RangerStop & Pop 2026

It had been far too long since I've attended a RangerStop and Pop. I attended the first one in 2019 (this is a sister convention to RangerStop in Florida FYI) and for one reason or another couldn't make to any others much to my own disappointment. My friend Brett, who is the organizer for ToyLanta recently took over RangerStop and Pop and invited me out to run a Transformers panel much like I do at ToyLanta. I was of course happy to do so and also excited for the chance to finally make my return to this con.

As I'm moving soon, I couldn't attend the entire show. There is much work to be done around my current home to get packed and ready. I came Sunday morning as the panel was at 12pm. Leaving around 10am, I assumed I'd have plenty of time as the drive was only an hour away. Thanks to various Atlanta road work (it's always under construction and nothing is ever completed) and slight trouble finding parking, I got to the show and registered with just 10 minutes until the panel. Thankfully they got me in and in the room with a few minutes to spare. Dusty was going to be joining me, but had some troubles and couldn't make it. Show guests and Transformers voice actors Greg Berger and Neil Kaplan joined me and we had a fun little panel with a revolving, but spirited crowd. 

Afterwards I enjoyed a few hours of the convention as it winded down. I handed out a ton of Zone Base stickers which were even more popular here than at ToyLanta and that was even more super flattering. I even had some pins the Mrs had made with her new pin machine to give out! It's hard to believe, but I actually ran out of both. I saw several of my stickers on phone cases, laptops, on costumes and badges. Even a few stuck randomly on arms... I'll never get used to that. 

I found myself on more than one occasion running into Austin St. John, the original MMPR Red Ranger, and found myself regular conversation with him. That was quite cool. I had one point gave him some Zone Base stickers and he scanned the QR code right there and checked out the site! That's extremely flattering, especially when he praised the look of it! Of course there was plenty of Ranger actors, Mortal Kombat actors, and voice actors present. RangerStop is the kind of convention that the guests are attendants as well, so at an minute you're bumping into them doing regular activities.

One table I found myself talking with was an independent tokusatsu production called 'Jammingers Overture ', which is a music themed series. Their first episode is available on YouTube and that's pretty damn neat. There was quite a bit of independent creators there as well as booths featuring hand made and 3D printed merchandise. Being an old school con nerd, this is the type of thing I love seeing at conventions and made a point to visit and buy some items from them. I got a great set of Pikachu and Eevee figurines for the Mrs as well as some Zelda 64 earrings for her. One booth had 3D printed Morphers that I kind of wish I'd gotten one of, but did buy a very cool Halloween Gengar figurine of from. Of course there was some sellers with toys and I picked up Gobots Blades and Spay-C in great condition for a steal. The RangerStop booth had some branded lanyards and I picked up one for future use.

RangerStop and Pop as usual had a tattoo artist doing work at the show as well as a live DJ performing all weekend keeping the show lively. Southern Fried Gaming Expo had a corner with some playable games set up and even had a weekend long competition that would have been fun to take part of. Speaking of the DJ, there's a dance party overnight at the show that I'm sure is a lot of fun. As the show was closing up, I said my goodbyes and headed home for a wonderful taco dinner and evening playing Pragmata. I've almost got the story mode completed, however a ton more game to play. I seriously love this game. It was awesome finally making my RangerStop and Pop return and look forward to attending more in the future and helping incorporate Transformers into the show. Thanks to Brett for including me in his shows and putting on such solid conversations.

ToyLanta 2026!

It’s time once again for ToyLanta!

I’ll be attending the convention all weekend and, as usual, doing a daily report right here! I’ll also be hosting the annual Transformers panel with Dusty — if you’re at the show, please come by and join in! The panel will be Sunday at 2pm!

Be sure to check out my Instagram for photos from the show, and don’t forget to check back here daily for updates as the weekend unfolds!

Friday – I got a late start heading to the show for the first day thanks to traffic (ug, driving through Atlanta) arriving just before 7pm. This left me a little time to check in (Hi Brett!) and and check out the Friday preview. ToyLanta has really grown to a HUGE show, so I hardly had time to check out around 1/4th of the lower show floor before it was time to leave. Fortunately I made the most of that time and enjoyed myself greatly.

There were many cool toy companies on hand and I found myself having some great conversations. While checking out things, I ran into Jerry. Jerry is a great guy and it's always good to see him. We chatted some about Transformers Cybertron before heading about to check out more of the show. I look forward to seeing him more later. I also made a new friend Garry who was setting up one really awesome booth. He had a ton of Transformers including a plentiful amount of Blokees and a great Unicron display. Speaking of Blokees, there was SO MANY! I was in heaven... will be buying so many.

One thing that absolutely floored me was the amount of people enjoying my stickers. The Mrs had gotten me a thermal printer at Christmas and I designed a new sticker to hand out for Zone Base. Well, I brought a little over 60 (in multiple colors) in my Shin-Chan pouch to hand out and... they were gone in minutes! I saw people sticking them on their bags, their phones, everywhere! Talk about flattering.

After roaming around after the dealer preview closed for a little bit I headed home for the night. I had stopped by Kroger to pick the Mrs up a few things before heading home and parked next to an SUV completely full of trash. Well, it looked like trash. Tons of crap.. and boxes of pho. Weird. After heading home I enjoyed some pizza and TV with the Mrs before printing out more stickers for Saturday.

I printed out 120-130 more (in various colors) while the Mrs cut them out. The Shin-Chan pouch is full again! Well, it's late as I'm writing this on my phone in bed with MXC on in the background. Time to get some sleep, there's a whole weekend of Toylanta ahead of me... and I'm excited.

My haul for Friday is was a Servo from Super Human Samurai Cyber Squad/Gridman and a purle keshi of the Last Seeker that comes with a mini-comic. It was originally a BotCon 2022 exclusive, so that's neat to own. The Last Seeker had a booth with the main toy available in multiple colors. I'm deciding which one to get as it's pretty tempting in each option. Also Warlords of Wor have an excellent booth (as usual) and I've got my work cut out for me picking what I want. Decisions, decisions.

Saturday – I got to the show around 12pm starting my day not terribly long after the show's start. I ran into Mike and Judy in the parking garage as we were taking pictures of our parking locations to remember for later. The day is actually something of a blurr, so I'll just give highlights.

David Faustino was a con guest for Saturday only, leading to Bud Bundy delivering many of the convention announcements. I stuck around to see his autograph session begin with a guy dressed as Al Bundy who brought a replica of the Bundy couch for the two to sit on for a picture. Later after I had went to put my hoodie in my car, I saw the guy carrying the couch out of the convention center. Dude just brought a couch with him.

Speaking of guests, Daniel Pesnia and Anthony Marquez who were in the original Mortal Kombat games were guests at the show (among other esteemed folks). By chance I was wearing a cool Mortal Kombat t-shirt the Mrs had given me. As I walked past them, Daniel Pesnia stepped to me to tell me he liked my shirt and introduce himself. We totally shook hands and exchanged pleasantries for a bit. Johnny Cage is a very nice guy. 

I ran into Jerry again who had friends in tow whoms names I can't currently remember (sorry guys, it was cool talking with you). I also ran into Matt whom I befriended at the 2024 show and never saw last year. I'm looking forward to catching up with him tomorrow! I also chatted some with 2M3D Prints whom I had bought some cool dragons for the Mrs from in 2023.

