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!

Ultra Magnus [Age of the Primes/Target Exclusive 4-Pack]

"Come in! Come in, and know me better, mech!"

The grumpy one entered timidly and hung his head before this Spirit. He was not the dogged grumpy mech he had been; and though its eyes were clear and kind, he did not like to meet them.

"I am the Ghost of Christmas Present," said the Spirit. "We have matters to deal with now."

I’ve said it before, but it’s worth saying again: Ultra Magnus’s cab mode looks spectacular. There’s just something about that classic Convoy design that looks great in any color. White though—white looks super nice.

This toy comes packaged in the currently available Transformers Age of the Primes Target Exclusive 4-Pack. The set doesn’t have a themed name like some have had in the past, or much of a specific theme either. It’s just a neat multi-pack, and I’ve been a big fan of these over the years. It’s one of the things I look forward to each year: Walmart’s exclusive capsule line and Target’s exclusive multi-pack. Well… Walmart kinda crapped their pants with the capsule this year, but Target’s set is another strong one. As with Bumper, whom we talked about last week, Ultra Magnus is another deluxe-class toy from the set. He’s a straight recolor of the Legacy G1 Optimus Prime toy I raved about earlier this year. Since it’s a straight recolor, I’m going to focus on what makes this version different.

One thing I really loved about that Optimus toy was how it remade the original figure with modern engineering, similar to a Masters of the Universe Origins release. It’s such a neat idea; I’d be all for it as the mainstream Transformers line. I know Missing Link is doing that, but I mean as the line available at general retail. It’d be so cool to see recreations of classic toys—considering Generations is mostly updates of those designs anyway, I think it’d be super popular. I’d like to think so, anyway.

Matching his G1 toy’s original deco, Magnus is mostly white with gray and silver parts. Bits of light blue are used throughout, giving him a slightly icy look. Just right for Christmas time. Ultra Magnus has the two different variations of G1 Optimus’s rifle that the base mold came with, now in white. I’ve always preferred the fatter version of the gun and think it looks much better—especially in white. Magnus also has a blue version of the Energon Axe, which is very similar to the Masterpiece MP-2 toy. It matches nicely with the various blue accents on his deco. Also like MP-2, there’s a silver version of the Matrix of Autobot Leadership that fits in his chest. It’s not unheard of for an Ultra Magnus toy to come with the Matrix since they’re often redecos of Optimus, but the silver Origin Matrix works well here. In this context, I like to think it represents the brief time Ultra Magnus carried the Matrix in the 1986 movie.

In truck mode, Magnus is once again a white version of the classic Convoy semi truck—missing his trailer in this release, of course. Like the Optimus toy, his tires are rubber, a nice throwback to the original G1 toy. I know there are issues with rubber tires popping off or dry-rotting with age, but I’ll be damned if they don’t feel nice and give the toy a higher-quality feel. Also like Optimus, Cybertronian Radial 275/80 R22 is molded into the tires. That’s a reference to the fictional tire brand from Transformers Alternators.

It’s been over 20 years and I’m still blown away by Alternators. They may not have been the most fun toys to transform, but they looked amazing. I have nothing bad to say about this toy. I love the idea of it, and I never get tired of cab-mode Ultra Magnus. It’s a great way to enjoy what came before in present-day design, and a solid part of a great 4-pack.

Bah Monday

Good Morning Zone Base readers and welcome back for another week of robots, monsters, and misadventure! Christmas time is in full swing here on Planet Zone and there's plenty of Rock Lording around the Christmas tree going on! The weekend went by way to fast for my liking, but I can still say it was a pretty good and productive one. I hope you all had a great weekend as well, but let me tell you about mine. Saturday the Mrs and I did our weekly shopping. For whatever reason, the grocery order at our local stores has been terrible so we did that in person again. I'd love to get back on our normal routine, but these are things that are out of my hands. I've been saying for years now that our most local store needs new management, so hopefully this will lead to some improvements. It's so bad that stores in other towns are being affected negatively and I'm sure that's causing some uproar behind the scenes. Christmas just isn't the time for retail to drop the ball!

I got some Christmas shopping done and I'm feeling pretty positive about this holiday season. Normally it's a more stressful time, but this year has thankfully been a breeze. It's nice to just enjoy Christmas without the black cloud hanging over my head. Sunday, I finally got my yard decorated. I know it's still early in the month, but seeing as this task is usually done Thanksgiving weekend, it was really bothering me. I got started early and really feel like I did a great job. It's a lot of work, but you can really stand back and admire the prettiness of it all once done. We've got a pretty cozy theme with our decorations and I love it. 

