TRANSFORMERS TOYS AND MERCHANDISE SECTION

Robot Mode:
Alternate Mode:
Box Art:
Technical Specifications:
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Kamen's review: Voyager class Megatron

Name: Megatron
Function: Apprentice Demi-God
Subgroup: RoTF Voyager Vehicles

“I am Megatron!”

Trapped in the black, crushing depths of the sea, his mind inert in the drip of stasis lock, Megatron knows nothing of the desperate search mounted for his remains by the other Decepticons. When he was finally brought back online, their effort and sacrifice meant nothing to him. The only thing that had any meaning was revenge. He would have his vengeance against the human boy who cheated him of his prize, and he swore to celebrate over the smoking wreck of Optimus Prime.

Like Optimus Prime, Megatron doesn't need a lot of introduction. The version that appears in Revenge of the Fallen, however, is a bit different than previous versions, if only because he is actually subordinate to the Fallen. An apprentice, in fact. The Darth Maul to the Fallen's Sideous, if you will. What's more, he actually seems to care about his master! Which also makes him the most developed character of all movie Decepticons (and several Autobots), accepting that the rest had pretty much the same level of “personality” as an empty paper sack.

Megatron also gets a brand spanking new design and toy to go with it, giving me a happy excuse to by yet another toy of him, and probably off-load the less than impressive version of him the last movie gave us. Fortunately, the powers at Hasbro also decided to give us not only a Leader Class figure, but also a Voyager sized version that I could afford....

Alternate Mode:

This time round, Megatron has traded his wings for a Cybertronian tank...that can fly! In other news, I dub thee the Turtle Tank! Totally serious. He looks like a turtle. He's round and dome-shaped. Look, there's his widdle neck. No, I'm not drunk. What I really like about this design is the nasty looking wing blades jutting out from the shell. Combining these with the thrusters on the rear, I have lots of fun imagining him spinning about Blendo-style. He has quite an intricate bit of detailing as well that makes him very layered and enhances his status as an alien vehicle. The tank has a tough, dangerous look about it. Perfect for Megatron.

As per the usual, his treads are molded plastic with tiny wheels on the underside, but they roll very well! The only other bit of articulation, naturally, weighs in his cannon. He cannot rotate it 360 degrees, lacking a turret; however, the cannon is jointed for elevation, and also has a swivel joint, allowing Megatron a 180 degree frontal firing arc.

This mode is easily the best Cybertronian alternate mode in circulation, and certainly the best offered by the two live action films. I should happily leave it at that, but minor quibbles bare mentioning.

Here, his robot head is just hanging out below the cannon. There is a cage surrounding it, and it's on the bottom, so somewhat out of sight (plus there's nowhere for it to tuck away neatly). Really, your inner nitpicker will have to decide if this is a major deal breaker, though.

Otherwise, I can't tell you if this or the Leader version is more movie accurate, considering his alt mode had a blink and you'll miss it level of screen time. This version is far more compact and aesthetically pleasing, in my opinion (and cheaper too!).


Robot Mode:

I haven't mentioned his colours yet because there's not any change between the two modes. First, yes, he is green; however, it is a much more subdued shade, going on grey, than pictures would have you believe, plus there are some very nice looking metallic green pieces. I like it as it compliments the Fallen's green nicely. Otherwise, he's black with a gorgeous silver wash on select parts. I can't stress enough how well the colours come together on this guy.

Now, besides his colours, Megatron has one other bit that may make him less desirable. His tank shell hangs off his back as a huge backpack. You can adjust it somewhat, but I feel that the wider portions being on the bottom make for an odd silhouette, and there is a huge gap visible from the sides. That's his only problem, but it's a highly visual one, and I can understand if it puts people off.

Looking past the wings, Megatron is fantastic. Each limb has a full range of articulation, as does his head, which rests on an all important ball-joint. He even sports that most elusive of joints – waist articulation. With some careful balancing, he can even bend knee to the Fallen. Balance is the key though, his feet are sufficiently weird to cause some posing issues. Otherwise, his sculpting greatly pleases. The head sculpt alone (with very nice red light-piping) was worth the purchase.

