ToyLanta 2026!

It’s time once again for ToyLanta!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I swear it was just Sunday...

Good morning! Another week has begun on Planet Zone. Another week of robots, monsters, and misadventure! I hope everyone had a great weekend, mine was just what I needed after a rough week. The last two weekends had been ones spent at home due to the winter weather, so getting out was a lot of fun. We finally finished the Mrs birthday shopping weekend with a trip to Daiso! We really love it there, if only one were closer with the closest being about 40 minutes away with some less than ideal traffic. While my focus was on showing her a good time (we also went to other stores she likes), I picked up a few fun things for myself. Some new tweezers for smaller parts and stickers for when my bent tweezers aren't a good fit. Some retractable cutters for various reasons and to fill in for that missing hobby knife. I also picked up a Shin Chan pouch to store the new site stickers in when out and about. A Street Fighter acrylic standee and an eraser set of a gorilla, toilet, and poop. Yep, I bought pooping keshi. I got a few other things, but those are most notable. I doubt my new tablet bag is that interesting to you.

I also picked up Blast-Off and Sureshot from Age of the Primes. I guess the universe heard my annoyance at being behind on the line and threw me a bone. I spent a lot of time catching up with Kamen Rider Zezt some and playing games this weekend. I finally got that SD Card into my Gamestation Go and played my Switch 2 as well. My Blokees Wheels came in during the week and I built 3 as well as 4 Defender Version kits. Wheels are very interesting, more so than I thought they'd be going in. I'm going to enjoy this line. Wonderfest Winter took place this weekend and I've been appreciative of pictures from the event. There's going to be a lot of time spent perusing them.

The new Voltron movie finally got announced to be released this year on Amazon Prime Video later this year. Hasbro will be handling the toys and with Toy Fair around the corner, it looks exciting! Speaking of, Armored Cyber Changer Arachnid got leaked this weekend. She looks great and I hope more reveals will come from Toy Fair. Speaking of shows that I'm looking forward to images from, All Hail Cybertron will be taking place in March. An all Transformers doujin event looks to be amazing and I wish I could go! Hopefully plenty of pictures will find their way online. Well, I've got some chores and exercise to do. I hope everyone has a great week, there's a bunch of fun posts coming your way here on the site. Thank you for reading Zone Base. Please remember to share the site with your friends and be excellent to each other!

FirePower Robo [BeastBox/1/4 Squad]

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

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

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

SacredPower Robo [BeastBox/1/4 Squad]

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

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

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

Bio Boosted Monday

Hello Zone Base readers! Welcome back for another week of robots, monsters, and misadventure! I hope you all are doing well and had a great weekend. Mine was pretty fun itself! The Mrs and I went to Target and bought Halloween stuff at Spirit & Home Depot. Mom came over for Sunday dinner and we ordered Japanese. I enjoyed my favorite combo of cucumber, sweet potato, and spicy yellow tail rolls while finally watching the new Superman. Loved it btw. Blokees were built with Most Extreme Elimination Challenge playing in the background and some Pumpkin Jack was played. 

As for toys, yeah, I got some. At Target I picked up a Godzilla- All Monsters Encyclopedia capsule. I got MechaGodzilla! This is a fun gatchapon series by Bandai that's sold as a blind bag here in the states. Inside the package is a mini diorama. I've gotten one before, but haven't seen them available since spring. At Spirit, I picked up another capsule of Tiny Mights Ghost Face figures as well as some assorted Halloween goodies. Five Below is supposed to be getting the new Universal Studios Tiny Mights capsules, so I need to make a visit. This series isn't specifically the Universal Monsters, but characters like Chucky and Michael Myers. Films released by Universal that you're likely to see on the Universal Monsters channel. That's a great concept for a series and way to get figures of these characters out!