Mom came over for Sunday dinner and the Mrs made an excellent spaghetti meal! It was pretty cold outside, so after spending most of the day stapling lights to my house as well as some car maintenance, the warm meal tasted extra great! We watched the second episode of Stranger Things season 5 with Mom who is very concerned about Dustin. Rewatching it after the initial binge watch on release is great. I'm definitely enjoying the chance to digest it fully before the new episodes. After she left, the Mrs and I watched Home Alone while she played a game and I started work on building a BeastDrive. I've got a big backlog and it's fun to spend a little time building a kit on the weekend. I probably could have finished it, but took my time. I was a little tired after the busy day. Maybe next weekend it'll get completed, there's no rush.

Being Christmas time, I didn't buy myself anything, but didn't come away empty handed! I was pleasantly surprised to discover that I had won a Yolopark giveaway on Threads and am looking forward to receiving a randomly selected kit in the mail! It's been far too long since I've looked at Yolopark's products here on the site, and there's no way this won't be a future post! There was also a few fan events in Japan that I greatly enjoyed looking at pictures from. Most notably, a Diaclone meetup that featured some hand made items that looked so great! I found myself really liking the custom pilots created. It's really funny, while not a lot of pictures were taken at the event (a sign everyone was having a great time), plenty were taken afterwards at various convenience stores. It's impossible not to love toy pictures while someone is enjoying a quick snack! 

Well, I've got a fun week planned for you Zone Base readers. Thank you all for reading and supporting the site. I really appreciate it and am so humbled and honored to see so many people take time out of their day to read my posts. Please don't forget to share the site with your friends and be excellent to one another. It's time to do some household chores and take toy pictures for upcoming updates. The normal Monday morning for me, but I should really watch the new Earthspark movies on Paramount Plus. I'm really surprised they made additional content for the series and am looking forward to Hot Rod and Liege Maximo! Mutal High Fives everyone, let's get this week started!

Shrapnel [Transformers Retro]

I was fortunate to find The Retro Collection version of Shrapnel at a local Ross while Christmas shopping. These types of store are generally a haven for oddball liquidation toys during the holidays and like others, I try to take advantage of it. It's jokingly called RossCon by many people online, which I find funny as I've been calling the reissues and exclusives at Walmart Great Value BotCon for years. Thankfully, I made out with some great finds this year. Shrapnel is another member of the Insecticons (and you all know I love bug robots), and painted in a cartoon accurate deco like the other recent reissues. I can't say enough good things about these cartoon accurate reissues, they look amazing and it's always good to get vintage toy molds.

When it comes to Shrapnel, aside from the variety of his toy's I've accumulated over the years, my biggest memory of Shrapnel is the one my older brother owned. He's a few years older than me and was slowly phasing out from toys. However a few managed to always stick around. Right next to his Clawtron and Zoltek was a Shrapnel and Cop-Tur on a bookshelf with a Journey carnival mirror in the background. I guess they were badass enough for an early teenage to display while listening to Cinderella. Shrapnel is decidedly badass looking, as are the Insecticons in general. The mostly black robot with purple and silver colors looks dark and plays well off each other. So much so that the yellow cockpit that makes up his chest practically glows. His insect mode is a stag beetle, which is one gnarly and threatening looking bug.

The insects  pincers display nicely behind his head creating large horns and giving Shrapnel his signature look. Included is 6 Energon Cubes and the signature Gamma Ray Detonator. You can store a cube in his chest compartment. This compartment is originally the cockpit where a pilot figure would sit in  the Waruder Insecter Robo Kuwagatrer from Diaclone, which is the original use of the toy. There is a set of Insecticons based on their original Waruder coloration who are meant to represent the Insecticon clones often seen in the original cartoon. It's a neat thing to own. Transformation from robot to stag beetle is easy, parts really just fold up and the robot is laid on his back. There's wheels on the legs to roll the insect around, another holdover from Diaclone that's a pretty fun play gimmick. It's sort of an insect tank.  Shrapnel is a really good looking toy, and especially so in these show accurate colors. For a toy of his era, there's a decent amount of articulation that I find admirable. I'm sure my admiration for Insecticons is overshadowing any objectiveness, but this is just a wonderful toy.

