Star Eagle [Transformers/Deluxe Class]

@robfromzonebase Star Eagle (Transformers/Deluxe Class) A Walmart Exclusive Transformers toy as part of the USA 250th Anniversary... yeah, seriously. Admittedly I'm really rusty at making these and trying to improve. Bare with me and please check out www.zonebase.org #zonebase #transformers #maximals #independenceday #deluxeclass ♬ PLAY BACK TV size (Theme Song of "KAMEN RIDER ZEZTZ") - YUTA

I love a good holiday-themed toy. A Transformers figure themed after the 4th of July? That's not the holiday I expected to see celebrated in Transformers toy form, but here we are with one commemorating the 250th anniversary of the United States of America.

Even more out of left field is the fact that it's a Beast Wars toy.

Thematically, it's perfect. An eagle is an obvious choice. However, being that this is strictly branded as Transformers and not under any specific sub-line, I'm surprised it isn't some patriotic version of Optimus Prime. I'm certainly not complaining, as you all know how much I love Beast Wars, and it's a brand-new character to boot!

Not to mention, while it's very hard to completely enjoy summer here in the American South (it's so VERY hot), I do enjoy it to a point. A nice swim in the pool, fireflies in the evening, walking around in flip-flops and shorts while enjoying ice cream, watching fireworks...

Hey... 

Speaking of ice cream and fireworks, you know what another fun summer tradition is?

Bomb Pop flavored things.

The red, white, and blue combination of cherry, lime, and blue raspberry is everywhere this time of year. Some are so popular they're available year-round, but they're especially abundant during summertime thanks to all the patriotic holidays. That's honestly what Star Eagle reminds me of more than anything else.

Yes, I know those are the colors of the American flag.

I know they're symbolic.

But all I see is a Bomb Pop robot and I'm all in for anything Bomb Pop.

Especially Bomb Pop Faygo. It is exquisite.

Speaking of Bomb Pops, I've got a pack of Bomb Pop scented Dude Wipes. They're called Poopsicle and smell amazing.

Star Eagle is a straight repaint of Kingdom Airazor, whom I've talked about here before. I've also covered Kingdom Skywarp and Legacy Filch, who are remolds and repaints of this same mold. It's probably safe to say by now that I enjoy this mold quite a bit. Feel free to visit those posts (I linked them!) for more conversation about things like the transformation and articulation.

For the 4th of July, however, I feel it's better to spend my time pointing out the more trivial aspects of the toy.

Not to mention, this is the sole post during a holiday week.

Hence talking about Bomb Pops so much.

It's seasonal.

How many times have I said Bomb Pop?

Bomb Pop.

So Star Eagle is a red, white, and blue version of the Legacy Airazor mold that looks pretty fantastic. I'm not completely sure of Star Eagle's intended gender and the toy doesn't seem to have much characterization at the moment. Personally, I like to imagine Star Eagle as a soldier utilized by the U.S. government as part of a partnership with the Transformers, or perhaps someone created using Cybertronian technology.

Sort of a Cybertronian Captain America.

That's the sort of backstory I could see Takara Tomy giving them in one of their awesome Transformers web manga stories.

Speaking of Beast Wars and Takara Tomy, the bulk of Star Eagle is blue. That immediately reminded me of Blue Bolts and Bound Rogue.

Blue Bolts is the current incarnation of Car Robots God Magnus/Robots in Disguise Ultra Magnus's ENORMOUS blue gun in the End of G1 Universe storyline from that same web manga I mentioned. In that story, Blue Bolts has been given a more traditional Transformers body and, in the storyline accompanying Dark Amber Leo Prime, Blue Bolts uses a blue variation of the Airazor/Skywarp design.

Bound Rogue is another Beast Wars repaint from the Robot Masters line that had a blue beast mode and a red face that's very similar to Star Eagle's red helmet crest.

It's a pretty nice look.

For whatever reason, up until my Star Eagle showed up, I thought its name was Star Bird, which would have been super fitting. It also gave me hope that Hasbro had the name Star Bird available in case they wanted to bring that toy line back, and part of me was honestly giddy about that idea.

Star Eagle is exclusive to Walmart alongside other patriotic-themed Hasbro toys. The box looks very similar to a modern Generations package, though without any specific line branding. Just Transformers with some fun stars decorating the packaging.

I'm not sure if it'll be sold outside the United States or not.

Funnily enough, Star Eagle is supposed to transform into an eagle.

