The Energon Pub

Great list WJ. Good choices. RID Megatron robot mode is incredible. Thanks for the list.

WJ, How could WFC Megatron not make your list!!!!!!!!??????? But for real, what was he lacking, I did see that he made honourable mentions.

Here is my list

1. TMII Dragon Megatron – Awesome toy. Great dragon. Powerful Megatron. Unique, spectactular colors and paint.

2. WFC
Great style, great look. Feels menacing, powerful, and agile. Looks and feels like Megatron. Excellent arm cannon, this iconic element is important for a G1-like Megatron. Great update into a tank. The only flaw is he is a deluxe. If your main scale has the leaders as deluxes he is perfect. Otherwise it would have been better if he had been a voyager.

Also, I prefer it when Megatron can fly. The unproduced Megatron Animated, as robot to tank to jet, would be the best. I am looking forward to the new Titans Return triple changer Megatron.

3. TM T Rex Megatron

4. Armada – Cool Megatron

5. Transformers Prime – Great update/reimagining of Megatron. Powerful, intimidating. I don’t like his face. He looks like a cat. He looks out of place. Otherwise lots of things work well.

I figured I could do a list and give a different perspective from some one with not as many Megatrons as others.

5. RotF Leader Megatron
Based off of my favorite Movie Megatron design, the figure is pretty good. The robot mode is imposing and the tank mode is actually well done. I really like his Mech Alive gimmick as well. I think the skinny arm should be a little bigger and I wish his cannon arm would have been more accurate, though.

4. Animated Leader Megatron
Again we have an imposing Megatron that looms over almost every other figure in the line, which is pretty accurate. The transformation to vehicle mode is quick and simple with satisfying result. The parts forming doesn't bother me much, but I do think the design of the figure makes it difficult to pose him with his rather great articulation.

3. Beast Wars 10th Anniversary Megatron
This remold of the original fixes many of the first ones flaws. He has a brand new headsculpt which just oozes Beast Wars Megatron. The figure is also outfitted with a more accurate paintjob which just looks amazing. The beast mode is also one of the most realistic to date. The biggest flaw I think this figure has is his lack of a proper hand. Also on my copy the torso doesn't lock in very well and many of the Dino chunks bump into each other during play.

2. Generations Leader G1 Megatron
What a great representation of G1 Megatron. The headsculpt is great, the G1 design is great, and the deco is amazing. Much like Animated Megatron the transformation is quick and simple. The tank mode is one of the best with working rubber treads and turret able to do a 360. However, that means the robot arms are rather awkward and look bad in most poses. The legs are also too skinny for my liking with not very good articulation. However if you pose him just right you have a great looking Megatron.

1. Henkei/United Voyager Megatron
First of all this is coming from someone that prefers Megatron as a tank or a recognizable air vehicle. That in mind, this figure is a good reinterpretation of Megatron. The pose ability works and the transformation is unique and interesting. And the gun mode is well, a gun, albeit a goofy one. I find the cannon to be oversized and I just I ignore the wings. And it kind wins by default since it's the only official CHUG Voyager. He may be unseated by the Titans Return though. And you can't go wrong with either deco. I have the Henkei version.

The responses on this topic reminded me of a cool discussion we had a few years ago. I was basically curious about which Megatron alt mode people preferred, gun, tank, jet, etc. But I limited it to actual megatron toys.

See below if you are interested. I liked seeing people's thoughts about the topic.

What should Megatron’s alt mode be?

If it were 1984, and you could choose any Megatron toy from 1984-today, to be the toy and to be in the cartoon/comic, what alt mode would you choose for Megatron?

http://www.seibertron.com/energonpub/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=95114&p=1497945&hilit=megatron#p1497709

Tank Megatron to me has had the most success.

Also, since I just watched the Thew review of it and I saw it earlier in the thread: Hero Megatron/Archforce really doesn't get the praise that toy deserves. It looks and functions brilliantly

No. 3 BotCon 06 BW Megatron
Great head sculpture.

No. 2 BotCon 08 SG Megatron
Great body.

No. 1 BotCon 16 BW Megatron
Greatest head sculpture ever!



All Hail Megatron!

