Text/Picture Review - 'Classicsverse' Megatron (United)
Posted: Fri Apr 27, 2012 3:10 amHi guys, I got round to reviewing Megatron. You can see my review below, and the rest of my stuff at http://teletraan2.blogspot.com/ Enjoy...
Figure Details
Manufacturer - Takara
Toyline - United
Additions/Mods:
- I made the shell of the gun removable so he doesn't sport the winged look in bot mode
- Decepticon symbol added to the chest to cover the ugly sculpted one
Review
Appearance (Robot Mode) 8/10
After Optimus Prime, Megatron is the most iconic character ever to spring from Transformers in any incarnation. Ever. It is, then, with perhaps with some trepidation that the toy designers sat down and updated him. Did they do a good job? Kinda. I absolutely love this mould, but it is fundamentally and inorexably ruined by the huge wing-like kibble that sits there on his back, looking extremely stupid. So stupid, that I took a dremel to an expensive figure, and removed them. So bear in mind that my score is based on how mine looks, not how he looks out of the box. Also, the non-japanese release of this figure has a frankly awful colour scheme. Of the 2 available Japanese releases, I have United version, as the palette used is a bit less offensive than the Henkei one. A lot of people don't like the way that the cannon sits underneath his arm, but I think it's great. His headsculpt is also pretty nice, but he looks sad rather than malevolent. Poor guy.
Appearance (Alternate Mode) 8/10
OK, I know that this is a Nerf gun, but with the right paintjob, it looks like a vaguely Bladerunner-esque handgun. I really like it, actually. The trigger is spring-loaded and clicks rather nicely. You can also see down the sight, which is another nice touch in a well-thought out toy. Ironically, what makes the alt mode so nice is what cripples the robot mode; the two sides of the gun provide so much nice detail, but they also form the damn stupid 'wings' in the robot mode.
Transformation 9/10
Ostensibly a shell-former, a fair amount of trickery is required to squish Megatron into the requisite shape so that his damn wings can be stuck on. However, the transformation is imagainative and really good fun as well. It is one of those figures where you can only guess how the whole thing fits together when you first get hold of it. Easily one of my favourites.
Poseability 8/10
No waist swivel, but otherwise Megatron can be manipulated into loads of awesome poses. Assisted by his large feet which helps with balance, he really is a poser. Of course, the 'wing' kibble may well cause balance issues, but I don't have to worry about that.
Durability 9/10
Megatron feels extremely well made, and all the plastic is nice quality, as I can testify. My dremel struggled to cut through the superior plastic, such was its obstinate resistance. You get the feeling that a dumb kid could hammer away at this toy all day, without snapping anything off.
Overall - 42/50
If I had the Hasbro release of this figure, and also had not removed the nasty kibble from the robot mode, then I would be scoring this toy in at around 37, which is the difference between a nice figure and a great figure, in my opinion. Make of that what you will. I haven't seen any other mould out there at this scale which does as good a job of Megatron, and I include the pending 3rd-party releases in that. My advice to you would be to pick up either the United or Henkei version of Megatron and then cut off that horrible kibble. You will still be spending less than half the cost of a Hegemon.
Figure Details
Manufacturer - Takara
Toyline - United
Additions/Mods:
- I made the shell of the gun removable so he doesn't sport the winged look in bot mode
- Decepticon symbol added to the chest to cover the ugly sculpted one
Review
Appearance (Robot Mode) 8/10
After Optimus Prime, Megatron is the most iconic character ever to spring from Transformers in any incarnation. Ever. It is, then, with perhaps with some trepidation that the toy designers sat down and updated him. Did they do a good job? Kinda. I absolutely love this mould, but it is fundamentally and inorexably ruined by the huge wing-like kibble that sits there on his back, looking extremely stupid. So stupid, that I took a dremel to an expensive figure, and removed them. So bear in mind that my score is based on how mine looks, not how he looks out of the box. Also, the non-japanese release of this figure has a frankly awful colour scheme. Of the 2 available Japanese releases, I have United version, as the palette used is a bit less offensive than the Henkei one. A lot of people don't like the way that the cannon sits underneath his arm, but I think it's great. His headsculpt is also pretty nice, but he looks sad rather than malevolent. Poor guy.
Appearance (Alternate Mode) 8/10
OK, I know that this is a Nerf gun, but with the right paintjob, it looks like a vaguely Bladerunner-esque handgun. I really like it, actually. The trigger is spring-loaded and clicks rather nicely. You can also see down the sight, which is another nice touch in a well-thought out toy. Ironically, what makes the alt mode so nice is what cripples the robot mode; the two sides of the gun provide so much nice detail, but they also form the damn stupid 'wings' in the robot mode.
Transformation 9/10
Ostensibly a shell-former, a fair amount of trickery is required to squish Megatron into the requisite shape so that his damn wings can be stuck on. However, the transformation is imagainative and really good fun as well. It is one of those figures where you can only guess how the whole thing fits together when you first get hold of it. Easily one of my favourites.
Poseability 8/10
No waist swivel, but otherwise Megatron can be manipulated into loads of awesome poses. Assisted by his large feet which helps with balance, he really is a poser. Of course, the 'wing' kibble may well cause balance issues, but I don't have to worry about that.
Durability 9/10
Megatron feels extremely well made, and all the plastic is nice quality, as I can testify. My dremel struggled to cut through the superior plastic, such was its obstinate resistance. You get the feeling that a dumb kid could hammer away at this toy all day, without snapping anything off.
Overall - 42/50
If I had the Hasbro release of this figure, and also had not removed the nasty kibble from the robot mode, then I would be scoring this toy in at around 37, which is the difference between a nice figure and a great figure, in my opinion. Make of that what you will. I haven't seen any other mould out there at this scale which does as good a job of Megatron, and I include the pending 3rd-party releases in that. My advice to you would be to pick up either the United or Henkei version of Megatron and then cut off that horrible kibble. You will still be spending less than half the cost of a Hegemon.