Weekly Update 11/9/26 – 目覚める

Welcome back, Zone Base readers, to another week of robots, monsters, and misadventure! Halloween may be over, but last week was full of monster mayhem as Godzilla Day stomped in on November 3rd, bringing with it the annual Godzilla Fest Short by Toho!

Fest Godzilla II: Tokyo Vanishing featured the return of Monster X, a kaiju I've held a certain affinity for quite some time, and the introduction of Blue Flame Godzilla! So cool!

It's pretty obvious that the King of the Monsters was the center of my fandom attention for most of the week, though I did find myself watching Transformers Zone a few times on repeat in the background. It's probably obvious, but I really like that OVA!

Blokees-

Blokees showed off both the Wheels and Defender Transformers series, which I of course cannot wait to get. Wheels C05 features both of Sky Lynx's vehicle modes, Hot Rod, and Trailbreaker, among many other characters I'm excited to build. Defender Version 09 brings in members of the Thirteen Primes, as well as Transmetal 2 Megatron and Optimal Optimus, with Cryotech as one of the special versions!

Godzilla a Minus Zero- 

My showing of Minus Zero Sunday morning was pure euphoria as Takashi Yamazaki once again brings the King of the Monsters to life in another truly amazing film, with King Ghidorah stealing the show.

Once again, the human cast delivers a truly good movie full of emotional moments that bring humanity to the story in ways that make you genuinely happy to watch the human parts instead of waiting for the monsters while the filler scenes give you an opportunity to go pee.

A truly excellent movie. Bonus points for the Hideaki Anno cameo.

The Weekend- 

My weekend started Friday with a quest to Target to pick up the new Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake for the Mrs. While there, I picked up a Transformers Galaxy Version 08 blind box and two of the new Christmas Godzilla Scramble eggs!

I haven't gotten a chance to play Zelda yet, but the Mrs. seems to love it. My Blokees pull ended up being a cool robot-mode Sludge that I can't wait to build. Seriously, robot-mode Dinobots deserve more attention!

As for those Scramble eggs, I got a snowy Godzilla and a gold present-wrapped Godzilla! I definitely plan to get more of these!

While at Walmart Saturday with the Mrs., I picked up a Godzilla SofviDoll blind box, pulling Kiryu! With Christmas around the corner, I'm still limiting my toy purchases for the time being, but with these fun blind boxes... I really don't mind.

Kiryu attended Minus Zero with me, along with my mom. The Mrs. doesn't like reading subtitles, while Mom needs closed captions these days. Mom liked the movie so much that she wanted to see Minus One when she came over for dinner that evening!

I of course picked the English-dubbed version with subtitles while enjoying the Mrs.'s ravioli lasagna. Ravioli lasagna is a recipe she discovered years ago that's amazing! Basically, she layers four-cheese ravioli with marinara and cheese, then bakes it like lasagna. So good!

I just finished the bag of fruit snacks I had left from the movie, along with an aquarium-sized Pepsi Zero, which is my cue to eat some damn breakfast.

IDW Brainstorm [Galaxy Version 11 – The Lost Light]

To be honest, I wasn't even thinking about Brainstorm when I randomly grabbed this blind box at Full Circle Toys. I just said to myself, "Oh hey, I haven't gotten any of those yet. Grab one."

Galaxy Version 11 – The Lost Light is mostly centered around the uber-popular More Than Meets the Eye and Lost Light Transformers comics by IDW. The books revolved around the crew of the Lost Light, a ship full of misfits led by Rodimus Prime and later Megatron (after a face turn), in pursuit of the Knights of Cybertron and whatever adventures happened along the way.

Ultimately, it's a series about personal demons, PTSD, and the other harsh realities people face, especially during war.

Brainstorm, in particular, was known for carrying a mysterious briefcase around for a good portion of More Than Meets the Eye. The briefcase turned out to be something of a time machine. There's a whole lot more to that story that I'd advise you to read the comic to discover if you're interested. I'd write more about it, but it's practically a post within itself.

This kit comes with that briefcase, something I found pretty charming. For the longest time, it's been a regular 3D-printed item fans have purchased for their various Brainstorm toys. I still remember a friend buying one at TFCon 2014 in Chicago and just walking around with it in his pocket the entire time. He'd pull out money, and there it was.

Wonder if it's still in his pocket?