Hence the name.

However...

Since it's a straight repaint of Airazor...

It's actually a falcon painted like an eagle.

A blue eagle.

To be fair, at first glance it absolutely looks like a blue eagle and works perfectly fine. But the closer you look, the more obvious it becomes that it's still a falcon underneath. It's been pointed out that Hasbro could have used the Skywarp version of the mold since it actually turns into an eagle.

Though I admit, Airazor's robot head with these colors really does give off Captain America vibes, so I assume that's why they went with it.

The falcon pretending to be an eagle isn't a huge issue.

But it is pretty funny.

The toy is normally sold alongside the other patriotic items in Walmart's seasonal section, but I ended up ordering mine because my local store only had the hilarious Furby and Nerf blasters. Of course the section was also packed with fireworks, festive decorations, and those obnoxious Budweiser American flag cowboy hats they sell every year despite me never actually seeing anyone wear one.

Just like with Cyberworld Optimus Primal, which I also ordered, I kind of wish I'd opted for drone delivery so my new neighbors could have heard my toys arriving.

Hi.

I'm new to the neighborhood.

And I bought something stupid.

This is also the first post in a small change to my posting style. I'm experimenting with short-form videos instead of using static pictures. I actually enjoy making videos and fell out of the habit years ago. I'm pretty rusty and relearning things as I go, so please bear with me while I knock the rust off.

This is also the first post in this year's return of Beast Summer.

While writing Summer of Swapticons last month, I noticed just how many Beast Wars characters appeared in that line and realized something:

Summer of Swapticons was inspired by Beast Summer from 2023.

So...

What if Beast Summer returned?

Also, I just really like beast warriors.

And it's the 30th anniversary of Beast Wars.

Between Beast Summer, Spooky Summer, and all the other seasonal nonsense I get into around here, I think it's pretty obvious that I enjoy making summer special on Zone Base.

I hope you all enjoy it too because I have a lot of fun doing these kinds of things.

Of course, being a holiday week, things are a little abbreviated around the site, but I'll be back to my normal posting schedule next week.

Thank you all for reading Zone Base.

Please share the site with your friends and be excellent to each other.

Ferak [Star Raiders Collection/Legends Class]

Ferak first joined the Star Raiders/Star Seekers in the BotCon 2014 convention exclusive set "Pirates vs. Knights", however the character has been around since the G1 comics making his first appearances in the UK Transformers comics. Ferak is a sadist inventor whose creations are usually pretty evil. Despite being around for so long, he's cruelly only gotten 2 toys. Both are repaints of Cyclonus figures and both exclusives. From that BotCon set we just talked about and the newest is today's subject matter.

The only Voyager Class figure in the Star Raider Collection (exclusive to Walmart here in the states), Ferak is a really nice repaint of the Kingdom Cyclonus mold. I really liked that figure even though it wasn't talked about it here. I've generally have always been a fan of Cyclonus and always look forward to his toys. Ferak is mostly a grayish white with some dark grey and red detailing. It looks really nice on the toy mold and really gives it a new life from a sculpt so instantly recognizable as Cyclonus.

Personally the white reminds me of a common white colored bootleg of the original G1 Cyclonus toy that made the rounds in the 90's-early 2000's. I had one myself until finally getting my own G1 Cyclonus shortly after the bootleg fell apart. The shoddiness of it's own existence was too much for it's molecular matter to hold together. As a robot, Ferak is large with a pleasant heftiness in hand. He feels solid in that way you want a Transformers to to feel. It's a nice toy. There's a decent amount of articulation and he comes with 3 guns. The first is a large Oxidating Laser that can be held and stored on his back or canopy in vehicle mode. Then there are 2 thin blasters that can be attached to his wingtips in either mode, attached to his arms, or held as pistols. These are holder overs from Cyclonus and there's no ignoring that, but they still look great.

Transformation is easy, everything goes where it looks like it should. I really like this vehicle mode in these colors. They have that classic space opera look and would match right up next to a Star Bird. Ferak has always turned into some variation of a star fighter style vehicle, so Cyclonus really does work well for him. He was portrayed with a horned helmet in those old UK comics, which makes those bunny ears work out. There's even some great landing gear that can unfold. That's a nice little touch I always appreciate. This is a really good toy that looks great in these colors. I know some folks won't be able to see anything but Cyclonus, but in that case, it's a nice looking Cyclonus in different colors! I really, really, like the accenting darker greys and the reds really pop. It's just a good looking toy no matter who it is.

