Torque [Zybots]

Zybots (or Bibots depending on your geographical location) is a fun oddball robot line by Remco that was on shelves for a brief time in the 80's. They were mocked up using Gobots parts during their design phase leading to some very similar looking toys. They're rather neat little robots for the most part and as my desire to cover more vintage toys here on the site, Torque seemed like a good choice. I picked up Torque at ToyLanta last year from a booth I look forward to, but don't always see.

A nice hipster couple who doesn't have a table every year, but I'm always to happy to see when they do. Not only are they nice folks, but they have great stuff at great prices. Torque was just $4, but discounted as I bought a bunch of stuff. Not bad! He's in great condition too with tight joints and everything in pretty good shape. Just a little knick on one of the stickers and rust on the wheel pins. Which is an acceptable bit of wear and tear for a 40 year old figure.

Torque turns into an approximation of an 80's era Porsche, but looks like a Mazda RX-7 to me. It's a nice little car mode and looks pretty sharp. I like the blue. Transformation isn't difficult and about what you'd expect for a toy from his era. Fold up the knees and push those arms in. Both modes are pleasant with decent articulation in robot. Shoulders and knees move thanks to transformation. He looks tall thanks to those long thighs, but is about the same height as a regular Gobot. I actually thought he was a Gobot when first picking him up and later was pleasantly surprised when trying to figure out who I got.

I'd been meaning to get more Zybots and did completely so by accident! Like I said earlier, Zybots used Gobot parts during mock-up and it's very obvious here. It's super cool regardless and Torque looks great. Zybots are fun little line of robots that look like a certain group of toys and Torque is a great example of the bunch.

The most Final of the Factions

Two years ago I walked into that Dollar Tree on a cold November day and discovered a new toy line called Final Faction. Like other early adopters of the line, I was blown away by this really cool set of figures reminiscent of 80's and 90's action figures available exclusively at the Dollar Tree of all places. Final Faction has since grown to be something special in the toy world. I'm glad I discovered it organically just walking into the store.

It's neat to be on something from the ground floor and I'd never had thought something like a discount store toy line would ever be cool. But here we are, and here it is. I'm mentally drawing comparisons to other discount likes like Dragon Riders of the Styx and The Other World. Even with the thematic differences, it's great to see something similar happening again. Most discount lines these days are discount versions of mainline brands so seeing an original creation like this is refreshing. In 2003 the line will have the new Venom and Elite series. I'm pretty excited to see it continue.

Update from Planet Zone: 4/11/22

 

The weekend is over and it's time for a new week here on Planet Zone! This one flew by a little faster than I expected but still had a good time. Most of the weekend was spent helping the Mrs find Squishmallows. Between hitting up a Kroger Saturday that had recently gotten a bunch to going to a few Five Below's for their most recent event. Over the course of the weekend I got some neat stuff too. The Kroger did turn up some interesting Transformers bootlegs for $2 each. They had upscaled Legend class Hot Shots and what I initially thought was Cyberjets. I grabbed an orange Cyberjet and realized shortly after it was an odd Robotech bootleg. Pretty random for a grocery store bootleg robot.

The Legacy Arcee I got last weekend was missing some stuff, so it got returned. Target had gotten some new Core Class figures, but only has Iguanus left. Fortunately that's the one I wanted most. They had a good bit of stuff, but it was stuff I already had. Hopefully I can get another Arcee soon... as well as more Legacy stuff. We checked Walmart afterwards and same story. Well stocked, but stuff I already have. I skipped getting a retro Megazord this week, but still plan on getting them all. I did get the 'Power of Grayskull' He-Man from the Netflix show. Been wanting that one, I love translucent figures. They had Man-E-Faces as well, but I'll grab him later. Out of Million Warriors, but I figure those are selling fast. Perfect thing for an Easter Basket.

Sunday was that Five Below event and we hit up a few to find ones she was after. There's new stackable Squishmallows and they're well sought after. I got some cool Bakugan (individual names are escaping me at the moment) and may make a point to complete the Mystic Pack set I see at Five Below. It's a good looking set, and I have a few already. They're just the right price there, but I do have some more expensive ones that have a lot of cool extras. Really glad I fell down this rabit hole. It's been a lot of fun.

