Welcome back to Planet Zone for a new week of robots, monsters, and misadventure! I had a great weekend and hope you did too! The Mrs and I got some great Code Orange shopping done (we got a Bluey Halloween blow mold!) and I managed to get some great TV viewing in. Episodes of Ronin Warriors, Gobots, Robotech, Transformers, Ghostbusters, some Godzilla and Universal Monsters movies... all around good stuff! Now that I see there was an update to Star Wars Hunters, I wish some gaming time was had.
As far as new toys go, Party Wallop finally came in and I found the Studio Series Concept Art Megatron from the Bumblebee movie. Some great toys that will eventually get covered here in the coming weeks. Speaking of, Pumpkin Spiced Mayhem is just around the corner and we're gearing up for the wildest one yet! Tfcon Toronto and G-Fest were also going on this weekend. There's some great pictures and videos from the two shows conventions online making me wish I was there! Well Zone Base readers, it's time to get this week started. Thank you all for supporting the site and sharing it with your friends. Time to enjoy an iced coffee and pass around the Mutual High Fives!
Rounding out the Fright Features figures from Frozen Empire is Phoebe Spengler, arguably the main character of the new movies. Phoebe is a little older in Frozen Empire and her Fright Feature uses the larger body mold and a new head sculpt instead of reusing her Afterlife figure. She still has the same amount of articulation and Neutrona Wand/Proton pack we're all used to by now. Her ghostly partner to hunt, Bonesy, is a real standout. Bonesy is a Class III. Distinct Human Form, meaning he's a straight up traditional scary ghost. A skeletal ghoul with big bugged out eyes in a very pleasant blue color with the Ecto-Stretch Tech gimmick allowing him to be squished and squeezed all over the place.
He's probably my favorite ghost from this group of Fright Features toys. I really wish the other characters from the movie would get new Fright Features figures as I really do enjoy the line. It's got a solid modern take on the classic Real Ghostbusters figures and everything just hits the right notes. Hopefully the upcoming animated series will be cause for some down the line.
We met Egon's daughter, Callie, in Ghostbusters Afterlife. She makes her Fright Features debut in the current Frozen Empire batch of figures. In Frozen Empire, the Ghostbusters have become something of a family business. Callie finds herself busting ghosts with the gang. As a figure, Callie has the standard Hasbro Fright Feature body with a new head sculpt. She has the same proton pack as well, the current Fright Features are a bit uniform I suppose. However her partner ghost to bust is Possessor, whose actually quite a menace. Possessor is a Class VIII. Full Possessor ghost meaning he can posses and fully control any inanimate object. Without intentionally spoiling anything, Possessor cause the team a lot of trouble.
I enjoy his partner ghost sculpt. Like all Hasbro Fright Features toys, Callie and Possessor have an old school charm and are very similar to Kenner's The Real Ghostbusters figures. Possessor is an Ecto-Strecth Tech toy and can stretch all over like other similar figures. Like the other Ecto- Stretch Tech ghosts, he can be placed over Callie (or any other figure) to slime or possess. This is a fun little line and I hope more toys come in the future. Especially with the upcoming cartoon.
Empire of Old weekend was quite the adventure. I've made my thoughts on the movies known in the past two posts, but my birthday and Easter were pretty great! The Mrs absolutely spoiled me on my birthday as did my Mother and Brother. I got all sorts of toys and cool stuff. Too much to list here. Ate some great food, probably too much... but I'll get back on the wagon Monday. Just had a cheat weekend instead of a weekly cheat day. It was a special occasion! Well, I'll keep this weeks update short and thank all of you for reading Zone Base! There's a fun week of content coming for your eyeballs. Please don't forget to share the site with your friends, and Mutual High Fives all around!
I just got home from my first movie of the Empire of Old double feature weekend. I have been looking for the newest Ghostbusters movie since it was announced and despite my viewing being delayed a week, was VERY excited to see the newest adventure. Considering the movie is just a week old at this point and just opening in other countries now... I'll try my best to avoid spoilers. That being said, this was an absolute blast. Frozen Empire feels more like a feature length episode of the Real Ghostbusters than a movie. One of the new team members is even a direct homage to the animated version of Egon.
