Scorponok [Cyberworld/Strike Battle Set]

I've been meaning to get around to looking at the Transformers Cyberworld Scorponok Strike Battle Set here on the site ever since getting the big guy a few months ago. Despite often getting larger toys, I tend to focus on smaller robot toys here. So needless to say, it was a bit of a challenge for me to figure out how to work him into my posting rhythm. I also admittedly don't post about everything I get; however, as I've chosen to cover the entirety of Cyberworld here, these larger bots have to get figured in. Transformers Cyberworld is a very fun series to blog, so it's not a struggle — just a little bit of a challenge.

Being Thanksgiving week, the time feels right for a big robot post. Not to mention, I often find myself remembering the Thanksgiving Day Transformers Energon marathon in 2004. I didn't watch it all, but a good bit of time was spent tuned to Cartoon Network. I enjoyed Energon despite its issues. Speaking of Energon and the toy we're looking at today… this has a very similar design to that series' Scorponok mixed with the traditional character. It's pretty neat — just big robot monster energy all around.

Scorponok is wonderfully big and chonky, coming in at 14 inches tall, which is smaller than a Titan Class Transformer but in a good way. Cyberworld is intended to be a toy line for younger kids, and this is a toy all the way around. He's just big enough to be imposing, but not too large for a smaller body to move around. Honestly, he's still pretty large for me to handle. As the pictures show, I got down on the floor to play with him for this post. Like the other larger Cyberworld toys, he's full of Cyber Changer interaction and that is awesome.

I'm really reminded of Micromaster bases and the various interaction Mini-Cons had with Transformers Armada toys. Also, due to the upsized Legend/Legion Class nature of a Cyber Changer, it's similar to the Cyberverse toys from Dark of the Moon and Transformers Prime. I enjoyed those a lot, and I'm really starting to think Cyberworld is pretty much what would have happened if Action Masters were more successful. Scorponok is not very articulated in robot mode, but not a complete brick either. His arms have quite a decent amount of movement, though his legs are static. Also, his little visor can be moved up or down to cover or uncover his eyes. This is likely to bother some, but I'd think you'd be aware of what you're buying going in.

He's not a cheap toy, but fortunately not as expensive as others out there. Considering it's Thanksgiving week right now, there's likely some sales too. I'm sure you've seen more than your fair share of affiliate links by now. I'm quite fond of his bright colors. While Scorponok is normally a colorful bot, these are very bright and look great. It's a little reminiscent of the Scorponok from that G1 Micromaster commercial. He also lights up on his chest with some sound effects. That's obviously something the target audience would enjoy… but it is fun to see them go off on occasion no matter how old you are.

There's some big guns mounted on his shoulders that are similar to the ones from the G1 toy. Those can be placed in several spots and manned by a Cyber Changer figure, adding to his firepower. In addition, his lower arms can be disconnected and combined with a portion of the scorpion's tail, creating a motorcycle vehicle for a Cyber Changer to ride. There are some small handlebars that plug in that'd be easy to lose, so be careful. In addition, the big guns or his sword can also be  used. Or, if you're feeling wild, some of Grimlock's parts. There's a lot of modular play in use. The sword becomes the scorpion's stinger… but you could swap it out for any of these parts, creating some real creature chaos. Scorponok is something of a final boss character in the cartoon's video game world, so it's easy to imagine him having a variety of attacks.

Transformation to scorpion mode is pretty easy, and you pretty much just lay him down and arrange the arms and insect legs into place. Those big guns can be placed in a few different spots and once again can be manned by a Cyber Changer if you'd like. I didn't point out the handle on Scorponok's back. There's a handle — it's on his back. At first you'd think it's just for easy movement of the big bot, but there's actually a trigger that'll need to be squeezed to fully unfold his robot legs for beast mode. This creates a larger rear section with tank-like treads. The trigger on the handle also sets off various lights and sounds, as does pressing Scorponok's head down. There's a variety of sounds that play seemingly at random, including the classic transformation sound.

