Geocron [Legacy United/Core Class]

It's time to look at another Armorizer, a favorite group of Transformers around here on Planet Zone. Armorizers are a fun combination of Rock Lords, Mutores, and The Rock People of Daira. Georcron's head sculpt in particular is based on one of those Daira residents in particular as was Calcitron. Armorizers have been a fun throw back to a time when transforming toys were certainly more imaginative. Also... I really like Rock Lords, so they've been a fun thing for me on a personal level.

Geocron might be the last Armorizer sadly (I haven't seen any more listed), so it's fitting that he uses the same mold as Bouldercrash, whom was one of the first. I really liked Bouldercrash, so the use is a welcome one. Unlike the other Armorizers, it's not specified what type of rock Georcron is composed of. It's pretty obvious by his colors and name that Geocron is a geode. That works pretty well as I'm taking that as a Jewel Lord reference, even if it's unintentional. It's also not clear if this is a male or female, so I've been referring to it as a him generically. Georcron is a mixture of browns with a metallic purple color showing through at parts. It's surprisingly nice looking as that purple really contrasts sharply against the brown.

Transformation to rock bike is easy, and his weapon mode can be formed from vehicle mode or during transformation as it's not much more than an extension of vehicle mode. I didn't take a picture of it here, but there's one in Bouldercrash's post. Speaking of weapon, Geocron has the same as Bouldercrash... a sort of rock sword thing. It's hard to describe without sounding silly, but it looks neat. I like to think it shoots an energy beam. Geocron looks great and by all counts is a pretty solid toy. If he is the last Armorizer, he's a good one to go out on. I've been really fond of the Armorizers and hate to see them go. It's nice to see that Infernac, a setting from Inhumanoids, get revisited and offer a new Transformers life form while at it. Ever since Rokkon and Stonedar I've been hooked on transforming rock toys and a new set was and still is exhilarating for me as a fan. Geocron, and all the Armorizers is awesome. It's a rock fact.

Calcitron [Star Raiders Collection Multipack]

It's a happy day because there's a new Armorizer arriving at Zone base! Calcitron is the newest rock bot to join the ranks and he's a cool one. Unlike the other Armorizers, Calicitron has sided up with a group. The Star Raiders- Thundertron's crew of space pirates can boat that they have their own dedicated living rock creature among their ranks. As his name suggests, Calcitron is mostly composed of blue calcite. Blue calcite is a very pretty stone that allegedly adds to your positive aura and will clear negative energies. Hopefully the pirates can benefit from that little bit of spiritual energy as the galaxy can be a scary place. Personally, I like to think the various mysticism surrounding some stones makes for an interesting trait in Armorizers and Rock Lords. I've always really liked when robot cartoons blend in fantasy elements.

Calcitron is a repaint/remold of Magneous like Nucleous was. While not as extensive as a remold as Nucleous, Calcitron is a rather cool remold all the same. The only new part is a head, which ties into the Rock People of Daira from the Headmasters cartoon. Ultimately though, it's still the same base mold as Magneous, so there's nothing functionally new aside from appearances. Fortunately Magneous was a really good toy. There's plenty of articulation and transformation from rock person to rock truck is pretty easy. He has the same axe/crossbow weapon and the roof of the rock truck can be used as a shield or worn on his back. The axe/crossbow can be mounted on top of the truck like a rocket or in front to serve as a battering ram. I feel like Calcitron would like a crossbow. Like most Armorizers, individual parts can be removed and made into armor or weapons for other Transformers figures. The blue colors look great giving Calcitron an almost icy appearance that's really pretty. That's a rock fact!

Nucleous [Legacy United/Deluxe Class]

We've got another Armorizer to look at and it might just be the coolest yet. Nucleous is a heavy remold of Magneous with a lot of new parts. Like most Armorizers, Nucleous can be split apart into pieces to form armor or weapons for other Transformers figures. However they might want to be careful, because as his name suggests, Nucleous is composed of raw Nucleon! To much exposure could cost them the ability to Transform! Or in the case of the Marvel comics, eventually shut down completely. That stuffs dangerous, and he's a living rock creature made out of it. Oddly enough, raw Nucleon looks a lot like milky quartz.

