FirePower Robo [BeastBox/1/4 Squad]

Following up on SacredPower Robo is FirePower Robo from 52Toys. FirePower Robo is another homage to old school super robots as a BeastBox and a really cool one at that. Instead of Chinese Mythology, this time we've got a group of vehicles rolling into the battle! Just like last time, I also acquired the special edition of this set and got the fancy slip cover and keshi set of pilot figures! FirePower Robo units are also able to combine with SacredPower Robo members for unique team ups. While I've loved both sets and this idea... I'm definitely a bigger fan of FirePower Robo. This was much to my own surprise as going in, I thought it would be the reverse. The vehicles make for less kibble and a more solid combined mode. Not to mention, he just looks cool.

Each vehicle can form it's own little box that can be combined with the others to make a standard sized box mode. Like before, I couldn't figure out how to get the weapon inside the Box Charger... so I'm really hoping someone points out just how to do that. Let's talk about the individual units. Peacemaker Railgun is a heavily armed bullet train that forms the mecha's legs. It's fairly articulated and can snake around. The cannons that form the combined modes gun are from this train. There's also some additional cannon along it's body that can be raised or lowered. Peacemaker Gunship is a boat that splits in half to form the arms. It has some cool turbines and cockpits that can be folded out of the way when converting (something I forgot to do in the pic). Peacemaker Tank is a really neat blue H-tank that forms the body. I'm really fond of it's shape and color. It's a really neat little toy. Finally, we have Peacemaker Fighter. A jet that forms the head and shoulders. Peacemaker Fighter looks great in it's black and silver color scheme.

FirePower Robo comes together very easily and hold sturdily. It's fairly articulated, though some part maneuvering will be needed for some poses. Even though Bismark/Ramrod wasn't a combiner, I can't help but to draw similarities due to the hat. I really like this one, it's got a Machine Robo look going on... and you all know I can't resist that! The bonus keshi drivers are really neat too. Each one is individually sculpted in a cool military themed armor. They look great in the blue color that they were cast in. I swear this is the cast from some PC-98 game. FirePower Robo is another excellent BeastBox release and I'm loving the 1/4 Squad series. The old school robot toy box, the keshi drivers, the entire package is great. I really hope more of these follow.

SacredPower Robo [BeastBox/1/4 Squad]

52Toys BeastBox never ceases to amaze me. A few weeks ago, when I first saw news of SacredPower Robo and FirePower Robo (whom we'll be looking at later this week), I was blown away. A homage to combining Super Robot teams of old in the form of a BeastBox? Yes, and they pulled it off spectacularly. Today we're looking at SacredPower Robo, whom is composed of robots based on creatures from Chinese mythology. I was fortunate enough to acquire the First Edition Bonus package which included the teams Ranger pilots in keshi form! This was actually a treat as they were packaged separately with box boxes together in a nice sleeve. The main toys box is a wonderful homage to old school super robot packaging. I love this thing.

I was initially worried transformation would be a challenge, but was pleasantly surprised to find myself doing all the steps without consulting the manual. Just the picture on the back was needed to form all the modes. The individual beasts are small, but decently articulated for their size. Each one also has a small Box Mode, which the four can be stacked up to form a traditional sized Box Mode. Forming the combined mecha is pretty simple as well. Qinglong (the dragon) forms the legs and waist, while Xuanwu (the black tortoise with the snake) forms the torso. Zhuque (the Vermilion Bird) is the head and shoulders while Baihu (White Tiger) splits in half, forming the arms. Some of the bests parts remove during this process. They combine using the Zhurong System Arms Merge to form a sword.

The combined form draws mental comparisons to Voltron/Go-Lion, it's a cool robot. There's a good deal of articulation, though you may need to adjust some of the parts for some poses. The bonus keshi figures of the teams Rangers (whose names I currently forget) are really cool little figures. They've got individual sculpts and really pop in bright red. It's a great little extra for buying this version of the set that I really like. In box mode, the team fits comfortably inside their Box Charger. Though I couldn't figure out how to store the weapons or tiger butt that becomes the back of the robots head. Here's hoping a more enlightened owner points out how to do so. I don't have anything bad to say about this set and am really happy with it. You can also swap parts with FirePower Robo whom we'll be looking at later this week.