Of personal from my personal collections -

5. MP Megatron - he is great as the wobbly cosmic rust afflicted lanky nerdy looking robot. He is better as his alt mode. The process in getting him from one to the other is so fiddly I think i've done it 2 or 3 times in the years i've had him.

4. Action Masters Megatron. Well he was an action master so in spite of that he was ok as his tank vehicle was pretty decent. I had got him because well there wasn't much else at time. The sculpt was nice but well...

3. Voyager Megatron from Prime series. He is ok, though far from a perfect representation of his show model, it wasn't bad. He is a bit floppy but he is well proportioned and his transformation pretty simple. My issues with him are more with the show character design - no earth mode? Why? A Jet? I don't think megs should ever be a jet because otherwise he wouldn't have a reason to keep starscream in his ranks.

2. WFC Megatron... awesome figure all round - great likeness to the character and the game model. His only fault was his lack of size...

1. Generations megatron. This guy is one of my favourite releases in all the generations figures. He is as great as he is flawed. A great tank mode with working tracks! Solid and hefty, feels powerful. The paint apps are great too.. nice metallic silver. Let down only by a lack of articulation of his turret section (cannon barrel should have been able to move up and down). His robot mode is great tho a bit lanky too, I feel he should be a bit more imposing like the recent incarnations. He seems to have been few steps away from being a great to a superb megatron. His arm cannon should have been flipped, and ankle tilts would have really helped his robot mode... But he still remains a firm - his fun transformation helps too.

frogbat wrote: He is as great as he is flawed.

I love how I am not the only one who sees this theme with Megatron toys in general. I fully agree with your assessment, your list was fun and I am on the same page.

TK415 wrote:If it were 1984, and you could choose any Megatron toy from 1984-today, to be the toy and to be in the cartoon/comic, what alt mode would you choose for Megatron?

I would say a tank, that just makes perfect sense to me. But I dont know which toy I would pick. They havent made the right Megatron toy yet. To me the best would probably be a Megatron who's robot mode has the same style and articulation of the Voyager Prime toy painted in dark silver that turns into the Generations tank altmode. That would be perfect for me.

However, we can't change the past and even though I got into these toys only in the Beast era, I am a big fan of tradition and legacy. I look at the hand we were dealt with and thus I do honour Megatron being a gun and appreciate that alt mode too. It gives a great robot mode as well with the gun aesthetics like the hammer being on his shoulder and the legs being the handle. Its a smart design and an original one. And those legs look good even whem Megatron doesnt turn into a gun, like with the Prime Voyager who has those same G1 legs and looks great in robot mode. Also, having a gun Megatron shows that this brand was built from different lines coming together, and I find that really cool. Same reasons I like Shockwave becoming a gun too

TK415 wrote:Great list WJ. Good choices. RID Megatron robot mode is incredible. Thanks for the list.

WJ, How could WFC Megatron not make your list!!!!!!!!??????? But for real, what was he lacking, I did see that he made honourable mentions.

And I thank you for your list too, it was awesome Man I am so happy people are writing their lists now, its what I was going for all along. I was a new collector once and I wanted to know what people thought of past toys, but there wasn't much out there. But now, if someone is curious, they can find this discussion and all your lists and get an idea of what is out tehre in terms of good toys. Like WFC Megatron. Yeah, he wasn't on my top 5 but he is top 10 for sure and me not having him on my list gave me a chance to read your point of view. And it will give a chance for others to read yours as well. And you have a done a much better job at saying why he is awesome than I would ever have simply because this toy speaks to you more than it does me.

Its a great toy, hence why it was part of the discussion. But in the end, when I had to make a list that summarized all that was great about Megatron toys of the past, I found WFC Megatron a bit redundant. I knew RID Megatron would be on it for sure, that is an amazing toy. I knew Animated would be there too because of how its a totally new take in every way and yet screams megatron (literally ) unlike most other toys out there. And I knew the United/Henkei would be as well for how much its really the main voyager Megs out there (so far), and a great toy regardless. But beyond that, it was hard. I wanted to include a Beast Megatron to bring that era into the fold and then I was a bit torn. There was Unicron Trilogy (Energon and Armada specifically), Prime (he didnt get many mentions from the staff though), the movies (if that DOTM voyage was a leader he would have been in for sure) and all his other G1 style toys out there. The original toy was metionned a lot and I thought that was a perfect way to round off the top 5, especially since I truly feel it is the best toy from that original line up, definitely has the best tansformation. And man, you get so much bang for your buck with the G1 toy with all its accessoies and how the toy can interact with them in a dual purpose way.