While between Five Belows, we stopped at a Dollar Tree. Easter is next weekend and we grabbed some inexpensive stuff to make Easter Baskets for our nieces. While there I got the new versions of the Transformers bag clip figures. Initially I thought they were the same as before, but they're noticeably smaller and the sculpts look a little different. That could just be me, but they're cheap enough to not worry about an extra set. The ongoing hunt for new Final Faction figures finally came up with some figures. There's still plenty of new stuff to find, but I at least got Riptide and Amari. It's a discount line at a time where there's various issues keeping stores stocked. Just gotta be patient. Who'd have thought a discount line would be this cool? Oh yeah, me. I've been praising it since it first hit. Real ones know.

It's fun getting new figures each week and with so much new stuff hitting, it's exciting to find it as it hits. I still haven't found the new Studio Series Soundwave yet. I'd joke that I'll see Elvis first... but I already did in 2004. I've got a fun week planned for you all. Thanks for reading Zone Base and your continued support. I know it's spring time and most of you want to get out there and have some fun. So it means alot that you're still taking the time to read my nonsense. There's a new episode of Transform Squadron coming soon (I promise) that I hope you all enjoy. As always, don't forget to share with your friends! 

Aliens (M.A.R.S. Heroes)

 

I'd been sitting on the fence over these weird little figures for several years now. Not sure exactly how long, but a quick Google search tells me they were first released in 2006. It was probably around 2016 when I first took note of them, about 10 years after they were first released. I'm familiar with the M.A.R.S. Converters line of inexpensive robot toys and occasionally see this 'Heroes' sub line at odd discount stores. There's Troopers, Megabots, some odd vehicles, and what we're looking at today, the Aliens. Mainly sold at discount stores in multi packs or the odd single figure, I always see them at Ross around Christmas. Which is where I finally pulled the trigger on this set. Stopping by our local store with the Mrs a few weeks ago led me to look for Zoids (they randomly show up there) and didn't want to leave empty handed. 

I've been seeing others in Microman groups talk pretty big about these little weirdos and have been pretty tempted to grab a set. I'm so glad I did as these are some great little Microman/Micronaut -esque figures. Considering I paid about 5$ (after Christmas clearance) for the multi pack of three, they were a steal. I'm often blown away by the quality of some discount toy lines (Final Faction, The Corps) and despite the age of the molds, they were pretty decent quality. The packaging encourages mixing the various parts to come up with your own custom figures. Obviously I didn't do that in the picture aside from the shoulder mounted weapons. 

While they look to be the same toy mold castes in different colors, the blue arms have big claws, while the green body has a different head dome. In some great bright translucent colors with ample metallic paint and different weapons. Two green pistols, a slightly larger orange gun, and a blue melee weapon that's not showing up well in the picture. Also the before mentioned shoulder weapons. Thanks to all the various connection points being ball joints, there is quite a bit of articulation. I haven't gotten the other M.A.R.S. Heroes, but am pretty tempted now. It was a fun Saturday night spent eating sushi and playing with my new off brand Alien Invaders. If you happen upon a set, they're well worth picking up. I strongly recommend some spicy tuna rolls and paranormal TV to go along with them. 

Barricade (Authentics)

 

I've always been a fan of the lower end basic figures. There's a charm to the simplicity and sometimes the low price is just the right thing. Less can be more. As such, I was a fast fan of Authentics. I've always had a love for discount store toys and a version of Transformers intended for that market was a happy combination. Not every figure has been a Masterpiece, but there's a few stand outs in the little line. Barricade is one. The Mrs put it in my stocking Christmas morning and he's a fun little toy. Barricade is one of the smaller Authentics figures. I've been calling them the smaller ones this whole time, though I've seen web sites refer to them as either Alpha or Bravo. 

Barricade follows the precedent set by the Michael Bay movies of him being a Decepticon Police car. Originally the character was a Micromaster F-1 race car and then later the name was often reused sporadically. This version seems to be based on his TF5 and Earth Wars depictions. Not bad, I'm really fond of that look and it comes off well here. I also like Police car deco Transformers. You've probably noticed he's pretty basic in the paint department, but that's going to happen with a discount figure. It's mostly noticeable in car mode, the robot mode came out better in that aspect. 