That's a good thing as after 40 years I want to feel the 40 years of Ghostbusters in the newest movie. Frozen Empire is a solid adventure with a great story. Garraka is a solid final boss and a serious threat. I enjoyed the idea of getting the chills being used as weapon. As a long time Ghostbusters fan, the variety of ghosts and gadgets was pure euphoria. The various story lines of each character was a real treat as well. There was a big cast and everyone had their own thing going on in addition to the main plot.That made the movie so much better, there was just so much going on. My only disappointment was when it ended. Great movie.
Getting back to our look at the Frozen Empire Fright Features figures is Gary Grooberson! Gary is Phoebe and Podcast's teacher from Afterlife who was a fan of the Ghostbusters that was all but ready to join the team and date Callie (Trevor and Phobe's mom). Gary was played by Paul Rudd, who felt like a really natural choice for Ghostbusters. I kinda want to pair this figure up with my Toony Terrors Michael Myers so the two can have a rematch. Gary is your standard Hasbro Fright Features figure. There's nothing really new to talk about with him other than it's good to see him as a figure... I liked Gary. This feels natural. I do wish these newer Fright Features toys had more life outside of a movie release. I'd love to see variations of them like the original Kenner toys.
This Gary figure would be a natural Ecto-Glow Heroes release. Gary has the standard Proton Pack accessory and comes packaged with Pukey. Pukey is a newer ghost and a Class V. Full Roaming Vapor like Slimer. Pukey appears in Frozen Empire and has a variety of merchandise on the way. I'm looking forward to seeing him on screen as I enjoy his Ecto-Stretch toy. As an Ecto-Stretch ghost, Pukey can be pulled or mashed around or placed over a Ghostbusters head for Ecto-Stretch fun. He's a cool looking ghost and like Slimer is oddly sculpted kinda scary compared to Gary. Not complaining about that! Gary and Pukey make for a fun release and have me gearing up more for the new movie. Which by the time your reading this will be out. I'm holding off seeing it until this following weekend in a double feature with Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire on my birthday during my Empire of Old weekend. Waiting that week will feel like an eternity.
Light 'em up, a new week is starting up! Not just any week, the first special event week of the year on Zone Base! Toylanta is this week and with it comes my annual con report MEGA-POST! Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire also comes out in the US this weekend. Of course I'll be waiting to see it until next weekend with Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire on my birthday Empire of Old double feature. I'm excited, two big weekends in a row!
I'm going to be exhausted.
This was a fun weekend. I got some rest and enjoyed some great food. My cheat meal for the week was some pizza on Saturday and the wife made low sodium tacos Sunday! Speaking of Saturday and Godzilla X Kong, I stopped by Circle K with hopes to find their GxK tie in stuffs! The breakfast sandwich was sold out and the candy bar was nowhere to be found. However they did have the slushies! No special cups either, but I went in with low expectations from a gas station movie tie in. Godzilla Blast is a cherry slush, while Kong Crush was blue raspberry. It was a delightful experience drinking the two, even if the store under delivered on product. I drank the two with straws crossed in an X. Because they're teaming up.
That was a lot of sugar.
I did get a few things. As it's been the past few weeks, Toylanta and my birthday are coming up. So I didn't want to buy myself much. However, I did pick up the GxK Suko and Doug 2 pack. The set has been tricky to get as everyone wants a Doug, and so did I! Not to be outdone, my Mom stopped by for dinner Sunday bringing gifts. Some odd TMNT figures she found at a thrift store. As well as MOTU Origins Mossman, Earthspark Spin Changers Bumblebee, and some Transformers Classic Hero team figures that she had picked up on clearance. I've already got a Mossman, but don't mind having another. I wasn't counting on buying that Bumblebee, but am suprised with how fun he is. Delightfully Super Robot for a modern toy. The Classic Heros? Delightful.
Well, time to finish my coffee and this episode of AEW Collision on my DVR. I've got some chores to do as well as get ready for the convention. The con bag needs to be prepared and I've got to find a way to survive the short week before Toylanta! It's only a 4 day work week, but will feel like FOREVER. Speaking of fun, have you tried the new Cold Foam Creamer from International Delight? Wonderful. Making lattes at home has never been easier. Well, we've got one heck of a week in store. These special events on the site are a blast. Thank you so much for reading Zone Base. This would be a great week to share the site with your friends, I mean dude... Toylanta! Mutal high fives everyone!