WFC came up, and while I love him, I didnt feel he added as much tothe legacy as other toys. And he was small, that was a big problem. He's another tank megatron, another deluxe, another G1 style robot mode, with partforming once again. He's not even the first or second cybertronian tank megatron and the last one was far more imposing. Plus, and this is just me, but I dont like his feet. I don think those giant covers as heals look good, plus they have those little side flaps that dont add to anything. The arms have very limited articulation with an odd double jointed elbow that leaves a hole under his bicep. And I find that clamshell back piece odd too. It feels random whenever I transform him. I dont like it's look in tank mode, it looks like extraneous kibble.

So yeah, a good toy but it doesnt offer up much for Megatron, nor does it feel like a definitive or original take on the character and lack both intimidation and articulation. This is all just my personal opinion, I still think he is more than worth the mention and I am extreamly happy you gave such a nice write up on him

If WFC Megatron had been a Voyager I would have bought him on sight. (So I still wouldn't have bought him because AFAIK he never came out in the UK.)

I do agree we haven't had the "perfect" Megatron toy yet- even from the 3P market. CW Megatron is just too big, and his articulation leaves a lot to be desired (dem shoulders... ). His tank mode is awesome though. The TR toy looks like it will be good...when Takara gives it a nice shiny silver coat anyway, and it's still quite obviously Blitzwing. Plus it has the Headmaster gimmick, which whilst not particularly offputting to me, I can understand why people wouldn't like it. Animated Megatron is a great toy but too big and too Animated for a G1 display, and the Voyager just sucks. Cloud Megatron with 3P upgrades is good, but still not quite there. The Classics mold has held up very well over time, but being a "space gun" and having the wings, he doesn't satisfy the G1 purists, and isn't great for those of us who don't like Megatron as a gun. And that's just for CHUG. The old Masterpiece is a mess, and Apollyon isn't much better. DX9 and Maketoys do look a great deal better though so there is that, but obviously they're only good for MP collections.

William, just out of curiosity with your list, but why didn't the Combiner Wars Leader G1 Deco of Megatron come in as one of the top five? Too new to be included in the numbered results or so?

Not all of him...
All Hail Megatron!

Tyrannacon wrote:William, just out of curiosity with your list, but why didn't the Combiner Wars Leader G1 Deco of Megatron come in as one of the top five? Too new to be included in the numbered results or so?

I like the CW Leader Megatron as well, but he has a simple articulation + not easy to pose... Hope William would feel the same...
The Cloud Megatron is a nice tank as well, a top X to me

Source:e-hobby/TFWiki

KennethAkfaer wrote:

Tyrannacon wrote:William, just out of curiosity with your list, but why didn't the Combiner Wars Leader G1 Deco of Megatron come in as one of the top five? Too new to be included in the numbered results or so?

I like the CW Leader Megatron as well, but he has a simple articulation + not easy to pose... Hope William would feel the same...
The Cloud Megatron is a nice tank as well, a top X to me

Source:e-hobby/TFWiki

Very true. I love CW Megatron though personally. I wouldn't mind getting the Cloud Megatron though. The original retool of it looks a lot like G2 Megs.

KennethAkfaer wrote:

Tyrannacon wrote:William, just out of curiosity with your list, but why didn't the Combiner Wars Leader G1 Deco of Megatron come in as one of the top five? Too new to be included in the numbered results or so?

I like the CW Leader Megatron as well, but he has a simple articulation + not easy to pose... Hope William would feel the same...

Yeah I do feel the same. He is a great tank Transformer, so much so that I included him in that list. But when you look at the whole package, especialle the articulation of the robot mode, it leaves a lot to be desired. Just as a leader toy, compare this guy to the past Megatron Leaders we have gotten like ROTF and Cybertron. While those toys have issues too, you get way more for your buck. But here, for a big expensive toy, you dont get much. The transformation is very simple (I think the G1 toy might be more complex actually), the articulation is limited and his dfault pose looks like he is guarding buckingham palace. He just looks so stiff in pics.