For an inexpensive figure, Barricade has more articulation than I expected. Head, shoulders, elbows,legs, knees, and even feet move satisfyingly. A little less hollow and he could pass for a core class. The toy almost feels like it was designed for another line or project. More recent Authentics have been pretty good, but there's definitely a different vibe going on here. Being a discount figure I don't foresee more information into his development coming. I'll just be content to theorize he started out in a different direction. Barricade is a great little figure and pretty surprising considering everything. I really like him and am still surprised just how well he came out. I know Authentics aren't everyone's cup of tea, but I drink from my own cup. No backwash.

I'd Buy Those Masters For A Dollar

I'd been looking for these Micro Collection MOTU figures for what felt like an eternity. Fortunately on a random swing by the Dollar Tree, the wife saw picked them up for me. In the grand tradition of producing discount versions of mainline toys for dollar chains, Mattel released these figures at stores like the Dollar Tree and 99 Cent store. They're mini figures of some of the base characters in action poses. You know I love them. 

Each figure is on a rocky base with the MOTU logo proudly displayed. You could easily display them with a Castle Grayskull and they'd blend in... of course the castle may look huge in comparison, but shouldn't it? They're a soft plastic with pretty good sculpting and decent paint. For a dollar each they look pretty good. My favorite is Orko, who came out perfect. Man At Arms unfortunately is the worst. His sculpt is ok, but there's just something off about him. He's not terrible, just could have used a little extra work overall.

I'm super happy to have these and hope there's another series. Even if it's just repaints, I'd be down. I love little oddball things like this. For the price they're hard to beat and fun to collect. I could see if there's ever a time that I slowed down on my toy collecting, things like this would likely be my outlet for toys. I'd be happy with mini figures and keshi. Especially when the quality is as good as it is here. This is a great little set of figures for a total of $5. They totally have the power. I'm not apologizing for that, you saw what you saw.

I'd Buy That Slime Toy For A Dollar

 

Dollar store toys can be an odd thing. Some items seemingly get reused in various discount lines. The Neba Neba Vacuum toys, I think fall into that category. I swear I have that skull. Neba Neba Vacuum is a simple slime toy (neba neba means sticky) that's been recently found at Daiso stores in Japan. I'd been recently seeing it pop up in my views and not to long ago one of my favorite YouTubers covered them (that's the picture above's source). 

They're little weirdo characters with included slime. By squeezing the toy, you can either suck up or squirt out the slime. It's not a totally new thing, but silly fun to play around with. As you can see the assortment ranges from spooky to silly and gross. Of course my attention is on the spooky ones. I swear I've got the skull one from another discount slime line. Honestly it's the box art that's got my attention so much. Just look at it, it's majestic! I'd love a sticker set of these guys. The spooky guys are just right to pair with your Ghostbusters or other figures that might find themselves in such a predicament. I'm thinking the perfect pairing for Battle Tribes action.

GIJOE In Discount Missions

On my birthday last month, the Mrs. ended my quest for the new Dollar Tree GIJOE figures I had talked about before. Taped to each present was one of the much searched for figures (and some Tiny Turbo Changers, but we'll discuss those later) and I was overjoyed. Today seemed like a good day to talk about them. I hardly ever plan anything on this site ahead of time. It's complete anarchy. Just chaos.

These are mini figures of GIJOE characters sold at Dollar Tree and other similar stores for $1 each. They're small, about the size of a M.A.S.K figure without any articulation. The sculpts are pretty nice and so is the paint. Destro probably got the worst paint job, with his exposed skin being the same shade of grey as the trademark mask. It's not terrible though, just a little better paint detail would go a long way. 

I think my favorite is the Cobra Red Ninja followed closely by Snake Eyes. They just came out the best in my non- snaked eyes. I really like this type of mini figures sold at Dollar Tree and other similar stores. Basic inexpensive figurines of characters I like. They've got a particular charm about them and there's a thrill of buying a handful of them for $1 each. I hope to see more figures released. I'd love wacky colored repaints.

SPC. Shift

With Shift we're coming to an end of our weekly look at Final Faction toys until some new stuff comes out. Allegedly the vehicles are due sometime in the summer with the next batch of figures by fall. So you can be sure that I'll be talking about them when the time comes. For now, let's look at Shift, the ninja of Alpha Team 1. 

Shift comes with a set of swords that she can technically hold, but are molded together to mount on her back. I have seen folks trim them away to function as handheld swords. However if you've got the Covert Ops accessory set, there's plenty of appropriate to her character weaponry so that you can keep those swords as a backpack. Shift fills the role of ninja type warrior while adding a little variety to Alpha Team 1.