Bombshell [Transformers Retro/Bomshell and Ramhorn 2-Pack]

Earlier this week, we looked at Ramhorn. That means it's a fine time to talk abut the Bombshell he came packaged with. Ramhorn is a Rhino, so have him packaged versus a Rhinoceros Beetle is a fun bit of synergy. Not every multi-pack has to match, but similar worded names is good enough for me. Like other G1 reissues being released recently, Bombshell uses his original toy mold and is painted in a cartoon accurate paint scheme. Also like the others, it looks great. Bombshell's mold was one of the Diaclone toys that got used in the early years of Transformers. Insecter Robo Kabutron was a robot of the Waruders, the main villains of Diaclone. I've made my fondness for robot insect toys known here many times and that extends to Waruders. There's just something about them that I find awesome. Being a Diaclone mold, Bombshell has a cockpit that a pilot figure can sit in. However, being a Transformers toy, Bombshell doesn't have a pilot. Like other recent Insection reissues have included Energon cubes accessories (awesome) and you can fit one in his cockpit. It's a silly bit of fun and pretty great. He comes with 6, and that makes for a great bit of scenery to put around your toys.

In addition to the Energon Cubes, Bombshell has his Twin Ion Impulse Blaster. I think it's a pretty trademark rifle for him, but when it comes to Bombshell, everyone focuses on that beetle horn. It's been famously used for launching his signature Cerebro-Shells into the heads of enemies and making them his slaves. It's not just a cool special ability, but also looks neat. A bit of nice ornamentation on a somewhat creepy looking toy. Bombshell has some pretty decent articulation for a toy of his era. Arms move at the shoulders and legs at the hips. Thanks to his transformation, his hip can swivel and there's some movement at the knees... though you can mostly make him kick forward comically. Sure, he doesn't have anything on today's super articulated wonders, but it's a pretty good amount for the toys of that time. Transformation to beetle mode is easy and looks just as great as ever. My love for insect robots definitely flavors my opinion here. I can't help it, those designs are full of charm. There's little wheels on the insect legs to roll it around on and I just love that. Despite the older engineering, this is really a nice little toy. The cartoon accurate colors really pop and breathe new life into a 40+ year old design. The older I get, the more my appreciation for the original toys grows. The die cast is just so satisfying as is the overall product. So, so very good.

Twin Twist [Wreck 'N Rule Collection/Deluxe Class]

Transformers is a funny toy line. Funny, as in the early years are full of reused toy molds from other robot toy lines. Many, of course, came from Diaclone. The Jumpstarters, were among those. Jumpstarters were more simple figures with pull-back motors. When the vehicle was pulled back on a solid surface, it would roll forward and flip into robot mode. They were often joked about by fans and considered lame, but I've always liked their futuristic appearance. Topspin and Twin Twist have received updates over the course of time, but most notably was their Titans Return figures that were very accurate to the originals appearance wise, but with modern engineering (and no flip changing gimmick). Most notably about those toys were that with the Titan Masters, they had strong resemblances to the original Diaclone toys as well as the Headmasters everyone related the line with. The Titan Master would become the main robot modes head, but could also pilot the alt mode. Titans Return was one of my favorite Transformers lines in recent years mostly because of that. It was neat.

For the Amazon Exclusive Wreck 'N Rule Collection, Twin Twist was re-released in his Diaclone colors and billed as from the Diaclone Universe. Other more recent Transformers repaints have done this and I like it. Though, it is funny considering the original Transformers versions of the toys were made from Diaclone only for the new Diaclone toys to be made from Transformers. I've got the original Titans Return version of the toy (and loved it), but never talked about it here. Today felt like a good time. Twin Twist is a very cool looking toy. The red and blue look sharp on his spacey design. There's a good bit of articulation and he's got two laser rifles that can be combined into one larger gun if so chosen. That combination has more use in vehicle mode. Transformation is pretty involved, but not too hard. There's just a lot going on, but it all just works and everything goes into place just fine. Alt mode is a sci fi drill tank. His Titan Master/Headmaster changes from the robot's head into a pilot for the tank. The pilot isn't named in this release, but was called Flameout in Titans Return. I'm not sure if this is still Flameout or meant to be a generic Diaclone driver.

