Weekly Update 10/5/26 — Put Out Your Pumpkins

It sure is Monday yet again, Zone Base readers, and time for another week of robots, monsters, and misadventure!

It's October and officially Halloween time for the rest of the world. We've been going steady for the past two months, but now it's time for the main event!

You can be sure that the annual assault of Pumpkin Spice Mayhem isn't going to let up, and rest uneasy knowing that it's going into overdrive!

As usual, I've got a fun week planned for the thousands of you that read every day. The TikTok and Instagram project are going well, with views and likes steadily climbing. I really hope more of you choose to follow me over there, as I'm really trying to grow those sites as a fun side to the main site.

Zone Base has never been big on social media, but really, I just want to use it to share things with my readers like I do here. It's pretty fun!

Thank you all for reading and supporting Zone Base. As usual, my thoughts on some things are following, as well as my poorly written weekly update!

Don't forget to be excellent to each other!

For the record, I misspelled "usual" so badly that spellcheck thought I was saying something completely different, and every attempt to correct myself was even worse.

What the hell, self?

Transformers-

There's been a scattering of news recently, but the thing that I'd like to talk about most right now is the recent Generations release leaks.

Of course, these are technically rumors, but they're from the source on TFW2005 that's always right, so they're most likely true aside from small things changing along the way. Like the Energon Monsters planned for Legacy that never materialized, but instead resulted in a few Decepticon Pretender homages.

Well, following the whole "Studio Series is for media adaptations, Generations is more experimental" plan, it looks like Age of the Primes will be coming to an end in 2027 and leading the way to the Megatron Rising series in Generations.

From what I gather, the storyline takes place after the end of the Great War, with the Autobots victorious.

However, they're corrupted and evil now.

So basically like Shattered Glass, but not specifically Shattered Glass.

I'm guessing that means more traditional colors on the corrupted Autobots than Shattered Glass featured. I'm hoping that means the Corrupted Autobots are more sinister-looking, as that could be pretty fun.

In response to the Corrupted Autobots, Megatron is joined by other Megatrons and Transformers from alternate dimensions to rise up against them.

While multiversal stories have definitely worn themselves out in almost all recent media, this is actually a pretty nice framing story. Generations tends to be updates of characters from various lines anyway, so the story bits basically work as a framing device for throwing all kinds of crazy versions of Transformers together.

And this looks like the storyline toys might be pretty interesting, as there looks to be an all-Megatron combiner and a Leader Class Scorponok.

What I'm most excited for is a Deluxe G2 Gobots Megatron and an Armada Demolisher that look to be coming.

Hopefully more G2 Gobots and RID Spychangers are released. I'd prefer something like Core Class or Cyber Changers for these guys (they were always small! ) but modern Deluxe Class versions of these designs might be pretty great!

The Weekend (as written on my phone while eating breakfast)- 

My weekend was just right. Saturday, the Mrs and I got our weekly shopping in and enjoyed a viewing of The Backrooms while enjoying some pizza. Sunday turned out to be quite rainy and while it's been cooling down, was the first autmn day that actually felt like autumn this year. I decorated the front yard for Halloween, which was a lot of fun. At our old place, our front yard was bigger than the back, while it's the reverse at our new home.

So we've taken to a little less yard decorations (the inside is packed). It felt a little odd after years of holiday decorating being a pretty big ordeal, but I'm still happy with how it all turned out. I spent a little time organizing the garage before enjoying a barbecue dinner the Mrs had made in the crockpot. Perfect for a chilly rainy day. I finally ordered the new Blokees Defender Version case this weekend with plans on ordering the new Wheels case next weekend. I can't wait to blog about some of the kits here! Battlestars!

Witches Night

Last year I was pretty bummed. Witches Night Out had been bought up by some distributor and disappeared from all my streaming apps. Thankfully, it's now on Tubi, so it's easily watchable again! This is one of my favorite Halloween specials and it's admittedly pretty whacked out. I've posted it here every Halloween... but every season is someone's first. You've got some kids who are disappointed that their costumes didn't scare anyone and they meet a Witch who feels unwanted. Mayhem commences as the grown ups boring Halloween party gets a taste of the spooky shit! One thing that everyone notices is the solid colors the characters are represented in. I think first seeing this on Disney Channel made me make comparisons to Monsters in My Pocket and drew me in. Either way, it's pretty weird... and pretty great.

originally posted 10/28/2025

Optimus Prime [Big Figs]

So, I might have bought something dumb.

