Ironhide and Autobot Ratchet [Swapticons]

The Summer of Swapticons continues with probably the most obvious set: Ironhide and Ratchet!

Ironhide and Ratchet almost always share toy molds, so having a toy where the two combine to form an alt mode makes a lot of sense. Normally Ironhide becomes a red van while Ratchet becomes a white ambulance. As a Swapticons set, they both form a white ambulance because synergy is important when you're a team.

I've always been a little attached to Ratchet thanks to his starring role in the early issues of the Marvel Transformers comic. At the time those issues were on newsstands, I was staying at my Grandmother's house while my parents handled the arrangements for our relocation across states. I must have reread those issues a million times and, despite being a cartoon guy, I always think of comic Ratchet cooking hot dogs with his laser scalpel.

I wish I had a story about Ironhide... but I just enjoy him for him.

His southern drawl. Being a good old soldier boy. He's an enjoyable character who's been around since the beginning, but I don't really have something that endears him to me the way Ratchet does. With as many characters as Transformers has, I can't be attached to them all.

But I do like Ironhide.

How couldn't someone?

Admittedly, First Aid would have worked pretty well in Ironhide's place... but Ironhide is the obvious choice.

They're both your standard Swapticons: chonky, silly, with a tiny bit of articulation in the arms and impossible to hate. They're also not as flashy as some of the other Swapticons we've looked at during the Summer of Swapticons... and that's a good thing.

You need standard bearers, and these two are cornerstones of Transformers.

Sunny Days

Welcome back to another week of robots, monsters, and misadventure here on Zone Base. I've been moving, so it's been pretty hectic around here. I'm mostly done after two weekends spent taking loads of boxes from our old place to the new one. We'd been at our former townhouse for 6 years, so it's a pretty big change adjusting to a new one. The old one was great, but property management had changed and we just didn't want to deal with it anymore. Our new neighborhood and place is a pretty decent upgrade as well, so who could complain (except for all the work of moving)? 

This past weekend, well, I was moving still, but managed to get some toys ordered. Seeing reports of all the cool new Cyberworld toys starting to show up, I got antsy as I haven't been able to locate the last 2 yet. So Optimus Primal and Airachnid were ordered. Optimus should be here today while Airachnid should come in July. Speaking of ordering, last weekend I ordered Star Eagle! I love a holiday edition toy and who'd have thunk a July 4th Transformer? Out of left field and welcoming aliens to Earth. Keep his wife's name out your mouth! I see readers have been enjoying the Summer of Swapticons and that's awesome... and this will probably be the last week of that. After this week, I've got more to get to continue my mission to get them all... and cover them here. HOWEVER, that doesn't mean we're having a short summer special event... you could say after this week it's Transforming... that was lame, but I'm not apologizing. Summer 2026 is changing directions starting next week!

Also starting next week is baby steps in a new direction I'm taking posts. Still my same writing, just a slightly new presentation in the pictures. Hopefully for the better, but like everything, I'm taking it slow. Hope you all like it! Well, I've got... a ton of work to do... a ton. Thank you all for reading Zone Base. Your support means to world to me, especially while moving has made things extra hard. Please share the site with your friends and be excellent to each other!

Starscream and Decepticon Slipstream [Swapticons]

Seekers. Everyone loves them, especially Starscream. So of course they're perfect for the Summer of Swapticons! Usually Seekers are repaints of Starscream. However, this time these two are repaints of Ramjet and Sandstorm, who were included in the Desert Dunes 5-pack that I haven't been able to track down yet. Starscream, of course, is one of the main characters in Transformers and there's not much that can be said about him that hasn't already been said. Slipstream is a Seeker that originated in Transformers Animated and has stuck around since as a popular member of the Seekers with a really cool color scheme.

Of course, I can't help but associate her with a background generic Seeker from the original cartoon. Often generic Seekers, Insecticon clones, and Reflector bots were used as cannon fodder Decepticons. Purple Seekers were often seen, even appearing in a very cool OTFCC Exclusive Heroes of Cybertron Seeker figurine set.

One of those purple Seekers was drawn skinnier than the others, almost feminine, leading several older fans to think that one was female. The "Lady in Purple" appeared in various fan works for a while and I like to think she was one of the initial beginnings of Slipstream, influencing future creators during her creation. 

Since this is my first time with this mold set (I do hope to get that 5-pack, it's driving me crazy), it's a new experience for me and a pretty pleasant one at that.

The blocky and silly proportions Swapticons have often remind me of SD-style robot toys, but also of character sprites from older video games. Thinking about it, Swapticons would make for a fun game mechanic. Combining two individuals into one and creating unique abilities. I'm sure it's been done before, but it'd be fun.

Surprisingly, Starscream forms the rear of the jet with Slipstream becoming the front. I'd think the main Seeker would be the front end, but he is an ass... so it works.

The jet is an elongated thing that doesn't look bad, but once again feels like something out of an older game. I could see it being used on a map screen where you'd choose which area to play next.

Thanks to the silly faces, Swapticons once again feel like a spiritual successor to BotBots, and the chonky designs really make me want to look into the designers and see what else they've worked on. I'm swearing the same designer worked on Changeables and I'm not going to stop saying that anytime soon.

The colors really pop on these little sculpts, arguably giving them more character than the goofy faces. The purple on Slipstream looks legitimately nice.

They've got a small bit of arm articulation, which Swapticons generally have. It's not a lot, but it does make for a nicer toy.

Overall, this is a great little Swapticons set. Good colors, fun designs, and a surprisingly neat jet mode. Plus, any toy that lets Starscream literally be the ass-end of something gets bonus points from me.

Put a Smile On

Summer is a Spooky Season.