Another week has begun here on Planet Zone, and with it comes more robots, monsters, and mayhem!
Now that we're settling into the new posting routine, I guess it's time to make these Weekly Update posts about more than just telling you where I ate and what I picked up at Walmart. I mean, I'm still going to tell you about eating at Olive Garden and what I found at Walmart... but, you know... other stuff too.
Since I'm gathering my thoughts throughout the week now, I'll probably write the final part of these updates Monday morning from my living room while poking away at my phone just before I hit "Publish." Everything else? Well, those are just random thoughts that popped into my head during the week.
Transformers Cyberworld
I'm excited that the new Cyberworld toys are finally starting to hit store shelves. It's been way too long between new releases, and I'm practically salivating over the new Energon Surge figures.
Hopefully they'll be a little easier to find than last year's assortment. While toy hunting can certainly be fun, I'm nowhere near as patient about it as I used to be. Honestly, with just about everything available at my fingertips these days, it's always a little surprising when something winds up being genuinely difficult to track down.
I also got a chuckle out of seeing several Cyberworld fans practically will the Transformers Wiki into adding each character's biome to their entries. It reminds me a little of the Transformers Cybertron days when fans became absolutely obsessed with maps of the various planets and collecting keys.
Now I'm wondering...
Will Hasbro eventually release an official guide to all of the Cyberworld biomes?
If not, that sounds like a pretty fun fan project.
I'm particularly fond of the upcoming Ultra Magnus toy. I love how his robot mode resembles his appearance in Transformers Prime, although I still wish that toy line had paid a little more tribute to his original toy from the line.
At first, I couldn't quite tell what his alternate mode was from the early pictures. Was he some kind of Dustbuster? Thankfully, once better images surfaced, I realized he transforms into a jet that reminds me a lot of Wingsaber from Transformers Energon. That's always been a design I've liked (yes, even with the limited articulation), so the resemblance is a welcome one. Like the Cyber Battalion and Authentics Shockwave figures, he transforms into a ship that looks like it flew straight out of a 16-bit shooter. I'm half expecting someone to discover it's secretly paying tribute to some obscure PC-98 game.
He's also an Ultimate Cyber Changer, which means the standard Cyber Changers can interact with him. We've already seen that one can ride him in his jet mode, and I'm curious to see what other interactions they've built into the toy.
He just looks incredibly cool, and once again Cyberworld has me slipping into pure fan-mode giddiness.
I absolutely love it.
The new Lockdown Cyber Changer also looks like a lot of fun. I really appreciate that they chose to have him transform into one of his wolfves from Age of Extinction instead of simply giving him another sports car mode.
I've seen a lot of people comparing his robot mode to Wildwheel from Transformers Cyberverse, but honestly, my first thought was Cad Bane from Star Wars. Whether that resemblance was intentional or not, I couldn't tell you, but I definitely see it.
Blokees
Now that the move has settled down, picking up Blokees Wheels Series 3 and that new Shattered Glass Optimus Prime truck and trailer set has become a pretty high priority for me.
I still haven't assembled any of my Series 2 kits, but that's mostly because every weekend has been spent getting the new house organized. Once things finally calm down a bit, you can bet I'll be snapping together a lot more Blokees and other kits.
Blokees have also begun showing off another one of their original IPs called Astral Rally, and I absolutely love what I'm seeing so far. They'll be releasing kits in the Defender Class (which, as you know, is my favorite), and I'm already excited to jump into these. Astral Rally looks like it's going to be a wonderful mix of science fiction and fantasy, and a really fun new robot series to follow!
Sandbox Mainline?
Recent comments from Hasbro's designers have revealed that future Transformers lines are going to be more of a sandbox made up of different fictional settings. That's actually something I've been hoping they'd do with Generations (or Legacy, as they called it. Honestly, I was hoping they'd just rebrand the whole Generations line as Legacy) for a while now.
When you think about it, Generations already works this way. Studio Series falls under the Generations umbrella, and that line itself now includes characters from the live-action movies, video games, and soon various cartoons and comic books. Whatever the current Generations line happens to be called—*Siege*, *Legacy*, *Age of the Primes*, or whatever comes next—it's really just a big hodgepodge of characters from across Transformers history held together by a loose framing device.
And don't even get me started on the crossover figures.