ZombieTrack BMM-02 [BeastBox Mega MechaBeast]

ZombieTrack is another toy I had been waiting to get stocked in the Amazon 52Toys store for what seemed like forever. Thankfully he was same day delivery and was in my hands the minute I was finally able to purchase. ZombieTrack is the second Mega MechaBeast in my beloved BeastBox series of toys. ZombieTrack is something I've been really looking to get my hands on. Just look at it! With Halloween around the corner, there's nothing like some Devil Invader energy to get the spooky summer going!

ZombieTrack is a smaller BeastBox that transforms into a grasshopper whose mech suit transforms into an all terrain bike. Larger figures can drive the bike and it can carry a box mode ZombieTrack or other smaller BeastBox. The grasshopper forms the head of the larger MechaBeast mode. I love this toy.

Don't ask me how the combination of a grasshopper and all terrain vehicle creates such a creepy robot, but I'm all here for it. There's a resemblance to Vamp/Casmodon that I can't help but to love, but ZombieTrack is still his own robot. Well, I'm saying he generically. Judging by the box art, there's a horde of these. There's probably a variety of genders in that swarm. As a grasshopper, ZombieTrack is surprisingly articulated.

The legs have a wide range of movement and the head can look all around. I like the antennae. Even though I didn't do it in the picture, you can raise it's wings up as well. Those wings are laser guns in MechaBeast mode, so I like to think of them as boosters in beast mode. Transformation to box mode is easy enough, but maneuvering the legs can be tricky the first time. Box mode can easily slide into the smaller Box Charger that comes included. Head mode is a variation of box mode with a few parts flipped out.

The all terrain bike transforms pretty easily. it essentially folds into itself and the treads are the arms and legs. The head snaps in securely and those wings I mentioned earlier become back/shoulder mounted lasers. There's quite a bit of articulation and even though he doesn't come with a weapon to hold... it looks like a standard sized weapon could fit into the hands. It's nice to pose him with those claws out though. There's a little tread kibble in the arms that ends up looking like legs and I find that to be a creative way to deal with it.

MechaBeast mode looks like a giant grasshopper that's learned to stand upright. Man, could you imagine that? I live in the American south and the grasshoppers don't get that big here... but you drive a little further south and they start getting larger. Scary large, but thankfully not as big as ZombieTrack looks to be. Overall ZombieTrack is an awesome addition to the BeastBox ranks and my favorite of the two Mega MechaBeast toys available. He's super creative and wonderfully spooky. I wonder if whatever comes after him in this series can top this?

Psychotrain BMM-01 [BeastBox Mega MechaBeast]

52Toys has really came up with something special with their new Mega MechaBeast series. This new twist on BeastBox takes a smaller sized BeastBox and pairs it with a large transforming exo-suit. The BeastBox forms the mechs head and other BeastBox toys can be combined to create some crazy monstrosities. You can even use different Boxes for different heads, it's crazy!

Starting out look at these new monsters is Psychotrain, the first in the series. I got mine a few weeks ago once the Amazon store had them in stock and have been waiting patiently to talk about him. Psychotrain is an elephant, whose suit transforms into a train. The train can carry more than one box for bigger railroad nightmares! Honestly I wasn't aware of the additional combinations until I flipped through the instructions, I had saw Psychotrain and just had to have it! There's just something so cool about this big behemoth that I couldn't ignore.

Let's start off by talking about the elephant. It's downright adorable thanks to the small scale. That's pretty funny considering that's the same face as Mega MechaBeast mode. The elephant is obviously a more basic to than a larger BeastBox, but still has articulation in the trunk and ears in addition to simple leg articulation. Despite being so basic, it's still a very sharp looking elephant. He folds up into box mode easily and fits snugly in the included small Box Charger. Head mode isn't much different than box mode, just position the face outward (but leave those ears tucked in). The train is something else to transform. Somehow it goes from a serpentine shape to a big brute of a body. It's pretty impressive and kind of mind boggling. To put it in perspective, the MechaBeast's head area forms the front of the box car while the legs become the rear. Meanwhile the chest is the front of the steam engine. Honestly, I don't think I can even explain exactly how everything folds into place, but it does... and everything has to be just right.

