In this world full of high-end Masterpieces and Mega Action Figures, is there still a place for some good old-fashioned, mass-market Transformers in my collection? Hell yes there is!
So today, we’re going to take a look at the new Siege series Voyager Class Optimus and Megatron. These should be landing just about everywhere at retail the first of next month, but our friends at Meglopolis Toys got theirs in a little early– if you need them with the quickness, please do check them out.
It has been a surprisingly long time since I’ve looked at some retail Transformers. The Combiner Wars and Power of the Primes lines had some pretty impressive figures, but I felt like you really had to be in for the “gimmick;” whether that was Scramble City-on-steroids combiners, or headmaster/targetmaster/primemasters. For figures and characters that those gimmicks are a trademark of, it was a cool touch. Making Stunticon repaints into an Autobot combiner, or making Soundwave and Hot Rod into headmasters didn’t quite grab me. That’s not a knock on Hasbro for trying something different for characters as old as I am, I think they’re mixing of classic elements with new and old characters has been a lot of fun- I’ve just enjoyed more as a spectator than participant. And in that mentioned era of massive 2ft figures and hundred-dollar MPs, that’s not at all a bad thing. But that’s sort of what makes this line so interesting: Transformers defintely hasn’t burned me, let alone burned me out, and all the same I think they’ve got me hooked already on this newest take on a formula that’s cost me money for decades.
So, what is it about these two figures that I just can’t put them down? Let’s start with the vehicle modes.
Optimus is bringing his classic game; his cab mode can easily pass for his G1 self at a passing glance. But this version is more a fusion of that earth-mode and the ever-elusive aesthetic of his Cybertronian mode. It’s a bit more armored, a little more murder truck than the Frieghtliner look, and….yeah, I really like it. The cab feels kinda….dense, with a lot of detail and feature packed tightly into it, and that reminds me just how much I missed the original Classics line, with it’s tight designs and solid modes- something that the continuations didn’t always nail.
Of course, Siege does have a gimmick of it’s own, and it’s an oldy but goodie: across the figure’s modes, you will see some 5mm ports. These, of course, are to amp up the figure’s armament. With just these two to start with, it basically just means storage for those weapons in vehicle mode. But as other figures come out, particularly the Weaponizers, these ports will let you augment to ridiculous levels. As you might expect, I think that’s awesome.
Back to this mode, there is also some surprising factory paint detailing- another feature of Siege are these factory-applied weathered paintjobs. This isn’t going to put any painters or modellers out of business anytime soon, but I do think it’s a distinctive enough to give this line a little more character. Not everybody is gonna like it, and I can see why on several levels- but as a fresh feature in a fresh line, I like it. And lastly, if you find yourself wondering why trucks have wheels on Cybertron, he has a “hover mode” that just requires tilting the wheels in a la the War for Cybertron games.
Megatron sticks to my preferred alt-mode here once again; a tank. Even as a Walther and G1 fanboy, I can easily concede this just makes for better matchups in alt-mode. Megatron makes use of a Transformers classic design here in the form of the old H-tank- not my favorite, but for a Cybertronian-based altmode I think it works fine. He’s not quite as stylish as Optimus in the mode, but he does have a rotating turret and makes good use of his weapon parts, so it’s a servicable enough mode for me.
It should be no surprise that these two reall kill it in bot mode, though.
Both Prime and Megatron are heavily G1 based, and it makes for great figures. They have great proportions and headsculpts, and again, they are instantly recognizable as their iconic selves.
Prime’s classic transformation standbys help him keep a lot of that influence through both modes. The only “cheat” in this case is the truck front becoming a backpack in bot mode. But compared to the backpacks sported in Power of the Primes, this ain’t nothin. It doesn’t bug me at all, and offers some weapons ports to store gear. The paint weathering shows up again on the reds, and reveals some additional scraping on his thigh panels. It’s decent, but I feel like that would have been better served on the blue shin parts- minor nitpick as it is.
Megatron does the usual H-tank stand up with a few cool swivels, and this rightfully makes him a broad and solid bot, a little bigger than Prime, even. His neck joint is interesting in that it’s actually set into the back of his head, so it doesn’t quite get the range Prime does, but otherwise he is very on par.
Again, I see where it might be trouble, but I like the brushed details on his chest and head. Megatron also sports a backpack, but it looks so damn good and IDW-likeI have a hard time seeing him without it. Both figures have good articulation with good range, and another thing I noticed is how few hollow parts come through on them. It feels like a lot of effort went into making these bot modes as solid as possible, and that definitely helps them feel more quality- these feel more robust than just about every Ultra class figure I’ve picked up in the last 5 years.
Now, we talked a little about the weapons in vehicle mode, and that peg-in feature, so of course that factors in here as well. Optimus has his Ion Blaster and a shield piece that can unfold into an axe. Megatron’s tank barrel becomes hs arm cannon, and the extension for the tank cannon swivels into a pretty impressive sword. This of course makes for some fun sparring. The weapons can peg into any of the ports on the figure, and can combine with other weapons in various configurations. Again, with some additional Weaponizer figures, these bot modes can become walking arsenals.
If you’ve ever been interested in Transformers figures but felt a little intimidated by the sheer volume of product, I think Siege is going to make for a great jumping on point. Likewise if you have been an incidental collector- this could make a completist out of you. The character selection looks to be a great mix of Season 1, Movie, and even some modern ones, so this may make for a great line to get a comprehensive group of your favorites out of. Or, if you just want a couple damn good voyager leaders to battle to the death on your desk, this will totally do. Highly recommend.