Augmented Combat Rescue Mech A.C.R.M

The coolest member of Alpha Team 1 is the A.C.R.M. Piloted by a disabled 15 year old kid named Boyd via virtual reality, the mech unit is a heavy hitter. The Air Assault weapons pack completes the figure adding wings, boosters, and gun pods. It's pretty hard not to look at this figure and be impressed. Especially as it only costs $1. A.C.R.M has been a pretty popular toy for customizers as well. I've seen everything from alternate colors to takes on other characters with the figure as the base. 

Like all of Final Faction, this is a 3 3/4 figure with 5 points of articulation. Similar to the Synthoid, it's a much more chunky toy and looks bigger in pictures. Also like the Synthoid, it's one of the more impressive figures in the line. At Toylanta, I was showing Buddy the figures and the two definitely blew him away. I don't want to oversell the toy, but it really does feel like a much more expensive than it is.

SGT. Steel

Continuing our weekly exploration of Dollar Tree's Final Faction toys brings us to SGT. Steel. Steel is a pretty cool dude as his sunglasses would imply. If the big wings on his back didn't clue you in, he's the jet pack flyer guy of Alpha Team 1. So far the members I've shown you have been heavy duty ground soldiers, so the variety is much appreciated. 

He's pretty much the Final Faction version of Red Falcon and that's pretty great. If you want to deck him out with accessories, I'd say the Air Assault and Covert Arms packs would suit him fine. Unfortunately Steel is the only Final Faction toy I've gotten that's had any QC issues. Mine wasn't screwed together well leading to a loose head. Fortunately all it takes to fix this is one of those tiny screw drivers they also sell at the Dollar Tree.

Hive Class Brute

The Kharn Brute Class specializes in power and destruction. They have very low intelligence and are controlled by a commander. Their skin is nearly impenetrable and it’s hard to take them down.

The Brute is a Kharn troop that resembles a demon straight from hell. These are the big bruisers that are usually carrying some heavy firepower into the battle and are twice as hard to kill the regular soldier. You know the type.

The figure comes with a big alien gun that looks like it would be more than enough in a fight. However the Quake Arms and Shock Arms accessory packs provide extra firepower to do some serious damage. It's really surprising to get such a cool figure for just a dollar. Let alone a completely cool line for a dollar each.

I'd Like To Buy That For A Dollar

Reports of new dollar store GIJOE mini figures have been floating around recently. I've been hot on the trail, but so far they've only been popping up at 99 Cent Store locations. I don't have any of those in Georgia. I do have plenty other discount chains though, and many closer by since moving this past summer. Realistically I could just make a day out of hitting them all up looking for these guys.

The toys are small, under two inches (I've seen them next to a M.A.S.K figure in comparison pictures) with no articulation. The figures look pretty great. There's also a Power Ranger series I'd love to find. Not sure if they're new though. I've just seen then on the pegs in pictures. At a dollar each (maybe more at some places) I'd scoop up one of each on sight.

By the end of summer when these stores start ramping up their Christmas stock I should be able to find them. If not sooner. I could see a fun morning spent hitting up each discount store on the hunt. It's been awhile since I've been on one of those drawstring backpack adventures. Just fill the thing up with dollar toys. Good times.

Hive Class Synthoid

"Synthoids are used in all Kharn operations and are not to be underestimated. They have very advanced technology, a synthetic biology, and are highly intelligent" 

Today we're looking at the Synthoid. These guys look like a cross between a shark and a space ship with some insect thrown in for good measure. The figure comes as you see here out of the package, but can be decked out with the Synthoid Pack accessory set. This gives you an alternate set of arms and back mounted gun pods for extra fire power. It's a pretty cool extra option.

I appreciate the far out sci fi look of Synthoids. The other two Kharn figures look like extras from Doom while these guys are classic B movie aliens. The colors are great, but like others in the Final Faction group... I want to see these guys in translucent colors. The Synthoid specifically would look great in random florescent transparent plastic. I could really see myself driving to a bunch of different Dollar Tree's and stocking up on all the different ones I could find. Maybe stop by McDonald's for lunch. Get a McDouble or two.

It's The Final Count... Faction

The Dollar Tree is one of my favorite stores to pop into. Between low priced household goods (the excuse for a visit) and random surprises (the reason for a visit) you can find a lot of neat things for not a lot of money.

