Comparing G1 Megatron to his Real-Life Counterpart

Tuesday, June 25th, 2013 6:39AM CDT

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Posted by: LOST Cybertronian Views: 41,743

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Seibertron member Fractured Koi gave us a little treat in the energon pub. It is not a comparison you see very often but it is an interesting one. He took a G1 Megatron and took comparison pics to an actual Walther P-38. Check out the comparison which starts below and see how much detail and thought Takara put into the figure when it was designed.

First, thanks guys and gals, for all the support! Rather caught me by surprise, wasn't expecting such a rush of "go for it!" You're all fantastic. Second, I'll just shush and get with the pictures already! If any of you want to see something re-shot or from another angle (or just need all the fiddly bits elaborated on as to what they do on a real gun), just let me know =D.

Showing Megatron between two functional firearms. (Weapons have been safety checked and found to be empty and safe...also turned safety on in this picture on the bottom gun)

Re: Comparing G1 Megatron to his real-life counterpart (now with 100% more pictures!)

The Walther P-38 is chambered for 9mm Luger. It prefers FMJ and isn't a big fan of hollow-point. I've removed the magazine and just tossed out some bullets for further size comparison. Notice, also, at the bottom of Megatron's grips...his feet are actually the bottom of a magazine! (the little bump at the back of his feet, his heels, is actually what would be the magazine release on the real gun. No button, just pull the lever back and pull it out.)

Opposite side of the guns. Attaching that scope mount right there is...not advisable, to say the least!

Showing the slide pulled back fully and locked. While Megatron has the molded details for a slide lock, he just can't quite manage this.

P-38 fully field stripped, ready to be cleaned. Transformed...?(apologies for the lack of Megatron, this was an afterthought while I was uploading xD)

Detail time! Ignoring the markings on the slide, (because I just can't afford an actually WWII gun!) let's look at other things. You'll see that Megatron has the takedown lever and slide lock right where they should be (left and right switches, respectively). Megatron also has a serial number stamped...right where it should be stamped! (Honestly didn't catch this til just now!) No doubt, it references MicroChange.

Detail of the hammer, safety switch, and grips. The pattern on Megatron's grips is of the earlier pattern used on the first grips, which were made of Bakelite. Mine are checkered black plastic. Woot for cost saving cheapness!

Further detail of the grips, showing gun with magazine loaded. Notice the screw which secures the grips and the loop for a strap both exactly where they should be. Somebody was paying attention to detail on this figure!

Even the rear sights are the same! The small dot you see on the real gun is a loaded-chamber indicator. A small rod pokes out when the gun is chambered.

Head on, apply directly to the forehead. Actually, don't, that's a bad idea. Trivia time! Japanese Megatron had little bullets that went in that hole (as if you didn't know that already). On a somewhat related note, these guns eject to the left.

Bullet fits!

Bullet no fits! Megatron cannot pew.

So, how many Transformers does it take to fire a gun? Two! One to act as a tripod and another to actually pull the trigger! Too lame? D=

Ok, I'll admit, that's a bit frightening looking. Stuff of nightmares, man.

And that's it, friends! Hope you all enjoyed! If there's anything further you'd like to know or see about these guns, let me know!

Pew pew!

Credit(s): Fractured Koi

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Re: Comparing G1 Megatron to his Real-Life Counterpart (1497843)
Posted by GuyIncognito on June 25th, 2013 @ 8:26am CDT

Cool! I have a couple questions about the scope, out of curiosity:

You say you wouldn't want to mount the scope in the spot it's mounted on Megatron, so my questions are: Why wouldn't you want to mount it there? Where should you mount it instead? Is it common for people to mount a scope on this gun in real life?

Re: Comparing G1 Megatron to his Real-Life Counterpart (1497850)
Posted by stevescustoms on June 25th, 2013 @ 8:45am CDT

The real gun looks great. I always thought that Megatron was closer to the actual size of the gun. Someone should get pics with MP 05 Megatron. I'm curious to see the size difference between the two.

Re: Comparing G1 Megatron to his Real-Life Counterpart (1497855)
Posted by JazZeke on June 25th, 2013 @ 8:51am CDT

Awesome comparison pictures! That was educational.

GuyIncognito wrote:Cool! I have a couple questions about the scope, out of curiosity:

You say you wouldn't want to mount the scope in the spot it's mounted on Megatron, so my questions are: Why wouldn't you want to mount it there? Where should you mount it instead? Is it common for people to mount a scope on this gun in real life?

Because the kickback from the gun would send that scope slamming into your eye. "You'll shoot your eye out, kid!"

Re: Comparing G1 Megatron to his Real-Life Counterpart (1497860)
Posted by fenrir72 on June 25th, 2013 @ 9:11am CDT

Correct me if I'm wrong but that "scope" has no real value/application in reality, being from the design of the "Uncle" gun carried by Robert Vaughn. Takara back then just did their copyright infringing practice/SOP before the TM police got too much fascistic :lol:

Still, if not for "The Man from Uncle", who knows what Megatron would have looked like no?

