Triceratops [Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Re-Ignition/Combinable Dinozord]

One problem with combiner teams is that there is compromises in the individual members to create the combined form. The Triceratops is a pretty good example of that, it's usually a giant brick. A cool brick, but a brick non-the-less. Fortunately, that works in it's favor. The Triceratops is essentially a tank that also becomes a leg, Playmates did just that. It's a simple toy, but pleasant.

The dino head has a decent range of movement which will come in hand for the combined Megazord. The tail features the double laser tip that doubles as a firing missile. It folds flush into the dino body during conversion, but I'd be careful. Loosing a missile sucks as is, but when the missile is part of the the toys visual aesthetic... ugh. Like I said, it may be a brick... but it's a cool brick. The simple styling and colors look great. There's a timeless quality to some of these old robots. Just a good looking robot tank dinosaur that becomes a leg.

Don't be a Halloweenie

Growing up is hard, especially in those early teenage years in that limbo of leaving childhood and becoming an adult. I was the youngest of my siblings, so there never was that little brother or sister still doing those things I was now 'too old' for. Big Pete, well, he has Little Pete to deal with. You try resisting him. Little Pete wants to set a new world record for most houses visited for trick or treat. Sounds awesome right? Well it is, but he needs help... and the only one who can do it is Big Pete... whose now 'too old'. Good thing he can wear a mask to hide his embarrassment right? Well... Halloween is a dangerous holiday sometimes. One such danger is older kids who like to bully Halloweenies.

originally posted 9/8/23 

Optimus Prime Type MFS-3 MechaGodzilla [Synergenex]

It was starting to feel like this toy would never come. I had pre-ordered it with the Godzilla Type Megatron we looked at a little while back. For whatever reason, it was a month a half before this one shipped. That was weird. Regardless, today, we'll be looking at the second half of the Transformers X Godzilla toys from Takara Tomy's Synergenex line. Optimus Prime has followed Megatron to Earth through the Space Bride. Megatron had scanned Godzilla, resulting in one pretty big threat.

To confront this, Optimus used the power of the Matrix to scan MechaGodzilla Kiryu and incorporated his technology into his body. Now teamed with the Japan Self-Defense Forces, Optimus Prime Type MFS-3 MechaGodzilla prepares to face The Emperor of Destruction. One thing certainly on the J.S.D.F's mind must be, is Optimus Prime now haunted by the spirit of the original Godzilla as Kiryu was?

Like Godzilla Type Megatron, Optimus is a repaint of a prior toy. This is a straight repaint of the Legacy Laser Optimus Prime that just looks outstanding. In truck mode his cab is a mix of Kiryu's colors and the trailer in a military green. The trailer converts into a battle station that I can see the J.S.D.F utilizing in the field. The battle platform has a robotic arm and laser cannon that I imagine utilizes the Twin Maser Cannon's abilities. The Laser Optimus Prime mold is a good base for a version of Optimus equipped with Kiryu's technology.

His laser sword and energy axe make for a good use of the Maser Blade abilities. The Maser Blade could deliver a strong electrical surge into Godzilla's body when stabbed. Kiryu's Back Unit is clearly represented by shoulder missile launchers. Like many Optimus Prime toys, Laser Optimus Prime has an opening chest with a removable Matrix of Autobot Leadership. This makes a good placement for Kiryu's Absolute Zero Cannon. While many were turned off by this toy when it was revealed, I think it really is a good fit for the concept.

I'm very fond of Optimus in this deco. The silver, gray, and blue look really great and the green trailer contrasts nicely. The sword, axe, and Matrix are cast in a very nice translucent yellow that matches the electrical energy output from Kiryu's weaponry. The MFS-3 (Multipurpose Fighting System Type-3) markings look sharp and the MechaGodzilla badge on his chest is awesome. My favorite bit is the red interior of Optimus's helmet, which matches Kiryu's 'blood tears' facial detail. A more cynical person may see this as a cheap repaint, but they really knocked the concept out of the park. A lot of complaints towards this set have been that they wished Takara Tomy would have done more, but I'm really happy with what they did.

I Vant to Betamax your Neck!

As someone who works the graveyard shift, I'm all too familiar with recording my shows and watching them later. Of course in today's streaming world that's given way to in demand video, but the sentiment remains. Whenever I watch a commercial these days, it's usually some for incontinence medication. Long gone are the hokey spots where Dracula would sell you a VCR, and that's a damn shame.