Once transformed, Psychotrain is once big and scary bot. It's hard to believe that train formed this brute. That cute little elephant is now one scary face, and the sides of that box car have formed some new ears. They can be folded away if you use another box for the head. Psychotrain is heavily armed with dual forearm mounted chain guns and hefty morning star. The morning star can be stored on the back of his calf and in the rear of the box car in train mode. It actually holds that rear section together better thanks to the way it pegs in. He's large and imposing... but also decently articulated. Proportions can make some poses a little tricky, but I don't see a body like this doing much more than lumbering. Psychotrain is a really cool  and impressive toy. I'm generally pleased with BeastBox toys, but these new Mega MechaBeast's really blow me away.

Moonsafari BB-69 [BeastBox]

[Dual Shape of Mecha Moonsafari and Cube] Transform Moonsafari from cube mode to mecha model and back again in minutes! The whole body of it has fully adjustable joints, allowing to display in a variety of poses.

BeastBox really cranks out some fun ideas. Moonsafari is a cool robotic giraffe that of course, turns into a box. How? Magic... I'm convinced those designers are magicians.

There's been a few transforming giraffe toys, but there's a big difference between going from an animal to robot vs animal to box. Well, those magicians at 52Toys pulled it off with one pretty amazing toy. Moonsafari is a very well articulated robot giraffe that stands pretty tall at 8.66" according to 52Toys. His (assuming) mouth can open and ears can move in addition to all the cool leg and neck articulation allowing for a very expressive toy that's pretty darn cute. Don't let that adorableness fool you though, because this is a serious robot ready to fight!

I've mentioned my appreciation to the similarities BeastBox toys often share with Zoids and that comes into effect here giving Moonsafari a visual edge. Adding to that is an additional accessory set that I was made aware of just recently. With the add on set, Moonsafari gains twin weapon pods manned by pilots. I'll be sure to stay on the look out for these when they become available to me separately from the bonus edition version Moonsafari. Remember the mentioning of the magic? It's performed during transformation as somehow he just went into box mode pretty easily. I say pretty easily and not very easily as I struggled with his back hips quite a bit initially.

There's a joint inside the hip that folds into itself uniquely and I didn't understand the instructions at this step. I got pretty frustrated after trying for too long to get those back legs properly into place, put him down, and watched a transformation Reel while riding my exercise bike. Turns out it was actually pretty simple and I originally didn't understand. Once that was understood, everything just went into place. 52Toys has a great Instagram presence and those Reels can be a life saver. I'm pretty amazed by the neck wrapping around itself so fluidly to finish everything up. It's weird, normally I'm hardly concerned with the actual transformation with a toy. BeastBox though... I'm thoroughly amazed by the process. See, it's magic.

Jetstream BB-68 [BeastBox]

[Dual Shape of Mecha Jetstream and Cube] Transform Jetstream from cube mode to mecha model and back again in minutes! The whole body of it has fully adjustable joints, allowing to display in a variety of poses.

It's no secret that I joke around a lot, but I mean this with all seriousness. This is one badass toy we're going to be talking about today. Jetstream looks cute and by all means is, but he goes hard. Jetstream is a robotic Rockhopper Penguin with a great backpack.

As of this writing I don't have a bio to go by, but it has a digital readout of 40 degrees. I'm assuming our dude is doing some cold weather research. That backpack has an articulated antenna that looks like a cannon, so maybe he's going to give someone a cold blast with it. As cool as the backpack looks and as much of a Battle Beast vibe it gives me, it's just an accent to the excellent toy penguin Jetstream is. With a small amount of articulation (which is all you'd expect for this beast mode), 52Toys really produced one expressive bird.