It's Monday Zone Base readers and time for a new week of fun! I had a good weekend despite it starting off with some routine medical testing Friday. It's just something I don't enjoy and am thankful to be over with. With Toylanta and my birthday nearing, I haven't bought myself much. However did pick up Turtles of Grayskull He-Man and a Ghostbusters Fright Features Phoebe from Frozen Empire. Saturday was Microman Day, which celebrated the 50th anniversary of Microman. This being the 40th Anniversary of Transformers, this is an important milestone to observe. I enjoyed seeing various toy bloggers post pics of Microman toys in celebration and joined in on the fun by posting pictures of the most recent Micronauts themed Battle Tribes toys. Sunday was Mar10, aka Mario Day. I enjoyed the various Super Mario Bros news and played Super Mario Bros 2 for awhile in observance. Not to be left out, Godzilla: Minus One won an Oscar! I don't watch the Awards, but am so happy for the movie! It really was an amazing film. Not to be left out was a online Digimon convention full of news. I look forward to those new Digivices! I also managed to watch several episodes of Samurai Pizza Cats and The Adventures of Super Mario Bros 3. A surprisingly fun, but simple weekend. I've got some errands to run and some chores that need to be done. So it's time to end this and get to work. I've got a fun week in store for you all. Thank you for reading Zone Base and please don't forget to share the site with your friends. Mutal high fives everyone!
The newer Ghostbusters films intentionally have the flavor of The Real Ghostbusters (with a healthy dose of original movie love) with the newest film, Frozen Empire, made specifically to feel like an episode of the classic cartoon. It's only fitting that Hasbro named their tie in toy line Fright Features as a callback to the Kenner Ghostbusters toys based on that same show. Unlike the original Fright Features, these newer figures themselves don't contain a gimmick. Their partner ghosts, however, do. Frozen Empire's Fright Features ghost gimmick is Ecto-Stretch Tech.
This makes the ghost a rubbery, stretchy little ghoul that's fun to play with and can also be stretched over the figure's head simulating being slimed, possessed, or other ghostly interactions. The figures themselves are basic 'core' style action figures that come with a standard proton pack. Trevor returns from Afterlife a little older, but still the teenage grandson of Egon Spengler. From what I can tell, Trevor seems to be a straight reprint of the Afterlife figure paired with a Ecto-Stretch Tech Slimer. Like the prior Hasbro Fight Features figures, Tevor is 4" with five points of articulation. Obviously a fairly basic toy, but considering all you get in the box for $9... not bad. Not to mention, the stylized sculpting paired with the basic articulation gives it a strong Kenner flavor. It works. Trevor includes the same Proton Pack used in the Afterlife Fright Features toys.
It's a decent version of the weapon with the Pack attaching firmly via a per and the Neutrona Wand that can either mount on the pack or be held. Slimer is pleasantly sculpted to match his movie appearance. The Ecto-Stretc Tech ghosts are actually quite scary compared to their human counterparts. That's pretty neat, I would have understood them being more cartoony. Slimer is very rubbery and can be squished and stretched. He's also hollow and thanks to an opening on his back, can fit over Trevor's head and be stretched over. It's a silly gimmick that's fun to fiddle with. I feel like this is a fun way to 'slime' the figure without making a mess. I'm excited to see Frozen Empire and Trevor is a fun start to a new series of Fright Features figures. There's a new vintage series of the classic Real Ghostbuster toys running along side these for additional Ghostbusting. Looks like we have a fun Spooky Spring in store for us Zone Base readers!
Oh dammit, it's already Monday. This weekend flew by just as I was getting used to it. I don't have much to report other than some weekly shopping and house work. Well, we watched 1000lbs Sisters. Not sure how many episodes this season has left, but it's been a doozy. Started watching MOTU Revolution as well, love it. I'll be sure to finish it up soon. I was initially apprehensive about a Kevin Smith He-Man cartoon, but he actually made a good show! There's also a new Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire trailer out today, let's take a look!