Autobot Hot Rod (Retro Series)

Like Hound, Hot Rod is another reissue of a classic G1 toy in cartoon accurate colors. This is a little extra special as G1 Hot Rod/Rodimus Prime toys have never been accurate to the 1986 movie. Instead of the dark reds we're all used too, Hot Rod was a more pinkish color in the film. With this release we've got a toy that nails that color scheme down pretty accurately. This is a special kind of toy as it's a 'finally' type of moment. Despite all sorts of Masterpieces and various updates... nobodies ever made what folks have been clamoring for. Pink Hot Rod. It's only fitting that when they've finally made one, it's the original toy. This is one of those neat moments that happen as a fan.

One thing I'm really thankful for is the lack of stickers. Not that I think they normally don't look good, it's just the paint and tampographs look amazing. That and regular G1 Hot Rod has these thigh stickers that always catch on his car knees when transforming... I've always hated that. Though the many reuses and recasts of this mold is showing. Hot Rod has some loose joints and that's... a little sad. I don't know how much work they're willing to put into maintaining this old toy mold. There's eventually going to be a point when it's retired or newer fixed toolings are going to start getting worse. I particularly like the almost pealescent white used for his dual guns and exhaust pipes. They really stand out from the brightness of the pink. This is a very BRIGHT toy that almost glows. I don't think they meant to hint at those Toxitron Collection colors when homaging the original movie Hot Rod... but they kinda did. This is a special toy. I would have expected this at a much higher price and exclusive to some higher ticket event. 

Autobot Hound (Retro Series)

Reissues of older Transformers toys are nothing new. However when Walmart started selling them, it was a lot of fun as the availability got a better as did the pricing. Neatly enough, the 'Retro Series' over the past year had changed up the game a little. Instead of being close approximations of the original toys (there's a little difference here and there) in retro packaging. The newer 'old' toys are in a neat Transformers The Movie inspired line with cool movie versions of the retro packaging and the classic toys in cartoon colors. They've done 'anime' edition reissues before, but these are really close to the characters on the screen. Unfortunately distribution on these has been less than ideal as I'd love to get them all. Fortunately this lead to a few being marked down heavily recently. A special version of a G1 toy for $9? Sure! 

I've made my love for Hound known before. Obviously this was something I was wanting. This version uses the 2004 reissue mold sets. Which used repaired and recast toolings from the original Diaclone molds. There's some noticeable differences if you compare a 1984 Hound to this one aside from the colors. This one does have Official Jeep copyrights on it that prior versions didn't as does the box. G1 Hound's an Officially Licensed Jeep now! Neat. While it's not super noticeable to the naked eye, the cartoon accurate deco is miles apart from the toy version. The chrome, something I normally love, is gone. Green's are also softer. There's a really close match to the colors from the cartoon on robot bits that I'm really impressed by. Usually these are a sorta clay gray on toys. This really feels like a more premium edition of G1 Hound that I would expect to pay a lot more for. 

Hound also has all of his accessories from the G1 release. They're in matching cartoon colors, though it's worth noting his missile launcher does not fire. This is a holdover from those early 2000's reissues. Several Child Safety Laws had changed from the 80's and still are in place today. This lead for the American versions to either have extra long missiles or neutered ones like in this case. Frankly, I'd rather a kid not accidentally choke on a toy and would take a non-firing version over the longer missiles. In cases like Starscream's Null Rays, it looks fine. In other toys... not so much. Hound has a good bit of extra accessories from vehicle mode you'll take off to transform. Those older Diaclone toys were just full of features. I am kinda surprised there's no official Jeep branding on his spare tire. Speaking of, Hound has no stickers. They've all been replaced with tampographed on details. It really adds to the overall look... and I don't mind their absence. They look great when properly applied, but can be a hassle. The tampographs really blend into the overall cartoon accuracy better too. 

I am completely happy with this Hound toy. Admittedly I'm a fan of his, but this special edition is really nice. I'm sure his stubby arms would be a turn off for some and mine's front section doesn't want to lock in place well when not on the ground... but this is overall a great little figure. The die cast legs give this little toy some nice heft and it's just overall a great looking figure. Like I've said, the cartoon accurate colors really pop. I'd been happy paying full price, but glad to pay only $9. 

