Review: #335
Name: Galvatron
Brand: Transformers
Allegiance: Decepticon
Line: Generations - Titans Return
Year of Release: 2016
Size Class: Voyager (Wave 1)
Mold Status: new
NUCLEON:
First up is Nucleon, who is the Titan Master for Galvatron. He looks just like a mini Megatron, a bit unfortunately that the grey is unpainted so he looks very bland and horrible. Only the eyes are painted red.
The back shows off the head which is equally unpainted except for the red eyes.
The articulation is restricted to balljointed joints, since the leg joints are useless and are only used for transformation. A bit disappointing overall since there are some nice sculpting but the lack of paint and choice of plastic ruins it all.
CANNON MODE:
For the first time since G1, we have a Galvatron that actually turns into the cannon as seen in the G1 cartoon and movie. This is a fantastic cannon that looks great with the huge orange barrel and the two legs.
The back is a bit too big since they're the folded up robot legs, but since it's fairly hollow and light, you can tilt the cannon upwards a bit with it falling backwards.
The figure also comes with a collector card that shows off a nice piece of artwork.
This is a Voyager classed figure and he is fairly big and bulky. Above is a comparison with Generations Springer, note that while Galvatron is physically large, a lot of that size is created through hollow pieces so he isn't that hefty.
A comparison with Nucleon shows off how much bigger Galvatron is.
There are some pegs at the back of the cannon to stand some Titan Masters but otherwise there's no further interaction.
No significant complaints to this cannon mode. It's faithful to the character and looks really good.
TRANSFORMATION TO JET MODE:
Galvatron has a third mode and transforming him into jet mode from cannon is actually very easy. You detach the cannon, fold up the cockpit and reattach the cannon to the bottom. Unfold the legs and arms and you're done.
JET MODE:
The jet mode is not too horrible but it is the weaker alternate mode of the two. The front is well-defined with a proper cockpit and tail fin.
The back and wings are where it fails. The wings are formed by the bulky robot legs, and when viewing from behind, it's just a gappy and empty mess.
That said, at least it pegs and holds together well, and this mode doesn't compromise the figure much but adds in a lot more play value.
The cockpit opens up and you can place a Titan Master inside.
The jet is also fairly large in size.
A mediocre jet but it does look plausible from the front.
TRANSFORMATION TO ROBOT MODE:
Once again, Galvatron is surprisingly simple to transform into robot mode. Of course, being a Headmaster, the core robot doesn't have a head. This is one figure in the line that feels like it didn't have to be a Headmaster and has become worse for it. The chest is completely hollow and could have easily fit the robot head.
ROBOT MODE:
Robot mode looks absolutely fantastic and very evocative of the character. The shade of purple and grey is nice and accurate.
He has the vehicle cockpit as a massive piece of kibble on his back but as it is hollow, it doesn't cause any problems.
The biggest problem is the head. In order to bulk up the head in robot mode, he has a flip up mask which sits in front of the head. It is too thick and so sticks too far forward from the face to look good. Furthermore, he ends up having no neck articulation in the end. Very disappointing.
Taking the mask away, the head becomes too small. However you will note that he has a sculpted crown anyway, if only that was painted purple it could have made a decent substitute.
Size-wise, Galvatron is once again quite bulky looking and is a decent size.
Articulation is pretty good apart from the neck, literally it is as far as it can turn in the photo above.
The arms look a little bit weird since they're oddly tapered and there are the treads behind his elbows. Otherwise, Galvatron is aesthetically strong.
Of course, there's the weapon which is his iconic orange barrel. It slots into his upper elbow via a 5mm peg.
It severely restricts his arm movement but who cares, it looks so good anyway.
The cannon has a piece at the back that can flip forward and you can have a Titan Master man it (unfortunately, I only had Hardhead's Titan Master handy).
A strong robot mode that's only hampered by the head.
OVERALL:
Galvatron is a nice figure and is worthwhile. It is a bit unfortunately that his fatal flaw is also something that could have been easily avoided. The mask was a terrible idea, not only does it not look good, it also severely restricts his neck motion which is unforgivable on a figure this size. In the end, Galvatron is still worth a purchase though since the figure has a heap of play value and looks great.
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