His beak can open, his head can move all over the place, those wings move as do his legs, feet, and tail! One fun little feature is the wheels under his body and tail. Jetstream can lift his legs and roll around on them ala a Transmetal vehicle mode. I wasn't even aware of this when I first saw him, nor when I happily found him among my birthday presents from the Mrs. He can just scoot around if he don't feel like walking and I love that about him. Now, one thing about BeastBox is that they can be extremely deceiving. This little penguin converts into a box, how the hell is he going to do that?

Transformation isn't too difficult, but has it's moments of getting everything just right. His chest opens up and each side unfolds. It's just a matter of tucking everything in and plugging everything else into place. As a 4CM scale BeastBox, his Box Charger is one of the newer unfolding versions. Box mode slides locks into place securely allowing it to be stacked with your others. I think I prefer the standard Box Charger... but these little ones sure are neat. Jetstream is another outstanding effort from 52Toys and a solid example as to why the line is so good. Not to mention, who can look at that little guy and not like him? 

Sasquatch [Mountain Town Toys]

I got this little Sasquatch keshi at Toylanta from Mountain Town Toys. When deciding to do this 'smoll toys' week I figured it'd be just the thing. Mountain Town Toys is a cool shop a few hours north of me that not just sells toys, but makes their own. This isn't the first keshi I've gotten from them. In 2022 they gave me a Sasquatch one they made from recycled coffee cups (they also have a coffee shop).

They're from North Georgia, in the mountains. Sasquatch is often sighted there. I do wish the idea to write about this little guy would have came to me sooner. I cropped the picture of him out of a convention haul pic (thus the less than spectacular pic). It's a good little sculpt full of character. That's one of the great things about these independent toys, just full of character.

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.

BB-02HD Helldiver w/ BB-EXO45HD Helldiver Heavy Armor [BeastBox]

It's been far too long since I've talked about a BeastBox toy here on the site, so it seems today is the perfect time to talk about Helldiver and add on partner kit Helldiver Heavy Armor. The Mrs. got me this awesome little guy for Christmas and I just love his little fiery details. Helldiver is a fire themed variation of Ghostdog, whom is an armored up variation of Beastboxes lovable Dio. Adding to the fun is the Helldiver Heavy Armor. This is an additional add on piece that gives Helldiver some extra equipment and serves a cool scorpion-like partner drone when not attached. Helldiver is a charming little dinosaur covered in armor. I don't know if you can see or not, but he has some tiny little arms that look like wrenches. I love those. The fire deco looks great with translucent orange bits against two different greys used for various parts. The lighter grey has a little sparkle which looks great in person, but didn't show up in my pictures. There's a cool small laser weapon that can be attached to his back or added at the end of his tail.

Heavy Armor can be disassembled and added onto Helldiver giving him night vision goggles, a radar assembly with LARGE guns, and two BIG arms with a hook and chainsaw. This gives our little terror quite the upgrade and practically turns him into a whole new bot. It's really hard to express just how much it really ads to his overall visual. Helldiver's mouth opens, and all I can see is his excitement about how badass the armor looks. Transformation to box mode is pretty easy. If anything, getting his head just right can be a touch fiddly. Heavy Armor can join onto the box for easy storage and makes the mode bigger. It looks like it would all fit inside a Box Charger easily... but he didn't come with one. I should have gotten one and tried it out, but these are not things that occurred to me at that moment. Last month when I was at the 52Toys store last month, I should have picked up a nice orange one to match Helldiver's flames. This is a great BeastBox toy. Dio is a lot of fun normally, and upgraded he's even better. I love the translucent orange and his big feet. The addition of Heavy Armor adds to the package greatly and makes everything better.

Jetsam BB-24 [BeastBox]

[Jetsam Legend] Like the one which called Leviathan in the deep seas, Jetsam has his own perspective. Cruising in the vast ocean is the mission of discovery and protection to him. This is a journey to discover endless possibility, and also a task to protect the brightest fantasy.

