TRANSFORMERS TOYS AND MERCHANDISE SECTION

Robot Mode:

Alternate Mode:

Box Art:

Kremzeek75's review of: Megabolt

Name: Megabolt
Allegiance: Decepticon
Function: Emissary
Sub-Group: NA

As a 2003 Kay-Bee Exclusive, I had been pondering buying Megabolt for a while, since my local Kay-Bee has been overstocked on him for the past year or so. Feeling the "need to buy," I decided to pick him up, and I have to say, I'm glad I did. The R.I.D. Megabolt is basically a repaint of Beast Machines Megabolt Megatron, and Hasbro subsequently dropped the "Megatron" title from the name.

Vehicle Mode:
According to the directions, the official name for the alternate mode is "Battle Platform," but if you ask me, it is basically a mechanical insect with an oversized head. However, that does not take away from the mode itself- Hasbro decided to give children a little more bang for their buck by placing wheels on the underside which make the 6 black legs produce a crawling action. At the same time, the jaw of the oversized head moves up and down, revealing a missile launcher inside his mouth. By pressing the Decepticon insignia on top of the platform, the missile fires. Alternately, you can also control the leg/jaw movement by pressing on said button when in a stationary position. From the top view, you can see most of the internal parts that make up the robot- I think a little better "cover-up" could have been in order, but it is of no real consequence. From the rear, you can see thrusters which are flush with the back wall of the platform, and the module that holds the legs is a basic stationary piece that is almost shaped like the tracks on a tank. One very interesting feature about Megabolt in this mode is that he can be used as a head piece for either the Fortress or Brave Maximus mold. For more information on that, please visit www.tfu.info (ed. Note- thanks to Denyer for that tidbit of info)

Robot Mode:
One thing about Megabolt that I was really psyched about upon purchase was that: 1. He looked like a really cool robot, and 2. He did not follow they typical Beast Wars/Beast Machines styling of using an animal head as a hand/arm. In robot mode, Megabolt has tons of articulation- his legs and arms are extremely poseable, and he has a cod piece that flows real well with the overall look of the robot. Of particular note are the hands- instead of the typical squared fist with a hole scheme, the hands are very articulate; unfortunately, I don't believe any weapons could fit inside them. The absolute killer detail about robot mode is that when you press the Decepticon Insignia that triggered the missile in Battle Platform mode, a rocket cannon with a battle helmet springs up from behind, and the cannon fires a missile at your Autobot foe. Unfortunately, throughout transformation, the rocket cannon would accidentally pop up and the missile would occasionally misfire, but that would be my only complaint. Otherwise, you have a great toy here.

Transformation: 7 - needed the directions the first time around- working with the legs and face halves was a bit unnerving, but I was able to live with it. A child, however, might have less patience than myself.
Durability: 10 - like most Transformers nowadays, the limbs and major features contain ball-in-socket joints that easily pop back in to place if you happen to use too much force and lose a limb.
Fun: 8 - I would say that since this guy is so poseable, the possibilities are endless; however, the two-point deduction is for size (or lack thereof)- Megabolt could have been a little bigger, only standing about 7 inches tall.
Price: 8 - I paid $13 USD for Megabolt at a retail chain. I was a little miffed about this as, since he has been sitting on their shelf for a year now, it would be clearance time. I would suggest not paying more than 9-10 dollars.
Summary: 10 - nice piece, a better example of the Beast Wars/Beast Machines. If you can, pick yourself up a Megabolt. I don't think you will be disappointed.