I ordered Cyberworld Wheeljack and Mirage Saturday night after we got home. My local stores only currently have wave 1 Cyberworld toys further leading to more and more online ordering from me. Not a big deal... and the way the world is going, but I love the instant gratification of buying in store. I see everyone is enjoying the Halloween party here on the site. We've still got around 6 weeks of Pumpkin Spiced Mayhem to enjoy and plenty of trick or treating to do! It's time to get this week started Zone Base readers. Thank you all for coming back and supporting the site. Please share it with your friends and Mutual High Fives everyone!

Ghostface [Tiny Mights/Ghostface]

I've been eyeing Tiny Mights for a while now. Their Scooby Doo and Batman sets never arrived at my Walmart stores like I had been seeing online and that was pretty disappointing. Earlier this year when their horror offerings were made known, I started salivating. Fortunately a recent trip to Spirit Halloween resulted in finding a box of their Ghostface series by the check out. Let's take a look at the pack I got. Tiny Mights like to pack their keshi in capsules that match the series. I say that regretting I didn't snap a picture of the Ghostface capsule mine came in, but you should check it out (not an affiliated link). It's great. There's 3 mini figures included and they're a great size. There's a multitude of sculpts and colors in opaque and translucent varieties to collect.

In my pack I got a a translucent yellow holding a scythe, a pink Dead By Daylight version in the classic Kinnikuman pose, and a solid black running with a machete. These look amazing and I'm having a hard time picking a favorite. The machete and scythe ones conjure mental images of Halloween costumes equipped with whatever weaponry Walmart had available. I've never played Dead by Daylight... but I love this version. Ghostface started out as a generic Halloween costume long before Scream came around, so seeing all these colors and variations brings back fond memories of the various versions and colors the masks used be in. I definitely need to pick up more of these.

Get a Grip this Week

Oh crap, it's Monday. I could have used a little more weekend, but it's great to see all you Zone Base readers back for another week of robots, monsters, and misadventure! We've got a fun week of content coming, but let me tell you about my weekend. Saturday, the Mrs and I did some weekly shopping and enjoyed a homemade pizza. Sunday, our local Spirit Halloween had it's grand opening! We took Mom and had fun looking around before more Stranger Things and Sunday dinner! This coming weekend is Labor Day weekend and I'm looking forward to the little break. 

As for toys, I got a few this weekend. Ordered the Sabertooth Tiger Zord and Cyberworld Chop-Shop which both should arrive today. We got some fun stuff at Spirit, but most related to this is a pack of Tiny Mights GhostFace series! I've been looking forward to getting some of these as Tiny Mights have been all over my Instagram... but never at any local stores. Their horror series have been slated to appear and I was worried about finding any. The GhostFace set is keshi based on the killer from Scream in a variety of colors and poses. It's a cool idea for a keshi series and I'm glad to seen Tiny Mights keeping little rubber guys alive! I ended Sunday building Blokees and spending some quality time with the Mrs.

It looks like you all are enjoying the Pumpkin Spiced Mayhem, August may be almost over, but we've still got two months of Halloween to celebrate! Well, I've got a busy day ahead of me. There's household chores to be done and site post pictures to take. It's amazing to see the site views continue to rise even without all the seo optimization! Thank you all for reading, and don't forget to share the site with your friends! Mutal High Fives everyone!

Sasquatch [Mountain Town Toys]

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

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

Monster in my Peru

Monster in My Pocket was an incredible little line of keshi that made every day feel a little like Halloween. I'm pretty amazed by this commercial from Peru advertising a chocolate candy promotion. Not just for the stickers (that I love), but for the production itself. More like Monster Movie in My Pocket!

Smashing into a Horror House

Want to play with some scary toys this Halloween? Horror House by Zuru Smashers is here just in time for the spooky season. The Mrs and I picked up one of these recently and played with it after a thunderstorm left us without internet for a few hours. As you can see in the video above, you follow an included map and work your way through the coffin's contents. You'll assemble your monster while digging through all sorts of slime, floam, and kinetic sand. There's also assorted insects, stickers, and monster keshi to be found! It was a lot of fun and I want to try one of the mini sets as soon as my local Target stocks them. Frankly, I wish they sold just packs of the keshi as I'd love to just collect all those. Zuru Smashers have done that sort of thing before, so here's hoping.