There's something pleasant about a sea turtle. Just seeing the big reptiles swim about is peaceful. They tend to live pretty long lives, and thanks to the mystique of the ocean... it might be older than you realize. Jetsam is Beastbox's take on a sea turtle and man does he work well as a mechanical being. Jetsam is nice and large with a really cool cannon that unfolds from his shell. The cannon can swivel left to right and be moved up and down. I like to imagine a battle going on and Jetsam just swimming up and being the deciding factor with that cannon. It looks like an inchman could fit in the spot behind the cannon. I should have incorporated some sort of pilot figure just to get an idea of the range of possibilities. Some Beastbox toys do have pilots, so it's not out of the range of possibility. There's a small tabbed piece just behind the hinge. I couldn't get it to move up with my fingers, but can't help but to think it's a seat if folded up.

I enjoyed his flippers specifically. That's a silly thing to enjoy, but something about articulated robot turtle flippers is fun to move about. That colorful beak can also open and close, Jetsam is just so full of life. One gripe I do have is that the turtle shell can be moved out of place really easily. Not sure if mine was locked in place correctly. Transformation to box mode isn't hard, but is a little moire involved that I imagined going in. Those flippers and that shell make up the bulk of the box in a transformation where everything needs to be just right. Once formed you've got a green box that slides right on into the Box Charger without any problems. If it's a tight fit... you did something wrong. Jetsam is a really neat addition to my BeastBox ranks. I find his turtle form charming and like the green used in his deco. BeastBox toys are really creative and a heavily armed sea turtle is impossible to resist.

Wandering Star BB-63C [BeastBox]

BEASTBOX BB-63A HEATMISER / BB-63B BLOWBACK/ BB-63C WANDERING STAR Meet HEATMISER, an unstoppable monster but also fragile baby; BLOWBACK, on a mission impossible for normalcy; and WANDERING STAR, breaking free with eyes wandering and senses in pure delight. Collect them all!

It's impossible to not love an Axolotl. They're these little, adorable sea creatures that seem like something straight out of a fantasy story. 52Toys recently released a trio of them and today we'll be looking at Wandering Star from the three. They're all the same base mold (as I understand), but each are very distinct from each other as different characters with vivid colors. Wander Star is an absolutely delightful mixture of blues with some accenting purple and silver tech detail. Wandering Star, like the other Axolotls, is a smaller toy. That doesn't limit him in any way as I found him very articulated and expressive. You can put him (not gendering, just using him generically) in a variety of swimming posses. His head can swivel, allowing for some cocked head poses. Like he's looking at you curiously. The tail has quite a bit of pleasant movement as well.

Transformation to box mode is fairly easy, though I kept removing the front legs accidentally. Probably the most involved step is splitting the tail and moving it into place. Really, the best description of transformation is that Wandering Star folds backwards, pokes in his extremities, and folds his tail around himself. He fit's into his Box Charger snuggly... actually let's talk about that Box Charger. Wandering Star (as do the other two) comes with the newer, smaller variation of the Box Charger. This new version is a more compact model that expands into a full size box. The compressed boxes can be stacked together to save room for when not in use. It's a pleasant alternative to the standard Box Charger that normally comes with your BeastBox toy... and kinda fitting for a little guy like Wandering Star. It's probably easy to tell that I like this little toy. The colors are great and an Axolotl is impossible to hate. Wandering Star just looks so happy and full of a joyful existence. I can't look at it without smiling... and that's a pretty solid reason to like a toy.

Demon Dart BB-32 [BeastBox]

[DEMON DART Legend] Despite being a veteran of the Cavalry Army, Demon Dart is troubled by his rookies face. Although the corp disbanded ages ago, he still keeps some of those old fashioned habit, and never adopt the noise suppressor is one of them.

I do love a beetle. Well, maybe not in real life... but absolutely as a toy. Demon Dart, who we're looking at today, is a really neat robot beetle. Something about the boxiness of a robot toy really works great with bugs. Demon Dart really pulls off the insect robot look really well in his cool red and black colors. It's a simple color set, but just looks so striking on his design and make me think of the EVA-02. BeastBox toys always look cool, but there's something extra special about this one. One really neat feature of Devil Dart is his flight mode. Not only do the wings open up, but a set of jet wings unfold from underneath. After the little nosecone is in place, you've got a cool a flying beetle ready for battle. The flight mode reminds me of the vehicle modes in Beast Wars Transmetals. They weren't much more than a few parts that folded out of the beast mode, but it made for a fun design. I'm reminded of Transmetal Waspinator's vehicle mode in particular.