Part of the Transformers: The Movie 40th Anniversary theatrical run included various merchandise. Because, that's kinda the point of why these companies make these things. However, one of the coolest items is the subject of today's post, a Target Exclusive Big Figs Optimus Prime by Jakks Pacific.

Big Figs and other brands like it are massive action figures, generally around 18" to 48" tall. For a while there, they were everywhere. I don't think it was possible to walk into a Toys R Us without walking down an aisle and finding a small gathering of them.

I haven't seen them in a while, but they seem to have become more of an online item lately, as I just don't see them in person as often as I used to. Apparently they're still pretty popular, though, and I get it.

There's nothing like a giant-ass figure of a character you like.

That's why I got this one, a 30" Optimus Prime Big Figs tied into the Transformers: The Movie 40th Anniversary and sold exclusively at Target stores in the states (it's been appearing at Costco in Japan recently).

He's apparently pretty popular, as stores have been having a hard time keeping him in stock and the thing is getting resold for less-than-favorable prices by resellers. Fortunately, on a whim, the Mrs. was checking the Target app for some cat food for a pickup order and found one in stock for delivery only.

So we jumped at the chance because that's what you have to do in these instances.

Arriving a few days before my viewing of the movie in theaters, Optimus Prime is a lot bigger than I realized.

Like... I knew he was 30 inches.

But the number "30 inches" on your phone screen doesn't really register until he's standing in your living room, mingling with the Halloween blow molds at our fireplace.

Wow...

There's truth in the name. That's a Big Fig.

I feel like I have to say this now, because there's always that one person who's going to ask. And I get it. The line is named Transformers. There are expectations.

However, no, he doesn't transform.

You're not getting a 30" action figure that turns into a truck for thirty-five dollars. You can hardly get a standard Deluxe Class Transformer for that now.

It's probably also worth noting that articulation is pretty limited. He's got shoulders, elbows, and a head. It looks like his wrists swivel, but to be honest, I haven't tried. There's no leg articulation, though I've seen folks in groups modify theirs to allow for it.

Considering how heavy he is, about six pounds, I wonder just how floppy of a mess those Primes are now.

I've been seeing the Shogun Warrior/Jumbo toy guys go nuts over this. Which is to be expected, because this is right up their alley. But he doesn't really have that Shogun Warrior look.

This looks like a big-ass Optimus Prime that you'd expect to see in standard-sized retail packaging.

I've heard more than one person claim that his sculpt is almost identical to the Leader Class Studio Series 86 Optimus Prime toy. Both are intended to look like Optimus as he appears in the 1986 movie, so no surprise there.

It is possible that CAD files were shared, or that one of those Studio Series toys was scanned to make an STL file from. I'm not sure if that's the case or it's just a coincidence. 

But it's safe to say this looks like who it's supposed to.

Which is part of the point.

The other part is that it be big as hell.

Which it is.

Optimus doesn't come with any accessories, but I've been seeing folks 3D-print guns and Energy Axes for theirs. That looks pretty fun. I hope to get into 3D printing soon, and even though I want to focus on smaller projects, I can see how rewarding it would be to deck this guy out with stuff.

Personally, I kinda want to make a Tommy Kennedy to reenact the live-action segments from Season 5.

Really, despite being just a big silly toy, this thing is causing so many fans to have a lot of fun. They're parading it around social media, pretending it's their new child, making things for it, and just generally enjoying their big silly robot toy.

Frankly, it feels like the perfect thing to go along with the 40th Anniversary showings.

I've been jokingly calling it this big dumb thing, when the truth is...

I love it.

In buying something dumb, I got something awesome.

Phyllis Diller Spends Halloween At Disneyland

Disney does Halloween right. They do Halloween specials right. Somebody behind the scenes of The Mouse Factory did drugs wrong. I don't know if Phillis Diller did drugs, but I do know her name is slang for cocaine. I'm sure there was a mountain offstage on this episode.

Spooks and Magic, the Halloween episode of The Mouse Factory features Phyllis Diller as the guest star going absolutely insane with Disney characters. At one point she's breaking into the Haunted Mansion and harassing the ghosts, the next minute she's having a Halloween costume party with Donald Duck. Said costume party doesn't sound bad until she shows them her batshit family slides then runs them off by singing.

The whole thing ends with her forming a witches coven with King Louie, Goofy, and Witch Hazel. The latter is sent to Donald Duck's (who just left) house as a set up to the classic Disney 'Trick or Treat' short. In the end, Phyllis uses her evil witch powers to steal Snow Whites identity and... it just ends. That means she's still out there.

Originally Posted 10/02/2020