He can fire a missile from his gimpy left arm. I think he looks better without the missile (which is just a translucent red blob), though. Megatron sports two Mech-Alive gimmicks. The most prominent involves his massive right hand. Extend his arm, and the top of the claw thrusts forward; his “energon” sword, according to the packaging. It works well, and the sword (despite being rubbery plastic) looks great. Largely missable, Megs also has some gears in his chest that spin when his waist is twisted. While also working well, the gears are hidden inside his chest such that they are invisible unless you're looking very closely.

Megatron is not without his flaws, but he's still a cut above most of the other figures in the line

Marks out of ten for the following:

Transformation: 2 – Not all that difficult, everything unfolds in a fairly intuitive manner. I did have to peek at the instructions to find the extra joint in his legs, though.
Durability: 7 – He has a few rubber bits, and the energon sword on mine was bent a little in package. Otherwise, he seems solid.
Fun: 10 – Awesome tank mode, fantastic, articulated robot mode.
Price: 7 – At $25 USD, Megatron is fairly pricey, but well worth it, and much cheaper than his Leader class self.
Overall: 10 – I have no first-hand experience with RoTF Leader Megatron; however, this version is a wonderful figure to pick-up as a substitute.

Detective Barricade's review

Name: Megatron
Function: Decepticon leader, protegee of The Fallen
Sub-Group: ROTF Voyager class
“This is not over...” Megatron, Revenge of the Fallen

Trapped in the black, crushing depths of the sea, his mind inert in the grip of stasis lock, Megatron knew nothing of the desperate search mounted for his remains by the other Decepticons. When he was finally brought back online, their effort and sacrifice meant little to him. The only thing that had any meaning was revenge. He would have his vengeance against the human boy who cheated him of his prize, and he swore to celebrate over the smoking wreck of Optimus Prime.

In the first live action movie, Megatron got killed by the All Spark. His toys, to put it bluntly, stunk. In Revenge of the Fallen, he gets revived and an extreme makeover to boot. And some new toys to go with the new look. The Voyager class toy seems to really emphasize this.

Alternate mode:

This time, Megatron takes the form of a Cybertronian tank, apparently with flight capabilities. Okay... At least it’s better than any of the first movie Megatron toys’ jet modes. A popular fan-made mode is to leave the arms out and swing them together in front to make something of a jet mode. However, it works only about as well as ROTF Soundwave’s third mode: it’s noticeable, but really not worth calling him a Triple Changer. Like last time his head’s still staring directly at you not really trying to hide. But it’s surrounded by a cage, making it slightly more difficult to spot. For a Cybertronian mode, his holds together very well! He can shoot a missile from the barrel. Since this becomes one of his arms, it can actually aim, something only this version of ROTF Megatron can do (Shame on you, Leader Megs!) He has extending wings, or rather you can move them lower in front from the back. Personally, I leave ‘em down to help fill in the gaps. He rolls surprisingly well on four little wheels, one in each track.

Robot mode:

Transforming Megatron won’t take long. That’s right, he’s a shellformer. But like Animated Wreck-Gar, this actually adds to the figure. Aside from color, which is primarily a green-grey with silver and gold highlights, he’s the most accurate to the final CG model used in the movie out of the transforming Megatron toys. If him having toes bug you that much, they can just pop right off. They don’t really play any part in his stability. You can still shoot the missile from his left arm, and straightening his elbow deploys the sword. His Mech Alive gimmick is spinning gears in his chest when the waist is turned. And, he’s got excellent light-piping to boot! He boasts about 23 points of articulation, and is generally quite stable despite the back kibble.

Points out of ten for the following:

Transformation: 4 Pretty easy actually.
Durability: 9 He’s survived more than his share of tumbles.
Fun: 10 He’s got lots to offer!
Price: 9 A little over $20 USD, which is standard retail. And worth every penny.
Overall: 10 Much, MUCH better than the first movie Megatron. Also perfectly in scale with Voyager Starscream and The Fallen, if that’s your thing.