I also met Team No Sleep 3D and bought some cute stuff for the Mrs. That was a real treat as they work in special effects for movies and TV. It was cool talking with them, especially as that was something I wanted to do as a kid. Speaking of new friends, I met Rise of the Nexus a husband and wife duo whom were showcasing their new action figure/table top game system. Really cool people whom I enjoyed speaking with.

Of course I made time to chat with Gary some more whom I met Friday. Seriously cool dude. I also enjoyed chatting with others whom were working with him at their booth, an all around great group of people. Of course I made a point to say hi to Brett, the organizer of Toylanta whenever I saw him. He's doing an excellent job with the show and has taken it to all new heights. It's really impressive just how big this convention has gotten.

As for toys I bought today, first I picked up one of the full Last Seeker in Euro G2 colors. It looks fabulous and had a hard time not getting the black version... but me and G2, it's a vibe. I also picked up a great Zombie Sci Fi guy set from Warlords of Wor with plans on getting a few more kits from him before the end of the show. Skeletron had a booth and I picked up the new Red Shadows figure that they debuted at the show.

I picked up a Blokees Shining Edition  blind box from Gary's table. I opened it with some of the cool people at the table and got a Ratchet! I'll definitely pick up a few more from him tomorrow (and open them with my new friends). Speaking of Blokees, there was SO MANY at the show.

Some dealers even selling loose assembled figures, in which I picked up a Bombshell whom I've been looking to get. That completes the Insecticons, leading to a post Ive been wanting to write here for the site. Please look forward to that soon. I also picked up a Gobots Psycho for $15 in decent shape. I've been wanting a Psycho for sometime, so this was exciting. 

I headed home shortly after the dealer room closed for the evening very, very tired. According to my Galaxy Watch I've walked almost 8,000 steps today (cons are WORK). The Mrs had a sandwich from Subway waiting for me as well as a birthday cake and presents! Monday is my birthday and she made a point to celebrate with me today as a way of making the con even more special.

I won't go every gift, but there was Transformers and He-Man toys. A new pair of ramen noodle sandals, a new pair of Hey Dudes (my favorite shoes), a case for my Atari Gamestation Go, a Godzilla sticker, some awesome Jada Godzilla figures, Zoids, and another box of color sticker paper for my sticker printer.

Those stickers were just as popular today and people were proudly representing Zone Base. That's so flattering and amazing for me personally. I don't have the biggest social media presence, but I take notice of the sites views. Several thousands of you come out each week and read my site and it's so flattering and awesome. However actually seeing people happily taking my stickers and proudly displaying them is something I never imagined. Seriously, thank you everyone. Your support means so much to me.

We've got just one more day of Toylanta 2026 left and I'm both excited for another day and sad there's just one day left. This has definitely been one for the history books. I've actually been extremely overwhelmed latley and this weekend being pure exhilaration has been amazing. Just a heads up, the Sunday report may not be published until Monday morning. The Mrs and my Mom will be having my birthday dinner Sunday evening for me when I get home from the show. Seriously, best weekend ever.

There's a guy who looks like Adam the Woo (RIP) whom I keep seeing, I'm probably creeping him out.

Sunday – Sunday started out at home with the Mrs making us breakfast before me heading out to the show. Getting there just before noon, I decided that I wanted to get selfies with friends and the various awesome people at the show. I got to work on that right away and handed put more stickers. Speaking of, if you're new to Zone Base, thanks for checking it out! I bought a Big Bad Beetleborgs Titanium Silver figure that was taped to a jet? The jet connects to the kabuto toy from the same line, so if I ever find that.

I also picked up a Geodraxus Stealth MK IV from the Warlords of Wor booth. I've been wanting a Geodraxus for some time and they tend to sell out fast. Actually, there was a pleasant amount of Glyos on the sales floor and I kind of wish I would have gotten more. There was one Zeiram figure made from Glyos I was sooo close to buying, but was a little too pricey for comfort. I also grabbed two more Shining Edition Blokees from Gary's table. I got Grimlock and Sideswipe! I'm definitely getting more Shining Edition kits in the future, though Wheels Series 02 and Defender Version series 7 are next on my Blokees buying radar. 

I did my rounds getting selfies and talking with awesome people before Dusty showed up. We chatted a while before heading to start the annual Transformers Panel. While there Dusty gifted me the new Generations Seaspray figure! Thanks Dusty! While we were preparing to start the panel, Dusty set out more repro label faction sticker sheets for guests as well as a print of Gears he had drawn that the art had been pirated for a third party toy. While we waited, Greg Berger walked in and joined us! That's right, Grimlock himself. Which made for the second time I got a Grimlock suprise that day. While Sunday panels tend to have lighter attendance, we had a great group and the panel was a great time.

Heading out, I took the Gears picture with intentions to frame it. It looks like the Mrs and I will be moving soon and I can't wait to put it on the wall of my new toy room. The con was wrapping up and I said my goodbyes to everyone. It's always sad to see it end. Fortunately Brett has recently taken over Ranger Stop and asked me to host a Transformers panel there this summer. After checking with the Mrs (we're moving this summer, so making sure it was an option was really important) I can gladly say I'll be there! 

Traffic on the way home was interesting. The opposite side of the interstate at one point had been shut down. It looked like something serious had happened, but I'm not sure what. Wow. I got home just in time for the Mrs to have my birthday dinner ready for us to eat. Mom joined us and gave me two Masters of the Universe Masterverse toys! We enjoyed dinner with birthday cake before I ended the night playing Doom before watching the 70's Tales from the Darkside movie. 

Today though, we're back to normal. It's actually my birthday today, and I plan on spending it relaxing and getting a nap or two in before work tonight. Of course there's pics for upcoming posts to take and a few household chores to do. Our first big event of the year may be over, but as always it's always robots, monsters, and misadventure here on Zone Base! Thank you all for reading. Please don't forget to share with your friends and be excellent to each other!

Mobilize, it's Monday!

We've arrived at the beginning of Toylanta week Zone Base readers, the big toy show is here and I am excited! Of course that's this weekend and we've got a fun week ahead of us until then! It's a bonus sized week of robots, monsters, and misadventure! Please don't forget to share with the site with your friends, especially the big weekend long convention report! Thank you for reading Zone Base, and as always, be excellent to one another!

ToyLanta 2025!

It's that time of year again for the great toy show, ToyLanta! I've been looking forward to this all year! This years convention will be a new experience. New management and a partnership with Power-Con creating the Power-Up! area at the convention. The annual Transformers Panel will be returning this year hosted by Dusty and myself. As usual, I'll be updating the site daily with my adventures at the con and posting pics to my Instagram. Thank you all for reading and please don't forget to share with your friends!

Friday: After getting a late start and being stuck in traffic for too long, I arrived at the convention around 7pm. Found Shawn and went to get my badge. Registration had been going on for a little while, so luckily no one was in line ahead of me to pick up my passes. I got to meet the new management and Shawn gifted me with a 'There Goes My Money' tote bag he had made PBS style. I stuck it in my con bag knowing it's going to come in handy over the weekend.