You'd think going from the beetle to a box would be tricky, but transformation very easy. It's an involved transformation to be sure... but everything just works without any hassle. Devil Dart is a pleasure to change from one mode to another. Box mode is nice and compact. It really does just fold up cleanly without any kibble in any mode. That's some really impressive engineering. Box modes slides easily into the Box Charger without any fuss with plenty of room to store his little missiles. Demon Dart is such a cool toy. He's simple to transform, but not a basic toy. Those six legs articulate in a pretty wide range of movement. You can open the beetle wings without unfolding the jet wings as well if you choose. Despite looking like a nightmare of you found one in your kitchen, this is a pleasant little bug bot. Just a pleasure all around. I love it.

Chinese Dragon MB-14 [MEGABOX]

[CHINESE DRAGON Legend] For thousands of years it has symbolised prosperity, strength, luck and imperial authority. Unfolding into a 29cm long mythical creature, the exquisite MEGABOX MB-14 Chinese Dragon has descended!

2024 isn't just the 40th anniversary of the Transformers or 50th anniversary of Microman and Hello Kitty. It's also the Year of the Wood Dragon! To celebrate, we're taking a look at Megabox Chinese Dragon MB-14. Megabox is a companion line to Beastbox that has featured licensed characters or in this case, characters from East Asian mythology. Chinese Dragon is exactly as his name implies, a traditional Chinese Dragon. I'm saying 'he', but no gender has been implied to my knowledge. Chinese Dragon is a really ornate looking toy. The green and gold colored plastic really compliment each other as does the translucent orange bits. This is a really pretty figure. Chinese Dragon is also very long, with plentiful articulation allowing for cool flying poses. I get the mental picture of Mythical Qi Beast RyuseiOh/Red Dragon Thunderzord flying into action. His legs also are articulated and the mouth can open.

Transformation into box mode is a little involved to say the least. It's pretty hard to imagine Chinese Dragon's serpentine shape forming a square... but it really can. This involves a lot of folding and splitting the tail right down the middle. I'm used to the BeastBox's folding into boxes with obvious corner points forming pretty quickly during the transformation process. With Chinese Dragon, you actually form him at an angle. It took me a second to realize I had made the box after I had formed the corners together. Once finished he fits into his Box Charger for storage. Speaking of, the Box Charger is a nice green color that really pops. This really is a very good looking toy. I've been enjoying BeastBox quite a bit and a part of that is based on the creativity each toy has. It's hard to imagine a shape like Chinese Dragon's turning into a box... let alone something angular. Once you've done it, it takes a moment to let it sink in. That's really cool.

Radioheadar BB-64 [BeastBox]

[Radioheadar Legend] The mainstay underground DJ in steel city, Radioheadar’s voice can be heard nightly broadcasting thru a secret criminal channel. Occasionally he would also interview infamous characters such as Acidghost & Lithiumon.

It's been far too long since I've talked about BeastBox here on the site and there's no better time than Halloween to take a look at Radioheadar. Radioheadar is a bat, who transforms into a box like other Beastbox toys. Unlike many other Beastbox toys, he also changes into an aircraft. That's right, we have a triple changer! Right off the bat (pun intended) I will fully admit to not taking the best pictures of this guy. His wingspan was actually bigger than my spooky backdrop! I'll like to his Amazon page for a full idea of his size and a better look at his modes. It's not an affiliate link, so don't worry about buying directly from it if you want one. This is one cool bat mech with incredibly articulated wings. He can be put into flying poses or perched. There's an included clip to allow Radioheadar to hang upside down from a perch as well. I understand there's a special version available that comes with a perch if you don't have one.