Walmart's 'Great Value' Transformers

Christmas is around the corner. Like many of you, I've been checking out various sales. I've been noticing most stores have been sending out toy catalogs with QR codes for the products on each page. Noticing the Walmart books Transformers page, I scanned and checked it out. That's when I caught the 'sales prices'. Many 'original' prices are wrong, leaving the sales price as the normal regular price. Some just wrong prices in general. Or in a few special places... the original price was cheaper. Ok then. For your amusement, I've screen capped the pages and uploaded the images here. I guess this is a Great Value sale. Watch out y'all, companies aren't your friends.

Cloudcover (Toxitron Collection/Voyager Class)

The Toxitron Collection is this years Walmart Exclusive sub-line taking the place of last years Velocitron Speedia 500 Collection that I loved. This time the toy's concept is unused Generation 2 designs and the original unused Toxitron from Universe. With EXTREMELY AWESOME black light art boxes (and instructions) selling these VERY BRIGHTLY COLORED toys. I love them... maybe more than the Velocitron set. The story line is that these radical radioactive robots rose from the Toxic Sludge Swamps on Cybertron to cause all sorts of mayhem and anarchy. Hopefully Takara will produce another manga like they did for the Velocitron Speedia 500 set to flesh it out some more. It's not super necessary for a store exclusive set to have such a thing... but it's fun and I appreciate it.

Cloudcover is based on a mock up Seeker whose picture I feel like I've been looking at forever. Like everything else from this set, it's an un-produced concept that's finally being made on a newer updated figure. This time the Earthrise Conehead Seeker mold. I didn't get that specific mold, but really liked the Starscream version. The urge to get all the various Seekers was ruined for me thanks to the Seeker mold, but it is nice to finally get a version of the Conehead version of an excellent Seeker base toy. It's also nice to get it in such a specifically awesome concept. To be honest, I wasn't as interested in Cloudcover as the other members of the collection. Like the Velocitron set, I just want the entire set and he's the first toy from it that was found. In hand however... wow this color scheme is awesome. Over what's felt like a lifetime of looking at that blue Seeker mock up (and not being very concerned about it), I'm actually glad to own it. The blues and whites are specifically nice in robot mode... but are amazing in jet mode. This is a very nice looking toy and makes me a little sad that the original never happened. That cloud camouflage design is super pretty.

I talked about the base mold in the post linked to above, but this is a little different with a few mold changes. Specifically the head and wings. Cloudcover is a repaint of Earthrise Ramjet as the original mock up was a repaint of the G1 Ramjet toy with the Earthrise Dirge head was used. I know the pictures don't show it pretty well, but his mouth is open and there's some nice dark red eyes. That black contrasted SO HARD against the lighter colors and I'm obviously not a professional toy photographer. Hence the lace of monetization and actual content produced on a regular basis. The toy itself is pretty nice, but the real draw is the color scheme. Hopefully I can score the rest of the Toxitron Collection, Cloudcover is a wonderfully surprising start of the series for me.

Full Circle of the Moon

I don't know about you, but the first thing that pops in my mind when I think about Halloween is a snow leopard. The Halloween Horrorcons were one of the first Halloween posts I wrote on the site. In short, they were a planned Halloween Walmart exclusive set during the original Universe line that got canceled. Fortunately two of them have been homaged in Legacy. This one is a Walmart exclusive. I'll get to the other later. After all, everyday is Halloween on Planet Zone! It's in the site description... duh. Today though, today we're going to talk about Nightprowler. Older readers will remember that Halloween Horrorcon was the original naming of the spooky season here on the site. Clearly this one is a big deal to me.

Since the original Nightprowler was a repaint of the original Beast Wars Cheetor mold, this new (and actually released) one is a repaint of the Kingdom Cheetor mold. I talked about that one here if you'd like a more in depth look at it. In short, I liked it.

To some people, this might just seem like a throw away repaint. It is a pretty obscure character that technically doesn't exist. They could have made Prowl for obscurity points and had a more recognizable name. Obviously I love it. If you heard a scream around the time it was announced... that was me (sorry). Legacy sure is a cool Transformers line. It cherry picks from random places in Transformers history to really create fan friendly and still fun updates. The store exclusives go a level or two deeper. This is the kind of thing I'd want as a fan club exclusive. But things like the Velocitron Speedia 500 and Buzzworthy Bumblebee have done it better at regular retail. That's pretty awesome.