I am pretty sure that if you showed someone who didnt collect since G1 both Henkei (gun) Megatron and Generations Leader Megatron and asked them which toy is newer it would be a toss up. He just doesnt take advantage of any new style, or engineering. Seriously, I remember people really scared when hasbro announced they would be simplifying toys for future lines and yet the main toy I feel we can most see this goal achieved in is Leader Megatron. And no one is crying foul. He has less steps than the Voyager from 10 years ago. I really don't think this toy will age well as it already feels dated in design and articulation, all in the effort to keep him simple.

Let's make a quick comparison as to which is a better toy between the G1 toy, the Henkei/United one and the CW Leader one:



I hope you dont take anything I say personally Tyrannacon, I just wanted to answer your question in all honesty. I do still like this toy as I do own it and I dont plan on selling it. But I cant call it the best Mgatron toy, not when there are others out there. He will however resurface in another Best of List though. I give credit where credit is due and there is one part of that toy that is superior to every other Megatron toy ever (his head )

Here is a review that explains what I mean. go near the end whre he reviews that specific toy:

william-james88 wrote:Seriously, I remember people really scared when hasbro announced they would be simplifying toys for future lines and yet the main toy I feel we can most see this goal achieved in is Leader Megatron.

Seriously, I was one of them

According to your avatar, please list BotCon 16 Megatron

william-james88 wrote:

>original toy
>G1 look

uhhhhhhhh



uhhhhhhhh



Also should you really put 'G1 style alt mode' on there? It... kinda feels like cheating. It's not an actual objective flaw, it's purely up to preference especially when the fanbase seems really split on whether they like Megatron being a gun or not.

Also, while scaling with normal CHUG figures would be lovely, Leader Megatron still scales with quite a few guys. Leader Seekers and Soundwave for instance for a lovely Season 1 display + maybe Devastator, and a lot of people are using him as their Masterpiece stand-in.

KennethAkfaer wrote:

william-james88 wrote:Seriously, I remember people really scared when hasbro announced they would be simplifying toys for future lines and yet the main toy I feel we can most see this goal achieved in is Leader Megatron.

Seriously, I was one of them

I guess it all worked out then

According to your avatar, please list BotCon 16 Megatron

Haha, I dont own that toy, but we have that amazing mold already on the list (and plus that one has the right spark crystal).

william-james88 wrote:I hope you dont take anything I say personally Tyrannacon, I just wanted to answer your question in all honesty. I do still like this toy as I do own it and I dont plan on selling it. But I cant call it the best Mgatron toy, not when there are others out there. He will however resurface in another Best of List though. I give credit where credit is due and there is one part of that toy that is superior to every other Megatron toy ever (his head )

Of course not, I don't take it personal at all. What you like is up to you just like what I like is up to me. Embrace the differences.

I was just curious to hear your point of view on the subject actually. Thanks for being so up front about it. I do agree, the head sculpt is probably the best part as well as working treads on the CW Megs!

Kurona wrote:Also should you really put 'G1 style alt mode' on there? It... kinda feels like cheating. It's not an actual objective flaw, it's purely up to preference especially when the fanbase seems really split on whether they like Megatron being a gun or not.

Also, while scaling with normal CHUG figures would be lovely, Leader Megatron still scales with quite a few guys. Leader Seekers and Soundwave for instance for a lovely Season 1 display + maybe Devastator, and a lot of people are using him as their Masterpiece stand-in.

Any scale starts falling apart when you bring in an autobot for them to fight. His aesthetics and lack of articulation (plus smaller stature to Prime) make him stck out like a sore thumb in any MP display.

As for comparing G1 style toys, nobody has to agree with me. I just think that a G1 theme should extend to both the alt mode and robot mode. But thats not what makes him inferior, there is nothing wrong with updates. There is something wrong though when you spend around the 50$ mark (was he 50 quid in the UK?) and get a toy that feels cheaper in terms of engineering and articulation than a ton of older toys.

I mean just compare him to Ultra Magnus where they are able to do somethign similar to what the MP did, in terms of engineering him to transform from a complete cab and trailer to a robot, plus with the extra interaction to including Minimus ambus (as a fun comic homage). Thats a nice package thats comparable to the MP at a lower price point. You can see a nice curve of price to complexity ratio and he fits there nicely. And then compare that to this new Megatron and it kind of falls apart. He feels more like a voyager toy with limited articulation that was upscaled.

