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?

Thankful for a Holiday Week... but not a Monday

It’s a new week, Zone Base readers — but not just any new week. It’s a holiday week! I’m really looking forward to the time off work and getting some rest while enjoying time with the Mrs. and family.

It’s actually Sunday night as I’m writing this. Working overnight like I do, I usually have to work the Sunday night before a big holiday to offset the week a little. It’s not fun, but… it’s not fun. Adulting sucks. Fortunately, it’s a short work week, so at least it’s worth it.

I hope you all had a good weekend. Mine was pretty short, but still enjoyable. Had a fun dinner Saturday afternoon at Outback Steakhouse with the Mrs. and my mom. Got out to do some Christmas shopping, too. Black Friday deals started early at a lot of stores, and I managed to snag a great discount on a few things!

Sunday morning, the Mrs. and I went out and bought a new Christmas tree for our living room. We’ve been using the same flocked one for a few years now, and she wanted to mix it up with something that had a little extra color. It’s a big one, too — so, as usual, I’ll be putting the star on top!

Since Thanksgiving is this week, we did our grocery shopping in-store for a change instead of delivery. I’m already looking forward to smelling the turkey cooking Thursday morning while we watch the parade.

It’s probably safe to say many of you won’t be reading as much this week — but for those of you worldwide who do check in every day… thank you so much. It honestly means a lot to see my large international audience come in regularly to see what I’ve posted.

I’ll be on holiday this week enjoying a break from my normally hectic schedule, so posting will be a bit limited. However… I’ve got something BIG coming to help make up for my absence.

Thank you all for reading — every single one of you. Please don’t forget to share with your friends, and mutual high fives, everyone!

Optimus Prime [Cyberworld/Armored Cyber Changers]

Being the main character, Optimus Prime is bound to make a few repeat appearances in any Transformers toy line. For Transformers Cyberworld, today we’ll be looking at his second release — a big improvement over his first. We talked about that one a few months back and while I liked it, there was no ignoring its faults. He looked great in robot mode, but the various hollow parts were clearly visible in truck mode. That was disappointing.

Thankfully, those hollowed-out parts are hidden a lot better this time around. his Optimus is like the “Offroad” version of Bumblebee we looked at a few weeks ago. Both were originally solicited under the Offroad name, but that labeling is missing from the packaging. So this is just “Armored Cyber Changer Optimus Prime” — as opposed to the “Cyber Changer Optimus Prime” hanging on the next peg at Walmart. That Offroad name would’ve made things easier in the end, but naming systems in Transformers are a regular nitpick of mine.

I like this Optimus a lot better than the regular one. It looked great, but that vehicle mode was impossible to ignore. This time we’ve got a solid robot and vehicle with a very interesting sculpt. Optimus transforms into a non-descript armored offroad truck, and that design carries over nicely to his robot mode, creating a more unique version of Optimus that I think looks great. He’s pleasantly blocky too — just super chonky in all the right ways. A very satisfying little robot toy. 

Optimus has the same articulation and dimensions as other Cyber Changers (armored or not), which I oddly appreciate for reasons I can’t fully explain. They’re just satisfying little figures. His traditional red and blue colors look super sharp, and the truck’s brush guard makes for a nice variation of the car-front chest Transformers often have. He looks rough and tumble — it’s a good look. Optimus also doesn’t have his trademark faceplate, which actually works really well with this sculpt. I’m anticipating (and hoping for) all sorts of repaints from this mold. It’s a good Optimus, but it could easily be a variety of other characters. It’d make a great Clench — just imagine it in black and purple!

Transformation uses the standard Cyber Changer scheme. I’m guessing the shared engineering across the line helps keep costs low — and I’m totally fine with that. The torso compresses and accordions while the arms fold up and the legs fold in. Simple, effective, and it reminds me of the auto-transformations from early Beast Wars and Machine Wars basics… just without the spring.

The truck mode is really good — pleasantly blocky again, with a bit of a military vibe to the sculpting. It looks tough, and I could see this scaled down into one amazing Micromaster. The “Armored Up” gimmick that differentiates Armored Cyber Changers from the standard versions is a large weapon that converts slightly, giving it some interchangeability between modes. I’ve been taking these as they come, usually just accepting them as a tacked-on gimmick. This time, though, I’m outright enjoying it.