This is a great toy that's admittedly not going to be for everyone. Like I said, there's not a ton of articulation and he's definitely a kids' toy upon first glance. However, thanks to the old-school nature of Cyberworld, Scorponok can easily fit next to your older super robot toys on a shelf. I've actually seen pics of fans sticking him next to their G1 Scorponoks and Black Zarak toys. I could easily see him at home among a Brave toy or even some Shogun Warriors. I'd actually wager he's pretty appealing to the jumbo crowd. I like the bright colors and the fun big chonky robot toy nature he brings, and dammit if that saw blade hand isn't great. While the strength of Cyberworld is within the Cyber Changers that are flying off the shelves, giving them a giant playset like this is perfect. It's just hard not to love a big chaotic final boss monster, you know?

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.

Tobot X [Tobot/Mini Tobot]

I've been wanting to dip my toes into the Tobot waters for some time. Like Metal Cardbot, Tobot is finally becoming easier to acquire in the states (and less cost prohibitive) and I'm excited to get my hands on these cool robots I've been admiring from afar. Today we'll be looking at Tobot X from the New Tobot range. I've not watched the Tobot cartoon, so I'm pretty ignorant of it's fiction. I should fix that, but until then, we'll just be appreciating these toys as they are.

Tobot X is my first Tobot (go me) and a pretty cool looking little guy. I picked him (assuming gender) based on his colors. It's not often that you see a creme and orange  colored robot toy. Also, I like the sculpt. X is a great looking little bot. Tobot X transforms into a Hyundai IONIQ5, which is an electric SUV. It's a neat looking vehicle mode. From what I understand X along with Y and Z are the main robots of Tobot. This is a new look for X, but he's still the same bot. I've really got to watch this show.

Robot mode is a little basic as he's a Mini sized toy. There is meaningful articulation, but you probably notice the lack of elbow joints. Plenty of movement in the legs and a wide range in the shoulders though. If I were to compare this to a transformer, he's similar in build to an Energon Omnicon and about the size of Armada Smokescreen without the crane bit. Small, but not tiny. He's actually a very pleasant robot toy and I enjoy him very much. I need to get more of these. Transformation is pretty simple and satisfying. You will need to remove the vehicle mode's roof to allow for parts to move around. It serves as a backpack in robot mode and is attached by pegs.

Take that off, fold everything in, and put it back. Everything just goes into place easily without any fuss. I'm not much of a car guy and am mostly unfamiliar with Hyundai vehicles, so I think this is the first time I've ever seen an IONIQ5. It's pretty neat looking and pretty great in this color. You do have to apply included stickers for the detailing. Thankfully there's just enough stickers to make it fun and not so many that it becomes tedious. I did have to refer to pictures of the toy online for placement as the instructions were a little unclear in a few spots. Overall my first Tobot toy was a very positive experience. I definitely plan to get more and they'll be fun to write about here. I should really watch that show.

Moonsafari BB-69 [BeastBox]

[Dual Shape of Mecha Moonsafari and Cube] Transform Moonsafari from cube mode to mecha model and back again in minutes! The whole body of it has fully adjustable joints, allowing to display in a variety of poses.

BeastBox really cranks out some fun ideas. Moonsafari is a cool robotic giraffe that of course, turns into a box. How? Magic... I'm convinced those designers are magicians.

There's been a few transforming giraffe toys, but there's a big difference between going from an animal to robot vs animal to box. Well, those magicians at 52Toys pulled it off with one pretty amazing toy. Moonsafari is a very well articulated robot giraffe that stands pretty tall at 8.66" according to 52Toys. His (assuming) mouth can open and ears can move in addition to all the cool leg and neck articulation allowing for a very expressive toy that's pretty darn cute. Don't let that adorableness fool you though, because this is a serious robot ready to fight!

I've mentioned my appreciation to the similarities BeastBox toys often share with Zoids and that comes into effect here giving Moonsafari a visual edge. Adding to that is an additional accessory set that I was made aware of just recently. With the add on set, Moonsafari gains twin weapon pods manned by pilots. I'll be sure to stay on the look out for these when they become available to me separately from the bonus edition version Moonsafari. Remember the mentioning of the magic? It's performed during transformation as somehow he just went into box mode pretty easily. I say pretty easily and not very easily as I struggled with his back hips quite a bit initially.

There's a joint inside the hip that folds into itself uniquely and I didn't understand the instructions at this step. I got pretty frustrated after trying for too long to get those back legs properly into place, put him down, and watched a transformation Reel while riding my exercise bike. Turns out it was actually pretty simple and I originally didn't understand. Once that was understood, everything just went into place. 52Toys has a great Instagram presence and those Reels can be a life saver. I'm pretty amazed by the neck wrapping around itself so fluidly to finish everything up. It's weird, normally I'm hardly concerned with the actual transformation with a toy. BeastBox though... I'm thoroughly amazed by the process. See, it's magic.