Meanwhile, the kid-focused toys have quietly become much easier to understand. They're all packaged in those white boxes with a small logo telling you whether it's Cyberworld, Prime Changers, or one of the general-purpose Optimus Prime and Bumblebee toys that aren't tied to a specific series.
Basically, they're saying:
"This is G1 Powerglide."
"This is Cyberworld Optimus Prime."
"This is just Bumblebee."
I actually like that approach. It clears up some of the naming confusion while making it easier for both kids and collectors to figure out exactly what they're looking at.
Generations.
Mainline.
I'm in.
It also makes me wonder if they're designing all of this with FAST channels in mind. With those channels constantly cycling through one Transformers cartoon or movie after another, organizing the toy line this way makes a lot of sense.
Speaking of FAST channels...
It looks like the dedicated Transformers Channel is slowly being replaced by the Hasbro Legends Channel. While I enjoy the new channel, I have to admit I'm going to miss having Transformers running 24 hours a day.
It was like carrying the old 3H-era BotCon video room around in your pocket.
I can't tell you how many times I'd doze off with it playing in the background. Kind of like those folks who'd spend half the convention sleeping in the BotCon video room before wandering off to borrow a shower from a friend.
...Wait.
Did anyone wake Hellbat up before the voice actor panel?
Uh oh.
Kamen Rider Zeztz, Myth, and Ultraman Teo
Kamen Rider Zeztz is quickly coming to an end, with Kamen Rider Myth taking its place this fall. I've really been enjoying Zeztz, so I'm honestly a little heartbroken to see it end. Myth certainly looks like it'll be a lot of fun, and I hope it manages to keep the momentum going after just how good Zeztz has been.
Ultraman Teo is also getting a synchronized launch, airing in both Japan and America on the very same day. That's fantastic news, and I really hope more series start following the lead of Kamen Rider and Ultraman.
So far, Teo has been a lot of fun. It's a little sillier than Zeztz, and I'm really enjoying that. Of course, since I've been watching each new episode right after Zeztz every week, the tonal whiplash can be pretty amusing.
Godziburst and Godzilla Scramble
Bandai will soon be releasing the Godziburst figures here in America, and I couldn't be more excited. I've been watching these from afar for about a year now, just waiting for my chance to pick some up.
Multi-colored Toho kaiju figures with customizable weapons and armor?
Yes, please.
I'm also practically salivating over *Godzilla Scramble*. It's a blind-box series built around the Godzilla Egg Monsters I've talked about here before. The first assortment includes several wonderfully bizarre versions of Godzilla...
...including a hamburger Godzilla.
I don't think I have to explain how badly I want one.
Power Rangers
Playmates is following up its combinable Dino Megazord with a Thunder Megazord at the same scale. I really enjoyed the first set, so you know I'm looking forward to another Shogun Warrior-sized gattai.
I've always loved the Thunderzords, so this one's definitely a treat. There's even a White Tigerzord included!
Of course, this also highlights the absence of the Dragonzord from the original Dino Megazord set, which was something I had been hoping they'd eventually address.
Well... they have.
Playmates has announced a Kickstarter campaign for a Dragonzord designed to go with that very set.
I'm a little conflicted.
I definitely want a Dragonzord... but I'd also really just like to buy one at regular retail. I guess I'll have to wait and see what the Kickstarter pricing looks like before I decide what to do.
Star Fox
I've been having a blast with the new *Star Fox* on my Switch 2. Even though it's technically a remake of Star Fox 64, it really feels like an entirely new game.
I've also been trying my hand at the online mode.
I'm terrible.
Absolutely terrible.
But it's still a ton of fun playing against people from all over the world. Hopefully, with a little practice, I'll start getting better.
The Weekend and What I got
The weekend went well. The Mrs and I spent time at the pool and organizing our new home some. Weekend shopping included a trip to Burlington, Five Below, Aldi, and Target for some needed items. I got a fun blind box at Five Below that was Japanese take out. You'd get a tiny toy of the food from a restaurant and a delivery box. I got shrimp tempura! Target didn't have anything I was looking for, but ordered Cyberworld Energon Surge Armored Cyber Changers Ratchet and Bumblebee Sunday morning. Sunday meant more time at the pool and organizing the new place. I took the Mrs jewelry to the store for their 6 month inspection and got us donuts from Donut Worry while out. So good! Probably not my most exciting weekend, but a very relaxing one. Thank you all for reading Zone Base. Please share the site with your friends and be excellent to each other!