And his comic homage was that sticker sheet which had the brilliant idea of having white outlines everywhere.

While I do love our back and forth and encourage any reply, I am worried that I am being a wet blanket on those that like CW Megatron and believe him to be the best. Nothing wrong with that.

I hope I am not alone in my thoughts though. I did bring him up when he came out (he came out whil this list was being built) and I got this as replies (I wont mention names):

I like the list as is--not that it matters. CW Meg's is good, but not Henkei, and WFC has never been one of my favorites. It's boring to me. The new paint job on the nemesis version, whatever the official name might be, is awesome, but this is about non-exclusives, right?

I think CW Megatron beats a lot of the ones on this list. The head sculpt alone is incredible.

A headsculpt is not enough though.

I think CW Megs is a great, but more for looks than as a toy. I find bot mode to leave a little to be desired. I had a hard time posing him the way I wanted.

I think CW Megatron knocks out Classics or RID Megatron. Head sculpt, rotating turret/upper tank, fun non-contortionist transformation (boo Classics mold), working treads - these are all things that raise this mold up to the top 5.

United gun Megs and RID Dragon Megs certainly belong there.

I agree that cw megs shouldn't be on the list due to having a lackluster bot mode - even Thew agrees with that

So yeah, thats what i had to work with, this list wasnt easy

Also, found some fun stuff while looking at the back and forths when doing this list:

he always seems to miss the mark in a way:
The G2 is super clunky,
armada too,
the cybertron one is a big WTF with mandibles from hell,
the animated leader has terrible leg ratchets which limit him greatly (as well as a rather cheap partforming transformation for vehicle mode),
the classics toy has such odd colors with an awkward right fist,
the MP did not update things properly,
his only decent movie toy is too small and lacking in deco,
his Prime toy is a literal mess in vehicle mode and no one ever got the right deco on him in voyager class, and on and on.

william-james88 wrote:

Kurona wrote:Also should you really put 'G1 style alt mode' on there? It... kinda feels like cheating. It's not an actual objective flaw, it's purely up to preference especially when the fanbase seems really split on whether they like Megatron being a gun or not.

Also, while scaling with normal CHUG figures would be lovely, Leader Megatron still scales with quite a few guys. Leader Seekers and Soundwave for instance for a lovely Season 1 display + maybe Devastator, and a lot of people are using him as their Masterpiece stand-in.

Any scale starts falling apart when you bring in an autobot for them to fight.

Your points otherwise make sense, but this one I can't really take. Yeah, aside from Blaster he doesn't have any similarly-sized autobots to fight... but a lot of people don't need that. A lot of people - like me - are very happy just posing him with his allies. Again, it makes a great decepticon season 1 display.

Also he's not quite £50; he's £44.99. Still really annoying.

You want to talk annoying? How about the fact that the only leader megs to turn up near me where the armada megs versions! My original armada megs fits that role very nicely

CW Megs size put me off at first but that was only until Powermaster Prime appeared. Now his Leader class is perfectly sized. And lacklustre bot mode? For me CW Megatron is almost EXACTLY how G1 Megatron should look! Imposing, serious, non-goofy and non-flamboyant and turns into an awesome tank. It may have a few flaws (but then all Transformer figures do to some degree) but that to me IS G1 Megatron more than any other figure.

One cool Megatron toy that no one has mentioned is the Micron from arms micron. What I find interesting is that while most microns turning popular characters into small weapons for others to carry looks a bit off (although Bulkhead makes for an AMAZING hulk hand), it becomes a very fun homage for Megatron. He actually ends up as a gun.

Now that's amusing. Hah.

Reminds me of that third party Megatron Targetmaster. I forgot what he was called or who made it; Vangelus reviewed it once tho.

william-james88 wrote:

TK415 wrote:Great list WJ. Good choices. RID Megatron robot mode is incredible. Thanks for the list.

WJ, How could WFC Megatron not make your list!!!!!!!!??????? But for real, what was he lacking, I did see that he made honourable mentions.

