Review: #51
Name: Megatron
Brand: Transformers
Allegiance: Decepticon
Line: Prime
Year of Release: 2011
Size Class: Deluxe (First Edition)
Variations: none
Note: I had borrowed this toy for only one night, hence the lower quality photos and I might have missed some minor features of the figure (and I have fixed the formatting issue from Hatchet!!)
Note2: This is the First Edition Version from the Entertainment 2-pack released with Optimus
JET MODE:
Megatron once again transforms into an alien jet like his Movie incarnation. It's very show accurate, down to the head peeping up from the top. Many people have issues with the head being visible, and I'm one of them, although it's a design choice, it's annoying. One thing to note is that I have accidentally attached the cannon on top the wrong around around...
There are tabs everywhere on this jet, except one place, the front pieces. It's unorthodox, you have this very solid back while the front pieces just shift around every time you accidentally brush against it. There are two thrusters of sort, but the toes of the robot mode just sit here out the back with nowhere to go.
Megatron may have a wide wingspan, but it's very hollow underneath. I love the way the robot legs have split into halves to create the wings, it's elegant, innovative and works very well.
The biggest gap by far is where the robot thighs are, you can just see through him. There's some nice details here and there, the engine intakes, and the touches of silver paint, makes this a stronger jet mode than I had initially expected.
Considering all the recent Megatron figures we have been getting (the Movie ones come into mind), we have one that turns into a Cybertronian jet, AND doesn't suck at it. I wouldn't say it's awesome, but it does look better in hand. The biggest flaw would be the abundance of gaps.
TRANSFORMATION:
More involved than you would expect, and a lot of nice surprises. It's easy, but elegant, and fun to go from mode to mode. The biggest annoyance is there is not enough clearance for his air intakes to collapse into his back, four times out of 5 you would pop one of them off when trying to align his shoulders. The chest panels folding up are nice, makes a nice change from the complex and frustrating transformations of the Movie lines. As mentioned, there are interlocking tabs everywhere so it's pretty intuitive where everything goes (provided you know what it looks like beforehand).
ROBOT MODE:
This is the mode where Megatron shines. They have absolutely NAILED it on how he looks on the show, from the stature to his proportions, THIS is excellent. He looks suitably powerful and evil, his shoulder spikes even have a joint so it can flip out just a tiny bit more.
There isn't any major kibble, the backpack (if it can be called that), comprising of three panels, is compact and sits close to the body, while everything else integrates into the robot.
The head sculpt is perfect, and surprisingly detailed. The purple lightpiping is wicked, you can even make out his teeth!
The only 'gimmick' of sorts is related to his cannon, you can either attach it to his right arm (left - the traditional way, and how he looks in the cartoon) or you can flip out a handle for him to hold (right).
Frankly, getting Megatron to hold it like a handheld weapon looks silly (particularly since it looks like he's holding a hairdryer).
The rounded bulky chest looks great, and there's a Decepticon symbol in the middle. The purple forearms are good and the silver highlights brings out the details, Megatron does not look cheap at all. If they have added more gimmicks, it would have been more fun but what can you do.
With huge feet and heelspurs he stands solidly and in danger of falling back.
Megatron looks great from any angle, and they have perfected the blend of a rounded cartooney look with the more complex Movie aesthetic.
As you'd expect, the articulation is great, he even sports rotatable wrists. An excellent robot mode, and you can tell that the designer focused the engineering here first as it's just leaps and bounds above the jet mode.
OVERALL:
I had my doubts about this particular Megatron when I had set my eyes on the jet mode (and when I saw the CG designs, thinking, it'll be hard to create a good toy that turns into that), but they've been dashed. I do not believe he is the best toy, but what they have done is solid. Megatron is great fun and looks great, if this is an example of what Prime toys are going to be, I have high hopes for this line (and having a go at the other First Edition toys, they are all pretty solid). If you like the looks of him, I definitely recommend this Megatron, but you may want to wait for a better version, maybe a Voyager sized one.
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Credits: the review and pictures are mine, but I have linked to TFwiki.net
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