Savannahtron wrote:Great review. Very descriptive and you did a great job giving life to a toy that I would rather not have. I'm not fond of the movie toys, but I almost want to pick Megs up after reading your description
Thanks!
But, you did read this bit, right:
numbat wrote:Although the tank mode is more fun than it appears, and satisfyingly chunky, make no mistake – it is a disappointed alternate mode and an abysmal attempt for a Leader Class figure.
The front of the tank and the treads are really the only redeeming features of this mode.
He is more appealing as a glorfied Action Master - perhaps on the level of the Action Master Elites, if they had ever made a city/base sized one.
Name: Starscream Function: Decepticon Sub-Commander, constant conniving heir to the Throne
The moment his sensor net registered MEGATRON going offline, STARSCREAM knew the battle was over, and the AllSpark lost. He converted to vehicle mode and boosted for outer space, hoping to buy enough time to rally the DECEPTICON survivors. Returning from CYBERTRON bearing the marks won during his reign over the DECEPTICON army, he is focused on conquest. With a new army behind him, he has the strength to pursue his own goals, and perhaps, when the time is right, bring MEGATRON back.
Poor Starscream. If for nothing, the guy tries so hard, but constantly falls short in everything. Well, he finally has something to be proud of- a great new toy from the latest movie, Revenge of The Fallen. As a character, Starscream had very little screen time in the first movie, but ultimately had the last word (read: scene) as he jetted off to space which was explained by IDW comics. Fortunately, he played a much bigger role in the second installment, fully illustrating both verbally and physically that contention for leadership he has with Megatron. As I watched the movie, I honestly didn’t notice much difference in the visual portrayal of my favorite Screamer aside from some new markings, but the toy, which I bought on a whim, completely surprised me inasmuch as that it surpasses its predecessor.
Alternate Mode :
The alternate mode is an F-22 Raptor jet fighter, under license from Lockheed Martin, the main manufacturer. Still sporting the same basic tan tint as before, Screamer’s body design was slightly updated with some pretty radical markings, including the Decepticon Insignia and one of the Fallen’s glyphs. Much like the G1 original, the nose seems to be made of some kind of hard rubber, but reversibly, no opening cockpit. Boo. The landing gear is basically fake; it only assists in standing the plane level to the ground, but not traversing the ground. In regards to the rear landing wheels, I have already had one pop out twice without barely touching it. The rear wheels are also not that sturdy; they crumple back inwards to the arms as soon as the slightest pressure is put on them. As for the main body of the plane, not much initially changed looks-wise or function-wise. Still have the rear rudders and flaps, wing configuration is the same, and it still tends to be a bit bulky in the mid-section, which really comes into play on the robot mode. I think the one real significant change was the placement of under-wing missiles and hands- the hands kind of seem very out of place, just randomly fitting at the tailpipes, which tends to screw up the whole flow of the design. Lastly, the missiles are now singular, as compared to the round hand launchers that were previously in place. I tend to like the single missile theory a bit better, because the first version had so many random fire mishaps that it drove me nuts.
Robot Mode:
Out of the two modes, this one is definitely my favorite due to many new features- mainly, Screamer is not a porker anymore. The very first time I ever saw the Michael Bay version of Starscream, it reminded me of Ralph from The Simpsons- a big body with useless appendages that needed a weight watchers diet. He was so out of proportion that it could have been a 10 year old dead fad. It seems that Screamer took my suggestion and did the weight watchers- he’s much more lean in the body section now, and his limbs are more defined and separated from the body. The biggest improvement to me is definitely the hands- I utterly could not stand the round missile shooters with awkward singular fingers bending outwards- we finally have some very defined, “hand-y” looking hands. Equally, the legs are much better, too. One of the main features that Hasbro did right by me on Screamer is the “mech alive” feature- I was really disappointed with Mixmaster because it was a total sham, but on Screamer, when you turn his head, you see the inner gears rotating in the wing sections. Looks pretty damn cool to me. Overall, the transformation is easier on this version as well- there were a lot of little nooks and crannies that you had to get just perfect to achieve transformation either way on the first version; this update has been streamlined in operation. Not that it’s easy as pie, but that it provides less frustration.
The body has minimal point loss, mainly the feet aren’t all that stable, and the stabilizing flaps behind the feet fall short in durability. Very loose joints on both features.
Transformation: 7- not tough at all, but things definitely flow better than the original version from the first movie. Durability: 8- Very solid aside from the rear landing gears that pop out. Fun: 10- I love this guy, and I’m not one that’s really crazy for airplanes, but very happy to have him alongside my other Movie guys. Price: 8-$18 bucks on sale at WalMart. Typical for the Voyager class. Overall: 9-Normally, I have specific reasons for picking out the transformers that I buy, but for this guy, I give you thumbs up to go buy it just for the sake of having something cool.
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC] "...Working on a specimen the size of Angel is actually easier in many ways."
Mac scoffs. "Easier almost ate me a few days ago."-Steve Alten,Meg: Hell's Aquarium
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC] "...Working on a specimen the size of Angel is actually easier in many ways."
Mac scoffs. "Easier almost ate me a few days ago."-Steve Alten,Meg: Hell's Aquarium
I just noticed I mispelled the name "ralph". You would think, after 33 years, I would know how to properly spell my own dad's name.
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC] "...Working on a specimen the size of Angel is actually easier in many ways."