Re: Comparing G1 Megatron to his Real-Life Counterpart (1497866)
Posted by SLUGSLINGER81 on June 25th, 2013 @ 9:32am CDT

Great review, being a Walther P38 owner myself (nickle version...because of Megatron duh, FYI do not afix stickers on slide :lol:

) and Walther aficionado (P22, PPK, P99, PPQ...one of the best triggers out there) I am hoping that at some point Takara decides to encarnate megatron in the P99 form as the IDW "-ation" series as an updated look, I know they'll be more inclined to do the P38 scaled with the MP-10 or a tank version that can be marketed in both asia and US...but I would so hope for a P99 version...great review!!! :michaelbay:

Re: Comparing G1 Megatron to his Real-Life Counterpart (1497883)
Posted by Mykltron on June 25th, 2013 @ 10:23am CDT

Thanks for the pics, truly amazing to see it. I don't know why, but it's amazing!

Re: Comparing G1 Megatron to his Real-Life Counterpart (1497912)
Posted by Iron Prime on June 25th, 2013 @ 11:20am CDT

Neat pics! Thanks!

Re: Comparing G1 Megatron to his Real-Life Counterpart (1497919)
Posted by Megatron Wolf on June 25th, 2013 @ 11:49am CDT

ive been arguing with my friend for years that Megatron is not 1:1 scale with an actual P38, i now have the proof i need and i thank you for that. But on another note i still say the P38 is cooler than a luger, not just because its megatron but because of the overall look & design behind it.

Re: Comparing G1 Megatron to his Real-Life Counterpart (1497920)
Posted by FortMacs on June 25th, 2013 @ 11:49am CDT

great job. loved seeing the comparison pics.

Re: Comparing G1 Megatron to his Real-Life Counterpart (1497962)
Posted by prowl123 on June 25th, 2013 @ 4:08pm CDT

GuyIncognito wrote:Cool! I have a couple questions about the scope, out of curiosity:

You say you wouldn't want to mount the scope in the spot it's mounted on Megatron, so my questions are: Why wouldn't you want to mount it there? Where should you mount it instead? Is it common for people to mount a scope on this gun in real life?

The spot it's mounted on on Megatron is right at the back of the slide, which is the part that moves when you shoot it. This presents a plethora of problems. There is the obvious (it'd hit you in the face) and the not so obvious (if the scope isn't built well enough the blowback could make it fall apart).

There is no spot to mount a scope on the P38 because of how small the slide is. As far as I know it's impossible but I could be wrong.

There is absolutely no point in putting a scope on a pistol unless for some reason you decide to start sniping deer with it. Scopes are intended for bolt action rifles since their recoil won't interrupt the viewing of the target because of how little there is.

Re: Comparing G1 Megatron to his Real-Life Counterpart (1497992)
Posted by RK_Striker_JK_5 on June 25th, 2013 @ 6:24pm CDT

Excellent pictures! Thanks for the comparison.

Re: Comparing G1 Megatron to his Real-Life Counterpart (1498053)
Posted by quickmixed on June 26th, 2013 @ 3:11am CDT

Nice comparison shots. "Bullet no fits! Megatron cannot pew." :lol:

Re: Comparing G1 Megatron to his Real-Life Counterpart (1498057)
Posted by Dead Metal on June 26th, 2013 @ 4:10am CDT

FracturedKoi wrote:Terribly off topic, but I love your sig Dead Metal xD. I'm reminded of DBZ abridged by it, strangely enough!

Thanks, it's Phil Ken Sebben from Harvey Birdman Attorney at law, and yes DBZA used the soundclip from that scene

Check out the show, it's awesome.

And man, these new pics are really cool. :michaelbay:

Re: Comparing G1 Megatron to his Real-Life Counterpart (1498061)
Posted by Mykltron on June 26th, 2013 @ 4:32am CDT

Megatron Wolf wrote:ive been arguing with my friend for years that Megatron is not 1:1 scale with an actual P38, i now have the proof i need and i thank you for that.

The fact that a grown man can barely fit his finger in the trigger guard should have given your argument credence!

Re: Comparing G1 Megatron to his Real-Life Counterpart (1498073)
Posted by FracturedKoi on June 26th, 2013 @ 6:34am CDT

Dead Metal wrote:
FracturedKoi wrote:Terribly off topic, but I love your sig Dead Metal xD. I'm reminded of DBZ abridged by it, strangely enough!

Thanks, it's Phil Ken Sebben from Harvey Birdman Attorney at law, and yes DBZA used the soundclip from that scene
Check out the show, it's awesome.

And man, these new pics are really cool.

You are correct about Birdman being a great show, loved it!

Thanks on the pics! I may take some of a KO Browning this afternoon!

Re: Comparing G1 Megatron to his Real-Life Counterpart (1498093)
Posted by GuyIncognito on June 26th, 2013 @ 10:05am CDT

prowl123 wrote:
The spot it's mounted on on Megatron is right at the back of the slide, which is the part that moves when you shoot it. This presents a plethora of problems. There is the obvious (it'd hit you in the face) and the not so obvious (if the scope isn't built well enough the blowback could make it fall apart).