Those guns I mentioned above can be mounted on either side of the tank or in the combined form. Combined they can serve as another place for a Titan Master (or Diaclone driver in this case) to sit. The main spot for the pilot would of course be the cockpit, which opens and allows for such. I've always liked the Jumpstarters for their designs, especially in a time when Transformers were primarily modern (at the time) Earth vehicles. When I got older and learned about Diaclone, I liked them even more. As a kid back then... we just didn't know. My brother and I would often put Zoids pilots in Transformers seats. I'd regularly send one flying in my Topspin during his flip transformation. These additional gimmicks really add to these figures making them really cool toys. I've always been a sucker for partner figures, especially when the partner interacts this well. As the 40th Anniversary year winds down, it felt appropriate to take a look at Diaclone and reflect on my own memories in the process. Nice things are nice.

Ironhide [Galaxy Version 01 Roll Out]

Ironhide is another original cast member of the Transformers. The 'red van guy' who shares a base mold with Ratchet and was originally released as No. 2 Onebox Cherry Red Vanette in Diaclone and DK-2 in Diakorn. His colors were changed to red from black for The Transformers release, but he was back in black for his role in the live action movie series. That lead to an exclusive black version of the original Ironhide, something I've always found neat. Ironhide is a good ol' boy and an old soldier. These character traits are played more into depending on whomever is writing the adventure and sometimes doesn't seem any older or wiser than the others.

One thing I haven't expressed about Blokees that I like is their proportions. There's an almost Megaman X look to the figures once assembled and I feel it's really evident on Ironhide. It'd be undeniable in blue. Like other Blokees, Ironhide is very articulated and has closed and open hand options. A neat extra touch is an included blast effect that can be attached to his gun or other characters guns. It's a fun little extra. Ironhide is a simpler looking robot which results in a more basic looking toy. Thankfully the combination of red and black make for an interesting color scheme. It's hard not to like such a simple, yet fun little figure. Blokees are generally pleasant and these little AMK figures are fun to assemble with the Transformers channel on in the background.

Concept Art Sunstreaker (Studio Series/Deluxe Class)

I've got a soft spot in my heart for Sunstreaker. He's one of the original cast of Transformers whose Diaclone toy roots as No.1 Countach LP500S/Diakron DK-1 were the first numbered of the Car Robots series. These are the toy molds that make up a good number of the initial Transformers toy line. It's just neat that Suntreaker's original toy was the first of it's series. I've always liked his design and found it pretty striking and unfortunate that he's not updated as often as other classic characters. This newer figure of Sunstreaker is one of the really cool Concept Art based figures in Studio Series. While not appearing in the Bumblebee movie, there was designs for him in that initial opening scene that we all love.

I personally think Sunstreaker looks awesome in this toy and think it would pair really well with the Siege Sideswipe. It kinda feels like a lost Siege design more so than an unused movie design. Considering the Bumblebee movie and Siege were probably being worked on around the same time, that's probably not super coincidental. He comes with two blasters. They can be held or one can he stored on his back. The blasters can be combined which looks great in alt mode, though they can be placed on the car individually as well. The blasters are a double barrelled design that matches his Cybertronian look well. Sunstreaker is fairly articulated, but his large shoulder pads can get in the way. Fortunately they can be adjusted some.

Transformation to car mode was fairly easy for me. I understand there's a common mis-assembly on the hood pieces that I didn't notice on mine. Either I lucked out or just didn't notice. Alt mode is a Cybertronian car similar to Sunstreaker's Lamborghini Countach. It's a very neat car and I really appreciate the trademark yellow colors. There's a late 80's to mid 90's anime vibe to this design I can't quite put my finger on. I feel like I've seen artwork of him printed in black and white in a game manual or magazine somewhere. It's probably just me, but I like those vibes. Sunstreaker is a cool figure that I like quite a bit. These Concept Art Studio Series releases are really neat and the idea is a lot of fun.

Bluestreak (Galaxy Version 01 Roll Out)

It's pretty obvious that despite his name, Bluestreak isn't blue, he's silver. It's no secret that the original batch of Transformers toys were made from mostly Diaclone and Microman toy molds. When Bob Budiansky was coming up with the names for all these new characters, it's very likely he had a specific Diaclone version of the toy to go by. Which was mostly blue. The original Diaclone version of this particular version of the Fairlady Z Car Robot toy was available in the colors we just talked about as well as a silver and black version. The blue toy was used for various pictures used in packaging and other photography, the silver and black became his animation model. The actual toy? An all silver figure with a deco original to the Transformers release.