We poked our heads inside the dealer space briefly before heading to the Power-Up! section to check out everything. I've always wanted to go to a Power-Con, so it was neat. While there we spoke with guys from various toy companies. I spent a good bit of time at the Man or Monster? booth talking Glyos with the guy behind Warlords of Wor. He had a great set up with plenty of great stuff on display and for sale. I'm definitely buying some stuff from him this weekend.

I was planning on waiting until Saturday to buy anything and just take in the sights Friday night until I saw a bin with MOTU Origins vehicles for $10 each. It was mostly Talon Fighters, which I already have. But then I saw a Road Ripper with Mechaneck, a set I missed out on at retail... so I bought it. The same dealer had a loose 3P Hubcap for $15, which I may grab later. Maybe.

We found another dealer with a great table full of Transformers, Gobots, Micronauts, and other similar toys. We ended up talking with him a bit before the show started closing down and we had to leave. I'm definitely buying from him this weekend, he had some great stuff. Around this time we ran into Jerry, who's always awesome. The convention is being held this year in a convention center instead of a hotel, so there was a different vibe all around. Feels like an expo, think I like that. However, as it was closing down, everyone had to leave. So we did. Shawn headed back to his hotel and I back home. The Mrs hasn't been feeling good had been busy wrapping presents for my birthday Sunday and ordered us some food. I last ate a Publix salad around 2:30pm and it's almost 11pm as I'm writing this... I'm freaking hungry. It's Steak 'n Shake, I love Steak 'n Shake.

Saturday: Traffic was much better and I arrived at the convention around 10am. I decided to buy that 3P (I think it's an Ocular Max) Hubcap and found Shawn. We roamed the main dealer room. I went back and forth on a few toys, but didn't buy much. I'll make a point to grab a few more Sunday. I did get a Zybot Bulldozer whose name escapes me. A lot of the toy companies had elaborate displays that we took in. They had some really cool prototypes out for show. One dealer had projections of their characters on a clear disk, which made them look like holograms in the middle of the air. There was several high end dealers with a lot of cool stuff. It's neat to look at. One had 4 vintage Fortress Maximus sealed in boxes. Wow. 

We ate lunch at the con center resturant, which served a variety of foods. I got a hamburger and fruit cup. The burger was ok, but really wish I'd gotten something else. While eating we got into a conversation with a fellow at a nearby table and chatted for awhile. Always great to make a new friend! Afterwards we headed back to the Power-Up area, ran across Jerry again (hi Jerry!), was given Star Wars posters, and took in some unofficial GIJOE figures. Brian showed up around this time which lead to Shawn giving us his custom toy show exclusive. A Beast Battlemaster of... me. He painted a Battlemaster Optimus Primal into me. I see the resemblance, it's getting paired with the custom Springer of me he made for sure.

We all roamed around, I introduced Brian to Glyos at the Warlords of Wor table. While there I bought a Bognar Monster with an additional accessory set that converts him into a serpentine sea monster. So awesome. Think I'll grab another kit from them Sunday. We then found some chairs and chatted for a while before Brian headed back to his hotel. Shawn and I went back into the main dealer hall where I found a dealer whom had 2 Blokees Galactic Defender kits. So I got those. Shortly before the room closed for the day, I picked up a Muffin from Bluey magnet for the Mrs. She loves her.

Shortly after Shawn left for his hotel room and I headed home. The Mrs had dinner from Longhorn Steakhouse waiting for me. A fruit and walnut salad, something I often get from there. It was just what I needed. That and some rest as I discovered just how tired I was after we got up from those chairs and that chat. I am beat. Tomorrow's the last day of this years show. I'm hoping to score some Sunday deals and hopefully have a good panel. ToyLanta has always been an awesome con, but it's become a very big deal and very large convention since last year. The new management have turned the little show into a large prestigious convention. It's wilds to see with my own eyes. It's time to get some rest, Sunday is a double feature day. It's both the last day of the show and my birthday. I'm going to be busy.

Sunday: Sunday was a lot of fun. Being my birthday, the Mrs made me breakfast and gave me a ton of presents. Transformers, BeastBox, Micronauts, Godzilla, and a new Galaxy Watch (with some accessories) was an amazing start to the day before arriving around 12pm. I remembered a dealer who had a SDCC ReAction Unicron for cheap and decided to drop by to hopefully still find it. Well, it was gone (more on that later) but I saw a ReAction Skeletor with Panthor set for $10. Ok, awesome, purchased. I found Shawn and showed him, took him back to the dealer, also found the He-Man and Battle Cat version for $10 and a box of Super7 MOTU keshi for $5. Amazing deals! 

We then found Mountain Town toys whom I look forward to seeing every year. Mountain Town gifted me one of his sasquatch keshi that they make while Shawn picked up some Micronauts. We walked around a while taking in the con and looking for Sunday deals. I almost bought a Microman Batman and a Micronauts Time Traveler, but decided against it. The Batman was from 2004, so I knew if had several broken parts already (that series was snake bit, I have a ton) so it wasn't worth his price. The Time Traveler was too expensive considering all of it's chrome was completely gone and the clear plastic was smokers house brown. 

I was actually bummed to not find and Rock Lords or Gobots this year as those are my Toylanta staples. I came close several times to buy some Missing Link Transformers, but decided to wait as they're readily available online. Shawn went to take a break and a panel while I browsed a little. I found my way back to that dealer whom had the ReAction Unicorn... and it was there! Somehow it had both Mandela Effected itself in and out of reality! I spoke with the dealer, whom was a cool dude before running into Craig. We talked for a bit and I took in one last walk around before finding a seat to take a break. That last look around was magic.

A booth that Shawn and I visited a million times over the weekend... I just popped in. They mostly had old west toys that was neat to look at, but not something I'd like to buy. I was looking and... hey... what's that? Behind a cowboy, shoved to the back... a robot head looked back at me. I looked between the toys and... there as a Gobots Grungy just standing there. Where was he all weekend? I asked for a price and he was only... $30. I think I caused a sonic boom whipping the cash out of my pocket and now am the owner of a mostly complete Grungy. He's only missing two small parts that I'll eventually replace through junkers and is in overall amazing shape. My last purchase was an amazing deal and an overall awesome find. It was then time for a break, so I found a seat by the con room and enjoyed some Cheeze-its. Around this time Dusty found me. We chatted a bit, he went to the nearby Starbucks and I resumed my snack. 

The Transformers panel was the last of the weekend and a nice end to an overall awesome convention. Considering the time frame, I was pleased to have a half full room. Folks came and gone, but by the end there was a few folks talking Transformers with Dusty and I. Unfortunately all good things must end and the show was over. I said my goodbyes to Dusty and Shawn before heading home to an amazing birthday dinner. The Mrs got me pizza, wings, and 3 different birthday cakes. I don't know what I ever done to deserve such an awesome wife. Having my favorite convention on my birthday weekend was a unique and incredible experience. I'm very fortunate to have a great life full of amazing people and experiences. I've got a perfect partner, the best friends and family a person could wish for, and get to have amazing experiences like ToyLanta where I can indulge in my hobbies and somehow each year be a completely different awesome story. Thank you all for reading Zone Base. I'm very fortunate to have such a great readership and appreciate you all very much.