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!

Dinobot Snarl [Cyberworld/Cyber Changers]

It's always a treat for me to talk about a Snarl toy around Halloween. As I've mentioned many more times than any of you probably care about, I was Snarl for Halloween in the 2nd grade. Ever since then, he's not only been associated with the holiday, but also kept a special place in my heart. Cozy vibes, know what I mean?

This newest version of Snarl from Transformers Cyberworld is a fun new take on the Desert Warrior. He's painted more in traditional Junkion colors as opposed to the bright red and silver we're used to normally seeing him in. He's also got a slight Mad Max look, which is something recent Junkions from Legacy had. A Mad Max vibe fits a Desert Warrior pretty well.

I dig it.

Snarl has the same uniformity other Cyber Changers have and engineering template Megatron and Galvatron use. Between the shared engineering and uniformity, the designers clearly found a way to keep it Cyberworld cost effective. There's a neat GI JOE-ness to this line, it's like what Action masters would have been like if the figures transformed. I really like the smallness of the figures. Not just because I like small toys, but there's a real pleasantness in them. There's been other lines that I thought were too big for their designs. This is just right, the size and simpleness is downright satisfying.

They're neat.

Snarl's weapon is a spiked club type thing made from the dinosaurs tail.
Non-de script melee weapons are pretty on brand for beast warriors and this looks like it'd hurt like hell if he hit you with it. In the Cartoon, Snarl runs like Naruto. Part of me likes to imagine him being a ninja, which is hilarious considering this giant weapon. Though it definitely fits Cyberworld's video game setting. His stegosaurus mode reminds me of a Starrior like Galvatron did. There's older toy DNA in these designs and I really appreciate it.

Candy Corn and Vengeance

This move seemed to always play on a local station on random Saturday afternoons when I was a kid. I'd usually flip across it during a scary part, watch for a second, and get told to mow the grass. I really appreciate it as an adult. It's a great little movie where the bad guys are the main characters. Last year, I watched it on Halloween night after all the trick or treaters stopped coming. The Mrs had fallen asleep on the couch and I had a bag of candy corn. It made for a very pleasant way to close out the spooky season. Think I'll spend another pumpkin spiced night with it this year again. Just need some candy corn.

Tyrannosaurus [Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Re-Ignition/Combinable Dinozord]

It's odd. Feels just like the other day I was welcoming Hasbro's Power Ranger toys with open arms only to be doing that now for Playmates take on the teenagers with attitude. It's an odd change, but one of the steps we're seeing of Hasbro being more of an IP owner than a toy manufacturer. I don't know how far this walk will end up being, but it's fascinating to watch. Regardless, it's good news because Playmates makes GREAT toys. Power Rangers goes in line with their Monsterverse Kaiju action figures and so far they seem to be on a pretty positive path.

My main focal point with their MMPR output for the time being is their Dinozords. Next year they have a pretty interesting mini line coming that I want to get my hands on... but that's next year. This current set of Zords are a combinable team that once completed will form the Dino Megazord from the original Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. Or for you Super Sentai fans, Daizyuzin from Kyōryū Sentai Zyuranger. I'm not 100% sure, but it feels like the same design team that made Playmates Voltron were behind this set. I liked their Voltron toys, so that's a positive. Like those Lions, these are big chunky bots that are very similar to the Bandai designs that came before them. There's obviously some differences, but that original DNA is still here.

Today we'll be taking a look at the Tyrannosaurus. The Tyrannosaurus is a Deluxe figure from the assortment with the Deluxe classification owing to it's size. It and the Mastodon are larger toys. All the Dinozords cost $23.98 at my local Walmart, so I'm not sure if deluxes are intended to cost more or not. There's probably some tariff offsetting in that pricing to be fair. Still, $120 for all five isn't bad. Considering the size (they're BIG), I'm not complaining. Tyrannosaurus is a nice hefty dino full of big chonky robot vibes. There's a decent amount of articulation in his legs that clicks satisfyingly when moved. Earlier I said the Bandai DNA is present and it really is. This feels 100% like holding a big ass Gobot and I fucking love it. They did a great job and I'm really looking forward to the rest of the set and building the Megazord.