Seemingly out of nowhere, Dollar Tree dropped their new exclusive sci fi toy line called 'Final Faction' sometime in November. It's pretty great and at a dollar each, it's easy to complete them all.

Alpha Team 1 (the good guys) vs the Kharn (the bad guys with the fate of the Earth left in the balance. The figures are 1:18 scale with five points of articulation (generally) which is a sweet spot for me. 

The highlight of the line so far is the additional accessories sold separately in themed packs. Extra guns, weapon pods, and even flight packs can be attached to the figures for a level of customization I didn't expect.

 

There's more figures on the way and even a vehicle! The sculpting and paint isn't too bad either. I do anticipate some sweet custom work done on these. There's even an animated series on the Dollar Tree's YouTube channel. I've only gave it a quick glance, so I don't have much of an opinion yet. It does appear to be pretty kid friendly, which is what I'd expect. 

It's hard not to like such a fun line with so much variety. Even harder not to like it at the super low price. I really like the colorful packaging and presentation of everything. The figures look familiar while being something new. 2020 has been a crazy year. Who'd ever think a Dollar Tree exclusive toy line would end it with such a mic drop?

Soundwave Is A Discount Store Alpha

They call these larger 7 inch Authentics 'Alpha' class. I don't know why. They do the naming, I do the buying. Call it taco class for all I care. Recently my wife picked me up the Authentics Alpha Class Soundwave from the Dollar General near her work. Thankfully so as I've been looking for him. As far as the Authentics figures have gone, I've been getting the Alpha (7 inch) and Bravo (5 inch) class figures happily. For a low price they're just the thing. I haven't bothers with the Titan Changers or that big ass Bumblebee. I may later, just right now I don't feel compelled to. 

Like other Authentics, Soundwave uses the 'Evergreen' design. Evergreen is a newer Transformers design aesthetic used for oddball things like gift cards and random toys without being attached to a current cartoon. It's basically traditional Transformers, just a little modernized. Safe to throw on that party balloon or discount toy that may be on a shelf for a few years without looking dated. I think it's a pretty good idea. You've got generic Spider-Man, Generic Batman... why not generic Transformers? 

Soundwave as a robot isn't too bad. He's a discount store toy sold for a low price and there's some cost cutting measures in full view. He's $10 for a 7 inch toy, which is about the size of a Generations Voyager class Transformers. Those sell for $30 for perspective. Soundwave is pretty hollow. Like, know how the buildings in a movie studio are just a facade? The walls you see are the only ones they've built and that's the level of hollowness Soundwave has going on here. It doesn't bother me much. I know for the discount price there's going to be some cost cutting measures. I know a cup of ramen noodles isn't the same as an expensive steak dinner and I'm not going to kid myself about it. At the same time, I still love a good cup of ramen noodles. This cheap Soundwave? Yeah, I dig him. He's cool.

 

They don't make tape players anymore. I'm sorry, it's just a fact and those don't change unfortunately. Modern toys of Soundwave are generally tasked with working around that and a common alt mode for him is a communications truck of sorts. That's what they did here and it works pretty well. It's blocky and works with his role as communications officer. 

This particular communications truck is some kind of armored sports crossover SUV. Considering the low cost of the toy, it's a pretty solid alt mode with hardly any visible lines. You transform Soundwave by arranging his arms and legs much as you normally do car based Transformes and his backpack snaps over to create the hood. All you really have to do extra is arrange his gun and uh... sound receiver dish (?) into place on the roof of the truck. 

I'm kind of not sure what to make of the truck. It looks good, but could use a little extra color that the discount store toy budget isn't going to allow for. Thanks to it's angles I can't get Machine Wars Soundwave out of my head when I look at it. Stalker from Euro G1, Machine Wars or Universe Soundwave. That toy mold. The colors those toys came in are the ones I'd really like to see on this toy. It'll never happen, but it'd be neat. I see this truck and think there's another toy coming that'll use the mold tooling. Blaster or Sounblaster probably.

 

I mentioned his gun and communications thingy right? They can be used in a variety of ways. Either held in hands, on shoulder mounted pegs, or the roof of the truck. The communications dish thingy has a flat peg with specific flat peg holes for it's placement... but still fits just fine in round holes. The gun has a standard round peg and won't fit in the square holes. I shouldn't have to explain that, but there's always that one dude.

