10 Years Later…

10 years ago, I made the first post here on Zone Base.

I say “first post” because I actually started building the site back in 2014. Then it just… sat there for a while, waiting for me to get over the self-doubt and just do it.

So I took baby steps. At first, I focused only on Transformers before eventually branching out into other things.

I was nervous.

Unsure of myself.

That probably sounds silly now, but it’s the truth. I knew what I wanted to make—I just wasn’t entirely sure how to make it. So I took my time.

That first Halloween, it was just “spooky” Transformers content—mostly bios. The first year of Zone Base was a lot of experimenting, mixed with the occasional post that did surprisingly well.

In 2017, I started using the slogan “Transformers and Other Strangeness,” inspired by a copy of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles & Other Strangeness role playing game I’ve had since I was a kid. Not long after that, the “robots / monsters / misadventure ハロウィン” idea clicked into place and became the permanent identity of the site. 

Somehow, this little podunk site became the most stubborn thing I’ve ever done. And I’ve kept it going for 10 years now.

In a way, it’s me firmly flipping the bird to the world.

10 years—and millions of views—later… I’m still flipping that bird.

And a lot of you are flipping it with me.

Thank you.

Windcharger [Studio Series 86 / Deluxe Class]

It’s been a while since I’ve talked about traditional Transformers toys here, but that doesn’t mean I haven’t been buying them. Quite the opposite—if you read the Monday updates, you already know. It’s more that I like posts to fit the vibe here on Zone Base, and Windcharger definitely fits in.

I recently received his newest Transformers Studio Series release as part of my birthday presents from the Mrs, and it is excellent. As part of the Studio Series ‘86 line, he’s meant to represent his appearance in The Transformers: The Movie. That movie is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, and as someone who was there opening weekend, it’s getting a ton of love from me. Windcharger’s role in the movie was brief—he’s taken out during the brutal opening battle of Autobot City—but before that he was a regular in the first two seasons of the original cartoon. This toy is a great representation of that animated look.

Windcharger is something of an oddity in the original Transformers line. His toy came from Microman’s Microchange series, but that design actually started life even earlier as part of the Mysterians. The Mysterians were Knickerbocker Toy Company’s attempt at a transforming robot toy line in 1983 that never fully materialized. The company was purchased by Hasbro in 1984, and Windcharger—along with Brawn, Huffer, and Gears—was originally intended for that line. The molds eventually made their way into Microchange before becoming Transformers. Just in case you ever wondered what the “M” on the original Windcharger’s belt stood for.

In the cartoon, Windcharger was given a different face than his toy, and that’s the look this version proudly uses. With a lot of these Minicar updates showing up in vintage-style packaging with toy-accurate heads and decos, I wouldn’t be surprised to see a version of that original Mysterian-inspired look pop up on shelves down the line.

The toy itself is great. As I always say, it looks like he walked right off my TV screen. Windcharger comes with his blaster and an effect piece meant to represent his magnetic abilities. The effect can attach to his chest or the hood in vehicle mode, and both it and the blaster can store on his back in robot mode.

In robot mode, he’s very well articulated, and combined with the sculpted face, he’s surprisingly expressive. He almost feels alive. Transformation is straightforward, though there are a few tight joints and clearance spots—take your time with him. Car mode is a solid approximation of a Pontiac Trans Am, and the blaster stores neatly behind a rear wheel for a clean look.

Overall, this is the slickest Windcharger has ever looked in toy form—and that’s saying something, because he’s had some pretty great releases over the years.

Ninjor [Masterverse / New Eternia]

The demon king from the Dimension of Noir silently searched the scattered remains of New Eternia for the Power of Grayskull so he may become an immortal force of evil.

It’s been way too long since I’ve talked about Masters of the Universe here on the site, and like many of you, the upcoming movie has me pretty excited. So what better time to get back into the He-Man groove than now?

I received this Ninjor from my mother as a birthday gift, and I was immediately into it. The New Eternia figures in Masterverse have been a real sweet spot for me since they were introduced, and Ninjor—already a favorite—fits right in.

New Eternia takes a more fantastical approach to the MOTU characters, often pulling from concept art or expanding on ideas that were only lightly touched on before. Ninjor has always been a demon ninja, but here they really lean into that concept. He’s got additional armor, more dramatic claws, and an overall design that pushes him further into that supernatural space.

There are some really nice details throughout. The red eyes stand out immediately, and he comes with alternate face options. One of them is a snap-on face showing Ninjor without his zukin, revealing a mean expression with solid white eyes that really amps up his spookiness. He also includes an Oni mask, which I absolutely love. Between that, the claws, and the armor design, the Oni influence is very intentional. There are even small touches like an Oni face sculpted onto his nunchuck holster.

I say this a lot with recent MOTU releases, but this feels more like a designer toy. It’s just a really good-looking figure.

Ninjor comes with his traditional weapons—nunchucks, katana, and a bow and arrow—all styled to match his look with red flame effects and sculpted demon details. Everything about it feels cohesive and well thought out.

This feels like a high-end figure, and it’s easily my top-tier Ninjor now that I have one.

Starscream [BMK Series 1]

Ending out Yolopark’s first series of BMK simple model kits is Starscream, everyone’s favorite Seeker.

Starscream might also be the most complex figure in the series, with a larger part count than the others. Like the rest, though, he’s built around a main torso piece that includes the legs down to the knees. The rest of the legs attach below that, adding some extra ankle articulation.

The arms come together separately and are fairly well articulated, as is the head. The remaining parts are his wings, which attach to the back, and the null rays that connect to the arms.

Once assembled, you get a solid representation of Starscream. Like the other BMK kits, articulation is limited, but it still looks pretty good on display.

I’ve been seeing people customizing him into the other Seekers, which is predictable—but I’ll wait for Yolopark to get around to those. There’s also been some detailing work and repainting, especially giving him the more familiar gray face. I get it—most fans are used to that look—but his original toy (and often in the comics) had a black face. That never bothered me. If anything, it brings back memories.

When I was in kindergarten, that first Transformers commercial aired one afternoon after I’d come inside from playing. The Seekers had black faces in it. The next day at school, during some kind of standardized testing, I found myself daydreaming about what I’d just seen. For whatever reason, I’d decided those “jet guys” were basically monsters. Looking back now, part of me wonders how much of those early animation models were still pulling from the original idea of the Decepticons as electronic life-forms.

Anyway, this is a great little simple model that’ll look good on my future display—something that’s now shifted from “end of a long organization project” to more of a “when I get moved in” kind of thing.