Transform Squadron 54- Back in my Day

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This month, what's old is new again! Rob talks about the relaunch of Auto-Update, summer conventions, Gobots back on TV, and even some Code Orange fun!

ToyLanta 2024

It's ToyLanta time once again! My annual trek to the best damn toy convention is going on this weekend! I'll be updating this space daily with my adventures, so be sure to check back to see what all happened. I'll also be hosting the annual Transformers panel Sunday at 12PM if you're in attendance. Speaking of, come up and say hi! Be sure to check out my Instagram throughout the weekend as I'll be updating it frequently. 

Friday: I got to the convention MUCH later than I wanted to thanks to a mixture of rain and traffic turning a 1 hour drive to 2. Once there, I walked in and man... I really like the location. It's the same one as last year and it's great (just wish it was closer). Though I soon found out registration was closed, which was no problem as I've gotten in later before and usually have no problem getting my badge. However, this year Buddy (show organizer) was absent due to illness. Speaking of, get well soon cards for Buddy were being brought around and I made a point to sign one. Since registration was closed, I was just told to wait until the morning to get my badge and just walk around anyway. That was unexpected, but I did just that and took a look around the dealers room as it was being set up. I was very tempted to buy some M.U.S.C.L.E figures, but as it was all shutting down, held off until later.

Friday night at the convention is the popular lobby swap party and of course room trading. I ran into Jacob and chatted for a minute. I then looked around the lobby swap before taking a picture of the room trading board. The room numbers had details on what each offered and I roamed the halls taking in each set up. I found myself in various conversations during this time as I'd cross paths with others doing the same. It became like a fun scavenger hunt for the best room and we'd tell each other in passing. One particular door stunk to high hell, there wasn't a room swap in it, but everyone seemed to have encountered it at some point. I met some cool people like Matthew and Cody. Great conversations and good fun with like minded people. What a convention is all about. 

My Friday toy haul included a Convertors Nofka, which is a scaled down SDF-1. I bought one a few years ago at a prior Toylanta, this one is in much better shape. Both still are missing the back wings/towers though. I then found a Bug Bots Bee Bot in black and yellow! Bug Bots are one of the things I'm specifically looking for this year, finding one so early was a real treat. I got it and a Stranglehold inner robot for a total of $5! Here's hoping I can find more Bug Bots and a Stranglehold Pretender shell this weekend. Last, but not least, a still in box, vintage bootleg Convertors Zardak! A renamed Orguss was such a random find. The dealer had another in alternative colors. I held off incase Shawn wants it. (*Saturday Edit* he got it!) 

I headed home soon after as it was getting late. Thankfully the drive home was a breeze, despite the rain. I'm hoping the rest of the weekend goes well and this year follows the prior years conversations in being the best one yet. This con never gets old and each year feels like an individual experience. I love that. Some more Shawn, Joey, and Brian should be there tomorrow. It'll be great to see them. Hopefully I'll find some Rock Lords and Monster Gobots. Battle for the Rock Lords was released March 21st 1986, it's only appropriate to aquire some so close to it's anniversary. The Mrs had dinner waiting for me. A veggie burger with these seasoned carrots intended to be fry substitutes Birdseye makes. Delicious, I was starving. 

Saturday: Thanks to traffic I didn't get to the convention until 12pm. Not too bad, but I hoped to be there earlier. I got my badge right away and set out to find Shawn, Brian, and Joey. During the search I purchased a Rock Lords Boulder. I eventually found Shawn and Joey and led Shawn to Matthew's table where Shawn bought the Convertors toy. We were twining Convertors. We walked around the dealers area and chatted. One dealer had boxed Microman and even a Devil Satan 6 box set. Dang! 

My Mom had came with me and spent most of the day doing her own thing. However we met up for lunch in the hotel restaurant. On my way to meeting her, I got a Generations Selects Diaclone version Twin Twist. While we waited for our food, Shawn and Joey joined us. Brian joined us not much later and after some food we all roamed the areas and generally had a great time. I picked up multiple Gobots, McDonald's Food Changeables, Zombots, and something else I can't remember right now. Fun fact, apparently Joey's Mom and mine were friends in High School. Small world!

Around 4:30 Shawn and Joey headed home and Brian went to his room. I roamed the areas for a bit. Talked Godzilla with a dealer. Bought a Ultraman Tiga figure, some more Gobots, and a Robotron car. I think it's a Robotron car. Maybe. As the dealers room shut down for the day, I found Mom and Brian with family in tow came down to say goodbye. They'll be headed home in the morning before I get back to the show. The Mrs ordered us Longhorn Steakhouse for dinner when I got home. I was starving. The flatbread I had for lunch was good, but it was time for serious nourishment. There's one more day of the great toy show which includes my panel. Man I hate how it's going by so fast. It's been a great con this year.How many times have I typed I in this post?

Sunday: Well, a day later and I'm updating for Sunday. I got to the convention around 11:20 am after a mostly easy drive, though I was stuck behind what was apparently the President's motorcade. I think so anyway, apparently he was in town. I met up with Dusty right away and we chatted about Transformers up until the panel started. As the room filled up, a gentleman from the botvscon YouTube channel came in and was an absolute pleasure. The room went from half full to mostly full during the panel as usual and Dusty and I had a great chat with each other and those in attendance. We actually ran over time.

Dusty left for the day after the panel and I roamed around for a bit. I bought some M.U.S.C.L.E figures and another McDonald's Food Changeables toy. I spent a few hours just looking and taking in everything. The con was wrapping up as dealers were packing up. I did find another Bug Bot... but it was the same one I got Friday for 20 bucks. Yikes! The same guy had a  very dirty Boulder for 40. All things considered, I made out like a bandit on the ones I got. However, the guy also clearly didn't have many sales so... maybe I just made out decently and he was a bandit. I was getting hungry and debated getting a fruit bowl from the snack stand but decided to just head home.

The con was over and everyone was starting to leave out. I saw Matthew on the way. It was great meeting him and seeing Brian, Shawn, Joey, and Dusty. Good con this year. Actually, I've never had a bad Toylanta. Each year is my favorite until the next one. It's great how after a decade of attending it, I've never had a bad one. Every year is it's own story and experience. I stopped by the grocery store on the way home to pick up some juice left off our grocery order and got home to take a nap and enjoy a great home cooked dinner.

Thank you all for reading Zone Base. This concludes our first special event of the year! The site will get back to normal for now, but Halfway to Halloween is coming up in a few weeks! I've got a lot of fun planned until then. Please share the site with your friends and don't forget... Mutal high fives everyone!

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Toylanta 2023

It's time for Toylanta 2023! The great toy show is here again and as always I'm attending. I've been really looking forward to this years con as it's always a good time. If you're in attendance, I'll be hosting the annual Transformers panel on Sunday at 12am. I hope to see you there! I'll be out on the floor all weekend if you feel like saying hi as well. Of course if you can't come, this post will keep you all filled in on the fun I've been having. I'll be updating daily, so be sure to check back for each update. I'll be posting pics to my Instagram throughout the weekend. If you like neat toys, you'll love all the cool stuff I'll be showing.

Transform Squadron 42- Con Leche

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This month, as Rob prepares for Toylanta, he talks about various convention experiences.

Toylanta Week is here!

