Megatron (RID)

Today we have a new guest review from Jason Maust.  As you might recall, Jason did a guest review about two weeks ago, that had plenty of folks talking.  He's back with a review of another RID - this time, Megatron. Take it away, Jason!

Hello everyone, this is my second guest review for Michael and the best toy reviewing site I have ever come across.  Thanks again for letting me do this, Michael.

My first review was for the Optimus Prime Robots in Disguise figure in which I made numerous references to the original Generation 1 Prime.  Now, while I stand by my review of the figure, someone emailed me and said that it was not completely transformed correctly.  Thank you for bringing this to my attention and I apologize for the mistake.  However, I would like to point out that this is a result of a problem I have noticed with the new Transformers RID line.  It is not easy to get them transformed precisely like they are supposed to be for two reasons.  1: The new Transformers are like puzzle boxes that come with an instruction book larger than a U.S. road map.  While complex transformations may not be bad, it is a toy.  If I am playing with it, I don’t want to take a 15 minute break from playing to transform it.  2: The new Transformers, Prime and Ultra Magnus in particular, do not stay in one piece when they transform.  You essentially break it down into 10 pieces and then reassemble it in the new mode.  While not bad, the originals usually remained in one large piece that contorted from one mode to another.  I find this much better because then you won’t accidentally leave a piece off or put one in the wrong place.  That is just my opinion though.  Sorry again about the incorrect pictures.

Also, in the last review I mentioned I disliked Beast Wars.  Well, I still do greatly dislike it, but I would like to thank those people who do like it.  Without your following of the show, the RID line would never have come to America and the Transformer resurgence would not have happened.  Thank you Beast Wars fans!  Who knows, maybe I will try giving it another chance.

Now on to Megatron (which I am told is a repaint of a Galvatron or the Japanese equivalent figure from Japan).  This new Megatron has numerous modes, including robot, 2-headed dragon, gargoyle, jet, transport, and claw.  Sorry, no really cool gun-mode this time, but his robot mode is leaps and bounds better than the original.  Hasbro produces it.  

Packaging- ***

Much like Prime’s, the packaging is attractive with the black fading to red color scheme that all of the new Transformers feature.  The box is easy to open without damaging it and the bubble gives you a great view of Megatron in robot mode, however the robot has the snout from gargoyle mode visible, so that is kind of odd.  The bubble is probably very prone to denting and discoloring.  The box does have color photos of all of the modes, which can be seen in the picture of the box.  This is nice, because I had trouble getting the real toy to look as good as it does in the pics.

Like all of the other Transformers, all writing and description of the character and show are written in 3 languages, allowing for less detail about the character and the show and also crowding the back of the box considerably.  The box designer needs to learn something about the value of white space.

Articulation- ***/1/2

Pretty darn good if you ask me.  Since his limbs must be moved in all sorts of directions to transform him, it creates numerous points of articulation, including hip, knee, ankle elbow, shoulder, bicep, neck, and a few in his wings.  There are a few more that show up in his other modes as well.  Most of my joints are fairly stiff which means he holds his poses very well.  However, his wings tend to create a slight imbalance, so really dynamic poses are out of the question, but as far as making it fun to play with, they did a great job. 

Transformation-*

This is the only area in which this figure will be scoring low in, and I considered having it score even lower.  As mentioned before, Megatron has a whopping 6 modes: robot, gargoyle, two-headed dragon (pictured), jet, transport (which I am guessing is a car, but I am not sure), claw (again, not sure what the point is).  The robot mode is amazing, and is by far the best mode.  I bought it for the cool looking robot mode, and I was not disappointed.