Jetstream BB-68 [BeastBox]

[Dual Shape of Mecha Jetstream and Cube] Transform Jetstream from cube mode to mecha model and back again in minutes! The whole body of it has fully adjustable joints, allowing to display in a variety of poses.

It's no secret that I joke around a lot, but I mean this with all seriousness. This is one badass toy we're going to be talking about today. Jetstream looks cute and by all means is, but he goes hard. Jetstream is a robotic Rockhopper Penguin with a great backpack.

As of this writing I don't have a bio to go by, but it has a digital readout of 40 degrees. I'm assuming our dude is doing some cold weather research. That backpack has an articulated antenna that looks like a cannon, so maybe he's going to give someone a cold blast with it. As cool as the backpack looks and as much of a Battle Beast vibe it gives me, it's just an accent to the excellent toy penguin Jetstream is. With a small amount of articulation (which is all you'd expect for this beast mode), 52Toys really produced one expressive bird.

His beak can open, his head can move all over the place, those wings move as do his legs, feet, and tail! One fun little feature is the wheels under his body and tail. Jetstream can lift his legs and roll around on them ala a Transmetal vehicle mode. I wasn't even aware of this when I first saw him, nor when I happily found him among my birthday presents from the Mrs. He can just scoot around if he don't feel like walking and I love that about him. Now, one thing about BeastBox is that they can be extremely deceiving. This little penguin converts into a box, how the hell is he going to do that?

Transformation isn't too difficult, but has it's moments of getting everything just right. His chest opens up and each side unfolds. It's just a matter of tucking everything in and plugging everything else into place. As a 4CM scale BeastBox, his Box Charger is one of the newer unfolding versions. Box mode slides locks into place securely allowing it to be stacked with your others. I think I prefer the standard Box Charger... but these little ones sure are neat. Jetstream is another outstanding effort from 52Toys and a solid example as to why the line is so good. Not to mention, who can look at that little guy and not like him? 

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.

BB-02HD Helldiver w/ BB-EXO45HD Helldiver Heavy Armor [BeastBox]

It's been far too long since I've talked about a BeastBox toy here on the site, so it seems today is the perfect time to talk about Helldiver and add on partner kit Helldiver Heavy Armor. The Mrs. got me this awesome little guy for Christmas and I just love his little fiery details. Helldiver is a fire themed variation of Ghostdog, whom is an armored up variation of Beastboxes lovable Dio. Adding to the fun is the Helldiver Heavy Armor. This is an additional add on piece that gives Helldiver some extra equipment and serves a cool scorpion-like partner drone when not attached. Helldiver is a charming little dinosaur covered in armor. I don't know if you can see or not, but he has some tiny little arms that look like wrenches. I love those. The fire deco looks great with translucent orange bits against two different greys used for various parts. The lighter grey has a little sparkle which looks great in person, but didn't show up in my pictures. There's a cool small laser weapon that can be attached to his back or added at the end of his tail.

Heavy Armor can be disassembled and added onto Helldiver giving him night vision goggles, a radar assembly with LARGE guns, and two BIG arms with a hook and chainsaw. This gives our little terror quite the upgrade and practically turns him into a whole new bot. It's really hard to express just how much it really ads to his overall visual. Helldiver's mouth opens, and all I can see is his excitement about how badass the armor looks. Transformation to box mode is pretty easy. If anything, getting his head just right can be a touch fiddly. Heavy Armor can join onto the box for easy storage and makes the mode bigger. It looks like it would all fit inside a Box Charger easily... but he didn't come with one. I should have gotten one and tried it out, but these are not things that occurred to me at that moment. Last month when I was at the 52Toys store last month, I should have picked up a nice orange one to match Helldiver's flames. This is a great BeastBox toy. Dio is a lot of fun normally, and upgraded he's even better. I love the translucent orange and his big feet. The addition of Heavy Armor adds to the package greatly and makes everything better.