It's not just the beginning of a new week here on Planet Zone, but the start of Toylanta week here on Planet Zone! That right, the great toy show is here and I'm hella excited. This week will be a little different. I'll be updating all weekend after each day at the show. Just to give me a little break before the show, we're going to have an all bios week. Since it's such a special con week, we'll focus on some special toys. 

Transformers Action Masters Elites were a set of Action Masters that transformed unlike the rest of their ilk. Toylanta gives us a chance to really appreciate the more special side of our hobbies. So I don't see a better time to appreciate a special little set of toys. Check back each day leading up to the great toy show and my ongoing reports. Thank you for continuing to read Zone Base and please share with your friends!

Toylanta is nearing

Toylanta is coming up and it's weighing pretty heavily on my mind. I'm really looking forward to going... and also having a little break. Work has been hard lately so some fun is more than welcome. I am a little antsy about the new venue. The show just keeps growing, which is awesome, but that necessitates the need for bigger locations. I was just getting used to the former "new" location the show has been at since 2020 (obviously that year got canceled), though I still vastly prefer the old location. Even though it was getting really cramped, I liked that place. Not to mention the new new location is much further away, meaning a longer trip to and from each day. Regardless, I'm really looking forward to the show.

Each year as the convention gets closer I make up a mental list of things to look for... and don't follow it well at the show. Partially because things change when you get there and see what's available. Honestly, sometimes you just change your mind. One thing I'm definitely looking for is Gobots and Rock Lords. You guys know I love them and for some reason... I just like buying them specifically at Toylanta. I don't know why, but there is something REALLY satisfying about buying them there. It's super proper, it has to be done. I'll throw other robot toys into that idea as well, because I'll likely get some... but it's really about the Gobots and Rock Lords at Toylanta.

I'll be hosting the Transformers panel, but I don't buy a whole lot of them there. Often dealers will have ones I already have or plan on buying soon. When they have something I don't... it's for a price I don't want to pay. Speaking of prices I don't want to pay, Battle Beasts. They're few and far between these days and generally cost more than I'd want to pay. I straight up walked away from a dealer when he quoted me twenty bucks a piece for some a few years ago. For the record they were very beaten and and one was missing an arm. There's some scummy dealers out there and I just don't tolerate their antics. One guy a few years ago wanted $200 for a ReAction Merman, I passed, and got the same one (with weapon... unlike the other) for $5 last year. It pays to be smart.... and with the cost of everything else these days... you need to be.

Another toy I'd like to find is of Demolition Man. I've forgotten the characters actual name... but the Sylvester Stallone guy. Some of (if not all) of that movies toys were made of New Adventures of He-Man figure molds. The main character is a repaint of He-Man... and I'd like to get one within reason. There's also those Micro TMNT play sets that use old Diaclone molds. Those would be great. That's the cool thing about a con like this, there's a little bit of everything and a lot of surprises. Not much drama either... thank god. I generally have a great time and each year is it's own story. Each year is a different experience, and that's awesome.

ToyLanta 2022 Report

 

It's time again for ToyLanta! The annual toy show is something I look forward to all year and I can't wait to have some fun. As usual I'll be updating each day, so keep checking this post for all the adventures I'll be having. I'll be updating my Instagram and Twitter all weekend, probably more often than here. So be sure to follow me on those for cool pictures from the show.

Friday-

I arrived at the show Friday evening just after 6pm. The day prior was a mix of sleeping off the work night and con prep. I slept between the grocery order, running to the ATM, getting stuff from store the grocery order was missing, and avoiding a tornado on the way back home. Spring is setting in here in the south, that means tornadoes. 

At the con I met up with Shawn. Friday is a dealers room preview and lobby swap party. The dealers were setting up as we checked some out. The dealer space is massive and we only saw about a half of it as well as the Makers Lab. Makers Lab is an area full of tutorials for customizing toys and creating stuff to go with them. It's always neat. This lead to seeing Buddy before heading to the hotel restaurant for some dinner. 

We ended up chatting and eating for a while and missed the lobby swap. However I think we had a better time. Shawn presented me with Shnaw, the Huddle House Sharkticon. In turn, I gave him StarViper a Zone Base exclusive Targetmaster. He'll pop up here soon. Toylanta is home to a lot of custom toys and those were the ones we made.

I headed home after eating my salad for the night around 10pm. Today's haul was Shnaw. A indie Sasquatch action figure gifted by Shawn. ReAction clear Merman and black Skeletor. Not to mention a Sasquatch mini figure made from recycled coffee mugs. I'm eyeing the room for Gobots tomorrow! But first, I'm going to finish this fig bar and get zome sleep.

Saturday-

I woke up at 7am and watched AEW Rampage off my DVR while making breakfast before heading to the great toy show. Getting there with a little timr before the Transformers panel, I took a little time to look around before going to the panel room. Then raking my place up front and talked with the folks in attendance for a hour. Afterwards Shawn and I went to the downstairs lobby area as Rebel Alliance solders ran about with ice cream makers screaming that the Empire is coming. 

Shawn presented me with a large box full of Transformers. Dude up and gifted me a metric ton of robots. Thanks Shawn! We then took the box to my car before eating at tge golf course restaurant. The hotel has a golf course with a pretty good restaurant, probably should have mentioned that first. Great hamburgers. We then went around through both floors of dealer rooms. More time was spent in the Makers Lab as well. An awesome painting tutorial was being held and I spent some time talking CAD with the 3D printer guru.

More time was spent in the dealers rooms untill they shut down for the day. We found some chairs to take a break. I called the Mrs while Shawn fell asleep. We apparently was next to a door because a dealer was loading up his truck. Well, his girlfriend was while he had apparently drank a bottle of vodka and was busy making an ass of himself. We managed to escape to the hotel restaurant for some soda and tiny baked potatoes with carrots that the menu called 'fingerlings'. We had planned to participate in the parachute drop, but apparently nobody showed up except for us. So the parachute toy catapult was being disassembled as we walked up. It was about 7:30PM and time to head home for the night. Dang, I'm worn out.

Today's haul was a box containing a metric ton of Transformers in was cardboard box gifted by Shawn. Two Wendy's Gobots (don't remember the names currently, blue jeep and a blue jet). Brimstone the Rocklord, and a triceratops Tamagora. A great time was had and we've still got Sunday to go. I plan to revisit the table with ReAction stuff and grab the knight Arthur from Ghouls n' Ghosts and some more Gobots. There was a suprsigly lagre amount of Wheeled Warriors and Metal Man action figures, not to mention Battle Beasts. It's time to get some sleep before the last day. 

Sunday 

I woke up again around 7am and fixed myself some breakfast while watching Golden Girls. Admittedly I wake up around this time normally of I'm not working as it's time to take my medication, but this weekend it's because of Toylanta! And also to take my medication... that's not as exciting though. It was Sunday, the last day of the show and last time to soak it all up. My Mom came with me today, she collects dolls and wanted to see if they had anything good.

We got to the show around 10:40am. First stop was showing Mom where the 'pink room' was. While there's assorted dolls around the dealers room, this was a room full of nothing but dolls. A dealer in noticed my Blockbuster Video t-shirt (auto correct suggested t-shit) and we talked about the glory days of that wonderful store. Shortly afterwards, Shawn found us and we hit the big dealers room. While looking around Mom found a dealer full of dolls whom also was retiring and looking to liquidate. A hundred bucks later, Shawn, Mom, and I walked a ton of doll stuff out to my car. 