Super Mini World

One cool thing about big movies is all the cool media mix that comes with it. Well, for me anyway. The new animated Super Mario Bros. movie is a pretty cool example of this. There's all sorts of fun goodies and toys available, but so far my favorite is the Mini World toys that I'll be talking about today. I've been buying the Super Mario Micro World and PVC toys by Jakks Pacific for years now. They make a solid product that really brings the characters to life in a fun way. Micro World was a great keshi style mini figure line with great play sets that didn't take up a lot of room. Mini World is close to that same idea, but with articulated figures and cool transformable play sets. It's a small difference, but a fun one. I haven't tried it yet, but I do think they're cross compatible as well. Just maybe a hair off in scale. So if you've got some Micro World stuff, you could probably incorporate it.

On the subject of Mini World, like I said the figures are articulated. Not as much as the larger figures from the movie by any stretch, just a little bit. Arms move at the shoulders, it's basic, Usually this style of toy is very basic... if it's your thing... you're digging it. These are new sculpts to match the characters as they appear in the movie, but still 100% faithful to the characters as you know them. Realistically, I can see these appearing in newer packaging in years to come. They're just right for a blind bag at Five Below or in a gashapon capsule. Seeing as I've been buying Micro World figures via blind bag at Five Below for the past few years... it'd be something I'd be all for. 

The transformable play sets are pretty neat as well. Individual figures come of cards with a basic play set. This play set comes as the blocks you're used to seeing in Super Mario Bros. video games and open up to reveal a simple little place for your figure to have an adventure in. So far there is two larger play sets available. The Mario Bros. van (they're plumbers after all) unfolds into multiple areas based on settings from the games and movie. Personally I'm all about this van thanks to the cool teaser set as a commercial for the Bros plumbing service. You'll notice a familiar tune and the original voice of Princess Toadstool (before we started calling her Peach here in the states) voice from the classic cartoon.

The other play set is a larger one of Princess Peach's castle. Even if you take issue with the new movie for one reason or another... it's still a pretty faithful representation of her castle from the games. All I see when I look at it is Super Mario 64. It's a pretty large unfolding play set as well. I really hope more figures come along, because you'd need more than whats out currently to fill that thing with. I guess those Micro World toys would work. I'm pretty positive about these cool toys... as you can see. I'd hope for more games to get realized in this format (I could see Ghouls N' Ghosts easily working).

Hagen no Zista? I hardly know you

One of the more pleasant discoveries while I was at Toylanta was that of a small gatcha/gashapon line of figures (and trading cards) by Bandai called Hagen no Zista. I knew nothing of this line before the convention and at the time of this writing still know very little. To be fair, the amount of this type of thing that completely escapes my attention is not uncommon. It's a much bigger thing than a single person can keep up. That being said, this is a cool little series that completely passed me by a few years ago and seems to be over... though I seem to be able to track down some of the stuff still. 

Hagen no Zista is a neat little line of robot mini figures with fun designs in mostly translucent plastic designed by Bandai. There's probably an accompanying fiction, but at this time I haven't learned of it. Knowing these kind of things, it's a typical good vs evil formula. There is some sort of card inside the boxed ones I bought, not sure if that's for a game or just a cool bio card (there seems to be associated trading cards). I generally appreciate when mini figures and keshi come with that sort of thing.

The blind boxed/gathca style figures are seemingly candy toys that regularly came with a chocolate. The ones I got had some apple gum inside that my wife convinced me to try. It was a pretty tasty apple flavored gum that I hope hadn't gone bad. I didn't get sick, so guess not. The Gashapon capsule I got seemed to be the same style of figure as the boxed on, just delivered differently. The figures are pleasant, articulated little robots in colorful translucent plastic. They have that Bandai look, but also look like they should have been from a video game. I could definitely see some of these in a LCD game like Digimon or an RPG.