Man it looks great! My viewing will be delayed though. The movie actually comes out Toylanta weekend. HOWEVER, the following weekend is my birthday and the release of Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire. I'm going celebrate the Empire of old by watching both!
Man, it's gonna be one hell of a week. Toylanta, Ghostbusters, Godzilla and Kong, and my birthday! Getting old is exciting! Not to mention Easter is the following Sunday! Dang! While I didn't get any Transformers this weekend, I did bring home toys related to this post! I picked up Vintage Collection Fright Features Winston (Target seems to just have one at a time) and Frozen Empire Fright Features Gary! The Mrs suprised me with a Jada Metalfig Godzilla from the new movie and I picked up Shimu from the same line later. These are mini figures similar to the Transformers or TMNT ones sold at Five Below. I really like them. Not to be outdone was a vs 2 pack of Evolution Godzilla vs Shimu which I think is Walmart exclusive. Speaking of TMNT, my Mom suprised me with a plush Leonardo!
January is almost over and Transform Squadron is running a little behind. It was actually a little busy this month and I'm also experimenting with a new recording set up. So, sorry for the delay, but it's coming eventually! I may not have a new podcast this week, but I do have a fun week planned. Thanks to everyone for reading Zone Base. If you like what I'm doing, thanks! Please share the site with your friends and let's all have great week! Mutual High Fives everyone!
How was everyone's weekend? Mine was pretty good. Did some shopping with the Mrs and I assembled our new exercise bike. Got some cool stuff as well! The new Ghostbusters movie is coming soon, and with it cool toys! The retro series is continuing with reissues of the original Fright Features figures. I found Venkman with Gruesome Twosome. I hope to find the other three without any trouble. Not to be outdone, Target also had new Fright Features figures from the new movie! Like Afterlife, Frozen Empire Fright Features figures are a more basic/core type figure with the ghost partner figure having the 'Fright Feature'. I picked up Trevor with Slimer. The ghosts this time are stretchy toys that have some GREAT sculpts. This is going to be a fun line. I ultimately missed a few of the Afterlife figures, here's hoping they pop back up with this new movie. Speaking of, never found the vintage Ecto-1 either. Dangit.
There's also a new series of Ghostbusters blind box toys out. The toys are a mixture of Mini Pufts and Slimer toys in a variety of poses. I got a sneaky Mini Puft and looking forward to more. Speaking of, the box is patterned after the containment unit. I also grabbed a Micro Galaxy Squadron blind box from the new series 4. Got a Clone Trooper with a Speeder Bike. I've really got to start covering those more here. I've got quite the armory of tiny Star Wars vehicles thanks to this line. As far as Transformers go, I picked up the Jada Bumblebee mini figure at Five Below. There's 3 more in the assortment, but all they had was BB. Not complaining about starting the series with a favorite. I've got the Energon Megatron and Tasmania Kid Core Class figures on the way allegedly arriving today. Really enjoying how Legacy United is shaping up. I'm very excited about Armorizers. Normally I've got posts scheduled out a few weeks in advance, but rushed out Magneous and Bouldercrash posts as I just want to swim in my love for rock robot toys. Hope you all enjoy content bombing!
I've got a fun week of content coming this week. Thank you for supporting Zone Base. I've got 2024 in mind to be the best year for the site yet! There's going to be plenty of robots, monsters, and misadventure all year! 2024 is looking chock-full of the kind of stuff this site is all about (I've seen upcoming Halloween stuff, it's going to be great!). If you like what I'm doing, thanks! Please share the site and let's all have a great week! Mutual High Fives!
It’s Christmas and… what should Rob talk about? He doesn’t know either, so it seems like a good time to wrap up the year with a few random subjects and a look at next year!
Another Monday has come to ruin the fun we were having all weekend. However Zone Base is here to help make your week a little bit more awesome. This weekend was spent with the Mrs watching paranormal videos and old Halloween specials. A little shopping resulted in some fun toys. A trip to Ollie's brought Bug-Eye Ghost and Fearsome Flush home for pretty cheap. Now if I could just find that Ecto-1, the vintage collection would be complete! I'm pretty close on the Fright Features figures from Afterlife, so hopefully Ollie's will eventually come through.