We came back and I made a point to grab a ReAction Knight Arthur from a dealer and looked for more Gobots. During the look I made a vaccum form sign for the wife in the Makers Lab and grabbed her some Baby Yoda stickers from a Star Wars booth. Most of those are already on her laptop. I found some more Gobots, two were more Wendy's Gobots.

I was thinking that was the last of the set, but after getting home discovered there was two more I didn't see at the show. That's a need to get so I can complete the set quest I'm now find myself on. After some more browsing we called it a day. The show was winding down and so was I.

I found Shawn and Mom sitting on some chairs talking to a GIJOE cosplayer and got some pictures of Mom with him. Goodbyes were said and I hope to see Shawn again at next years show (dude, you better). Mom and I stopped at a RaceTrac for slushies and donuts on the way home. We got back to my house for a nice homemade bbq dinner the Mrs had waiting.

My haul for Sunday was that ReAction Knight Arthur in magic armor, two more Wendy's Gobots (the names escape me, red car and helicopter bots), and an orange BuggyMan from Gobots. Not to mention the stuff for the Mrs, whom loved her sign (it's now hung in our bedroom). It was a good show this year and well packed with a lot of people. After all this time of covid-mania running wild, things honestly felt back to normal for the first time.

Shitting Their Prime Pants

It feels like ancient history now, but then again, I suppose it was almost 20 years ago. At the time some major drama in the Transformers fan world went on that seemed larger than life. For outsiders- the Transformers fandom is more of a subculture than other fan bases. It's a little world of it's own that many members stay pretty wrapped up in. These days it's much larger and segmented, but it used to be much smaller and more tight knit. This particular event took place from 2003-2004, when things were starting to get a growth spurt. The internet was becoming more of a common thing and message boards for various interests were popping up all over. These were quickly taking the place of older online gathering spots, much to the dismay of some assholes.

There was one constant, BotCon. Prior to the last years, it was a smaller more personal affair back then. There were occasional attempts at other TF conventions and some TF programming at other shows, but BotCon was pretty much viewed as the only one. It was like our annual family picnic and a must go destination for many. Hasbro supported the show, but it wasn't officially official until around 2002.  I'm not going to go into the complete history of the con, but here it is of you're so inclined. In short, the brothers who founded it had a partnership with their friend Glen a few years into the cons life. This partnership ran the show for about 6 years. In 2003 they had a falling out and split up. Glen who owned the official license would go on to run the official fan club and con now named The Official Transformers Collectors Club/Convention (OTFCC for short). The brothers would run BotCon as an unofficial show in 2004. And within the fan community, a battle line in the sand was drawn. 

ToyLanta 2021

After last years covid-19 induced cancellation, ToyLanta returns for 2021 in a new location! I'm really looking forward to the great toy show and have been preparing myself for it for awhile now. I've got my backpack ready with an ample supply of sanitizer and face masks. This year will be a different kind of con for me. Instead of staying all weekend like normally, I'll be going for just a few hours each day. Not that I don't want to do the whole weekend. Even with the covid numbers dropping as much as they have, we're not out of the woods yet. I'm just trying to be as safe as I can. Hopefully next year I'll be able to do the whole weekend, I'm just thankful to have this experience this year even as limited as it'll be for my own safety.

If you're coming to the show, the annual Transformers panel hosted by Dusty and myself is on Sunday at 2PM. Normally we do this on Saturday, but I don't make the schedule. If any of you are there, feel free to say hi! I'll be periodically updating my Instagram from the con over the weekend. Keep checking for new pictures from the show. Or hey, maybe give me a follow so it'll be on your feed. I tend to post multiple pictures in a post, so be prepared to swipe through a lot.

FRIDAY: After an interesting backroads ride to the new location that included crossing the local haunted bridge, I arrived at the con around 7pm.  While getting my badge Buddy walked up to say hi. He then took myself and another dude (sorry I forgot your name dude) down to the Goo-Con showcase room. The room will be having all sorts of demonstrations on customizing and other toy related creations. I really liked the custom molded figure heads that go with a dying resin demonstration. It was neat.

Buddy went to find some food and I explored a little. One thing I learned fast was to switch from a cloth mask to a paper mask. I get hot fast and thought I was going to pass out for a second. Toylanta's new home features a much larger con space. So I didn't have time to check out the entirety of the dealers room preview before it closed for the Lobby Swap Party. I did price a few Rocklords though as that's my focal point this year. I've been kicking myself for not picking them up at the last show and don't plan on making that mistake again. Tomorrow I'm bringing plenty cash and buying some rock robits dammit. There was a surprising amount of M.A.S.K and Dino Riders. Good prices too.

One dealer did have some hand knitted Star Wars characters and I grabbed the last Grogu for the Mrs. The Lobby Swap Party was as usual a hodgepodge of folks with random stuff for sale/trade. I was very surprised to see a good amount of Starcom stuff. I ran into a guy with a boxed Mighty Max Skull Mountain. We chatted for awhile and admired the art on said box. Good times.

Another guy had a decent amount of Transformers and Super Sentai. I was interested in a Cohrada vs Saberback set. He wanted 30 for it, not bad, but passed. I already have them. *shrug* With Kingdom making beast modes cool again, I hope someone younger gets to have the same fun I did all those years ago with them. That's the best kind of joy, a mixture of discovery and amazement.

There was a good number of Shogun Warriors around, leading to a lot of accidental fist misfires. Just awesome anarchy of the most random kind. I ran into Jimmy and his wife. Talked with them a bit before heading home. For some reason the drive took FOREVER, but thankfully the Mrs had pizza and buffalo wings waiting. I was starving.

SATURDAY: The Mrs came with me today to the show. We got there just before 1pm and man there was a lot more people there today than Friday. After looking around I soon discovered most of the Rock Lords I had priced were already gone.

Dammit.

One guy did have 2 Granites though, so at least I got one Rock Lord this time. If I see anymore tomorrow they're coming home with me. Dammit. I was seeing a good bit of Gobots in questionable shape. Sunday's bringing of 'everything must go' may have them priced well enough to buy. There was a fairly priced Diaclone Multiforce that just may find itself my property as well. Almost bought a Creepy for $20 before I noticed the one missing claw. There was a random Deathsaurus missing partners and weapons on a booth that I was happy to see there.

There was a Lego guy with tons of custom mini figures in one dealers room. Got the Mrs some Mandolorian and some great Master of the Universe figures. He had a movie He-Man left that I may end up getting as well.  It had an extra big sword as it should.

The Kaiju Attack table had a good selection as usual and I got some vintage sofubi Ultraman monsters. Probably getting more tomorrow. Ended up in some conversation with him as well. That guy has been at the show the past few years and I'm glad to see him each time. There was a good bit of tokusatsu toys around the tables this year. Not just stuff that's popular in America either.