The line has ended, sadly so because I'd love for these to still be readily available. That's the kicker when you discover something after it's over. There was an apparent successor named Robot Concerto. I can't tell if Robot Concerto is still going, but honestly, Bandai makes so many of this type of thing... there's always something else similar. The boxes for Robot Concerto look like Mobile Suit Gundam Ensemble boxes, so it's possible the team moved onto that. I'm partially stoked about Hagen no Zista as it's something that's clearly my type of thing. But also because, it's neat to discover something at a con. It's been a while since that's happened for me and I'm happy for it.

Hagen no Zista TV Magazine scans

A little Green with Evil

When I initially started talking about Micro Action Figures here, I intended to do group posts on various series. A Transformers post, a Masters of the Universe post, etc, ... and I totally failed to do that. So in attempt to talk about these cool little figures I like quite a bit, instead I'm just gonna talk about one at a time. Just to keep it simple. Today, we're going to talk about Slime Pit He-Man.

Slime Pit He-Man is a basic repaint of the already released He-Man figure. However, it's a pretty interesting one. Obliviously He-Man is representing himself recently slimed via Slime Pit (it's in the name) and is now a mindless zombie under Hordak's control. To emphasize his slime coated physique, He-Man is cast in translucent green plastic. I don't know why being covered in mind controlling evil sludge would turn you translucent... but it looks awesome. Meanwhile He-Man's clothing and axe are opaque. The mixture of can see through and can't see through looks fantastic.

The pictures probably don't convey that this figure is TINY. At just around an inch tall, He-man had movable arms and waist with an axe that can be held. The original use of this mold had more accessories, but I guess inflation affected that as the cost is still around the same. They still come with a stand. I really like these little toys, but finding them can be a pain. Thankfully, the Mrs found me this one. Slime Pit He-Man is from the newest series of Master of the Universe micro figures and represents a deeper dive into the series than the expected characters. I do hope to find more as I like these little guys quite a bit. There's even a micro Castle Grayskull now. Slime Pit He-Man is a great example of a well done repaint. Just changing some simple colors turns something completely recognizable to something really novel.

I'd buy those Transformers for a dollar as well

 

I was pleasantly surprised when the news of Transformers Squeezelings were announced. As readers know, I'm a big fan of blind bag toys and keshi in general. A Transformers line of that? No problem! So far the toys have only been spotted as Dollar Tree stores for $3 each. I'm not sure if they'll pop up at any other stores, but wouldn't be surprised. I stopped by and picked up 4 packages at my local stores. At the time there's no discernible code system, so it's a complete shot in the dark when buying them. I ended up with only one double, Starscream, so I can't complain too much. The figures themselves are a larger keshi figure that are pleasantly rubbery and fully colored (for the most part). 

The first series contains Bumblebee, Megatron, Starscream, and Optimus Prime. As of this writing, all I need is Optimus Prime to complete the set. Like I said above, I've only gotten one double in 4 packs. Hopefully Optimus won't be a challenge to get. The figures are in plastic bubbles inside the package, so feeling the bags won't help. The toys are located in the new 'more than $1' section of Dollar Tree. At $3 each, they're not expensive, but the price increase is still new enough to sting a little. The figures are mostly fully painted. I say mostly, because Starscream could use a little more. Speaking of the paint, it's a little sloppy. My Bumblebee has a messed up Autobot Symbol and some sloppy details. One Starscream has random paint on his face. Megatron's face paint is a little sloppy.

The paint issues aren't too bad. With the new higher prices, it does becomes more of a sticking point.  That's really my only complaint. The figures are well sculpted, non-Transforming obviously (there's always that one guy), but full of character. They're in the 'Evergreen' style of Transformers. That's really a fancy way of saying traditional Transformers characters and looks, just slightly updated. This is more for those products that will likely be on shelves longer than the current line. So when you run across a box of these and the new movie is out, they don't look like last years toys. It's a pretty good idea for a line that changes up every year or so. 