It's gotta be Halloweek

It's Monday, but not just any Monday, it's the Monday of Halloweek! The big day is Thursday and we're going to end Halloween 2024 with a big bang! Please look forward to pure Pumpkin Spiced Mayhem this week! I'll be sad to see the holiday end, so I've got to really get the most out of it in these few days. How was your weekend Zone Base readers? The Mrs and I did quite a bit of house cleaning in between enjoying spooky season fun. The Mrs made one great spaghetti dinner Sunday followed by an amazing cherry cheese dump cake. She's a hell of a cook and I'm lucky to have her! My life is awesome.

I got some cool things this weekend. Though now that the holidays are around the corner, that will be slowing down a little as my focus will be on others. I picked up Transformers Legacy United Animated Motormaster. I missed out on the original BotCon toy, so this is a nice addition. I also bought and downloaded Retrorealms: Halloween for my Switch. It's a fun action platformer starring Michael Myers. There's more Retrorealms games to get and they link up. Initially I was only interested in the Halloween one... but might get more now that I've dipped my toes in the water.

Of course more Astro Bot was played. I am fully stretching it out now, and thankfully more speed run levels have been added. Game of the year. Also in exciting news, Transformers Wild King appears to be on the way and I am EXTREMELY EXCITED FOR IT. I'll be talking about it on the newest Transform Squadron episode coming soon. I hope you'll enjoy it, it'll be the last Halloween episode of the year and boy do we have a fun topic. Well, I've got to get to work recording that and getting my week started. Thank you all for reading Zone Base. It means to world to me when I see you all come out for the robots, monsters, and misadventure! Don't forget to share with your friends!

Nova Prime (Legacy: Evolution/Leader Class)

Nova Prime is a former Prime who lost his way and became a very bad guy that resides in the Dead Universe. Instead of the 'Autobot Matrix of Leadership', he wields 'The Darkness'- an evil counterpart of the famed magic relic. Wielding The Darkness transformed him into another variation of Nemesis Prime and into a really powerful being. It goes without saying he'd be pretty awesome looking. This cool new figure of Nova Prime was another Christmas gift from the Mrs and dang it is impressive. The toy is based on his appearance from the Transformers: Devastation video game. I really like that as not only was I a fan of that game, but I'm more of a cartoon guy than a comic guy and Devastation is more cartoon flavored. 

Nova Prime is a retool and repaint of the Siege Galaxy Upgrade Optimus Prime toy. That toy was a retool and repaint of the Siege Ultra Magnus. All were toys I really liked and using it as a base for this figure really works. It's a mixture of that traditional Transformers 'big important guy' design and Super Robot looks. Nova Prime feels more like a prestigious award than an action figure and definitely a more premium item than your standard fare. I'm legitimately proud to own this. 

Nova Prime transforms from armored truck to robot mode via parts forming. The trailer separates allowing the cab to form his standard mode robot mode. This is similar to the original Powered Convoy toy and the idea has been replicated in most Ultra Magnus and Optimus Prime with super mode toys ever since. I absolutely love it's use here as I'm a fan of this style of Transformer and appreciate a bad guy Convoy using it. The trailer pieces can be re-arranged into armor for Nova Prime's super mode which makes him much larger, more imposing, and extra badass. Super mode has big guns, big wings, and a much grander look over all. He looks awesome. I'm mostly gushing about this toy because that's my honest take away. It's IMPRESSIVE and COOL. I also like the white color pattern for such an evil character, especially an evil Prime. It's a nice contrast and not as predictable as an all black deco. Sometimes if you want darkness, you've got to portray it brightly. Nova Prime has a cool 'Evil Knight' appearance and this figure just represents that well. I can't say enough good things about it... it's awesome. 

IronBlood and Loyal Heart BB-54 (BeastBox)

2023 was the year of the Rabbit, so it was only natural that this twin set of BeastBox Rabbits would be released. It feels fitting to welcome in 2024 with a look back at 2023. Like I just said and as you can see, this is a twin set of rabbits. I think Ironblood is the black one, while Loyal Heart is the white and pink one. I say that fully admitting that I'm not completely sure... but I think it's fairly obvious. Though the pink one being named Iron Blood would be pretty awesome. The rabbits are identical aside from colors and are very articulated. It's a lot of fun moving all their little parts around and putting them in a variety of poses.

There is an additional carrot gun available for the set in various special versions or if you'd be able to track down an individual release. I don't currently have that, but it'd be fun to incorporate with the two. Transformation isn't very hard... but did take a bit of getting everything just right. The two combine into one box, and I found myself fiddling a bit. Your mileage may vary. Regardless it's a cool little box once done and fits easily into their Box Charger. The Box Charger is red with gold lettering to commemorate the Year of the Rabbit. It's a nice touch and makes for a really cool presentation. This is just a great little set.

