrorcons, Optimus could now unleash a flurry of lasers and look good while doing it. I always thought this made Optimus look like Powered Convoy. Not exactly, but a little. It's the blue.

Though if you really wanted to deck out Optimus, in flight mode armor Prime has a set of wings as well as a bulkier look. This is probably my favorite of the two armor modes as it just looks great. The colors mesh well and man the super robot nature of Energon is in full force here. Energon featured a few toys that could combine with this Optimus figure and they all looked great. Though Wing Saber probably worked the best as he's basically God Bomber in so many words. The flight mode is basically God Ginrai... gee, wonder why I like it huh?

Ride way to the Side rapidly

As we're sliding into Halloween around here on Zone Base, I thought a creepy and kinda supernatural bad guy with a habit for wearing disguises would be a good idea. Sideways is just the bot to lead the Halloween charge! I plan on focusing on the Armada toy, if you want to know more about his other toys and fictional appearances, I suggest checking out his wiki page. Sideways was a neat toy. His Mini-Con gimmick was a homage to Headmasters while still being unique (as Armada had a way of making homages still different). If you'll look at the above picture, you'll notice he has two Mini-Con partners instead of the standard one packaged with him. The two could merge into a larger rider body for the motorcycle, or both ride independently leading to a lot of play value in motorcycle mode.

STOMP STOMP STOMP

I've said before a few million times that I really like big chunky robot toys. That was part of the reason I loved Armada so much. The was one guy from Armada really took the cake in that department that was ever so fun to play with. Scavenger may look like a Constructicon, he's got the colors, the name, and the look. So much that his Japanese name was Devastor, because freaking look at him. Armada was like that, full of homages while still doing something different. Scavenger in this case is an Autobot, which follows in the Build Team's lead of Autobot Constrution equipment guys.

Scavenger's Mini-Con is named Rollbar, who's a likeable enough Mini-Con that can turn into a dune buggy type vehicle. In robot mode Scavenger has a few 'dead' Mini-Con ports, but most notably is his hip mounted missile launcher that can be fired when attaching a Mini-Con. Yes it's weird. His Mini-Con interaction is more notable in vehicle mode, I'll get to that in a minute. As you can tell by the picture above, Scavenger is a big old boy with some big old arms. Though you've probably noticed his legs, they have no articulation whatsoever. Instead they feature the robot modes biggest and most fun play feature. As you push Scavenger across the floor, he stomps his feet making zany robot noises. He just stomps around in a lovable manner that won my heart over the first time I tried it for myself. It's a silly toy and I love it. 

Downshifting on Cybertron

Sometimes weird things happen. In Downshift from Cybertron's case, he was very obviously somebody else. Though depending on what story whatever Hasbro rep gave you, he was Downshift. Despite his naming causing a few headaches, the character got a great toy in Energon which was followed by an even better toy in Cybertron. That's what I'm focusing on here, a really great second toy of a character who isn't who all appearances would lead you to believe, but somebody else.

Since everybodies talking about Jetfire

There's a lot of talk about Jetfire these days, which is easy to understand. He has a new and exciting Siege toy that just about everyone wants (including me). With a legacy character like Jetfire, you can't help but to think back to older Jetfire toys when a new one comes out. I was very fond of his toys during the Unicron Trilogy. The Armada Jetfire toy was a great figure intended to homage Galaxy Shuttle. Energon, the follow up to Armada, followed this Jetfire with a new one that always reminded me of Dai Atlas (it's the shoulders).

Energon was a line of many gimmicks. Most remembered was the Powerlinx feature found on most Autobots. Autobots that could Powerlinx with one another could either form the top half or bottom half of a more powerful form. At OTFCC 2003 after the line was shown at the Hasbro panel, many fans were comparing it to Landcross, as that team shared the same gimmick. I can still remember staring at those display cases, excited for these new figures. They just looked so good then ... and honestly still do now 16 years later.

Snowcats chase Snowmen's scarfs

With July the 4th just around the corner (actually tomorrow, but I couldn't figure out a clever way to start this post), I can't help but to think about GI JOE. It just goes with the holiday, ya know? There's been a number of Transformers and GI JOE crossovers over the years and with just due. The two series are forever linked, not just fictionally, but Transformers essentially came from GI JOE. One of my favorite crossover figures (more of a homage I guess) was from Energon. Snow Cat was a Decepticon that turned into the Snow Cat.

The Snow Cat was and is by far my favorite GI JOE vehicle. Just a cool all terrain truck thing decked out in missiles for those missions where the JOE's needed to go somewhere deep in the snow and kill the hell outta it. When I first saw Energon Snow Cat, I was absolutely ecstatic. At the time such a thing was unheard of, dreamed of maybe, but not heard of. If you dared spoke of it, you'd be told how ridiculous and stupid of an idea it was by somebody allergic to air conditioning. That same person later said it was the exact thing they've always wanted and Hasbro should have already made before having some sort of problem when ordering from Subway. I hate that guy.

On the cartoon, Snow Cat was a reformatted Cyclonus for some reason. In robot mode Snow Cat has fold down ski's and can hold his missiles as ski poles... he can ski and he did so in space and it was just majestic. Outside of the silliness of the ski gimmick, he was a pleasantly chunky robot with solid proportions and articulation. The back mounted missile rack could fold over his shoulders for an attack mode. In white with grey and burgundy highlights, Snow Cat was a good looking toy. One of my favorite touches was his windshield wipers could move and even had molded in frost that was cleared away by the wipers, like in the original GI JOE toy.

A little later in Universe, Snow Cat got a repaint in a really nice black and orange deco that looked great! Though personally I has hoped for Tiger Force version (and considering Fun Publications involvement in things, it's weird that it never happened), but I suppose one could argue that this is the Night Force version... though that one never happened... aside from this I suppose. Regardless of versions and which ones, the deco looks really good on the toy. I almost wish it was a different character as in these colors, Snow Cat looks less like a polar expedition vehicle and more like a cool sci fi military thing. I could see Monarch or the Science Team rolling around in this.

Snow Cat was an imaginative toy in a time when Transformers brought more original ideas to the table in each line. While I don't have any complaints about modern Transformers, things like Snow Cat are the kind of thing I'd love to see more of. Just something that was neat, fun, and homaged Transformers older brother in a unique way.