Gotta Go Fast

If you look up 'dope' in the dictionary, the definition will just be a picture of the Velocitron Speedia 500 collection. Transformers Legacy is a really cool toy line as is, but when adding in the Buzzworth Bumblebee and Velocitron Spedia 500 segments, it gets pretty amazing. I think the funny part of myself enjoying the Velocitron stuff so much is that... I was pretty passive with Velocitron when Cybertron first aired. It was neat, sure, but I was more interested in the Jungle Planet. Though I really liked the race planets inhabitants. I'd love to see Ransack and Crumplezone make a return for this new sub-line. Dang, that'd be great.

Super Freaking Powers

The new McFarlane toys version of Super Powers is pretty great. So far I've gotten Batman and Superman and plan to get more. The original line by Kenner was a lot of fun back in the day. I can't help but to want all the new ones with all the fond memories of these guys I have. I hope they make more, but I should focus on getting the ones out now. The new figures are little different, but still have the same charm of the old ones. They're currently Walmart exclusive, but I hope to one day find them at other stores. Just so I can one day walk into a grocery store to find a years old Green Lantern with yellowed packaging still on the shelves. Just like in the good old days.

Weekly Update 6/27/22

 

NEW WEEK, BRAIN ON! Thanks for coming back for another week here on Planet Zone. Next weekend will be another holiday weekend, so I'll be taking next Monday off. Check my social media to keep up with what I'll be doing. I can't promise it'll be exciting, but... it's something. 

This weekend went by way to fast for my liking. I didn't do much, but managed to find Legacy Blitzwing during a trip to Walmart Saturday. Tried Morning Star vegetarian chicken nuggets and they were great! The rest of Saturday was spent watching paranormal videos and Jetman. Not bad!

Sunday was a Squishmallow event at Five Below. Before the event I played some Demon Slayer on my PS4 while enjoying a bagel and iced coffee. The Mrs found the Squishmallows she was looking for as well as a new plush line the same company had released. I got a new light box for my TikTok/Reels. I can't find my light tent and have been using a temporary solution. So this will be an upgrade in the meantime. 

My little videos are still small, but people seem to be liking them. I'm learning as I go, and they're slowly getting better. Think a light ring may be in my future. I also got volume 3 of the Attack on Titan manga. I've gotten the first two at Five Below and it's looking like that's how I'll keep doing it. No problems there! I spent the rest of the day napping, watching spooky stuff, and playing with my Gundam Infinity figures. Still haven't found series 2, but the first batch is a lot of fun. The idea is to disassemble them and mix the parts. So while they're not models, you can still build a cool new Gundam!

I've got a dentist appointment in the morning to start getting some chipped teeth fixed. I'm looking forward to getting them fixed, but not the appointment. Just don't care for the dentist. Hopefully this won't suck too much and hopefully this weeks content here on the site helps to keep your week from sucking. Thanks for reading and please share with your friends! 

Retro Zords

 

Hasbro has started releasing these super cool figures of the Megazords from Power Rangers and I'm loving it. They're exclusive to Walmart here in the states (not sure about elsewhere) and I was interested when they were first announced. Now that I have a few, I'm ecstatic with this line. They may seem simple. That's because they are simple and THAT'S the best part. You guys know me, not everything has to be super articulated for my enjoyment. However, the simplicity of these leads to what makes them great. They match up perfectly with my Godzilla toys.

While the Megazords are made from a harder material. They're also very similar in build, sculpt, and style to Godzilla and other kaiju vinyl figures. Which is a lot of kaiju fans preferred way to have giant monsters in toy form. At around the same scale as your general kaiju vinyl toy, and with similar articulation, this is a great way to pit the Thunder Megazord against Hedorah.

Considering the Playmates Godzilla toys are just a few feet away from these at my local Walmart (at one point they were right next to each other), and that many people like one series because they like the other (I was a kid who liked Godzilla movies when I discovered Dynaman one night on USA). It's all to perfect. The line consists of various Megazords throughout the history of Power Rangers packaged in VHS style boxes. The boxes are a fun little touch that allows for neat storage when they're not on a shelf themselves. Or even on a shelf in those neat boxes in a way that's easy to organize and look cool at the same time.

Millions of Warriors

 

I've been looking for a new keshi line to really get behind. It's been a while since I've had one I could really follow easily enough to have fun with. That's where Million Warriors comes in. Recently my wife discovered them and introduced them to me. I was instantly hooked. They're currently exclusive to Walmart and fairly cheap, around 5$ for a blind pack of ten. There's also 20 packs available, which I haven't seen yet and don't know the price, though I'm sure are probably inexpensive. These little guys are great.