Santa Claus X Exkaiser

Jawbreaker BB-25 (BeastBox)

Jawbreaker is a BeastBox just so full of character. Just look at that face! He also shares some parts/engineering with the same mold used for SubZero (whom I love). However, unlike other toys that reuse molds... he's not just another repaint. Jawbreaker is his own toy. He's great! As you can tell by the pics, Jawbreaker is a robotic dinosaur/kaiju that of course transforms into a box. I like to think of him as the Anguirus to SubZero's Godzilla, though the Snarl lover in me can't help but to see a little Desert Warrior in him.

Thanks to his deco, I also can't help but to make Evangelion comparisons either. His colors are so close to Unit-01 that I can't ignore it. *Edit* I was just made aware that it's actually a homage to Zero Wing, that's pretty amazing (thanks for the heads up, FoxxFiveFive!). Jawbreakers transformation into box mode very similarly to SubZero. That's to be expected with the shared engineering. I don't mind it though and they're different enough that it's easily overlook-able. This is a great addition to the BeastBox ranks. He just has so much character that it's impossible to hate him. Just look at that face! 

Richochet BB-35 (BeastBox)

Ricochet is one of the coolest BeastBox toys made. Hands down... or hands up as she's a boxing kangaroo! Wherever your hands are, watch out because she's ready to throw some. Like I said, Ricochet is a kangaroo. This allows for a favorite gimmick of mine, the partner figure! Kangaroo's are marsupials and she comes packing a baby Roo! Little Mini Ricochet stores neatly in her pouch. The pouch can be opened for the little robot baby to poke it's head out or just be taken out for adventure!

If that's not enough features for you, Ricochet includes removable boxing gloves and goggles. You'll need to removes these when transforming into box mode, but there's plenty of room for them in the Box Charger. Ricochet also features a pair of missile launchers that can be aimed. Due to their location on her hips, I tend to imagine Mini Ricochet controls them from his pouch battle station. I REALLY like Ricochet's colors. That shade of orange just works on mecha animals. I have others with similar colors and love it. When explaining just how cool these toys are to folks not in the know, this is a great example of the line. Awesomely imaginative, creative, and a lot of fun. 

Despite how many people ask me if the boxing gloves are coffee cups.

Leviathan (BB-14RT)

Leviathan is a really cool entry in the BeastBox ranks. Instead of the usual robotic animal that transforms into a box, you've got a robotic vehicle that turns into a box. In the past when I've talked about BeastBox toys I've often compared them to Zoids. This just might be the most Zoid like of all the ones I have (quite a few at this point). Leviathan is a robotic whale submarine at a seemingly miniature scale.

It comes with a mini Jojo pilot and some tiny companions. Sting ray and a fish submarines can connect to Leviathan or swim along side in a undersea adventure. Personally, I find it impossible to not like this toy. It just so cool! The blue colors are so pretty and the whole concept is awesome. I haven't swapped the mini Jojo pilot out with any other Inchman style figure, but I'd wager two similar sized figures could fit in the cockpit.  Leviathan transforms very easy compared to other BeastBox toys. It fold up quite nicely and fits into the box charger without any trouble. There's even room to stick it's little friends in as well. I could see Leviathan fitting in nicely with Diaclone or other small scale science fiction toys. It's a really cool release and a fun toy overall.

SubZero (BB29SZ)

Answering the question, 'What if Godzilla was a robot... not MechaGodzilla... and was icy' is SubZero. A BeastBox robotic kaiju who breaths freezing cold blasts. SubZero is a pleasant toy that, like all BeastBox figures, converts into a box. I was inspired to play with mine while watching the Godzilla channel on Pluto TV and am glad I did. SubZero has plenty of plates similar to Godzilla along his back and tail that I just love. His arms and legs feature adequate articulation, but the tail can move a lot more than expected.

