Cheetor and Jazz [Cyberworld Energon Surge/Cyber Changers]

@robfromzonebase Cheetor [Transformers Cyberworld Energon Surge/Cyber Changers] no, not Tigatron #cyberchangers #energonsurge #transformers #cyberworld #zonebase ♬ Catcat Heaven - The Lethal Weapons

One of the things that first got my attention with Cyberworld was the Bull Megatron design. It reminded me so much of early Beast Wars that even if I hadn't jumped headfirst into my "get them all" quest, I probably would have gotten every version of him anyway. A year later, the Energon Surge toys are continuing that vibe with today's subjects: Cheetor and Jazz.

Both come with little caveats that make you pause for a second before you realize exactly what they're doing. Cheetor is white, while Jazz has a beast mode. Those little details lean even harder into that early Beast Wars vibe I was talking about.

You see, when Beast Wars first started, the fiction we know today wasn't there yet. It was essentially Transformers Generation 3, with familiar characters taking on a new gimmick. If you find any of the old concept art, that idea becomes pretty clear.

Cheetor originally began life as a new Prowl toy. That's pretty obvious when you look at the original toy's head sculpt, and I've always thought the cat-head chest was reminiscent of the car-hood chests of the G1 toys.

While this Cheetor is a mixture of white and translucent blue, it's a little hard for me not to think about that original Prowl destination.

Jazz, on the other hand, isn't a character I remember seeing in that original concept art, but I've always thought Polar Claw's head sculpt looked very Jazz-like. That makes Jazz's beast mode, which is a polar bear, stand out even more to me. Then there's the fact that we're taking a classic G1 character and putting his traditional head on a clearly beast-warrior body. That's exactly the kind of weirdness I love.

Part of me hopes they make a black bear Ricochet version of this toy.

@robfromzonebase Jazz [Transformers Cyberworld Energon Surge/Cyber Changers] yes, he's a polar bear #zonebase #transformers #cyberworld #energonsurge #cyberchangers ♬ VISIONS Theme Song of "KAMEN RIDER ZEZTZ" - NAQT VANE

It's worth noting that Cheetor is supposed to be a snow leopard and not a cheetah, despite his card placing him in the Jungle biome rather than the Arctic biome that Jazz comes from. Considering the arrival of the Maximal stasis pods shown in an Arctic region of the Cyberworld during the season-ending episode, it's pretty clear that the upcoming monster truck Optimus Primal is going to have a non-traditional crew of Beast Warriors. I'm really looking forward to seeing what they do with them.

Like other Cyber Changers, Cheetor and Jazz share engineering. That's clearly part of the model behind Cyber Changers: keep the price low through shared engineering and a universal silhouette that allows the smaller figures to interact with the larger toys in the line.

I really hope Cyber Changers continues beyond Cyberworld. Imagine having figures that can interact with each other for years regardless of what series they come from. Since these are the mainline toys aimed at younger kids (and loved by old farts like me), it's entirely possible that a kid could receive one from their grandparents years from now, bought from a liquidation or discount store, and have it work with whatever the current iteration of the kids' line happens to be.

I'd love to see straightforward versions of classic characters as Cyber Changers. The white-box general line already has Deluxe Class figures of traditional characters, so why not make some of those characters in this format as well?

There are differences between Cheetor and Jazz, though. They're not simply the same mold with different heads. Both have unique sculpting and deco. They're both primarily white and translucent blue, but their other colors are different, as is their glow-in-the-dark paint. One fun little tradition that carries over to Cheetor is having his beast-mode tail become his weapon. He has a tail that turns into a sword. Neat!

I do wish Jazz had a gun, though. I'll probably pair him with one eventually. It just feels right, you know?

The slight auto-transformation that most Cyber Changers have is present here as well, shifting their upright robot bodies into a more quadrupedal beast form. While writing the earlier paragraph about the original Beast Wars designs, I started thinking about the Manta Ray Optimus Prime sketch and the obvious comparison to Manta Ray from the McDonald's Beast Wars Happy Meal toys.

Man, I'd love to see that design fleshed out as a Cyber Changer.

I'd also love to see the Panther from those Happy Meal toys become the obvious eventual Ravage repaint of this Cheetor. Honestly, I might just make one myself. The sculpt is too similar. Which makes me think that toy really was originally intended to be Prowl, especially since Manta Ray was so clearly intended to be Optimus Prime.

And now I've had another thought.

A Cyberworld Happy Meal would be amazing.

I wonder if the toys would hold up to the Beast Wars-era Happy Meal toys. Probably not. But wouldn't that be amazing?

Another Mansion, Another Mystery

Halloween is around the corner and we're having company over. We're having fondue and someone brought out Mystery Mansion to play. Who did it? Who knows—maybe look in the parlor.