If you put the gun in Soundwave's shoulders like I have in the picture up top, you'll get a more classic Soundwave look. It looks right in hand ready to blast somebody too. The plastic used on the toy is different than what's used on normal retail Transformers. It's pretty hard and despite the hollowness of the toy gives it a feeling of solidness. You can probably see the stress lines on the gun in the picture. They were like that right out of the package without any visible reason why. It's not broke and there's no white in the plastic that would lead me to believe the plastic is weakened. I have no clue.

I'm pretty happy with Soundwave overall. He might be hollow, but he's a big chunky robot toy and I do love those. Without any doubt he's Soundwave and he nails the classic look. Like I said, for the low price these Authentics are just the thing and fun to buy. He's got a fair amount of articulation and I had fun playing around with him in my living room. You really can't ask for more than that. Unless you're an asshole.

Beast Morphers, Unleash The Wacky Wall Beast

Hey, know how I was at the Dollar Tree the other day? Well, I also got some more Wall Walkers. I had been getting the Transformers variety and if I liked current WWE performers (I don't) I'd probably grab some of those. They're a silly fun blind bag toy for a buck each. I didn't expect to see Beast Morphers in the selection and the surprise of it made me shit my pants. Not literally, I'm joking. You gave to spell things out for people sometimes.

I grabbed four packs. These aren't the kind of blind bag I go crazy over and try to complete the set. These are the kind I'll grab a couple of and hope I don't get too many doubles. Speaking off, I'm like 4 ghosts away from completing the Scooby-Doo Playmobil series and each new shelf box has new codes... it's pretty frustrating. Dammit. Just like the others in the Wall Walker toys at Dollar Tree, the Beast Morpher versions are colored plastic with decals to distinguish each character. The body shape of the walker doesn't look too silly on the Power Rangers as they're people in spandex normally. In fact they make for pretty good representations.

I got two Blaze's, one Roxy, and one Blue Ranger. Not bad. If I were to get two of a Beast Morpher, I'd rather it be Blaze. I like him the most out of the characters. His bat armor looks cool. Just like the Transformers versions, I'll be grabbing a few of these on trips in the Dollar Tree. I've really liked Beast Morphers, it's in it's mid-season break of it's last season. I'm sure I'll enjoy Dino Fury next year, but currently I'm just not as excited for it as I've been for Beast Morphers. Guess I'll just have to throw it to the wall and see if it sticks.

Teenage Dollar Store Turtles

I sure do enjoy me some TMNT, but it can be a complicated thing to enjoy. Multiple versions, things change, I change. I've admittedly went back and forth between which version of the turtles I prefer at the moment. I generally hover between the original cartoon, the original comic, and the original movies. I do like the newer cartoons/movies, just not as much as the ones I listed first. It's just a preference.

I don't have to explain to regular readers my love of mini figures or discount stores, but if you're new, I love them. For some time I was eyeing a set of TMNT mini figures at Family Dollar for around $6. That'd get you a turtle and another character toy. The turtle was a pretty good approximation of the original Playmates figures and I wanted them pretty bad. However the other figure were based on newer figures and frankly the sculpts didn't do it for me. Not that they were terrible, it was just jarring enough for me to not want to spend the $24 for all 4 turtles when half the package I had no urge to own. Recently they've been refreshing the sets with newer figures based on the Nickelodeon cgi series.

The cgi series isn't bad and tends to homage itself more on the original cartoon. So these new mini figures from it make for a good set of turtles I'd like, but once again, they come with those other figures. The Dollar Tree, tends to feed my blind bag toy and mini figure hunger on frequent visits and for not a lot of money. I'd like to take a second to explain I just misspelled 'and' and my efforts to correct it resulted in many more misspellings. Fuck you 'and'.

The Dollar Tree had the newer figures individually packaged for a dollar each (it's kinda their gimmick) and talk about an easy sell. I really wish the set I was speaking about earlier was available for the same, but I'll gladly take these little guys. They're simple little figurines of the turtles with basic paint jobs in 'action' poses. Kinda look like something I would have gotten in a box of cereal and now I wish I would have. Because that would have completed the set going in blind. Achievements would have been unlocked.

If the boxes in the background didn't serve as a clue in addition to my multiple mentions, I'm moving. My current plan for these little guys is sticking them next to my micro consoles in the new Zone Base headquarters. Or maybe next to the little keyboard tablet set up that'll go in that room somewhere. They're just the right little thing for such a set up. Cowabunga indeed.