In the never-ending struggle to produce a definitive Megatron, Hasbro came really close with this new deluxe-class Megatron based on his appearance in The Transformers comic and Spotlight: Megatron (included with the figure). This look may be a departure from the G1 Megatron we all know and love, but out of all the updates and interpretations resulting from artistic license we’ve seen over the years, this one comes very close to truly capturing the spirit of the character. We’re never going to see another Megatron that transforms into a Walther-P38 pistol, so the challenge has been designing a Megatron that transforms into something that is not only worthy of the character, but can also support all the weight that comes attached to the name “Megatron.” Whether or not fans will accept this rendition as a “definitive” Megatron is, naturally, highly debatable, but this is definitely a step in the right direction.
Based on a design originally by Don Figueroa, the figure feels as though he’s stepped straight out from Nick Roche’s Spotlight issue, and, for the most part, the design effectively imbues Megatron with all the power and regality the character should have. For those unfamiliar with this look for the character, Roche’s comic is included to serve as a crash course, and it’s a thoroughly enjoyable issue that really gets into the nitty-gritty of the relationship Megatron shares with Starscream. His stats on the back of the card indicate he’s still as powerful as he ever was and is ready to once again take his rightful place as leader of the Decepticons.
Both modes here are solid, and it’s a look that feels appropriate for the character, but the biggest stumbling block here is that he’s a deluxe-class figure, so he’s definitely on the small side, which is a shame. If this were a voyager, I could probably consider him my default Megatron in my collection, so it carries a particular sting for just that reason. It feels like a missed opportunity.
It’s a powerful-looking design that is unmistakably “Megatron” even though he’s not decked out in the classic silver and black. The dark colors work for the character and the sleekness of the general design adds to the idea that this is a new, more powerful Megatron than what we’ve seen before. He’s also got some pretty decent articulation working in his favor. He can be posed easily and his range of motion is such that he can get in some pretty dramatic and athletic-looking poses. It’s cool having a Megaton as limber as this one is since many Megatron figures aren’t nearly as poseable.
His weapon is a little iffy. This is definitely a departure from the traditional fusion cannon design that was formed from a gun scope, tank cannon, etc. This time the fusion cannon is formed by his two wing tips, and it doesn’t look much like a cannon at all, really. At first glance, it almost looks as though he’s carrying two sword blades on his arm; that’s what it looks like to me, anyway. In the comic, it looks as sleek and powerful as can be, but here, it just looks like random kibble on his arm. It does take a bit of imagination to accept this as his cannon, but that’s part of the game, right?
He is definitely on the small side, which is something that will hold back any Megatron figure from really “working” in a Classics collection. He looks OK with wave-mate Orion Pax, but they’re at too much of an even footing, especially considering this is Orion Pax and not Optimus Prime. He’s positively dwarfed by many of his Decepticons (Astrotrain and Blitzwing here, for example), which is very unfortunate. Megatron should be large and powerful, so he seems to scale best with the new legends-class Starscream, but even that isn’t perfect since this is the one case where he seems a little too big. But too big is better than too small in Megatron’s case, so I’ll take it.
In action poses, his fusion cannon works better as a bladed type of weapon since that’s what it primarily looks like, and it works very well for whaling on poor Starscream or for meeting Orion Pax’s energon axe.
The stealth fighter mode is awesome and is one of the better alt modes Megatron has had, including the much-heralded G2 tank mode. It’s definitely a bit of a paradigm shift as far as Megatron is concerned, but it works. It looks fast and more powerful than the standard Decepticon Seeker, which would be a necessity in setting him apart from his troops.
His transformation, however, is a bit miserable, at least it was the first time through. His instructions aren’t as clear as they could be, which then leads to a lot of “does this go here or here?” kind of guesswork. It took me a while to get through it, but I was fairly pleased with the result. The jet mode looks great and everything fits and tabs together well, so that alone makes it one of the better and more convincing Transformers figures to be released lately. And in this mode he does appear to scale well with legends Starscream, and, appropriately, he looks a heck of a lot more imposing and intimidating, just as he should.
Now, size issues aside, this is one of the better Megatron figures we’ve seen in recent memory. We’ve been positively aching for a new, good Megatron figure, and this guy is so close to hitting the mark. This design is awesome, though, and I’d love to see it released as a voyager, or, heck, even as a Masterpiece figure. The real trick here would be to convince fans to let go of their attachment to the G1 design, but since that’s about as likely as snow falling on the equator, a Masterpiece version of this version is probably pretty unlikely. So this may very well be the only figure this design ever gets, unfortunately.
Megatron and the rest of this deluxe-class IDW wave are popping up at retail as we speak. Megatron here was scored at Target, but he can be ordered at Big Bad Toy Store if you’d prefer to avoid the hunt. I do recommend him, but I also understand he’s not going to be for everyone.