Honestly, as cool as this portrayal of Brainstorm is, I mentally think of the G1 episode "The Rebirth" or the Japanese G1 series Transformers: Headmasters whenever I think of a Headmaster character. Not just because I'm mainly a cartoon guy, but also because I love them so much that it's just where my mind autopilots.

Either way, I was happy to pull this Brainstorm kit from that blind box during our visit to Full Circle Toys after looking around Spirit Halloween with the Mrs. Despite the IDW look, I could hear him explaining his Headmasters idea to Spike and the Autobots in my head.

Being one of the newer Galaxy Version kits, Brainstorm has that impressive increased articulation once assembled. This does mean additional steps during assembly, which is apparently something speed builders are finding themselves adapting to. I definitely take my sweet time assembling these kits, finding the process normally therapeutic.

I've got a little desk in our bedroom where I sit and assemble kits while listening to the TV. Sometimes, I park my little laptop desk next to my chair in the living room, put my feet up, and assemble while the Mrs and I watch whatever. Just peaceful, happy-place vibes, you know?

Though I do find speed builders charming. I like that various conventions have speed-building competitions. That's fun! It reminds me of older BotCons, when there would be speed-transforming contests, sometimes even transforming toys blind. Good fun with something you like.

I remember a few years ago when an easy-build Gundam kit that came in a bag became a trend. People were assembling it inside the bag without even opening it.

Brainstorm is one of those "more deluxe"-feeling Blokees kits I talk about from time to time, where he just seems fancier because of his parts. The various vehicle-mode kibble wings that attach to his shoulders and legs pair with his head sculpt to create a really ornate robot, and that specific shade of blue just pops in a way that makes me wish more figures came in that color.

Considering I wasn't even thinking about Brainstorm when I picked up a box from the latest wave at my local toy store, I've sure had a lot to say about him.

The video I made from this kit is on TikTok and Instagram if you'd like to see it!

Red Thunder Godzilla [Godziburst]

Happy Godzilla Day, Zone Base readers! Like many of you, I'm taking the time to honor the King of the Monsters on his day, and I'm looking forward to seeing Minus Zero this weekend! Here on the site, we're celebrating with a look at the recent Target-exclusive Godziburst release, Red Thunder Godzilla!

I got this figure a few weeks ago and thought it'd be perfect for today. A common joke of mine is that if they make it, they'll eventually collaborate with Godzilla, and Red Thunder Godzilla isn't just an exclusive. He's decked out in Target's signature red and white! Of course, part of why I've been enjoying Godziburst is those crazy colors, but here they look fabulous! Godzilla himself sports a Heisei-era design, which was one of his better eras design-wise, and he's mostly red with white stripes, making for one cool-looking Goji!

Godziburst toys come with combinable armor bits, and true to his name, Red Thunder Godzilla comes with a red variation of the Thunder Godzilla piece. It attaches over his back plates, giving him a dramatic look inspired by an atomic explosion.

These Godziburst toys are more than just crazy colors and mix-and-match parts. Each one is a specifically powered-up version of that kaiju, and being a Thunder Godzilla variant means he's got some superpowers to be reckoned with.

A Thunder Godzilla has a lightning ray in addition to his atomic breath, and he can also call down lightning from the sky. That back armor piece he comes with represents a flaming atomic burst that allows a nuclear pulse to discharge from his skin. And if that wasn't enough, using that lightning from the sky, he can manifest dimensional portals and bring in alternate Godzillas from other timelines to help him fight.

Just in case Godzilla wasn't powerful enough, this one can bring in a whole team! Which he'll probably end up fighting with, too.

You know, whenever I try to manifest anything, all I end up with is a few wasted minutes and a little more pissed off than I was to begin with. Of course, I'm not the King of the Monsters.

Making things a little more special, there's a small destructible city included. You've got little wrecked buildings, including one that can be knocked in half for Godzilla to smash for no apparent reason. It's been 72 years of Godzilla destroying everything on a whim, so they included something for him to break.

They never include a bus for him to pick up and throw back down.

Happy Halloween 2026

We've done it again, Zone Base readers! Another Halloween season is coming to an end. Like many of you, I'm looking forward to a Halloween night full of spooky shows and costumed kids. It's been another amazing Spooky Season, with thousands of you showing up every day to trick-or-treat with me on the pages of this site.

Pretty soon, the red moon will set and things will revert back to normal around here. But that doesn't mean scary things won't happen from time to time. That cursed tape is still playing, stuck in that VCR in the basement.

Happy Halloween.