There is no spot to mount a scope on the P38 because of how small the slide is. As far as I know it's impossible but I could be wrong.

There is absolutely no point in putting a scope on a pistol unless for some reason you decide to start sniping deer with it. Scopes are intended for bolt action rifles since their recoil won't interrupt the viewing of the target because of how little there is.

Very interesting! Thanks for the explanation! I don't know much about guns, although I've fired a few, but I always thought it was strange when, in a FPS video game, I would get a pistol with a scope.

Besides the reasons you mentioned above, aren't pistols used for close-range combat, where a scope would be useless anyway? In other words, if your target is so far away you need a scope, is a pistol going to have enough range?

Re: Comparing G1 Megatron to his Real-Life Counterpart (1498103)
Posted by njb902 on June 26th, 2013 @ 10:31am CDT

GuyIncognito wrote:
prowl123 wrote:
The spot it's mounted on on Megatron is right at the back of the slide, which is the part that moves when you shoot it. This presents a plethora of problems. There is the obvious (it'd hit you in the face) and the not so obvious (if the scope isn't built well enough the blowback could make it fall apart).

There is no spot to mount a scope on the P38 because of how small the slide is. As far as I know it's impossible but I could be wrong.

There is absolutely no point in putting a scope on a pistol unless for some reason you decide to start sniping deer with it. Scopes are intended for bolt action rifles since their recoil won't interrupt the viewing of the target because of how little there is.

Very interesting! Thanks for the explanation! I don't know much about guns, although I've fired a few, but I always thought it was strange when, in a FPS video game, I would get a pistol with a scope.

Besides the reasons you mentioned above, aren't pistols used for close-range combat, where a scope would be useless anyway? In other words, if your target is so far away you need a scope, is a pistol going to have enough range?

Prowl123 isn't necessarily right though, the scope shouldn't hit you in the face. You hold a pistol with a scope the same way you normally would. I myself have always used a two handed weaver stance.

Re: Comparing G1 Megatron to his Real-Life Counterpart (1498140)
Posted by Mindmaster on June 26th, 2013 @ 12:53pm CDT

Considering the weapon's seen use since the Second World War, and Megatron himself existing for the past thirty years, I'm surprised someone's finally done this.

So he's not much smaller than the legit weapon. Huh. :-B

Re: Comparing G1 Megatron to his Real-Life Counterpart (1873816)
Posted by FracturedKoi on April 11th, 2017 @ 4:19pm CDT

Hey wow it's been a long time since I've visited these fine forums!

And I have an update to this old thread: I have MP36 and will (soon)(ish) be doing an update to this idea. How does MP36 compare to G1 Megatron, Browning (KO), and a Walther P1.

Are there any other pistols or rifles you guys might be interested in seeing in here? I have two Walther P1's, a PPK, Judge, and an Arisaka rifle (although the rifle wouldn't exactly compare well to any toy we've ever had.) (Same for the Judge or PPK, but why not show off? xD)

Re: Comparing G1 Megatron to his Real-Life Counterpart (1873822)
Posted by sol magnus on April 11th, 2017 @ 5:16pm CDT

Welp, my question's been answered.

Re: Comparing G1 Megatron to his Real-Life Counterpart (1873897)
Posted by FracturedKoi on April 11th, 2017 @ 11:12pm CDT

sol magnus wrote:Welp, my question's been answered.

That question being?

Re: Comparing G1 Megatron to his Real-Life Counterpart (1873899)
Posted by sol magnus on April 11th, 2017 @ 11:23pm CDT

FracturedKoi wrote:
sol magnus wrote:Welp, my question's been answered.

That question being?

Will he do a comparison to MP-36. It's the post above mine.

Re: Comparing G1 Megatron to his Real-Life Counterpart (1875038)
Posted by Optimum Supreme on April 17th, 2017 @ 5:34pm CDT

They really should have held off for a couple more so hey could have made it MP-38

Re: Comparing G1 Megatron to his Real-Life Counterpart (1875402)
Posted by Wolfman Jake on April 19th, 2017 @ 12:19am CDT

Optimum Supreme wrote:They really should have held off for a couple more so hey could have made it MP-38

That would have been genius! What a missed opportunity!

On another note, I find it interesting that the G1 Megatron toy had so many real world details sculpted into it, yet they went and chromed the thing, making it way more blingin' than an actual Walther P38.

Re: Comparing G1 Megatron to his Real-Life Counterpart (1875412)
Posted by Jelze Bunnycat on April 19th, 2017 @ 1:10am CDT

Wolfman Jake wrote:
Optimum Supreme wrote:They really should have held off for a couple more so hey could have made it MP-38

That would have been genius! What a missed opportunity!

On another note, I find it interesting that the G1 Megatron toy had so many real world details sculpted into it, yet they went and chromed the thing, making it way more blingin' than an actual Walther P38.

Only the U.N.C.L.E. version, mind you. The standard MC-12 release without the scope, silencer and stock was released in a flat grey and in black. Those were the basis for eHobby Megaplex and Black Megatron.