I almost bought a Cassetteman before realizing it was a bootleg and the dealer was non-the wiser. Shame, but I felt it best not to inform the guy. Didn't want to risk the potential argument. One guy tried to sell me some rather poor shape Battle Beasts for $20 each. I guess he liked extra nope on his hell no burger. I visited the creators room and watched Buddy give a lesson on air brushing. Considering he's been a successful artist for a really long time, that's something special. Hopefully those hoping to learn took notes.

We left close to 5 and headed home. The drive home was much better than last night even with a stop at Circle K. Taco Mac was Doordashed soon after getting home.  It was really good. I've never had a taco from there.

SUNDAY: I got to the con around 12PM for the last day of the show. My panel was at 2, so I had a little time to look around. Ran into Marten and chatted with him for a few minutes before heading into the con area. After a quick stop in the restroom to put some eye drops in (allergy season) I ventured into the dealers room and laid eyes on a glass box I didn't see before.

Inside it was various robot figures and a very familiar blue and gray bot. The robots tag said 'unknown Japanese Transformer $5'. I realized it was a Convertors SDF-1 and bought it. A tour around the room led me to the booth that had the Granite I bought Saturday.

It was Sunday, so folks were making deals. I eyed the robots and just couldn't pull the trigger on any. They had a Scorp in great shape for $20. I decided to think on it and soon found myself at a booth looking at bagged figures pinned to a corkboard. I picked out a Loco for pretty cheap in seemingly great condition and then noticed a Scorp in another bag also looking pretty good for $8. I took them over to the dealer and they cut me a deal without even asking. $15 total mofo.

I headed downstairs as it was closer to 2PM at this point and that's where the panel room was. Looking around the downstairs dealers rooms landed me back at the Lego table where I found another Grogu mini figure for the Mrs. She stayed home today and I wanted to get her something.

The same guy also was selling emulation portable systems and I got a Gameboy looking device prelaoded with a lot of NES games. Mixed in with the selection was a bunch of unlicensed games. Hello bootleg Mario games! I then ventured over to the retro gaming room and played some Collecovision before chatting it up with the guy who ran the room.  A quick run to the restroom and I went to the panel room to get ready.

I figured the panel would be a ghost town since it was on Sunday and with the pandemic attendance was weird this year. Good number of people, not many as usual, and not as many guests either. Totally understandable. Generally my panel is on Saturday when the bulk of the folks are there, Sunday is a short day with most people heading out.

I was surprised to see a small group of people come in, including some teens who happily had just bought some Cybertron toys. We had a great conversation and the time just flew by.  Before I knew it the panel was over and I decided to take one more walk around before heading home.

Everything was closing and I took a minute to watch the dealers pack up. It's a nice way to mentally end the convention I guess.  Headed home to a home cooked pot roast dinner. It had been a chilly weekend, so that was the perfect meal.

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.

Hasbro PulseCon Ghostbusters Programming!

GHOSTBUSTERS PANEL!

Join us as we celebrate the Ghostbusters franchise in a three-part panel filled with HUGE surprises and reveals!

Part 1: Classic Ghostbusters Panelists: Ernie Hudson, Hasbro Ghostbusters Brand Team We’ll begin by celebrating the iconic 1984 film. Tune in for ghostly surprises, classic toy news, and a visit from a very special guest: Ernie Hudson, otherwise known as Winston Zeddemore from Ghostbusters! Get ready to hear him answer your fan questions! 

Part 2: The Making of Kenner The Real Ghostbusters Toys Panelists: Mark Boudreax, Hasbro Ghostbusters Brand Team We’ll continue our journey through the 80’s with an inside look at the making of The Real Ghostbusters toys from original Kenner toy designer, Mark Boudreaux. Next, you’ll see behind the scenes of sculpting with Dave. Finally, meet the Hasbro team that relaunched the Kenner Real Ghostbusters toys in 2020. Hear about how they answered the call to bring this beloved toy line back for the fans and be the first to see the next Kenner Real Ghostbusters toy to hit shelves! 

Part 3: Ghostbusters Afterlife Panelists: Jason Reitman, Hasbro Ghostbusters Brand Team We’ll end our celebration with a nod to the future… the new Ghostbusters Afterlife feature film, coming to theatres in March 2021. Academy Award-nominated, Golden Globe-winning filmmaker Jason Reitman, director of Ghostbusters Afterlife, will take you on a tour of the Ecto-1 that was used in the new film. He’ll end his tour with an exciting reveal! You’ll then hear from the Hasbro team about the next toy inspired by the Ghostbusters Afterlife film to hit shelves!

Thanks to Rogers & Cowan for providing Zone Base Readers with this awesome news!

Hasbro PulseCon 2020 Guest Line Up!

HASBRO UNVEILS ALL-STAR LINEUP FOR HASBRO PULSECON, GIVING FANS A VIRTUAL FRONT ROW SEAT TO PANELS, CELEBRITY GUESTS, MUSIC AND MORE

Special appearances by John Cena, Joe Manganiello, Ashley Eckstein and Henry Golding, music performances by Fall Out Boy, Lights and Jack Black and Kyle Gass of Tenacious D, and 2-days of interactive experiences, new reveals and exciting guests behind Hasbro’s iconic fan brands; Only on the Hasbro Pulse YouTube Channel

 

PAWTUCKET, RI – September 18, 2020 – Hasbro, Inc. (NASDAQ:HAS) officially revealed its programming slate of immersive fan experiences for the first ever Hasbro PulseCon today, featuring a dynamic panel lineup, top celebrity guests, and must-see music appearances all free of charge. Top stars including John Cena (Bumblebee), Joe Manganiello (True Blood), Ashley Eckstein (Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, Star Wars: The Clone Wars), Matthew Lillard (D&D Fan, Scooby Doo), Ernie Hudson (Ghostbusters: Afterlife), Jason Reitman (Ghostbusters: Afterlife), Dee Bradley Baker (Star Wars: The Clone Wars) and more will make appearances during the course of the two-day event, along with a special message from Henry Golding (Snake Eyes) and unique experiences from musical guests including Fall Out Boy, Lights (featured artist from eOne’s roster) and Jack Black and Kyle Gass of Tenacious D. The event will be available exclusively through the Hasbro Pulse YouTube Channel on September 25-26, 2020.

 

Attendees can expect one-of-a-kind access to their favorite franchises during Hasbro PulseCon, and interactive experiences connecting fans with the creative talent that help bring them all to life. Brands including Dungeons & Dragons, G.I. Joe, Magic: The Gathering, Power Rangers, Transformers as well as premiere partner brands Marvel, Star Wars™, Ghostbusters, and more will be featured in an exhilarating panel and activity lineup that spans two days, giving fans a livestream experience to celebrate with special guests, receive exclusive access to exciting brand reveals, purchase Hasbro PulseCon merch, and participate with interactive elements such as live Q&A, trivia and even virtual ‘ghost hunting’ in celebration of National Ghost Hunting Day! For every viewer of Hasbro PulseCon, Hasbro will donate a toy or game to Toys for Tots up to 100,000 pieces. Through the gift of a new toy, Marine Toys for Tots helps bring hope and joy to America's less fortunate children.

 

While the 2-day virtual event hosted by SYFY Wire on-air correspondent, writer, and producer, Jackie Jennings, begins on September 25, fans can expect a few fun surprises leading up to that date – including an advance sneak peek on the Hasbro Pulse YouTube Channel September 22 at 12pm EST. In addition, Hasbro and eOne are thrilled to be launching a PulseCon Spotify list which will be available on Friday 25th and consists of a number of songs from eOne artists, including The Lumineers, Powfu, Brandy, Alice Ivy and Lights.