Let me give you an idea what my first time transforming this went like:  Robot to gargoyle, easy enough.  Had a little trouble getting things in the right place, but no big deal.  Next, gargoyle to 2-headed dragon.  I had a little trouble getting the legs and wings in place, not too much trouble…except for the tail.  Now, I do not know if everyone had this problem (mine could be defective), but the tail always fell out of position and would never securely lock in place.  Anyway, time to go for the very cool looking jet mode.  After a half hour of yelling and cursing, I reached the following conclusions.  First, the tail, which becomes the nose of the jet, refused to solidly lock in place, ruining this mode.  Second, the directions are so vague about how to properly position the parts, you have to take a best guess at it.  The other two modes were equally frustrating to reach, especially with the tail causing problems.  I am not sure how long it took me to do all the modes, or if I even got them right, but my friend timed himself…and it took 2 hours for him to get 6 modes.  Who wants to spend their first 2 hours with a toy cursing and trying to transform it.  I know several people who had the same problem, but again mine was partly caused by the tail never firmly staying in place.  This transformation will take practice, and I honestly do not feel like having to practice just to play with a toy.

This in itself would not have bothered me if the modes were cool.  Quite frankly, the transport and the claw are really lame modes.  The dragon looks cool, but has a little trouble standing, especially if you are having the same problems with the tail that I am.  The jet is cool, but since the reading the directions were like performing brain surgery with your hands tied behind your back, it’s almost not worth changing him.  The robot mode is amazing looking in my opinion.  Finally, the gargoyle is cool, but looks like a bat.   The six modes may appeal to some people, but I would rather have 2 good modes than 3 good ones, 1 ok one, and 2 lame ones. 

Sculpting -****

The sculpting is excellent.  In fact, I am willing to say that the sculpting job is probably better than any of the sculpts from Generation 1, however, Megatron is a different style than those.  An amazing amount of detail has been put into this figure, especially the face, chest, and the wings.  The wings on Megatron are amazing.  They fold out for several modes and are textured perfectly to give it a techno-organic feel.  Also, as the wings get closer to the tips, they actually become semi-translucent.  It creates an amazing effect in all of his modes.  His face is well sculpted, featuring an evil grin.  Even his shoulder pads have great detail.

Paint - ***1/2

Again, I must admit that they outdid themselves with Megatron.  While my friend says the paint job is not as visibly pleasing as the original paint job in Japan (which I have not seen), I think it looks great.  The chrome paint on the chest, head, arms and wings looks great and has no chips or scratches in it.  The pearl white paint used on his face is vibrant and allows you to see how well the face is sculpted.  The gold paint, which is used as accent throughout the figure, is applied fairly well with only a few paint overruns.  This is one of the best paint jobs I have ever seen on a Transformer.

Accessories - **1/2

There are two accessories, both identical missile launchers with shooting laser/fire.  The laser/fire is a transparent red plastic piece, while the launchers are purple plastic with gold paint.  The missile launchers attach to all of the non-robot modes for extra firepower.  They can be combined into a staff/sword-like weapon for battle in robot mode.  The missiles do shoot, launching fairly far, which is why I rated the lone accessory so high.  Also, the button on the launcher feels fairly sturdy, which is good. 

My favorite thing to do with the launcher (personally) is to attach it to robot Megatron’s right arm like his fusion cannon from Generation 1 and 2 days.  It looks great like that, even if that is not how it is supposed to be used.  This is just a suggestion for anyone who does not like the look of the staff/sword.

Value-***

I think these are going for $25-32.  That is not a bad price, and considering the high level of sculpting and painting, ends up being pretty good.

Overall-***

I wanted to rate it higher, but I honestly think the toy suffered from having too many modes.  I think 3 would have been fine, but six is way too many.  I guess this is what happens when you reuse a mold from an earlier toy, you are bound by what it does.  The robot mode is very well done and looks great as a display piece.  The dragon and gargoyle modes are cool too, but the others aren’t worth the trouble.  If you add his missile launcher to his arm, it becomes very reminiscent of the original Megatron in robot mode.  A great looking toy overall though.

Where to Buy - 
You can find Megatron at Toys R Us and currently at Wal-mart and Target as well.  EBay and other online stores are also carrying it. 

If anyone has any comments on the review, feel free to email Jason at maust@madisoninnovations.com.