Spooky Spotlight; Noctorro

Quick tempered, strong as a bull, and fast as ultrasound, Noctorro blasts through the night air securing Maximal outposts and performing recon missions. Fierce, efficient and highly dangerous when angered, Noctorro is no Maximal to be toyed with. His immense strength and speed let him go without heavy weaponry in battle, preferring to rely instead on his powerful horns, arms, and claws - a fact of which he is very proud. His highly sensitive sonar tracking mechanism can be used to locate Predacons and confuse their radar systems.

Spooky Spotlight: Tarantulas

An eight-armed master of martial arts, this ninja nightmare slashes his way through battle virtually unstoppable! The heroic Optimus Primal suspects him of being responsible for the disappearance of numerous earthlings, and recent rumors suggest the existence of giant cocoons where Tarantulas may store his unfortunate prey. He must be stopped before he spins his web of terror across the galaxy!

Spooky Spotlight: Carnivac

A cunning smile is more devastating than the fiercest weapon.

A growling, howling, mad dog destroyer. Commits abominable acts with unrelenting glee. Always smiling, even in battle. Outer shell has built-in hydrolic lifters that enable him to jump over 50 feet in any direction. High-intensity laser beams in eyes incinerate targets in seconds. In robot Mode, armed with anti-thermal cannon with infrared scope that freezes targets on impact.

Spooky Spotlight: Flamefeather

The only good Autobot is a deactivated Autobot.

The only Decepticon ever thrown out of the Decepticon Military Academy for being too violent. Trashes entire car lots when there's nothing better to do. Usually works alone because his fellow Decepticons refuse to work with him. Flamethrower inside his mouth can fry a football field. Maximum flight speed: 90mph. Greatest achievement: talking to someone for more than a minute before flying into a rage.

Spooky Spotlight: Virulent Clones

Profile: The Insecticon Virulent Clones were the result of Deathsaurus' resurrection of the latent Insecticon cloning capability. Extracted from the Cybertronian genetic codes of Buzzclaw and Dirge, the Insecticon clones were created to act as a self-replicating source of warriors for the Decepticon army. Each has a very rudimentary intelligence with no personality of its own. This makes them ideal for swarming enemies, with little regard for their own safety. The Clones listen to the Insecticon masters, Buzzclaw and Dirge, and will follow their orders to the letter at all times.

Abilities: The claws and mandibles of each clone secrete acid, which helps them tear into enemy armor. The Clones are capable of comsuming almost any material to convert into energy to sustain their systems. In robot mode, each Clone carries that can absorb energy from an enemy's attack and redirect it back at them. They can use their wrist mounted claws as slashing weapons, and each has a basic level of hand-to-hand combat knowledge based on memory implants from Buzzclaw.

Weakness: The exo-structure of the Clones are not as strong as those of Buzzclaw and Dirge. Thus the Clones are easily destroyed. It is their massive number, which serves as their greatest advantage.

Spooky Spotlight: Shattered Glass Ricochet

Shoot first, why bother with questions.

Ricochet, the twin brother of Autobot Jazz, is the result of Prime's experiment in splitting an Ember in two and joining each with a new body. Though Ricochet and Jazz were activated seconds apart, the two couldn't be more different. Trained by Prime to serve as one of his elite bodyguards, Ricochet is known for his wild attitude, acting first and asking questions later. Many times this leaves the Autobots without a hostage or serves to eliminate anyone who plans to usurp Ricochet and take his position by Prime's side. Ricochet works extra hard to betray others first, believing that those around him are out to sabotage him. Much to his annoyance, his twin brother Jazz has always been Prime's favorite. Though Ricochet only "acts" crazy from time to time, some fear that this knowledge will lead to it no longer being an act.

Spooky Spotlight: Hellscream

This is Starscream's evolved form, created when he was dropped into the Angolmois energy by Gigastorm. His hatred reacted with the evil Angolmois energy. Now he is even more cruel and savage than before, attacking his opponents colorfully with such weapons as his sharkwinders and Terrorstorm. In fact, he is biding his time for a chance to force Gigastorm from power.

Spooky Spotlight: Shattered Glass Ultra Magnus

Everything turns to tedium eventually. Everything save power.

Ultra Magnus shouldn't be happy. He lost his face and freedom due to a failed attempt to replace his brother Optimus Prime as leader of the Autobots. His co-conspirators in the coup betrayed him. His old rival, Treadshot, seeks his death with ceaseless vigor. Magnus shouldn't be happy... and yet he is. Things are finally going to be exciting again. After centuries of quietly manipulating events from his exile on Paradron, everything is falling into place. Now he has everything he needs: an army, the legendary Terminus Blade, a copy of his brother's newly augmented body and the means to make everyone pay.

An unrepentant hedonist and libertine, Magnus eternally seeks greater thrills and excesses from life. Now jaded and bored, he finds his distractions where he can, whether it be in Treadshot's assassination attempts, in the humiliation of his brother, or in simple universal conquest.

Halloween Horrorcon incoming!

Halloween is returning to Zone Base and so is Spooky Spotlights! 

Spooky Spotlight: Mindwipe

Just one look from me and you've lost.

A mystic; spends most of his time trying to contact the electromagnetic essences of long-dead Decepticons than talking to live ones. Binary-bonded to Vorath, former Nebulan Minister of Science, expelled from office as a result of an illegal experiments scandal. In bat Mode, has hypnotic stare, flies at 700mph. In robot Mode, uses vipor pistol -- shoots streams of neuro-circuitry paralyzing liquid.

Spooky Spotlight: Transmetal 2 Scourge

A plague upon all their houses!