So far the line is separated into 3 tribes that the figures fall into thematically. Astrals, Ancients, and Heroes. While the names of the tribes give some semblance of a theme, they're all over the place with little weird freaks. The figures come in various forms of availability, from common to extremely rare. As of this writing I have 30 from 3 different 10 packs and have yet to get doubles and have a few harder to get ones (according to the guide). They're made from a few different plastic molds in a few different silhouettes with the characters printed on them. This obviously helps keep the costs down and allows for a wide arrange of figures to be made and I imagine quickly. 

The art style is great, reminiscent of non-sport trading cards I'd often get as a kid. The characters range from weird looking warriors to crazy mutant freaks. I love them. Opening the two packs I got this weekend with the wife was so fun and exhilarating. I was literally bubbling over with excitement with each one. They come packed blind in little paper packets in a ticket style row. The 10 packs I had held them in a package shaped like crossed swords. The 20 packs are boxes that look like shields. There is a game that can be played with them using catapults that come with the 20 packs and numbers printed on each characters back. 

You've might have noticed that I'm a fan. I am and a rather fast one at that. I really cannot express just how excited I was over these guys for a good day or so. I was practically exploding. I'm still practically exploding. I exploded. They are just the thing I've been wanting and done just right for this sort of thing. A proper keshi line needs to be fun and collectible. Having easy availability and low prices is a part of that. I can easily grab a pack while at Walmart, or add it to my weekly grocery order. At 5$ a pack of 10, they're so cheap that I don't even think about it.

They're very cool and the characters make me want more. At under 1" each, so even if I get a million Million Warriors, they can be stored pretty easily. I don't know if the 3 tribes are all there will be, but so far I'm happy as is. Million Warriors is the keshi line I needed and I'm sure other keshi fans needed as well. Spin Masters makes some good toys and this is another solid line from them. I hope it's a success and they make more than a million of them.

Deseeus Army Drone

There are some really good characters in the Transformers universe. This isn't one of them. I'm not being sarcastic, for you see the Deseeus Army Drone are literally just Drones used under the command of the Quintessons. This one specifically works for Deseeus, though I'd like to think the other judges have some as well. Going by the original cartoon creation story that the Transformers were created by the Quintessons before miraculously gaining sentience, it only makes sense that they'd have some non-living ones still in use. Not to mention, drones make for good generic soldiers and this literally is just that. If it looks familiar, that's because the Drone is a straight repaint of Siege Ironhide.

The Drone is a silver/grey robot with a lot of black undercoat. Clearly the War for Cybertron has caused some paint damage. The Cybertronian vehicle makes for a cool sci fi alt mode and with the gun mounted on top, it looks like a solid military grade vehicle form. Several of the Siege molds had that Diaclone flair and it works pretty good here. Really, I can't think of a better mold to use for this idea. I liked the Siege Ironhide mold a lot. I liked Siege a lot in general so it's nice to revisit it. The rifle can convert into a sledge hammer for some melee combat. Really, this is just a solid Transformers toy. The mold has gotten a lot of use and each time felt fresh. There's plenty of articulation and it looks the part. Deseeus Army Drone may have a funny name, but it's a great idea.

Monday of the New Week

It's Monday and you know what that means, it's a new week here on Planet Zone! Honestly, I didn't do much this weekend. Watched a bunch of Halloween stuff on Disney Plus. Decorated the yard a little more, was going to put up some lights but it started raining. Guessing I'll do that next weekend then. Found the reissue BW Megatron at Walmart. Bought the reissue BW Megatron at Walmart. Saw the new 'The Haunted Museum' show on Discovery +, that's a pretty good anthology horror show.

A lot of the paranormal shows on Discovery + are like that, anthology horror shows based on allegedly true events. I'm not saying I 100% believe them, but I'm 100% entertained. This one was much better produced than the others, probably due to Eli Roth's involvement. It's based on items from Zak Bagans paranormal museum. The show starts with him talking about and item and the show tells a story about it. The end has text telling how it ended up in the museum.

It's pretty good. I like most of the shows on the service and channel already, but it's a higher quality production than normal. Ghostober is really good this year. I've got a fun week planned here on the site. Halloween is well underway and we're in the main event month. Thanks everyone for continuing to support my weird little site about robots and monsters. Don't forgot to share with your friends, that's all I ask!