Neatly enough, this is one of those games with the electronic voice box that gives out clues when you enter the number from a randomly drawn card.

Uh oh… someone lost the electronic talking box and put the one from their sister’s copy of Dream Phone in instead. Whatever, let’s make the most of it.

Turns out Corey has a crush on me!

Takeda Shingen (white) [Sembo Block X Mosho Toys Progenitor Effect]

@robfromzonebase Takeda Shingen (white) [Sembo Block X Mosho Toys] #zonebase #semboblock #moshotoys #blindbox #sembo ♬ 復讐の呪い (Curse of Vengeance) - Akuma Dollz

It's always fun discovering something new, or at least new to you. Recently, my wife went on a blind box shopping trip with a friend and picked up a few Sembo Block kits. Sembo Block is a company similar to Blokees that started out producing building block sets before moving into model kits. Like Blokees, they also offer blind box sets. I've been seeing Sembo Block kits in various robot model groups for a while now and have been curious about them, so I was pretty excited to finally get my hands on some.

Recently, I assembled the first of the kits the Mrs. got me: Takeda Shingen from a collaboration with Mosho Toys. Takeda Shingen is from the Progenitor Effect mecha series, which I know absolutely nothing about. I wish I did, though, because the designs are really neat. This particular character is normally red, but because this was a blind box, I ended up with the white version. From what I can tell, there's also another white version with some teal. All of the color variations look fantastic, though, and I'm really happy with the one I got.

The lion design on the white version immediately makes me think of Liger Zero from Zoids. Takeda Shingen's overall design is really neat, looking like an oni wearing lion-themed samurai armor. The combination of the armor and mechanical lion elements gives me plenty of Zoids vibes, while the hair sticking out from behind his helmet makes me think a little of Digimon. I definitely plan to learn more about Progenitor Effect.

He also came with two different trading cards featuring some really great artwork. I'm not sure if they're part of a game or just included as collectibles, but I love it when model kits and toys come with cards or stickers. Or both!

Assembly was pretty neat and a little more involved than I expected going in. There's a mixture of parts on sprues and loose pieces, along with a nice instruction manual that's mostly easy to understand even though it's in another language. I did have a little trouble figuring out a few of the parts, but that was mostly because I had a variant and the colors shown in the instructions were more generalized. Nothing was actually wrong with the instructions. It was more of a "Oh yeah, I have a different version" moment.

The only actual complaint I have is that the plastic quality was a little lacking on two parts. The ball joint that Takeda Shingen's head sits on is a little loose. That could either be because of the grade of plastic or because the socket in his helmet is slightly too large. It's an easy fix, so it's not a huge problem, but it's worth mentioning.

The only major problem was one of his hip armor plates, which arrived with a faulty connector. The plastic was misshapen in the box and couldn't connect properly. For now, I've got it held in place with a tiny nub of sticky tack until I can properly repair it with some wire and glue. It'll probably always be a little loose, but at least it'll be functional.

Aside from those two points, this is a very sharp-looking kit, and the finished figure has a surprising amount of articulation. It's pretty impressive! I especially enjoy the basic skeleton that needs to be assembled before the armor is added. That's not unique to Sembo Block, but it's something I can really appreciate. It reminds me of trying to make figures with Sculpey by starting with a little wire skeleton.

Sometimes I wish I'd continued with that project. I managed to make a Grimlock and Shockwave, which are probably now in pieces at the bottom of a box somewhere. I have no idea what happened to them. 

Takeda Shingen comes with open and closed hands, along with two katanas and a naginata. The katanas can also be stored on his armor. Thanks to the impressive articulation, he can wield all of them in some really neat poses.

Overall, my first experience with Sembo Block was a pleasant one. I've got a few more kits waiting for me, so I'm looking forward to seeing what they're like. Hopefully they don't have the same little issues this one did, but even with those problems, Takeda Shingen was a really fun kit to put together.

Now I just need to figure out what the hell Progenitor Effect is.

Light Your Way At Burger King

I've said it a few times and for land's sake I mean it. You need a good light when out trick or treating. It's just the right thing to do. There's this weird paradox in which driving a car on Halloween night makes the driver unable to see people not normally in the street dressed as Power Rangers. All caution is to the wind and the only thing keeping you safe is a good light.

Fortunately Burger King is here with free flashlights and treat bags to use when you go trick or treating. Assuming the manager didn't take them all home. In all honesty, that's a pretty great freebie for a fast food place. Those are the type of flashlights normally sold at stores. Not too shabby Burger King! You might recognize it as the old flashlight your grandmother keeps by her bed.

So take your flashlight and be safe out there. Later, your parents will happily take your new flashlight and keep it by their bed. Another word of advice, wait until it's night time to use your flashlight. That damn kid's going to run out the battery before sunset.

Originally Posted 9/01/2020