Optimus comes with a big chain gun that makes for an imposing weapon — it’s giving me Big Convoy’s Big Cannon vibes. Its alternate mode opens into two cannons and wing-like extensions. At first glance, the dual barrels might look like halves of the gun barrel, nothing too special — but look closer and you’ll notice sculpted rockets inside those barrels, suggesting it’s a rocket launcher. The bright blue colors and dual rockets remind me of Robots in Disguise Ultra Magnus with his “Blue Bolts” weapon. Thinking about it, this would make a good Magnus toy too.

The cannon can attach to the truck mode’s roof and looks 100% at home there. And those wings? They plug into the robot mode’s back, making for an upgraded look that isn’t called out on the packaging but is clearly intended. I really should’ve included a picture of it, but I wanted to show clean shots of the toy as it’s “supposed” to look. It’s literally the same position as the truck mount. It looks so natural there — can’t just be my imagination. Or maybe it is. I swear I saw Elvis at a Walmart once. He was buying ice cream.

Clearly, I like this figure. Its simplicity might turn off the display-case crowd, but it’s right up the alley for folks who just like neat toys. I’ve made all sorts of comparisons — from Microman to G.I. Joe to Action Masters — when talking about Cyberworld. It’s chock full of the DNA from toy lines that came before, and those influences are impossible to ignore. Yes, it’s simple, but sometimes simple works.

This is a cool toy line that I enjoy a lot. Without a doubt, this is my favorite of the line so far. It’s just a cool robot toy — the low price is a bonus. The colors pop, the sculpt is sharp, and the play gimmick works great. Everything just comes together solidly. Like I said, I could see this mold repainted into a million different characters — and hope I do. An arctic camo version would be great. Like everyone else who writes about Transformers, I’ve got plenty of opinions and think Hasbro should hire me. But with this toy, I think I’m actually onto something.

Burning Godzilla [Godzilla Monster Series 5"]

November 2025 is clearly the month of Burning Godzilla. With the 30th anniversary of Godzilla vs. Destoroyah in December, the all-new Fest Godzilla II: Shinjuku Burning released earlier this month, and, well... I got a bunch of related toys recently and decided to cover them in November. Godzilla Day and all — it made sense.

Today we're looking at the Burning Godzilla 5" counterpart to the Destoroyah I talked about last week. As I reiterate every time I talk about a toy from this line, I've really grown to love the Godzilla Monster Series 5" figures. I repeat it for two reasons. One, it's true. Two, this is the internet — you've got to repeat yourself constantly.

I don’t believe I’ve covered a Heisei era Godzilla in this series here on the site yet. However, in some aspects, there’s not much new when it comes to this figure. It’s got the same articulation you expect from this style of Godzilla toy: legs move at the hips, arms swivel at the upper bicep, and the tail swivels... because you have to attach it after opening the box. I don’t think that actually counts as a joint, but movement is movement. Of course, these aren’t the type of figures you buy for articulation.

To quote Billy Bob Thornton from the classic movie Sling Blade, “No sir, I don’t reckon.” Then he said uh huh a million times and ate a shit ton of mustard. These types of figures make great representations of classic screen monsters — and that’s exactly what this figure is.

Seriously, why did he eat so much mustard?

The sculpting on Godzilla is really great. It might just be another Godzilla to some folks, but for fans, the differences are crystal clear. Godzilla looks a great deal like the MogeGoji suit used at the time. Of course, he’s in the traditional Godzilla colors except for the burning detail that makes Burning Godzilla stand out. Don’t ask me why a slowly dying Godzilla looks so great, but dammit — it looks amazing.

All that radioactive dermatitis looks beautiful despite probably hurting like hell. A wonderful mix of coppery reds and oranges extends to his spinal plates so perfectly. The nuclear meltdown inside has even tinted Godzilla’s eyes to match. Every cloud has a silver lining, apparently — because, you know, he’s dying here. But it’s so pretty. His internal pain has resulted in beautifully red and orange eyes that just look so good.

No wonder Godzilla is so angry — here he is in pain, and I’m telling him how great he looks. Sorry, big guy. I’d give you a hug but... well, you’d step on me. Clearly I don’t have anything bad to say about this toy. It’s a wonderful depiction of a memorable version of Godzilla that thankfully doesn’t cost much. How can I find any fault in that?