What A Spooky Poser

This past Sunday morning I found myself in another Walmart than the one I shopped at Saturday. Of course I took the time to look at the Halloween section with the wife. Different Walmart's tend to have different stock and that's usually noticeable in the holiday sections. There's probably a reason for it, but I don't give it too much thought. I just don't care. I like the variety between locations. Each store is it's own thing despite being part of a big chain. Like I said, we were checking out the Halloween section and for the record, this location usually has great holiday areas. 

Each weekend they're getting a bunch of new stuff. It's fun to check it out and maybe get a cool surprise while doing so. Which brings us here today. Whilst looking around, I found a lone peg hook with articulated skeleton action figures for $3.88. It was just there, seemingly hung randomly with no actual spot to call it's own. I like to think it's supposed to go on one of those hanging strips and whoever just stuck it there. But there it was, cool as crap. So I bought one.

A Instagram friend pointed out it's a bootleg ReMent Skeleton that's been making the rounds. If you check the link, you'll see that's a $70 dollar toy. Holly crap, wow. You can imagine my surprise and apparently others as well after I pointed it out to others online. One guy pointed out that it's been in Big Lot's for a few years. I've never seen it, so maybe. On it's own, it's a pretty good figure. Lot's and lot's of articulation allows you to put it in a ton of poses. It is a bootleg, so the plastic quality isn't super awesome, but it'll do. It's not fragile or anything, so go ahead and put it in the Ironman pose.

Walton Vs Predator

Lanard has been really knocking it out of the park in recent years. I've been speaking nothing good of them here for a reason. Lanard has always made low priced toys, most notably their 'The Corps!' line which can be a lot of fun. However since 2017, they've been doing more licensed lines in addition to some really far out cool original ideas. 

Last year their 90's flavored Aliens line captured a lot of attention which lead to a more premium collectors aimed Aliens figure series. This year they've followed that up with The Predator and I'm pretty happy that they did. So far the line consists of a large 12" figure ($20) and three smaller 7" figures ($10 each). Like other Lanard toys here in the states, they're a Walmart exclusive.It's hard to complain about going into your local Walmart and finding cool toys like these for not a lot of money.

The figures a super nice with lots of accessories and plentiful articulation. They're well sculpted and have a lot of paint detail. The three 7" figures are each based off a different Predator from the different movies with very distinct differences. The masks on the 7" figures are not removable, but is on the 12" toy. The 12" toy also has a few extra play features like a light up laser for his shoulder mounted cannon as well as opening mouth. The mask thing is obviously a result of the lower prices as is the more sparse paint details on each figures backside. It's not super concerning to myself, though I'm sure some in the more premium figure crowd isn't going to like that. Personally, a great Predator figure for $10 is pretty awesome.

Beast Waltons

Hasbro is doing a line of reissue Beast Wars toys in vintage packaging exclusive to Walmart. This is in line with the G1 and Headmasters series they have been running and making for an amazing Great Value BotCon 2021!  Like the G1 toys, these have very slightly different paint apps from the originals. This still doesn't bother me as they're reissues and I'm not trying to pass them off as originals (shooting birds at Ebay). This is a super fun thing for me and something I can't resist. 

Of course this brings up the inevitable invisible battle lines at this years Great Value BotCon. They'll be snarky comments about 'beast crap' from people who think their Great Value BotCon is the one true Great Value BotCon and everyone else is Great Value pond scum. Fortunately these types are usually allergic to air conditioning and Walmart keeps that running all year.

Don't let anyone ruin your Great Value BotCon and enjoy your Transformers the way you want. Between all the various 90's stuff making a comeback, I'm in heaven. Before I had said there was a real thrill in buying G1 Transformers at Walmart again and I'll say it again. This is an awesome feeling. You can't go back in time like the Maximals did, but it's fun to pretend a little. Before I watch Sting wrestle on TNT, I'm gonna run to Walmart and grab some Doritos 3D's and grab a Cheetor. What year is it again?

Head On... Over To Walmart

This past weekend I finally finished getting all of the wave 1 Headmasters at Walmart. I lucked up on Mindwipe in January, but was unable to find the rest until just now. Just in time as the second wave is popping up. I love this sort of thing.

The vintage style packaging really does it for me. It just looks great and while I understand the need for updated packaging- there's nothing quite like those old G1 style boxes. When Shokaract came in a Masterforce style box I was blown away. These toys would be ideal con exclusives.

