Review: #224
Name: Megatron
Brand: Transformers
Allegiance: Decepticon
Line: Generations - Combiner Wars
Year of Release: 2015
Size Class: Leader (Wave 1)
Variations: retooled into Armada Megatron with a new head in the same wave; Japanese version has a slightly different color scheme
TANK MODE:
Megatron transforms into a silver tank with two guns on top of the turret. This figure is based on G1 Megatron but since you can't make him into a toy gun anymore, the tank mode is a compromise.
This tank mode is fantastic, almost everything is doused in silver paint and gives the whole toy a premium feel. It is a bit empty underneath though and when looking from behind, you can see the hollow space in the middle.
One of the highly advertised features of the toy is the fact that he is the first tank Transformer to have working treads. Yes, you can now roll Megatron on a table and the rubber treads will work. There is a slight cheat in that each side is separated into two working tread sections but is still very cool.
Megatron comes with a collector's card featuring art from the Transformers: Legends game and it looks wicked.
He is a Leader sized figure and he doesn't feel too much downsized. He is still fairly big and with all the silver paint, his slightly smaller size than from Leader classed toys of yore is easily forgivable (we are comparing him with ROTF Bludgeon above).
The turret is able to be rotated 360 degrees, it's on a ratcheting joint. You might notice that there are also various Minicon ports, most likely for the Armada version of the mold.
The cannon isn't able to be tilt upwards. There are a lot of sweet sculpted detailing all over the toy. The cannon houses a spring loaded missile launcher.
A fantastic tank mode that is hard to find faults with (apart from the slightly hollow back). The working treads is neat and surprisingly for a Hasbro toy, he features a premium paint job.
TRANSFORMATION:
Megatron's transformation was designed with the idea of simple and fast to transform to make it fun but also interesting at the same time. It is a successful execution here as you wouldn't mind transforming Megatron more than a few times, while it is also complex enough to not make it boring or unoriginal. You can probably convert him from tank to robot and vice versa in less than a minute. The best aspects of the transformation would have to be how the turret collapses back into the fusion cannon.
ROBOT MODE:
Megatron's robot mode is heavily G1 inspired, from the chest to the head to the fusion cannon on his right arm.
Surprisingly, he doesn't carry much kibble in this mode: only the front treads which he wears on his back. These are adjustable to suit your preference but their official placement is to snap them together and pulled down to hide them from sight.
The head sculpt is absolutely fantastic. It captures Megatron's charisma as well as his hardened personality. It is only a swivel joint with the ability to look up and down. The red lightpiping works but not as well as you would hope.
He doesn't completely tower over some other toys like you would expect but he is still a decent size. The premium paint job continues over in this mode, which makes the unpainted shins stand out all the more.
In the Japanese promotional pictures, he is constantly compared to against MP Optimus Prime, they are similar in height and Megatron actually looks decent next to Optimus if somewhat different in aesthetics.
The fusion cannon is fixed onto his right arm, it is not detachment which is a shame. It also cannot sit flush against the side of his arm due to his forearm guard, which can cause the cannon to sit at a visually awkward angle.
You can also rotate the cannon to show the slimmer cannon on the other end but you'll find that it doesn't suit this version of Megatron (Armada Megatron utilizes this alternative well). The missile launcher remains accessible.
Carrying over from the tank mode are his two guns.
He can hold them in is hand and there is also a peg hole on his forearm guards where you can plug in the weapons (the same places as in tank mode).
Or you can combine them to form a rifle.
Although the rifle is a tad bit too skinny for it to look good in Megatron's hands.
His poseability is decent, he has wrist swivels too which is awesome. His knees look awkward and they are, but they aren't nearly as bad in person. His hips are ratcheting joints with the "click" too far apart, so one click means he sprays out which gets annoying.
There are some slight proportion issues, mainly that his shoulder struts are situated too low so that they look awkward when you swing his arms forward. Compounding this problem is that his chest details situated just a bit lower than you would like and the hinges make it seem his head is too high up.
Nevertheless, this is an amazing robot mode that captures Megatron's G1 likeness well.
OVERALL:
Generations - Combiner Wars is ushering a new golden era of Transformers toys. Megatron is one of the best toys we have had in recent times with the perfect blend of simplicity and complexity (if that makes sense). The premium paint job, the awesome sculpting and the inherent fun of the figure makes this a stellar toy. I admit I was skeptical when the initial photos was released but wow, this is one amazing figure.
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