Scourge is possibly the most despicable of the already loathsome Predacons. Delights in taking depravity to all-time- low levels. Obsessed with germ warfare and lethal chemical development. Despised by peers for his inclination to test deadly viral and bacterial concoctions on fellow Predacons. Skilled in combat, Scourge wields photon cluster cannons with chemical warhead capabilities. Has electrostatic disrupters inside antennae; capable of leaping distances exceeding two miles with use of wings.

Spooky Spotlight: Octopunch

Anything that can sink is worth sinking.

The terror of the deep. If he's not stealing sunken treasure or ancient artifacts, he amuses himself by smashing holes in submarines and cruise ships. Electrically-charged, razor-tipped harpoon gun momentarily short-circuits on contact. Also armed with vice-like tentacles that stick to any surface. So strong underwater that he can wrestle a whale to a standstill. Inner robot convers to metal-rending crab creature equipped with depth gauges, deep-sea radar and acetylene torch gun.

Spooky Spotlight: Tripredacus Agent

Deception is the nemesis of detection.

His outer appearance resembles that of a Maximal, but within beats the fuel pump of a devious espionage agent! A former saboteur, this agent adopted several aliases while involved with the Beast Wars. As an assassin, he works best when operating solo. His irradiated spark, which was salvaged by the Vok, allows him to cloak his energy signature. Carries a low-radiation proton bomb launcher, with laser targeting. His only weakness is sensitivity to bright light.

Spooky Spotlight: Dark Crumplezone

With dark power coursing through his circuitry, his might in battle is nearly unmatched, but Dark Crumplezone is just as dumb as ever. Being dead gave him a mean streak a mile wide, and getting put back together by the otherworldly power of Galvatron gave him the weaponry he needed. What he can't smash through, he knocks down, and what he can't knock down, he pulverizes with his forward plasma ejector cannons. He's too dumb to be a real threat to the Autobots, but Galvatron is content to just set him loose on the battlefield and see what he can blast before the Autobots shut him down.

Spooky Spotlight: Bomb-Burst

The greater the foe, the sweeter his fuel!

A vicious, vile automated vampire! Enjoys swooping down on unsuspecting Autobots and using his serrated metallic fangs to drain the fuel from his victims. Specially-textured outer shell causes rust rash on contact. Blinded by bright sunlight. The ultimate terror in darkness. Without shell, transforms into a vertical take-off and landing hover jet with dual lasers. Within shell, armed with corrosive slime shooter and armor-piercing battle axe!

Spooky Spotlight: Universe Ramjet

Accept your fate and welcome the glorious chaos that awaits.

The being originally known as Ramjet has one goal and one goal only; to enact his master's every whim and desire. For millions of years he executed the Chaos Bringer's commands without question or fail. Traversing dimensions and realities with the simplest gesture; Ramjet's power was near limitless. With the Unicron singularity destroyed by the actions of Nexus Prime, Ramjet's sole reason for existence, securing Unicron's presence across all parts of the multiverse, is no more.

With his dimension hopping abilities and raw power also severely dampened by the effects of the Terminus Blade and Star Saber, Ramjet once again relies on his supersonic jet mode for attack and pursuit missions. He has a top speed of Mach 4. Emits powerful blasts from his body. Channels Unicron's dark energy through two Antrodemonus Swords hidden within his wings. Can lanuch MX-00 caliber missiles capable of collapsing a Transformers' spark upon direct impact. Due to the torturous pain he endured and his undying devotion to his master, Ramjet often suffers from fits of insanity.

Spooky Spotlight: Bugly

The greatest power is the power to control.

 A deadly warrior with pinpoint maneuverability in the air. Intense, mystical, and very cruel. Practices the deadly martial art of Circuit-Su, which channels energy into one powerful electric blast. Electro-stingers in helmet deliver 3,000 volt charges that paralyze on contact. Also armed with 2 photon rifles. Transforms to lasered, hover jet with built-in, forward-thrust turbo boosters. Also able to pilot outer shell by remote control.

Hello, we're The Halloween Horrorcons

You know how in late August stores start putting the back to school stuff on clearance and the Halloween stuff starts trickling in? That's pretty much what just happened to Zone Base. We're entering Halloween season and I'm pumped. It's my favorite time of year and this is something I've been wanting to do since launching the site in April.

So, while I'm pretty much going to write the same kind of posts, the weekly spotlight is going to highlight the more in season characters from here until Halloweens over. I'm sure I'll also write some more posts that are in the spirit, but they'll be regular posts as well. But hey, what's a Halloween Horrorcon?

Leatherhide 

In 2003, during the heyday of the Transformers Universe line (when it was a repaint line, before it was used for classics, not the game, it's confusing, I know) there was plans for a Walmart Halloween toy exclusive set called the Halloween Horrorcons.

Blackarachnia 

They were Beast Wars molds in Halloween-ish colors in two 2 packs. I really wanted them as well...duh, it's a combination of some of my favorite things. Unfortunately it was cancelled, which shouldn't be too surprising as Walmart had a lot of planned Universe exclusives, and a few were dropped for various poopy reasons.

Waspinator, this one actually got homaged in a BotCon set.

I've always wished they would have happened and become an annual thing. Sometimes I see a kinda spooky or outright monstery TF toy and picture them as one of the Halloween Horrorcons. That's the kind of thing us cool kids do.

Nightprowler 

So I guess that's kind of what I'm doing with the Spooky Spotlight posts, I'm assembling lost potential. I'm assembling Halloween Horrorcons that never were or to be. So from now, until the end of the season, every Wednesday morning, there's going to be a Spooky Spotlight. Highlighting the oooooky and spoooky and creeeeepy and... uh scary robots.

It's what us cool kids do.