I'm getting myself back into a con mindset, ToyLanta is just a few weeks away. I adjusted to the virtual/online con model really quickly since the pandemic started. Gone is haunting the dealers room between panels. Now I watch panels on my phone while going to Walmart. Getting these Headmasters during a online con would be just right.

Optimus And Freinds On Netflix At Walmart

Another of the Christmas gifts from my wife is the Netflix Optimus Prime set exclusive to Walmart. Like some of the others in this line, Optimus comes with some Battlemasters. It makes for a really cool set and still makes we wish the Netflix War for Cybertron series included them as well. 

Optimus is the Earthrise version sans trailer. It's a really good toy. I've talked about it here before and that didn't keep me from wanting it again. His slightly different colors make me think of that one G2 version. Which I've always liked. This is just a really good Optimus Prime, I kinda want them all.

Optimus comes with Battlemasters Sheeldron and Enerax. Sheeldron is a repaint of Soundbarrier whom I've also talked about here before in a really cool yellow scheme. Enerax is a repaint of Pteraxadon from Siege, whom I have but not talked about here before. I'm gonna rectify that now. I also wish there was a Battlemaster named Rectify.

Enerax turns into an energy axe or laser gun. What makes this neat is that his robot mode is a pterodactyl instead of your standard humanoid robot. It's always been pretty cool when Transformers have non-traditional robot modes like this. Enerax is also in that great yellow scheme like Sheeldron. Yes, those are some awkward names. I wish Enerax was Sundor. Another clear yellow bird Transformer.

The addition of the two makes for a more savage Optimus Prime wielding an energy axe and shield in battle. Mentally skipping past the Netflix series, I could easily see this team up on some cosmic adventure. It's visual says Marvel to me more than that War for Cybertron. I love this Optimus toy and partner figures with it just makes a lot of sense. There's literally nothing bad I can say about this set and a million good things I can. Go buy it.

Megadudes

Another of the Christmas gifts from my wife was the super cool Megatron with Pinpointer and Lionizer set exclusive to Walmart. This is both winners with chicken dinner for me as I love toys with partner figures and the Siege Megatron mold as is. The more premium looking chrome paint on said mold is irresistible. This toy is part of the Netflix series and is intended to represent Megatron as he appears on the show. Considering how toy accurate the shows CGI models are, I'd say it does that pretty well.

It's a really good updated version of classic Megatron. It looks pretty much just like you want him to look. No he doesn't turn into a fucking gun. He turns into a tank like usual. You that saying "I remember when Mtv played music?" It's been longer since they haven't than they did. Things change, and sometimes it was a long ass time ago.

I really wish the Battlemasters were in the Netflix show. They're not, but they are in some of the sets. I love a good partner figure and here we've got a neat situation. Instead of just throwing some in their for Megatron to have, these are his captives. Just a little bit of toy only fiction, but it's appreciated. These two are being forced to serve Megatron. Considering their alt modes are weapons, that's some pretty dark stuff.

Lionizer is a catbot that turns into a sword and Pinpointer has a more traditional bot form that turns into a double barreled gun with some sort of cluster bomb attachment. That's the fun thing about Battlemasters. Instead of just generic guns, you get a variety of weapons. Like other Battlemasters, they come with action effect thingies. A swoosh and two pew pews. A Battle is getting mastered with flair.

If you haven't had any experience with this mold, he's quite the treat. Plentiful articulation and a transformation with just enough steps to please almost everybody. It's a pretty good toy all around and a great Megatron. So much a perfect Megatron that the only other character they could make with it is Archforce. That's not a bad thing though. Often they get so creative with Megatron designs, he could be anybody. So much so that you wonder why didn't they just make a new character. Having a Megatron that without any kind of doubt is Megatron is the perfect thing to do here.

In case it wasn't clear, I like the toy. It's a good looking version classic Megatron that 100% fits the part. From his fusion cannon to sword, he looks like a happy marriage of the old box art and cartoon made into a pretty great toy. The shiny chrome is offset by the 'battle damage' that I personally dig. Megatron has been through hell and it looks like it. He's fighting a War for Cybertron after all. I also love the inclusion of the Battlemasters. Partner figures is a toy gimmick I never get tired of and with the additional fiction of these being his captives just feels like something Megatron would do. The black and orange colors looks good on the little guys too. This feels more like something I would have gotten as some sort of convention exclusive rather than a store exclusive set. That's hard not to appreciate.