I quite like Nucleous's looks. He's a mixture of living rock and radical robot. Love that head sculpt. Transformation to rock car is pretty easy as it's  the same as Magneous. There's not need to split up the parts, though the 'car' roof part that can either mount on his back or be used as a shield will need to be adjusted a little as one of the rocky rocket pods has to fit under it. Those rocket pods, BTW, combine to form a club for Nucleous... or I guess a torch similar to Magmar's weapon.  Nucleous is a really cool addition to the Armorizer ranks, and despite being a remold/recolor feels like a brand new toy. I'm admittedly smitten with these new rock robots. I love the homage to past lines and their connection to Inhumanoids. These are some cool toys, and that's a rock fact!

Shard (Legacy United/Deluxe Class)

After what felt like a long wait, a new Armorizer is available. Shard is an all new Rock Lord inspired Transformer from the Infernac Universe making her first appearance as a toy. Shard is specifically made of Death Crystals from the Planet Dread and was directly inspired by Solitaire, making her a Jewel Lord homage. As someone who loves multiple layers of homage, Shard is really cool. I know what you're thinking, how come all these rock Transformers don't fly? Well, this one can! She transforms into a helicopter made of jewels which is a neat looking visual. While it might not be the most realistic... look, if realism is what you're after... you've got the wrong toy line.

The Death Crystals create a sharp and pointy looking Armorizer topped off by the helicopter blades doubling as swords. I'm also fond of the turbines that double as cannons. The swords can be inserted in the cannons as well meaning Shard will outright shoot a sword at you. That's harsh. Transformation is fairly easy. After the past few figures, I was pleasantly surprised for everything to just go into place without much trouble. Like the other Armorizers, Shard doesn't disassemble during transformation. I did accidentally remove a limb or two while doing so, but that was just from clumsiness. The helicopter is quite cool looking and comes off like a variation of the Stone Wing. That was probably not intentional, but my mind went there. I like the absurdness of a vehicle made of stone/jewel flying. Of course as an Armorizer, Shard can be disassembled and made into armor and weapons for regular compatible Transformers. Considering how sharp and pointy she is, you can imagine some really striking combinations. I'm extremely happy with Shard as I've been with all the Armorizers. So far there hasn't been one I like and of course I love the concept. It's a rock fact.

Bouldercrash (Legacy: United/Core Class)

When I first saw Bouldercrash listed , like others, I thought it was to be a new Generations version of Boulder. While homaging the line Boulder came from (Rock Lords), Bouldercrash is instead a brand new character from a new group of transforming rock toys- The Armorizers! As you are all aware, I was a fast fan of these guys and today we'll be looking at the other available Armorizer currently. Bouldercrash is a Core Class figure in the Transformers Legacy: United line that hails from the Infernac Universe as does Magneous (who we talked about earlier). My speculation that Infernac is a Hollow Earth type setting full of volcanoes seems to be true.That or this Infernac just might be the same Infernac from Inhumanoids as Bouldercrash is also a type of lava rock.

While Rock Lords are the most obvious referenced rock people toys of the Armorizers, of the two so far available, Bouldercrash feels more like one than Magneous. That's not a slam on Magneous (whom I love), but because of Bouldercrash's smaller size class. Rock Lords, like the Gobots they came from, were mostly smaller figures. Bouldercrash is a Core Class, a smaller Transformers size class, which is pretty close to the sizing of original Rock Lords. He could blend in with them pretty easily and pass as a modern day update that was obviously Takara Tomy designed instead of by Bandai (which he is).