What a mess huh? The name? Well, trademarking is a weirdly complicated thing and it was too late to change it by that point, so Bob Budiansky included the talks a 'Bluestreak' into his bio to cover up the oddness. It makes me groan too.

Since then, there's been several toys of Bluestreak in those blue colors and in the show accurate silver and black that have pretty much became his default colors. However, for a while in the early 2000's his toys were named Silverstreak due to trademark issues. Once again, we're all groaning. This Blokees version of Bluestreak fortunately is in his cartoon colors and looks great. He features the solid articulation you expect from a Blokee figure once assembled. There's a bunch of cool extras as well. Bluestreak doesn't transform, but features the car modes door wings. He'd look weird without them. The Fairlady Z Car Robot based characters all have those signature wings and rocket launchers are included with the kit. Like other Blokees, Bluestreak has a set of open and closed hands. His Beam Rifle can be held snugly in a closed hand while the other can be more expressive. This was a really fun kit to put together. Simple and fun despite the characters convoluted history.

Insecticon Bombshell (Legacy: Evolution/Deluxe Class)

I'm quite fond of robot bugs... it's no secret around here. I have no clue as to why either, I HATE real bugs. So of course fate would wind up with me loving their robot toy counterparts. I dunno. Bombshell here was another Christmas gift from the Mrs and the newest Legacy update of an Insecticon. This leave me to find Shrapnel (who has eluded me) to complete the trio. Bombshell is an extensive retooling of Shrapnel (who I'm mildly annoyed at not being able to find) and my first experience with the mold which seems to be quite different from the first instance of it's engineering (that I don't own yet, kinda peeved). I must say, I like it! It's a pleasant robot toy that turns into a wonderfully blocky rhinoceros beetle. As an old school fan of robot toys, this is absolutely delightful. Bombshell is an update of a classic design that still feels like an older toy.

As a robot, he's pleasantly articulated and packing his signature Twin Ion Impulse Blaster weapon and two small blasters that can be placed at varying points on his body. I chose the forearms to keep a resemblance to his original toy. Transformation to insect mode is fairly easy and results in a beetle that looks fairly close to the original toy. The rear portion is a bit bigger, but not in a bad way. It's a big black box with a red stripe that brought back memories of older toys like Micro Trailers in such a way that I'm just too biased to hate. Those small twin blasters I mentioned earlier can either mount alongside the Twin Ion Impulse Blaster on the top of that rather boxy rear end or be worked into rear legs for the beetle.

Bombshell was always a cool villain thanks to the mind controlling Cerebro-Shells that he fired from the horn of his beetle mode or knight like helmet as a robot. The Insecticons were always creepy and mind control is a classic bad guy attack. Bombshell is a pretty close approximation of how he appeared in the original cartoon and this new figure is a really satisfying new toy of a classic villain. I'd love to see a Kabutron version at some point. I've been really happy with Legacy as a whole and Bombshell is a good reason as to why. Sure, updates of classic Transformers characters are nothing new and have been going on longer than G1 actually ran... but who cares? These are classic characters that maintain an ongoing presence. Having new versions of them that improve upon the older versions is great and I never see anyone complain about the countless Superman figures that come out. Once again, I love a good robot bug toy and this is a really good one. There's plenty of old school flavor improved with modern engineering. This is just all around my cup of tea.

Autobot Hound (Retro Series)

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

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

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

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

Skywasp (Creatures Collide/Deluxe Class)

Down the hall is a scary scene, a familiar foe whose familiarity is seldom seen. Déjà vu and a triple threat.

The main event of the Creatures Collide box set is here! Skywasp is one doozy of an homage heavy toy. Skywasp is a Predacon, whose roots go all the way back to the unreleased Halloween Horrorcons I've spoken about in the past. Not just looking back to that sadly unreleased set, he's also a homage to the 2015 BotCon exclusive Waruder figure Parasite. Parasite was also made in these colors as a homage (unreleased toys was a theme that year) and later found life as Skywasp (BotCon toys often represent more than one character). So we're looking at a Predacon OR a Waruder depending on your preferences. Seeing that this toy is officially Skywasp the Predacon on the box... that's what I'm going with. Because seriously, what's with making this so dang confusing? Skywasp, like other insects in this set, comes with his extra mold sprue head (that was used on Buzzsaw). If you're in the mood for making a Waruder from this toy, that's a perfect one to use. I always liked the more robotic head from the original toy because it had those classic G1 looks.