A trip to Walmart finally brought me Legacy Inferno! The original is one my my favorite Predacon toys, so this update was much desired. Now if I can ever find Transmetal 2 Megatron or the new Armada updates. When they update favorites, I can't say no. The back to school section is always fun. A few weeks ago, I got some cool Star Wars stationary. Saturday I found a Stranger Things notepad with some way cool Demogorgon and Hellfire Club art. It looks like the old occult books I checked out from the library back in the day.
There was also time spent doing household chores and much playing of AEW Fight Forever on our PS5. Currently I'm eating breakfast and drinking some iced coffee. It's a rainy day, but it's Ultraman Day! So there will be plenty of Ultraman watched on Tokushoutsu before work tonight. I've got a fun week planned for all you readers. Thank you so much for reading Zone Base and supporting my nonsense. Please share posts with your friends and check me out on Threads!
This weekend sure did go by faster than I'd liked. Oh well, but that doesn't mean we're not going to have a great week Zone Base readers! Over the weekend my routine trip to At Home resulted in some Halloween fun! They had plan-o-grams taped up! The spooky stuff will be arriving soon. I spied a little stock on the feader shelves! They did have some decorative pumpkin candles and I totally grabbed one!
A stop by Cracker Barrel for some exclusive Squishmallows for the Mrs resulted in another bit of early Halloween fun. They had quite a bit available and we left with a cool vintage black cat sign. They also had a pack of dinosaur egg bots that I plan to get later. There's quite a bit I'm looking for now, so I'm being a little frugal.
Walmart has Sandstorm and Buzzsaw! They also had Nightprowler, but I'd already gotten that pre order in. The other pre orders were canceled and they were bought on sight. I'm not a fan of all these pre orders as is, but when they keep moving the shipping dates back, I like them even less. Walmart also had Fright Features Lucky! She was bought on site as well. None of the other Ghostbusters toys were there, but I'll take what I can get. There's a lot I'm looking for, so what I found was exciting.
The Mrs and I fell asleep in the living room after some dinner. This resulted in me waking up super early Sunday. Sunday was Ultraman Day and the time allowed me to put in some extra viewing of episodes. Tokushoutsu was doing an all day marathon and getting in some episodes of Ultra Q was a real treat! We had to stop by Five Below before getting groceries as our order had issues resulting in cancelation. It's convenient to order groceries, but occasionally annoying.
Five Below lately has been having volumes of the Attack on Titan manga and the newest was available. I also picked up a cool Power Rangers building block set. The Rangers with their motorcycles are available and I grabbed Green Ranger! I'll likely get the Red one later. Got some stuff for podcasting and just stuff we needed.
We intended to do a bunch of house work, but some of that will have to wait until later. Tacos were eaten and Code Orange videos were watched. Plans to order the Nintendo sundaes from Cold Stone Creamery were made, but canceled as delivery orders were expected to take way too long. I almost forgot to mention the cool office stuff I got at Walmart Saturday. A new Trapper Keeper and some notebooks were bought including a Marvel Mech Strike Monster Hunters one! I wasn't expecting to find that but was so happy to have that opportunity!
I've been making TikTok and Reels on Mondays the past few weeks. The Reels are much more popular, but it's flattering that they all get viewers. I don't think I'll be doing any today as I'm pretty wiped out. I stayed up too late watching Ultraman and playing Castlevania Legends on my Family Pocket. It's not the highest regarded Castlevania game, but I can have fun with it still. Today also is the one year anniversary of getting sick last year. I'm doing much better now, but can't help but to look back on how everything changed that day. I've got some errands to run, which is much better than what I was doing last year today.
I've got a fun week planned for you all. I hope everyone has been enjoying the Spooky Summer posts. I made a change to them this year and it's been fun to make. Though, Halloween is just around the corner and I've been culling some really fun stuff for pumpkin spiced mayhem! Thank you for continuing to support Zone Base. It really does mean a lot that you all continue to do so. Please don't forget to share with your friends!
In this June of 2022 edition of something- Rob talks
about the infamous Walmart Pose Skeleton knock off, Kinder Jurassic World
toys, and the Transformers TV channel. He also talks about a few other
things, but bullet points y'all.