Bouldercrash is pretty well articulated. He has the range of movent you's expect from the size class. No problems there! The cool mixture of reds and browns really look great with the extra brighter red details on the rock bits. His weapon is a sword/gun type weapon that's a carry over from alt mode. While Armorizers can be changed into rocks (with some imagination), their main alt modes are rocky vehicles. Bouldercrash turns into a stone trike style motorcycle. It's a unique vehicle mode that reminds me a little of the Stone Wing when the blade is flipped down. Speaking of that blade, Bouldercrash doesn't separate into parts for armor like Magneous does, but instead has a third weapon mode. The trike can be wielded as a sword type weapon. This mode is basically just the trike with said blade folded out that can be held by a larger toy (there's a handle on the back). It's not a particularly convincing weapon mode as at this point whomever is just hitting somebody with a motorcycle. I'd imagine that would hurt enough on it's own, but there's a big blade at the end for good measure. Additional weapon mode forms are usually a little silly and a bit of a stretch. I mean, look at this 'gun'.

Transformation from robot to vehicle (and back!) is pretty easy and everything tabs into place locking in securely. The windshield area of the motorcycle is the handle area of the weapon. You'll need to attach it while transforming which was my only difficulty during the process. I had a little trouble getting it on, but am sure it was myself doing it wrong. I'm still not sure what I was doing wrong, but I sure was doing it. The stone trike is pretty neat looking and pretty imaginative. I really like Boldercrash. To be fair, these fall squarely into the realm of stuff I like, but it IS a really neat toy. I'm sure more Armorizers are on the way and I really hope so. It's nice to have so many things come out the past few years that are exactly the kind of stuff I want. Armorizers make me excited in that ridiculous fan way that's hard to explain, hard to contain, and completely stupid to those who don't get it. It's a rock fact.

Magneous (Legacy United/Deluxe Class)

Armorizers are finally here and it's time to celebrate. A whole new breed of transforming rock toys that homage Rock Lords, the rocky people of Daira, and Inhumanoids. I had ordered Magneous and Boldercrash at the same time from Amazon, though Boldercrash is taking a little longer to get here. That gave me ample time to enjoy Magneous all on his own first. I've been so excited for these since announcement that finally having them is just amazing. Right now the two I've ordered are the only ones known, but I'm sure more will come eventually. Deluxe Class Armorizers share the same gimmick as Junkions, Fossilizers, and Weaponizers did before.

They can split into parts and be attached onto other Transformers to create armor or weapons. Fictionally, they are a living race of robotic rock based shapeshifters that come from the Infernac Universe. As far as a location for Transformers, there's not really anything known about Infernac yet. However in prior uses, Infernac is where Metlar from Inhumanoids hails from. Part of me likes to envision a Hollow Earth type hellscape full of volcanoes and dinosaurs. Judging by the Legacy United packaging art, that setting doesn't seem far off.

The whole thing just ignites my imagination and give me a sense of pure excitement. As a fan, I'm enthralled. Let's take a look at Magneous as a toy, shall we? Magneous is a beefy guy with a pick axe style weapon that could also be a crossbow depending on how he holds it. This is a very Rock Lords style weapon that I feel should have a ridiculous name like 'Geode Saber'. It fits Magneous well and with his bulk appearance, give the toy a fantasy feel that I really like. Magneous is an Obsidian warrior, which is a type of igneous rock that from the cooling of viscous lava. Igneous rocks in general that are formed from molten rock and he has plenty of that detailing sculpted in. There's a variety of rocky surfaces forming a stone warrior armor  in a mix of blacks and dark grays. It looks great. Magneous is fairly articulated and can be dissembled (as I mentioned earlier) to form rock armor and weapons for other Transformers.

Despite the parts forming nature of the toy, Magneous can transform without disassembly. Transformation is fairly easy and everything goes where you'd expect. In his neat rock truck mode, Magneous looks wild. It's a mixture of post apocalyptic and pre history styles blended together. The pick axe weapon can store across the back end or bumper, I found the back end to be best. A stone based vehicle is pretty far out, but I like it. I've been told that it's possible to form a rock mode from his parts, which I plan to try out later. That's all sorts of fun. I love this toy and concept as you've probably gathered while reading this. It's cool to have transforming rocks again and if Magneous is an example of what's to come, this looks to be a great set of figures. I could see a variety of repaint toys made with this as a base. It's a great figure that firmly fits the concept. Armorizers have me excited in a way I haven't been in a very long time. It's cheesy to say something rocks, but Magneous does. It's a rock fact.