And I thank you for your list too, it was awesome Man I am so happy people are writing their lists now, its what I was going for all along. I was a new collector once and I wanted to know what people thought of past toys, but there wasn't much out there. But now, if someone is curious, they can find this discussion and all your lists and get an idea of what is out tehre in terms of good toys. Like WFC Megatron. Yeah, he wasn't on my top 5 but he is top 10 for sure and me not having him on my list gave me a chance to read your point of view. And it will give a chance for others to read yours as well. And you have a done a much better job at saying why he is awesome than I would ever have simply because this toy speaks to you more than it does me.

Its a great toy, hence why it was part of the discussion. But in the end, when I had to make a list that summarized all that was great about Megatron toys of the past, I found WFC Megatron a bit redundant. I knew RID Megatron would be on it for sure, that is an amazing toy. I knew Animated would be there too because of how its a totally new take in every way and yet screams megatron (literally ) unlike most other toys out there. And I knew the United/Henkei would be as well for how much its really the main voyager Megs out there (so far), and a great toy regardless. But beyond that, it was hard. I wanted to include a Beast Megatron to bring that era into the fold and then I was a bit torn. There was Unicron Trilogy (Energon and Armada specifically), Prime (he didnt get many mentions from the staff though), the movies (if that DOTM voyage was a leader he would have been in for sure) and all his other G1 style toys out there. The original toy was metionned a lot and I thought that was a perfect way to round off the top 5, especially since I truly feel it is the best toy from that original line up, definitely has the best tansformation. And man, you get so much bang for your buck with the G1 toy with all its accessoies and how the toy can interact with them in a dual purpose way.

WFC came up, and while I love him, I didnt feel he added as much tothe legacy as other toys. And he was small, that was a big problem. He's another tank megatron, another deluxe, another G1 style robot mode, with partforming once again. He's not even the first or second cybertronian tank megatron and the last one was far more imposing. Plus, and this is just me, but I dont like his feet. I don think those giant covers as heals look good, plus they have those little side flaps that dont add to anything. The arms have very limited articulation with an odd double jointed elbow that leaves a hole under his bicep. And I find that clamshell back piece odd too. It feels random whenever I transform him. I dont like it's look in tank mode, it looks like extraneous kibble.

So yeah, a good toy but it doesnt offer up much for Megatron, nor does it feel like a definitive or original take on the character and lack both intimidation and articulation. This is all just my personal opinion, I still think he is more than worth the mention and I am extreamly happy you gave such a nice write up on him

Agreed! I like seeing other people’s perspectives. It let’s me appreciate things that I missed. I am surprised and so pleased about all that I am learning about Transformers from your lists, WJ, Thanks! Great discussions, great info, great lists, tons of effort, thought, and work.

It is really interesting to see such diverse choices for top Megatrons. I would expect it for best jet or something, you would think there would be greater agreement with Megatron. So many things are so subjective, and personal taste, preference, and background all come into play. Some things bother some people but don’t bother others. That isn’t a bad thing, just not what I would expect. I suppose that is a main component of artwork, and likely why transformers are so amazing. They are engineering marvels, fun puzzles, beautiful statues, incredible designs, awesome vehicles or beasts, imaginative ideas, and taken together incredible works of art (yet sold as toys).

WJ thanks for your thorough response. It is all fair and makes sense. It is funny because I totally get that you like the toy, and that you were only responded to my question, and that even with the flaws you describe you still stay that the toy is:

william-james88 wrote:

TK415 wrote:Great list WJ. Good choices. RID Megatron robot mode is incredible. Thanks for the list.

WJ, How could WFC Megatron not make your list!!!!!!!!??????? But for real, what was he lacking, I did see that he made honourable mentions.

People can see what is out there in terms of good toys. Like WFC Megatron. Yeah, he wasn't on my top 5 but he is top 10 for sure…
Its a great toy, hence why it was part of the discussion…
…while I love him…

So yeah, a good toy

But I had to remind myself that you did like him. I read it and saw a giant paragraph just crushing WFC Megatron. I was like nooooooooooooooo! Don’t say such things! But like I said all your points are valid. I can actually do the same with other Transformers that I love. I could tell you five bad things about them and then still say it is one of my favorites.

william-james88 wrote:And you have a done a much better job at saying why he is awesome than I would ever have simply because this toy speaks to you more than it does me.

That is a great point! Some things speak to some people and some things speak to other people.