 

Included below is a peek inside the programming that will be available exclusively on the Hasbro Pulse YouTube Channel. Programming takes place on Friday, 9/25 at 11am EST and Saturday, 9/26 at 10am EST, with each day ending around 5pm EST for exciting musical experiences with its lineup of artists. 

Kaiju Con.Line Report

I normally do a weekend report post on Mondays, but seeing as I did a virtual convention this weekend... I thought I'd just do a con report. Though some of what I did will be peppered throughout the report as... it's a weekend report post in a way.

To explain Kaiju Con.Line, it was a free virtual kaiju convention organized by Kyle of Kaijucast. There was no G-Fest this year because of covid-19, so Kyle organized a bunch of live streaming panels, and other online activities under the banner of Kaiju Con.Line to give fans of rubber suited monsters something to do this weekend in place of the annual gathering.

It was pretty nuts as there was not only the various live stream panels, there was watch parties all over the place. Either affiliated or other groups running their own thing. Not to mention Tsuburaya ran an Ultraman stream and Shout Factory ran a Kamen Rider stream all weekend. There were a million discord chats and various online vendor rooms to buy from dealers in name of the weekend. I've got a t-shirt for the event on the way from the official store, because I needed to support this. It's great when fans come together to do something positive.

As I've said a million times before, traveling to conventions is getting harder for me to pull off. A state or two over is one thing, across the country... dude. So I've been wanting something like this for awhile. That way I can participate while still handling my home and work life. This literally was a breeze. I've mentioned before that I work at night. Because I do. So when I got off work Saturday morning, I had some things to do. While shopping at these stores I would pop in and check in on con stuff. I've went to stores during a con before, but I've never bought mulch while at a con before.

During these errands I picked up some of the Bandai Godzilla 65th anniversary sofubi boxed figures I've been needing. I just need Anguirus and Hedorah to complete the set! Target and Walmart had no new Earthrise sadly, but in time I assume. I did score some face mask adjusters at Staples though. I've got a big old head and in the new normal of wearing these things, sometimes they are just a touch too small. It's nice to not have sore ears. I need to pick up the Playmates Space Godzilla. I've got all of the Playmates Godzilla figures except him and I might as well complete the set. I mean, duh.

I spent the rest of Saturday with the cons panels playing while I did various things. Eating pizza? Right in front of a panel. Putting together newly bought furniture? Right in front of a panel. I'd pop in and out of panels and watch parties also. That was something really cool. In my living room, I'd just watch the panels on TV. Up in my room, I had it running on my tablet fully taking advantage of picture in picture video screens. Muting subtitled videos to listen to the audio from live streams. That was neat.

Later on in the night, I'd watch the replays from panels I missed while running errands and when I took a nap. Finally around 3am I went to sleep as dude... tired. Sunday we worked on our yard, same thing. Break time, pop in on phone. When we got done, same thing. Either watch a missed panel or a stream. Though I only did one at a time. I was a little worn out from putting mulch out in the hot sun.

I need to go back and watch the rest of that Western monsters in Japanese fiction panel, it was pretty interesting. Unfortunately I wasn't able to pay the stream as much attention as I wanted to. Fortunately, it's available to view. I can dig this kind of convenience, it's easier to dig than some of those old branches out from under those bushes were.

Some of my favorite content was the show was in the opening ceremonies panel. There was a good 15 minutes of pre-recorded video messages from various actors and directors from various Godzilla, Ultraman, and other productions. They were generally messages of encouragement regarding the pandemic and pretty cool to watch. That western monsters panel I mentioned earlier and the Yokai War panel from Saturday I'd like to go back and watch in their entirety. Which I will.

The Kaijucast Reunion stream was pretty great as it pretty much went from kaiju discussion into trivia to musicians performing classic monster themes. Really neat. Daikaiju TV had a steady stream of watch parties going all weekend that was super fun to pop into and out of. If I was a better discord user, there were plenty of related chats going, but sadly I'm pretty bad at Discord. Though between the live streams and watch parties, I had plenty of live chat available.

In all, my first virtual con experience was a good one. There's others going on this summer and I'm pretty interested in doing more. While nothing beats the in person aspect of a con with other fans, this wasn't bad! I could see myself playing one of my micro consoles with my tablet nearby with a stream going. It was great to indulge myself in Godzilla and company with other fans in the company of my own home. Totally would do again.

Kaiju Con.Line Giant Monster Fans Attack!

Kaiju Con.Line is this weekend and boy am I excited. I've always wanted to go to G-Fest, but for various reasons haven't been able too. Unfortunately for those who could go, Covid-19 ruined yet another thing people were looking forward to and she show got canceled. Fortunately in the wake of this, a free online kaiju con was made! Streaming panels, online dealers and conversation, watch parties. Sounds like a fun time!

Honestly, I've been interested in this sort of thing for a long time now. With the pandemic forcing a lot of changes this year, a few cons have been dipping their toes into this and man I'm there. Actually going to cons is becoming a harder to do thing as I get older and have more responsibilities. But I can stream literally anywhere at anytime. The future is awesome.

I can't say just how much I'll be able to take in while balancing household and work related responsibilities. I'm going to take in as much as I can, definitely planning on having it going while I work on the new Zone Base headquarters Saturday night. DKU-TV is doing a huge marathon for the con and Saturday is all Ultraman!

Transform Squadron 22 Predaking's Stupid Foot

LISTEN HERE

Rob’s back from moving with talks of unpacking Transformers and online kaiju conventions.

We Had Our Own Damn Con

I don't have to tell you all what's going on right now, we all know, we all want it to be over. It is what it is. Of course a lot of conventions were canceled, relating specifically to Zone Base, Toylanta. This is where you're used to see  'in these uncertain times' , but instead, Shawn and I went to Mellow Mushroom and had our own damn con. *edit* At the time, it was supposedly ok to eat at restaurants that were open for dining in. This wasn't a large gathering, diners were spaced several tables away from each other as well.*

Shawn created exclusives for the event of two six feet away from others eating. Battlemasters Gunspring and Hammerdown made from parts swapped Battlemasters. Rung, because we all need a little help after a week of isolation. And a Huddle House Stripper, his name is Chad. Shawn also brought me a Playmobil horse for my Headless Horseman. Now he can ride into to town for take-out.

We ate and chatted for hours about random toys and stuff. I had the Pacific Rim pizza... because duh. Shawn opted for a mushroom based pizza because he had to fight Bowser later in the evening.

After a while we went to Walmart, which was about 2 miles away and still open. It was there we stood in the action figure aisle discussing the various figures on shelves for hours. As there's a pandemic going on, the store closed early and we continued in the parking lot before heading home.

From Stompers to Star Wars and every Transformer in between, our con was the coolest place in town. Thanks to Shawn for coming out and creating the awesome exclusives and to Mellow Mushroom for being open (really thought we were to get drive through and eat in a parking lot). Aside from the various teenagers filming Tik Tok videos we were the coolest... In hindsight, maybe we should have made one.