Ransack (Creatures Collide/Deluxe Class)

The ravenous sounds of the locust signify wrath and misery. Perhaps it is him who stripped the house of all the life it once held.

I've mentioned my admiration for the Beetras molds here before, as well as my overall fandom for insect based robots in general. The Creatures Collide box set from last year provided me with plenty of really cool new creepy crawler insect bots. Ransack here is another solid bit of coolness from the set. Originally, Ransack was one of the Deluxe Insecticons made from the Beeteras toys while the standard Insecticons were made from Diaclone toys. This new Legacy Ransack, somehow is a repaint of an update of one of those Diaclone Insecticons (Kickback) and delivers a pretty good homage to the old Beetras toy. Surprisingly so as it's literally just a recolor using an alternate head. The toy does come with the Kickback head as well in case you'd prefer it to be one of his clones.

Ransack transforms into a mechanical locust or a grasshopper depending if you assemble his locust abdomen from the energon blades. This was a pretty creative way to get a locust out of the mold without the need for new parts. I've had the Kickback for some time before getting Ransack and never noticed that it could be done. Neat. Ransack has a descent amount of articulation and transforms fairly easily. Considering the mold was originally a "G1 with knees" update to Kickback, it should. Despite being so simple... it feels right, like just the right amount of work is needed to be done. His gun is a straightforward reissue of Kickback's in black plastic. Thanks to the similarity between the two, it makes for a decent version of his High-Intensity Concussion Blaster. A little different looking, but close enough. The energon blades can be held or form a shield. I prefer to place them on his arms for bight robot pokey bits. 

Bios: Barrage

"Nothing left standing means nothing left to change."

Function: Gunner

Winning is not enough -- this Insecticon's attack continues until the ground is scorched and leveled. Merciless, cruel... believes kindness only stirs hope among the vanquished. Disliked by fellow Decepticons. In insect Mode, can shoot non-stop explosive charges from gun mounts, high energy photons from antenna. Flies 15mph with 400 mile range. Has powerful sonic rifle in robot Mode.

Strength: 3 Intelligence: 8 Speed: 3 Endurance: 7
Rank: 5 Courage: 10 Firepower: 9 Skill: 8

A day with Shockwave

 

About 2 weeks ago as you're reading this, I finally bought a Turbo Changer Shockwave. I'd been wanting this figure since it came out in Cyberverse and for some reason never got it until recently under it's re release as a Buzzworthy Bumblebee figure. I've made my love for these simple figures know often here, so I'll spare you the details, but he's a pleasantly old school vibe robot toy. A week later after buying him, and a week before you'll read this, I opened him. I've got a pretty good backlog of unopened toys and the bulk of posts here are written in advance. I'm sure I've explained that one here as well, but thought I'd repeat it in case that wasn't clear. 

I've spent all the day with this Shockwave by my side. I work at night (I'm also sure I've said that before), and it was a Monday. I woke up early to see my wife off to work and spent the day doing odd tasks between goofing off and napping. Monday's for night shift folks are like Friday evenings for day shift folks. Shockwave got transformed a million times. If you look at the delightfully buggy alt mode, you'll see those rear legs. Squeeze them to auto-transform him into bot mode, pull them apart to go back. What kind of insect is he supposed to be? Maybe one of those flat grey ones I always see on my porch?

I spent a good deal of time playing Dig Dug 2 on my Switch. By my chair was a TV tray (the one from my Instagram). Shockwave stood there next to my Galaxy Tablet. When I wasn't playing, the pro controller would sit there with the two. I really wish this toy would get re released in different colors as someone else, just so it could get a little more out there. He really feels like a lost Beetras/Deluxe Insecticon. Maybe with a new head or in different colors he could be a new one.

He was by my side as I finished the current (and sadly last) season of Pacific Rim: The Black. Overlooked the making of my lunch that consisted of some tortilla pizzas and grapes. What's a tortilla pizza? It's a little pizza you make on a tortilla instead of a crust. I'm on a low sodium diet. With the right sauce, cheese, and tortillas, a pretty easy lunch that's tasty and also nothing to worry about. He found it logical to add some Mrs Dash prior to cooking. I thought it was a pretty good idea myself. 

During another round of Dig Dug 2... have you played it? It's really fun, I like it a lot better than regular Dig Dug. But anyways, while playing I found myself thinking Shockwave would be at home in an old 8 or 16-bit video game. Probably as a bad guy in some space shooter, his design would make for an excellent general soldier. I can really see him on the cover in that old school painted art style. If this really was an old toy, he might have actually popped up in one. Unofficially of course, but there he'd be. 

I'm at work now as I write this. Just sitting at my desk working, typing out a few lines here and there between working. Sipping on my water flavored with orange-vanilla Mio. About to eat my little Ziploc baggy full of low salt Ritz crackers that I'll dip into a cup of peanut butter. It's the simple kid, not much sodium. Kind of wish I'd have brought Shockwave with me. Not sure why I didn't, there's been plenty a work night with a Bumblebee nearby. I'm not sure if you're interested in getting this Shokwave toy, but he's good company.

Bios: Chop Shop

 

"I take no prisoners, just spare parts."

Function: Thief

Sneakiest of the Insecticons... if it's not bolted to the floor, it's not safe from his greedy grasp. No challenge is too great; the more difficult something is to steal, the more he wants to steal it. As insect, flies 30mph with two small jets on his back. Pincer-like antennae can slice through 2-inch thick steel. Has twin pinpoint lasers on mouth; can carry 30 tons. As robot has photon cannon.

I'm your Tubro Beetle

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

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

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

Creepy Bug Freaks

I've made mention before of my fondness for insect based toys. I have no clue why I like them as much as I do, but I do. Maybe it's the way the insect parts resemble armor or work out in the design. Who knows? If I think too hard about it, I'll still get nowhere but bore everybody who'd rather me just get to the point. So for clarification, bug based toy/characters are good. Bugs in real life, I'm probably going to pummel with a flip flop while yelling to the heavens. Looking at the newest series of Kabuto Mushi toys has gotten me thinking about the creepy crawlies and that's a fun thing.

 

The Insecticons always come to mind when thinking about bug folks, and while I've focused on their Diaclone and Beetras roots, the various insect Transformers that came since were pretty damn great also. Beast Wars had some great bug bots (particularly fond of Transmetal 2 Scarem). Insecticon from Energon was also a really good bug bot. It's hard not to like an insect robot from space.

Earlier I was thinking about Baxter Stockman from TMNT. Despite the weird changes they made to his appearance at the time, the 80's/90's cartoon version remains my favorite. That mad scientist changed into a fly monster is awesome. It's classic horror in a cartoon, good design for a toy, and solid boss character in a game.

Insects just work in sci fi and fantasy. There's not really denying that. They can be gross or high tech. In a swarm or as an individual. Bugs are great... unless one is on my car. Then I'll have to buy another one.

Beetras don't bug me

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

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

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

Insecticons 1985 commercial

I've always been drawn to the Insecticons. Just a cool concept that I've always dug. Think about it. Alien bugs from outer space. In Diaclone, the bad guys were the Waruders, a race of alien bug people whose mecha was giant robot bugs. The deluxe Insecticons were Beetras toys and didn't get used on the cartoon. The main three that we all know and love were reuses of Diaclone Insect Robo, which were the main soldiers of the Waruder army. Once I learned more of Diaclone and Waruders, I was amazed by how similar the Insecticons were portrayed on the cartoon to their Diaclone forefathers.