Skywasp is a straight repaint of Legacy Waspinator. I've talked about him here before and 3 different versions of this mold later, I still really like it. It really looks great in these colors and considering the Halloween Horrorcon origins kinda makes for a decent scary fly toy. If anything a Creepy Crawlers or Mad Scientist creation that got co-opted into your families decorations. In robot mode he's decently articulated and carries over some bug kibble from insect mode. That's just a part of some beast era designs that persist even in today's engineering. Alt mode kibble is part of Transformers that you either deal with or don't. It's not too bad on the Waspinator mold in my opinion, just impossible to ignore. Transformation is reasonably easy, though you'll have to get some things just right. I think that's just something that's coming with the current design team. I don't know if the engineering is done with CAD models or sculpted by hand like the old days. Not sure if that accounts for any of that, but it's an observation I've been making for awhile now. Skywasp is pretty great and finishes out a really cool set. Creatures Collide was something I really wanted and bought on site... and waited a year to talk about.

Bios: Burn Out

"Skill and experience lead to congruity."

Function: Munitions Expert

Her whole life, Dia has known nothing but the Diaclone project. Born in 1982, the same year that the program began and the reason her parents named her as they did, every moment of Dia's upbringing was dedicated to one day enlisting and training to become a mech pilot. Her ambitions eventually became reality and she was partnered with the Burn Out mech.

Although trending towards the smaller side of the mech spectrum, Burn Out has an impressive array of weaponry in humanoid mode. When in full battle status, Burn Out bristles with armaments from pulse rifles to destructive concussion levelers. As with the other Diaclone mechs, targeting of these weapons while maintaining balance and maneuverability is coordinated through aid of an artificial intelligence equipped in the mech's central computer. The AI from Burn Out is a copy of Dia's own personality and every bit as determined and stoic as its pilot. It is also just as stubborn, often leading Dia to disable the voice command function lest she start arguing with something that is essentially herself. A woman of very few words, she finds the verbal exertion more exhausting than the strenuous physical activity needed to pilot the suit without computer assistance.

Strength: 6 Intelligence: 7 Speed: 7 Endurance: 8

Rank: 5 Courage: 8 Fireblast: 9 Skill: 7

Happy Memorial Day!

It's not just any Monday, it's a holiday on Monday! Hooray for a 3 day weekend! I'm definitely taking advantage of the break to get some much needed rest. Hope everyone has a great holiday and I'll see you all tomorrow with the start of Beast Summer!

Great Robo Base

DK2-Guard (Legacy/Generations Selects)

At some point Hasbro decided to jump on the Diaclone bandwagon and I'm all here for it. DK-2 Guard here was a random gift from my mother who picked it up at Gamestop and he's super neat to have. Instead the attempts to work Diaclone into TF mythology like the others, he's just straight up a modern incarnation with an Autobot symbol. No problem there, it's super cool. So much so that they even referenced the Diakron version of the toy with his name. This leads me to wonder why the Diaclone Universe in Legacy isn't Diakron Universe... but I guess that's being specific for the sake of being specific... and seeing as there's no monetization of this site, I can't get away with that.

DK-2 Guard is a repaint of the Earthrise Ironhide toy. Thanks to Covidmania running wild during Earthrise, I was never able to get a version of that toy. With as happy as I was with the Siege version, that wasn't a big deal, but it is nice to have some version of it. This is a heavily retooled version of that Siege mold, so much that you could be fooled into thinking it's a new toy in vehicle mode. Robot mode is basically the same, but now with a van roof that doubles as a shield. it's neat, but I prefer to stick it on his back.

I keep saying he, but DK-2 Guard isn't an individual, it's a mech suit piloted by a Dianaut. Normally with the Transformers versions of Diaclone bots they get a personality based off the drivers. That's not the case here and DK-2 Guard is generally represents the mech itself. DK-2 Guard serves as a guardian for mankind against Waruders, Dinosaurs, Decepticons, and whatever evil force threatens mankind. Something like this is great as Diaclone Reboot toys are generally very expensive, but there's options of you'd like some Diaclone available at an affordable price. It's an expensive hobby and in these uncertain financial times, it's great toy have a bone thrown every so often.

