Siege Megatron

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Skyquake87
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Siege Megatron

Post by Skyquake87 »

Name: Megatron
Allegiance: Decepticon
Size Class: Voyager
Accessories: D50-R35 Fusion Cannon, HPR Telescopic Laserstrike Launcher


Between Marvel's Generation 2 and IDW's comics, I've grown fond of Megatron. Which is an odd thing to say for the revolutionary-cum-dictator. He is after all, responsible for triggering a war that ran for millions of years, killed billions and laid waste to his homeworld. Sidelined in the original Marvel run and little more than a cartoon villain with a host of mad cap schemes involving some super weapon or other in er, the cartoon, I never felt there was enough there to see why he was Decepticon leader. Only his Universe profile gave a hint of what he was all about, with it's much better motto “Everything is fodder” - how's that for a statement of intent? Much better than the rather wet “Peace through tyranny”.

Toy wise, Megatron's not had a great run of success outside of his Beast Wars incarnation. Settling on a tank was a good move, but everything outside of the Armada version's awesome H-Tank hasn't been very good. Will Siege finally deliver a good Megatron toy?


Robot Mode: Well, this is good. He's a powerful and well proportioned looking fellow. Not too over done with mass or size and carrying just enough timber to let you know you'd be in trouble if you got into a punch-up. There's some nice shaping and detail going on, but it's lost in this dreary lifeless grey plastic, which puts everything into soft focus that not even the Siege 'battle damage' and the odd paint app can rescue. The black plastics definitely help and I'm pleased his face is at least painted up, looking all crisp and well defined. I'm in two minds as to whether his head is a bit big. I don't think it is. It's just the shaping of his helmet to give him a Richard III style hairdo that makes it look bigger than it is. Design wise, I'm disappointed to see the G1 silhouette retained so heavily – why would turning into a tank mean he looks like he'd still turn into a gun? - but the Siege line does appear to draw more of it's inspiration from the cartoon than thinking of something new. Whilst it keeps the fanboys quiet, it is a bit boring. The fusion cannon is nice though, not too big and not too small, but just right. The telescopic launcher (it's a sword) is a bit silly, looking way too big to wield with just one hand, but you can jam it to his arm cannon to form the NFM Particle Beam Megalauncher. Which looks bonkers.


Vehicle Mode: It's an H-tank, which is a bit yawnsome and predictable, being the go to design choice for alien looking tanks. It is good, but it's not as much fun as RID15 Blastwave / Bludgeon's take on this kind of thing. The turret can do a full 360 which is most welcome and I like the subtle use of brown on the rear tread section. The battle damage stuff makes the most sense on this kind of combat vehicle and I like it.


Marks out of ten for the following:

Transformation Design: Whilst not dazzling with originality, the legs are a bit more complex than they need to be. I appreciate the concertina-like way the head collapses into the chest and it makes the obviousness of the transformation a little more engaging, making him more complex than you think. 8/10

Articulation: Megatron's posing power is excellent. He's only lacking wrist swivels but has enough rotation in his arms to mitigate this. He's frankly pretty awesome in this respect. There's no kibble that really gets in the way (the tank treads on his back do bump into his waist rotation, but this can tilt out of the way, which is hardly a big deal), which makes him superb fun to play with in robot more. 9/10

Durability: I've not found anything that feels especially fragile here. He's a tough and mean looking tank dude and that's realised in the materials. The panel with head on looks like it could conceivably detach, but you'd have to be trying. 10/10

Fun: This easily the Megatron toy I've had the most fun with since the Beast Wars Transmetal version. He's a good size, with some powerful posing on the go and a fun transformation. The alt mode isn't my favourite, but it's better than some of the other tank turds he's had to put up with over the years. 10/10.

Price: £23.99 at retail, more if you're buying online for some reason. Good price for a good figure. 9/10

Overall: I think this might be the best modern G1 Megatron figure we've ever had. It's traditional and plays it safe, but for the sake of giving the Decepticon commander a toy that's actually any good, I'm happy to take these compromises. The dull grey plastics are the only kicker on an otherwise superb action figure. 9/10
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