It's Monday and that means it's the start of a new week here on Planet Zone! It's Sunday night as I'm writing this at my desk here at work. Thanksgiving is one of the holidays that I work on Sunday night to compensate for the offset holiday week. Even though I only had Saturday off, I still had a pretty good weekend. The Mrs an I got our groceries in person instead of the normal delivery service. Being Thanksgiving we needed a lot and sometimes it's just better to pick things out. Saturday night we saw Ghostbusters Afterlife. Which you've already read about. I totally schedule posts to publish later than when I wrote them normally. YOLO.
After the movie, the Mrs wanted to stop by Target for something and I was hoping to find a Winston with Slimer. I totally failed on that but did get a MOTU Origins Faker. Score. It's going to be a shorter week, I could really use the mini vacation the holiday will give me. However that doesn't mean it won't be a fun week here, I've got one of those in mind. I'm thankful for all of you continuing to read and support my weird little site. Please share with your friends and pass the cranberry sauce!
This past Saturday I finally got to see Ghostbusters Afterlife. It was a happy moment as it's been 2 years since the trailer first hit the internet. That was before covid-19 happened and everything changed. I got my tickets last week and happily enjoyed a movie that never seemed like I was going to get to watch. It was well worth the wait, this was a wonderful movie. To give a little perspective, this is Ghostbusters part 3.
The 2016 reboot is ignored. Like the video game (which at the time was considered part 3) it follows up on the Gozer plot line from the original movie. Part 2 isn't ignored (and it's still cannon) as Ray's book shop is in the movie as is the Vigo portrait. They had more than one adventure you know. If I could compare it to another movie, it'd be Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Strongly played off the original movie while setting up future films. Future films is something I'd be more than happy to see. I like this series. You may have noticed.
I'm not give a review here. Nor am I going to spoil anything(intentionally anyway). I'm just going to talk about something I like. I like Ghostbusters and I liked this movie. I didn't like the movie just because I like Ghostbusters, I liked it also because it was a good movie. Fortunately it was a good Ghostbusters movie. I like the new kids, Phoebe and Podcast were particularly fun new versions of Egon and Ray. In fact Podcast was the one kid I didn't have an opinion about going in and came out liking a whole lot.
Trevor and Lucky I assumed were going to get much bigger roles, but they came in second while still getting decent screen time. Admittedly Lucky got less than all four, but I honestly can't see what else she could have done. Well, I'd like to see more of how she got to the dirt farm in the final act. Not exactly going to lose any sleep over how some characters got to locations. It's a movie and I have a life. Once again it was a good movie, so I wasn't too hung up on 'how' and instead was preoccupied with watching it unfold. It would be a safe assumption that the kids would play out like a copy of Stranger Things. I wouldn't have had too much of a problem with that, but also happy that they felt more like an indie movie initially. Considering it's directed by Jason Reitman, that's not surprising.
The movie manages to feel like a Ghostbusters movie while also feeling like something new. That's cool, it's a new team, it needs to have it's own identity. It's funny, scary, emotional, and nostalgic. The way a Ghostbusters film with this story should be. It even felt a little like The Real Ghostbusters with some of the equipment and plot. It's nice to wait so long for something and leave completely satisfied. It's been a long two years since that trailer first hit the internet. Here's hoping there's more to come. If not, then hey, they left on a strong note.
It's Monday and you know what that means! It's a new week here on Planet Zone! Also, the last normal week on the site for awhile. Next week is Thanksgiving, and it'll be a weird week offset by the holiday. Then starting soon after will be Zone Base's annual Christmas Chaos! We'll be celebrating Christmas together here on the site all December. It doesn't matter if you've been naughty or nice, but a good sense of humor helps.
This past weekend was pretty good. The Mrs surprised me with a MOTU Origins Merman before I left for work Friday. Not just any Merman, but the Lords of Power version. Super cool! The following Saturday we made a visit to Walmart which rewarded me with Kingdom Soundwave! Not just that, but we bought our tickets to Ghostbusters Afterlife this coming weekend. The rest of the weekend was spent decorating our house for Christmas. What? We can love more than one holiday. I need to grab a few more lights for the bushes outside!
I've got a fun week in mind for the site. Thanks to each and every one of you for continuing to support Zone Base. As always, share with your friends!