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.

Weekly Update- 1/23/23

A new week has arrived on Planet Zone! I could have used more of the weekend, but such is life. It was the Mrs's birthday, so I spent it taking her shopping and generally spoiling her. I also got in the new episode of 1000lbs Sisters and some Junji Ito Maniac on Netflix watched. Speaking of, the new season of Demon Slayer is finally on Netflix and I've been patiently for it. Sure it's been on other services, but I'm not paying for another streaming app. I did manage to get a few things for myself even though I wasn'tplanning on it. I picked up EarthSpark Deluxe Megatron, two Micro Galaxy Squadron blind boxes, and Nova Pegatrix from Bakugan Legends. I was pleasantly gifed a DK-2 Guard, the Transformers Generations Selects toy from my mother. Woo-hoo surprise Diaclone! I've got a fun week in store for you all. Thanks for supporting Zone Base. If you like what I do here, please spread the word! Sharing posts is easy and free! I absolutely make no money off this, I'd just like folks to read it.

Burnt Out, but in a good way

Burn Out is a repaint of the Legacy Skids toy with a new head released in the Velocitron Speedia 500 Collection. That Skids toy is a great toy, so it's no surprise that Burn Out is also a good figure. The black and red colors along with the new head look much sharper on the toy. I like it a lot more. As with Skids, Burn Out is pleasantly articulated and transforms into a Honda City Turbo fairly easily. Both modes are quite solid and the included guns add a bit of additional play to the figure. They can be attached onto the car mode or held in Burn Out's hands. There's also the option to plug them into her arms or combine them into larger guns. It's pretty neat.

Burn Out is meant to be the Diaclone version of Skids. In G1, Skids was made from the Honda City Turbo Diaclone toy. That figure was available in multiple colors like other Diaclone Car Robots toys. This Legacy update is a fairly faithful to the original design with updated engineering. Unlike the original toy mold, this update cannot hold a driver. However you could probably plug the BotCon 2015 Diaclone pilots into the holes intended for the guns like with those figures.

Diaclones do not have an individual personality. They're driven by pilots. However, Diaclones released as Transformers DO have a personality. They're either released as new Transformers characters based on the Diaclone colors (like Road Rage). Or, like with Burn Out , they have an Artificial Intelligence that mirrors the pilots personality. Burn Out is driven by Dia, thus she's much alike her. Diaclone in Transformers fiction are much like their original counterparts. They're a military style force that pilots robots to fight threats, just now alongside the Transformers. When they expand the world with other series like this... I love it. Burn Out is an somewhat easy to get at a fairly low price new Diaclone figure that fictionally is in the same universe as the series her original line birthed. That's ridiculously nerdy... but in a very cool way.

Might as well Jump (Starters)

For the longest time, the Transformers Jumpstarters were generally pooped on by most folks in the Transformers fan world. I'm not sure why, I've always thought they were neat. I tend to gravitate towards super robot flavored space robots and that's exactly what the Jumpstarters are. They seemingly come from other DNA than the original batch of Diaclone and Microman robots. However, they were originally Diaclone toys and ironically some widely accepted original G1 bots like Windcharger hail from the Mysterians before being Microman figures. It's weird how Top Spin and Twin Twist feel like distant cousins despite being in the direct lineage.

I suppose it's the simple transformation that turns off a lot of folks, that gimmick based play pattern. Admittedly the complexity of the transformation has never mattered much to me. Sure, if it's ingenious... I'll appreciate it. I'm more concerned with the individual modes more than the trip from A to B for the most part. That being said, the pull back engine resulting in the jet flipping and transforming mid-air was always fun for me. Seeing it spotlighted in the commercial, obviously that's the focal point. Sometimes a toy isn't necessarily the physical thing, but how you interact with it.

The Jumpstarters are more popular these days than they were in the past. Newer figures are well sought after, but I think the original G1 toys can still be gotten very cheap. I clearly remember cardboard boxes with loose ones at older BotCons and buying a couple for a dollar each. Some of the knock offs and international versions are more popular than the original duo out of neatness. That new Diaclone colors version of Twin Twist has been pretty popular. Part of me hopes to see them as gimmick toys in something like Earthspark. I'd like to think in today's world of gimmick heavy children's toys that they'd be a hit. There was those Avengers Transformers that mirrored the gimmick a while back after all.