Ok, so I got myself Titans Return Galvatron and I think he is awesome.
Mostly Pros but a few cons too. Lets start with the cons.
The titan master gimmick makes it so hat he cant turn his head with the Galvatron crown and that hurts the toy quite a bit. I dont mind the aesthetic though, aside from how unpainted his face is. It's really sad how they first displayed him with some colour and only the eyes are painted in the end.
Also, I have some problems with the back of the cannon mode. It looks like he either has a bad case of hemorrhoids or is waiting to pinch his loaf. And the pegs there are useless, I dont know why they are there.I am referring to the pegs at the top and bottom centered that should keep the legs together. But they are loose fits and nothign would change if they were there or no.
One last thing is that whule i dont need all my transformers to have wrist swivels, this guy needed them. I am totally ok with having his cannon peg onto the front of his bicep in robot mode but in that case, he should have a wrist swivel to turn his wrist sideways for some decent poses of him about tofire at someone.
The rest is all pros
I dont mind that he is a Headmaster in the least. The crown fits onto his face well and very close. It looks fine and as if it is part of his face. Its like a cresta the edge of his head, kind of like Spider-man's electro. It works for me and he still looks menacing. Plus the head being a little guy makes him able to pilot the spaceship mode.
Oh, thats right, Galvatron turns into a spaceship, along with a cannon. While the titan master gimmick might be intrusive on the figure, the triple changer feature is a perfect example of how to implement some more play value without hurting the toy in the least. Since it basically just an extra cockpit, it stores away very well in either mode to the point that you dont notice it (or care to). Everything folds back if you want it too. I love that optional antenna behind the cockpit which can give Galvatron his G1 look in robot mode and adds to the uniqueness of the spaceship mode, by adding to the aldready existing fin and making it bigger.
Its not he best spaceship ever, with the back being weak, but it doesnt hurt and the nice functional cockpit makes it leagues above the cybertronian vehicles found in the film toys or animated megatron (uurgh).
This toy has some subtle innovations and a good example is how several different pieces will rotate around the same pin. It happns with the landing gear and the cannon as well as the tank treads and arms. You can multiposition different parts among a common axis which gives multile configuration options which helps divers the 3 modes while being efficient on the parts count.
Like I said, I dont mind the cannon being on his bicep. Its big, yes, but it still works with the figure. And what I love is how it doesnt get stuck on his shoulderpads when you position it up or down. They made the spaces perfect so taht there would be minimal intereference. Its subtle, but makes a difference. Just like all the subtle pegging that goes on. Like how the hips fit perfectly against the crotch in canon mode or how the eet tab into the sides of the arms in spaceship mode.
There is also the delightful use of ratchets in the right places and with actual options for posing rather than when a ratchet limits you into a pose that is to stiff or too wide.
I also love that plastic used on his feet and chest. That purple looks so delicious and the feet are a gorgeous shiny gun metal grey. I want more of it on other toys. Oh and here is something Hasbro really did not need to do (but thank the Lord they did): they actually gave him flabs behind his legs. They didnt do that on several figures lately (even in the Prime line) but they did it here. And they really didnt need to since those pieces dont add anything in the other modes and instead are just extraneous kibble they try to fold away (and partly aciece it thanks to some good pegs).
As you can see, I have way more good to say about this toy than bad. Its the best official Halvatron toy by a long shot, definitely the best articulated and a very welcome addition to my collection.