It's not just his massive wings that are articulated, his ears, mouth, and little bat legs feature movement. This is a neat toy. All that articulation does mean a more involved transformation, which I did have some trouble with. Honestly, I had a hard time following the instructions. Often I tend to just look at a picture and figure everything out on my own. This was one of those times I needed to take a look at the manual and still had a hard time. I'm not sure if I just wasn't comprehending it or Radioheadar was giving me a hard time. Going into box mode was no problem, it was the aircraft I struggled with. After a while I got him into the mode, though I probably did something wrong. If this was a post in a fan group, I'd put a laughing emoji after that statement.  If a little frustration in transformation is the only complaint I have (and it could have just been me), then you've got a pretty good toy. I've yet to have a bad experience with a Beastbox (I've got quite a few of them) and that's amazing. They're great robot toys that manage to be extremely imaginative and fun. What's not to love about that?

Thorium Weaponeer (Battle Tribes/Weaponeers of Monkaa)

Finishing up out look at the Micronaut themed Battle Tribes wave 32 is Thorium Weaponeer, whom is a Weaponeers of Monkaa mold. I was quite fond of Weaponeers of Monkaa figures so this was an extra treat. Thanks to his appearance, Thorium looks like many different Micronaut/Microman robots. Due to his variety of interchangeable parts you can really come up with a variety of looks. Of course the main point of this figure is it's alt mode as an Thorium Orbiter vehicle. The set comes with additional parts in order to make this work. They're from a Restructor Combat Pack weapons set, so they make look familiar to other Weaponeers fans.Transformation is a task of taking everything apart and reassembling.

If you're used to Glyos, you already know it'll be hard on your fingertips. Ouch. Once assembled, the Orbiter can be rode by most Battle Tribes figures. It's obviously perfect for the Micronaut/Microman styled ones... but hey, I'm sure anyone would look great on it. Those old Micronaut/Microman robots are one of the forefathers of Transformers and being the 40th anniversary of Transformers... I want to spend some extra time this year looking at the foundation of Optimus and his friends. I think this Battle Tribes wave did a great job of homaging Micronauts and Microman, which is one of the building blocks to what we know as Transformers today.

Deluxe Antronic Abomination (Battle Tribes X Godbeast)

Returning to our look at Battle Tribes Microman/Micronaut homage wave 32 is Antronic Abomination. Antronic Abomination is a collaboration between Battle Tribes and my main man The Godbeast. Using a combination of parts from Godbeast's Nemesis and a variety of Battle Tribes and Weaponeers of Monkaa parts, Antronic Abomination is a great update of Antron in Glyos form. Once again, Glyos makes a great medium for Microman/Micronaut updates thanks to the interchangeability. Thanks to that and all the extra parts, I was able to come up with some approximations of other Micronaut Aliens as well. It was a lot of fun coming up with the various freaky characters.

There was an extra set of combining part set available with this wave that would have allowed for more integration that I wish I would have bought, but still was able to get a lot done with what came with the figure. It's actually quite remarkable just how much the figure looks like Antron, I even had folks commenting on social media how they had to do a double take initially. It feels like the Aliens are often overlooked when anyone homages Micronauts... and that's fair. The line is so well know for the main guys that the other toys can get lost in the shuffle. Considering how long it's been since a new Microman or Micronauts line has been on shelves, homages feel like all there is for Micros in new toys.

The occasional Transformers or designer toy like this really help keep the memory of something great alive. Like I said, this is the 40th anniversary of Transformers and the 50th anniversary of Microman. It's a good time to appreciate the stepping stones that Bumblebee took to get where he is now. 

Jonsen BB-03JS (BeastBox)

After the end of a long day, I just want to relax. Jonsen feels the same. He's had a long day and just wants to get some rest in his portable energy bath container. If a hot springs variation of a robot monkey is what you're after, BeastBox has just the toy for you. Jonsen is a special edition of their JoJo figure that I picked up a Teso Life a few weeks ago. Jonsen is a Japanese Macaques, a snow monkey that likes to soak in the hot springs of Japan. I initially thought he was a Yeti due to his molds origin as a robotic gorilla. It's impossible not to like Jonsen with his cloth onsen towel (to cover his shame) and Portable Energy Bath Container.