I'd like to think Squeezelings will eventually have more than just Transformers or more Transformers series. Time will tell of course, but I wouldn't mind other characters in the form factor. Hopefully a code system is adopted. I don't know exactly the details that go into implementing one and with the internal bubble, if one would be possible. It's not a big deal, but super convenient when avoiding doubles. Regardless, this is a fun new little line that so far I'm pretty happy with. I look forward to getting more.

Transform Squadron 31: Cantaloupe and Robots

 

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This month Rob talks about cutting a cantaloupe before going into various SpinMaster toys he’s currently enjoying. Then it’s time to talk about smaller inexpensive Transformers for a long time. Rob’s site is named after a Micromaster playset after all. Now available on Atari ST!

Millions of Warriors

 

I've been looking for a new keshi line to really get behind. It's been a while since I've had one I could really follow easily enough to have fun with. That's where Million Warriors comes in. Recently my wife discovered them and introduced them to me. I was instantly hooked. They're currently exclusive to Walmart and fairly cheap, around 5$ for a blind pack of ten. There's also 20 packs available, which I haven't seen yet and don't know the price, though I'm sure are probably inexpensive. These little guys are great.

So far the line is separated into 3 tribes that the figures fall into thematically. Astrals, Ancients, and Heroes. While the names of the tribes give some semblance of a theme, they're all over the place with little weird freaks. The figures come in various forms of availability, from common to extremely rare. As of this writing I have 30 from 3 different 10 packs and have yet to get doubles and have a few harder to get ones (according to the guide). They're made from a few different plastic molds in a few different silhouettes with the characters printed on them. This obviously helps keep the costs down and allows for a wide arrange of figures to be made and I imagine quickly. 

The art style is great, reminiscent of non-sport trading cards I'd often get as a kid. The characters range from weird looking warriors to crazy mutant freaks. I love them. Opening the two packs I got this weekend with the wife was so fun and exhilarating. I was literally bubbling over with excitement with each one. They come packed blind in little paper packets in a ticket style row. The 10 packs I had held them in a package shaped like crossed swords. The 20 packs are boxes that look like shields. There is a game that can be played with them using catapults that come with the 20 packs and numbers printed on each characters back. 

You've might have noticed that I'm a fan. I am and a rather fast one at that. I really cannot express just how excited I was over these guys for a good day or so. I was practically exploding. I'm still practically exploding. I exploded. They are just the thing I've been wanting and done just right for this sort of thing. A proper keshi line needs to be fun and collectible. Having easy availability and low prices is a part of that. I can easily grab a pack while at Walmart, or add it to my weekly grocery order. At 5$ a pack of 10, they're so cheap that I don't even think about it.

They're very cool and the characters make me want more. At under 1" each, so even if I get a million Million Warriors, they can be stored pretty easily. I don't know if the 3 tribes are all there will be, but so far I'm happy as is. Million Warriors is the keshi line I needed and I'm sure other keshi fans needed as well. Spin Masters makes some good toys and this is another solid line from them. I hope it's a success and they make more than a million of them.

It's a BotBotCon on Netflix

 

It may have seemed like the glory days of BotBots had passed, but this past weekend the new animated series debuted on Netflix. There's even more toys on the way! It's been a while since I've talked about these fun little bots and that's a shame! The new cartoon is pretty great. Focusing mainly on Burgertron and the Lost Bots having all sorts of adventures in the shopping mall that Botbots hail from. 

The law of the Botbots is not to be seen by humans and our main characters accidentally exposed themselves to the overnight security guard. The main characters then find themselves in adventures keeping other Botbots safe from him as well as trying to fit back into the normal society. Because now they're outcasts. If it wasn't obvious, the show is a comedy with no connections other than references to other Transformers series. 