I always liked the industrial signage Zoids and other toys would feature and love it here. With those blue and grey colors on that sculpting, SubZero feels like something TOMY released in the 80's. Just with modern technology. His jaw opens to show you some radical teeth. There's a neat included blast effect that plugs into that open mouth so he can breathe an icy blast. I really appreciate the digital details. Maybe SubZero is causing Gridman some trouble. Transformation to box is pretty detailed and everything has to be in the right place. That can be frustrating until you get the hang of it. The box is a very compact and satisfying mechanical cube and fits nicely into the included Box Charger allowing for stacking of your BeastBox toys while looking nice. The blast effect can fit in the Box Charger for easy storage as well. Not every frosty robot kaiju turns into a box, but that's what makes this one so special.

Phantom Jista Chocolate 3

Z Knights

Crunch Skull Supreme

With EarthSpark around the corner, there's been plenty of video clips and teasers to get us all ready for the show to debut. I'm looking forward to it as I'm sure some of you are. Seeing that the Skywarp toy is using the Cyberverse Warrior Class Seeker mold made me wonder if Skullcruncher will his Cybervese toy mold? It's a good figure and I think flew mostly under the radar, so why not? That brings us here today as we look at the aforementioned toy. I used the word aforementioned and feel super fancy about it.

Skullcruncher is a larger Ultra Class figure that sells for around $20 if you can still find him. A Cyberverse Ultra is equal in size to a Generations Voyager for the price of a Generations Deluxe. So you can expect a simpler and more hollow toy for the money. I'm just getting that out of the way right now. It's specifically intended for children while Generations toys are intended to be collector friendly with a higher quality. Fortunately the hollowness doesn't really effect Skullcruncher too bad. It doesn't stand out blatantly. The most I noticed it was in his lower legs, which is where his thighs fold into when transforming. He's definitely light though. That'll bother some, but not others.

Like most Cyberverse toys, Skullcruncher has a play gimmick, his being 'Energon Armor'. This is a pretty non-intrusive gimmick in which a clear green alligator shaped helmet/mask pops out and covers his head. It looks kinda neat. Thanks to the transformation, his wrists swivel and beast claws fold over the hands. With that helmet on and those claws properly displayed, you've got a Battle Beast! As you'd expect, Skullcruncher transforms into an alligator. Aside from the lack of a Headmaster, he's pretty much a traditional toy of Skullcruncher. A simplified update I guess. He has quite a bit of articulation as well. In all honestly this is a pretty good toy.

Weapons are a laser gun for shooting and a pointy tail. I'm not really quite sure what to call the tail weapon as a large blade unfolds out and Skullcruncher holds in from the tails base. A pointy traffic cone? Seeing as there's no other way to store the tail in robot mode, I guess they came up with this as a quick fix. I'd have preferred it to be a shield or a backpack. The tail weapon is my only real complaint... because I don't like it. I do have another complaint, I wish his mouth opened in gator mode. That's the only real complaint I have. The weapon is pretty subjective.

Make no mistake about it, this is a toy meant for children and not adults. So, that's something you'd have to keep in mind. I wouldn't compare it to Titans Return or the Walmart 'Vintage' Headmaster Skullcruncher toy. On it's own though, matched up with other Cyberverse figures? Yeah, it's pretty good. The simplification gives it a touch of that old school charm I've talked about before. He could have been a G2 figure in terms of construction and feel. Just needs to be a little heftier and have weird random stickers. A Decepticon or transformers logo across the tail or something. I... kinda want that now.

Mobile Doozy Gobot

I recently got the Mobile Change Haro toys that I've talked about earlier. This lead me down a weird rabbit hole that I thought would make a good post here. I might be wrong about that, it might be a terrible post. Either way, it's a post and it's here. I've talked about Doozy Bots before, but just in case you're not in the know- Doozy Bots was an early 90's attempt to bring Gundam to the US. It would have used SD Gundam designs and had a new cartoon that was pretty similar to cartoons like Captain N that were popular at the time. Let's watch the pitch reel again.

I've said it before and I'll say it again. I would have loved this. I know me, and I remember the me I was then. Doozy Bots would have and likely still be my jam. I like Gundam, but I'm not super invested in the fiction. It's mostly thinking the robots are cool. I'll buy a toy or Gunpla and play the occasional game because I like the robots. I don't follow the cartoons super heavy though. I did really like SD Gundam and can tell I would have loved Doozy Bots. I would still love Doozy Bots. So, what if Doozy Bots would have actually happened? Like... say there was a timeline or there's an alternate timeline going on right now... and these way cool Mobile Change Haro figures are newer Doozy Bots toys... whoa...