The bath, is a clever reuse of a Box Charger. The plastic is frosted (must be all that steam) and has a lovely bit of artwork that can be mounted on it's open lid to complete the experience. It really is a creative use of the Box Charger. Jonsen is a pleasantly articulated bot whose big arms can be used in a quadruped stance or bipedal while he punches somebody with those giant fists. Transformation to box mode as very easy. Everything just kinda folds into place and you can pretty much figure out how with a little fiddling.

Considering relaxation is his whole gimmick, it's only appropriate that transformation would be a breeze. Jonsen has a really characterful design highlighted by a really pleasant color scheme. The JoJo mold is available in a variety of colors and generally pretty great in all of them. However, Jonsen's colors are extremely pleasant which adds to whole package of this toy. It just makes you smile. Have a great day everyone.

Neo Micro Battler Arom (Battle Tribes)

This past Saturday was Microman Day, a day that celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Microman toy line. With this year being the 40th Anniversary of Transformers, it's absolutely important to take a look back at the building blocks of Transformers as we know it. Microman's place in Transformers history is without doubt obvious. Micronauts which was also made from Microman prior to the launch of Transformers is important to observe. Last year Battle Tribes by Spy Monkey Creations offered a complete Micronaut homage set in their Battle Tribes wave 32. They have prior homaged the Mego line, but this set was particularly great. 

Arom is a translucent green Micro using the Micro Battlers wrestling body. As such he comes with a variety of extra parts. Additional boots, trunks, extra heads (many food themed), a tector belt, and matching mini wrestler partner. Arom is a really cool homage to the classic Microman and Micronauts toys. Battle Tribes are a fun Glyos toy line featuring various fantasy and wrestling figures in a variety of options. Being Glyos toys, their interchangeable nature is a perfect match for a Micro update. We'll be taking a look at the Microman/Micronauts flavored wave 32 over the next few weeks here on Zone Base. 2024 looks to be a special year in the world of Takara SF. Arom is here to help celebrate.

IronBlood and Loyal Heart BB-54 (BeastBox)

2023 was the year of the Rabbit, so it was only natural that this twin set of BeastBox Rabbits would be released. It feels fitting to welcome in 2024 with a look back at 2023. Like I just said and as you can see, this is a twin set of rabbits. I think Ironblood is the black one, while Loyal Heart is the white and pink one. I say that fully admitting that I'm not completely sure... but I think it's fairly obvious. Though the pink one being named Iron Blood would be pretty awesome. The rabbits are identical aside from colors and are very articulated. It's a lot of fun moving all their little parts around and putting them in a variety of poses.

There is an additional carrot gun available for the set in various special versions or if you'd be able to track down an individual release. I don't currently have that, but it'd be fun to incorporate with the two. Transformation isn't very hard... but did take a bit of getting everything just right. The two combine into one box, and I found myself fiddling a bit. Your mileage may vary. Regardless it's a cool little box once done and fits easily into their Box Charger. The Box Charger is red with gold lettering to commemorate the Year of the Rabbit. It's a nice touch and makes for a really cool presentation. This is just a great little set.

Jawbreaker BB-25 (BeastBox)

Jawbreaker is a BeastBox just so full of character. Just look at that face! He also shares some parts/engineering with the same mold used for SubZero (whom I love). However, unlike other toys that reuse molds... he's not just another repaint. Jawbreaker is his own toy. He's great! As you can tell by the pics, Jawbreaker is a robotic dinosaur/kaiju that of course transforms into a box. I like to think of him as the Anguirus to SubZero's Godzilla, though the Snarl lover in me can't help but to see a little Desert Warrior in him.

Thanks to his deco, I also can't help but to make Evangelion comparisons either. His colors are so close to Unit-01 that I can't ignore it. *Edit* I was just made aware that it's actually a homage to Zero Wing, that's pretty amazing (thanks for the heads up, FoxxFiveFive!). Jawbreakers transformation into box mode very similarly to SubZero. That's to be expected with the shared engineering. I don't mind it though and they're different enough that it's easily overlook-able. This is a great addition to the BeastBox ranks. He just has so much character that it's impossible to hate him. Just look at that face!