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.

Shadow Panther and Ravage [Swapticons]

Continuing our journey through the Summer of Swapticons is a duo of black cats. Obviously, whenever you get a Cheetor and Tigatron, Shadow Panther and Ravage are coming. Well, Cheetor and Tigatron were in the first series of Swapticons, so we've got Ravage and Shadow Panther here in Series 2.

For a change, Tigatron and Ravage aren't repaints of Cheetor. Instead, Tigatron was a new mold and Ravage is a repaint of Tigatron. Both turn into a butt.

Funnily enough, in the past, the infamous Ravage X-9 toy was a heavy remold and repaint of the Transmetal Cheetor figure and was later repainted into Tigatron for a BotCon 2001 exclusive figure. That's a toy I have and a BotCon I've attended.

It was a good time, and due to the layout of the hotel, the dealer room was split into a larger and smaller set of rooms. It's 2026, 25 years later, and I can still smell that smaller dealer room. Good lord, the amount of body odor in that small space was a crime against humanity.

Funnily enough, the following BotCon in 2002 also featured an exclusive made from a Cheetor toy that hasn't made another appearance yet: CatSCAN. I'd love to see a new version of him.

That BotCon, however, is where a story about Shadow Panther comes from.

There I was in the dealer room (only one that year, more room to breathe) and came across a table selling Ravage X-9 figures for $60 each. That was a steal, even back then, and as I reached into my pockets... I realized I only had $30 on me at the time.

These were the cash-only days at conventions, so I found myself rushing to the ATM... which was out of cash. Dammit.

I had been staying at the convention's overflow hotel, which was about two blocks away, and had stopped at an ATM somewhere in the middle of the walk to the convention center. Remembering that ATM, I made a mad dash toward it, got some much-needed cash, and hurried the hell back to that dealer.

...he was sold out.

I looked over and saw a guy laughing like Muttley while carrying the stack of them to his dealer table.

Said guy then put a much higher price on his new stock of toys and, out of spite—pure, unadulterated spite—I refused to stop by that booth for the rest of the weekend.

However, the dealer with the decently priced Ravages had a Shadow Panther for $20... and I bought him.

Ever since then, I've felt a kinship with Shadow Panther.

Which rings true about this site. We're the rejects and the weirdos that get overlooked while someone else gets all the attention and gets overvalued. Ten years in and millions of views later, us rejects are still here flipping the bird.

Speaking of weirdos that don't cost too much, this Shadow Panther comes with Ravage and it's a fun toy of two bots that fit together to make a very long black cat. I talked about the Cheetor and Tigatron toys this set is a repaint of last year, so feel free to check that post out for a more in-depth discussion of the actual toys.

Clearly I've got a fire in my ass today.

Home Base

Normally, this is where I'd post a Weekly Update and talk about what I did over the weekend and what fun stuff I picked up.

Well, I moved.

I moved from my home of the past six years to a new place just a few miles away. It's an upgrade, sure, but it's also a lot of work. I'm writing this a few days ahead of time, already knowing I'm going to be dead-ass tired by the time you read it.

Normal posting will continue this week, but today... I'm sleeping in.

Thank you all for reading Zone Base. Please share the site with your friends and be excellent to each other.