While the cartoon doesn't adhere to the toy designs super hard, the toys are still the same with new members joining the ranks. A mixture of new and old molds, these new guys are pretty great. I'm really looking forward to the Pet Shop Tribe figures. Not just stopping at figures, there's vehicles on the way! It's super silly and fun to drive tiny robots around on a car made of pizza. It's also 100% perfect and I love it. I'm glad to see that Botbots haven't faded away. They're too great to not stick around!

Fortress of Necros

 

Nekurosu No Yousai was a very neat keshi line by Lotte sold in the late 80's and early 90's. Translated into English, the name of the line is technically Necros Fortress, but often called Neclos Fortress. Neclos is printed on the lines cards as l and r are often confused in translation. Necros/Neclos being the main villain character. Each figure would come in a box with a card and piece of chocolate. Readers know this is the exact kind of thing I go crazy for.

The line was a fantasy based with cool monsters and warriors intended to be used in a rpg game. The cards would be used for the figures stats as well as items and spells. There was a total of 320 figures released in 8 parts. The figures were in multiple colors and would often come in color change or metallic plastic depending on the release. Some with plastic jewels. I can see a fun evening spent with these. If you noticed that they resemble Monsters in my Pocket, you're not alone. It's only natural for keshi lines to look alike, especially ones based on monsters. Necros Fortress and Monsters in my Pocket do share a lot of the same monsters. Both even have video games. NES for one, PC Engine the other. A crossover would have been perfect.

Unfortunately, Necros Fortress figures are not easy to get. The line was exclusive to Japan in a per-internet time. Candy toys are no problem now, but the older ones can be a challenge. I don't have any myself but can still enjoy them through various pictures on the internet. They have great sculpts and I like the variety of monsters. I love the art. It's exactly the style and era that's a steady favorite of mine. I'm pretty jealous of those who got to experience them first hand. I could see myself in a local convenience store buying these up.

Do you have a Monster in your Pocket?

 

As an adult, the need for Monsters in my Pocket is bigger than ever. Fortunately there is plenty of monster toys in the absence of the original, but what a great little series the original was. I'm a little envious of these stickers featured in the South African commercial. Stickers make everything better and I'd love to have some of these on my Trapper Keeper. I was listening to some paranormal podcasts while working (as usual) and realized how I got my introduction to Spring Heeled Jack thanks to this cool little line. It's not often that a little monster toy line can be educational.

Micro Sized (Transformers Edition)

 

The World's Smallest Micro Action Figures line is a pool I've dipped my toes in a little bit since it's inception. At Christmas, the Mrs put a ton in with my presents and I may have gotten hooked. Today I'm going to talk about the Transformers ones. There is two scales, Micro Action Figures and Miniature. Micro is individually sold, while Miniature comes in blind boxes. I'm just the mini Optimus shy of having a complete set. Both sizes come with "packaging" that they can be removed from and put back in. Micro's have some articulation and come with removable display stands and accessories depending on the figure. He-Man as a ton, Bumblebee has none. Mini so far has no articulation and display stands glued on.

So far the Transformers series is Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, and Starscream. You all know I'm favoring Bumblebee right out of the gate, but Starscream may have the most impressive sculpt. Starscream though has the least impressive paint with Optimus leading in that department. I do wish they had weapons like others, I guess Starscream technically does. I'm probably not doing them any justice in the pictures, but they're REALLY cool.

When I say these guys are tiny, I mean it. They're 1.25" tall with three points of articulation (arms, head), the mini's are roughly half that. If only they'd have leg articulation then they'd make great Diaclone or Zoids pilots. They look to use the same sculpts as the Dollar Tree Transformer minis. If so, I hope more will be coming using the other characters at some point. There's other series as well. GIJOE, Masters of the Universe, Power Rangers, MEGO Monsters, and so on. They pair well with NANO Metal Figs, Micro Machines, and other tiny sized toys. Clearly these little guys are right up my alley and I can see them occupying Micromaster bases. I do plan on this being an ongoing series focusing on tiny toys. Don't worry, they won't take up much room.