Mac scoffs. "Easier almost ate me a few days ago."-Steve Alten,Meg: Hell's Aquarium
Name: Megatron Function: Decepticon leader, protegee of The Fallen Sub-Group: ROTF Voyager class
“This is not over...” Megatron, Revenge of the Fallen
Trapped in the black, crushing depths of the sea, his mind inert in the grip of stasis lock, Megatron knew nothing of the desperate search mounted for his remains by the other Decepticons. When he was finally brought back online, their effort and sacrifice meant little to him. The only thing that had any meaning was revenge. He would have his vengeance against the human boy who cheated him of his prize, and he swore to celebrate over the smoking wreck of Optimus Prime.
In the first live action movie, Megatron got killed by the All Spark. His toys, to put it bluntly, stunk. In Revenge of the Fallen, he gets revived and an extreme makeover to boot. And some new toys to go with the new look. The Voyager class toy seems to really emphasize this.
Alternate mode:
This time, Megatron takes the form of a Cybertronian tank, apparently with flight capabilities. Okay... At least it’s better than any of the first movie Megatron toys’ jet modes. A popular fan-made mode is to leave the arms out and swing them together in front to make something of a jet mode. However, it works only about as well as ROTF Soundwave’s third mode: it’s noticeable, but really not worth calling him a Triple Changer. Like last time his head’s still staring directly at you not really trying to hide. But it’s surrounded by a cage, making it slightly more difficult to spot. For a Cybertronian mode, his holds together very well! He can shoot a missile from the barrel. Since this becomes one of his arms, it can actually aim, something only this version of ROTF Megatron can do (Shame on you, Leader Megs!) He has extending wings, or rather you can move them lower in front from the back. Personally, I leave ‘em down to help fill in the gaps. He rolls surprisingly well on four little wheels, one in each track.
Robot mode:
Transforming Megatron won’t take long. That’s right, he’s a shellformer. But like Animated Wreck-Gar, this actually adds to the figure. Aside from color, which is primarily a green-grey with silver and gold highlights, he’s the most accurate to the final CG model used in the movie out of the transforming Megatron toys. If him having toes bug you that much, they can just pop right off. They don’t really play any part in his stability. You can still shoot the missile from his left arm, and straightening his elbow deploys the sword. His Mech Alive gimmick is spinning gears in his chest when the waist is turned. And, he’s got excellent light-piping to boot! He boasts about 23 points of articulation, and is generally quite stable despite the back kibble.
Points out of ten for the following:
Transformation: 4 Pretty easy actually. Durability: 9 He’s survived more than his share of tumbles. Fun: 10 He’s got lots to offer! Price: 9 A little over $20 USD, which is standard retail. And worth every penny. Overall: 10 Much, MUCH better than the first movie Megatron. Also perfectly in scale with Voyager Starscream and The Fallen, if that’s your thing.
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Are his toes really that easy to pop off? I tried for a bit when I first got mine, but no dice. Figured they were pinned (apparently incorrect). Have you a shot of him sans toes?
I always hated voice effects. Never liked them. The random transformation sounds and gun effects on Ultra or voyager toys I don't mind, but I hate it when they talk.
Name: The Fallen Faction: Decepticon Function: The Fallen Prime, the original Decepticon, and Megatron’s master.
“The Matrix shall be mine!”
For millennia, he has waited. Thousands of years have dragged by as he recruited proxies, on by one, to scour the cosmos for the artifact he required. Now he finds he must return to the primitive, flesh-slug infected planet no which his quest began. Nothing will stand in his way this time. If need be, he will scour the surface of this disgusting world clean in the fire of his rage, and search through the blasted rubble for that which he seeks.
Alternate Mode:
The Fallen’s alternate mode is a Cybertronian Destroyer. This ancient war bird looks alien in design and in many ways more advanced in design that most of the other Cybertronian seekers. The word primeval comes to mind, and Prime evil is the function of this seeker. No firing missiles, no electronics and the feet turn into the wingspan of the destroyer mode, but the seeker mode seems appropriate for the age of The Fallen. One of the nice things that makes the seeker a bit sturdy is there are pegs and holes that click together keeping the thrusters in place and the seeker in decent alignment. The Fallen seeker has flat platform landing gear.
Robot Mode:
The Fallen’s bot mode offers a few distinct features. The Fallen is built with the combination of sturdy plastic and soft plastic for the pointy parts such as the nose cone, face spikes and cranium spikes as well as the hand. His hands have eight digits each and are symmetrical from right to left, each having four thumbs and four fingers. The feet have spring loaded toes, which give surprisingly good balance during different poses. The Fallen also has the Mech Alive features as well.
The Fallen’s Mech Alive opens like battle armor. The Mech Alive features for The Fallen start at the head. The head leans forward and two slide-out energy absorption panels flip out and augment his head. His shoulders also have panels that flip out into energy absorption panels as well. His forearms each have a pop out cannon that reveals energy absorption panels as well. Last but not least, his knees and shins have similar energy absorption panels.
Since The Fallen comes in robot form in the box, he looks huge for the Voyager sized toys. He is rather wide and in seeker mode is pretty large, but he is no taller than an average Voyager sized toy. He has a lot of articulation from the shoulders down; however the only articulation the head has is to flip down to reveal the energy absorption panels. Another feature to consider is that the hands, which open and close and are attached to a joint that spins 360 °
Marks out of ten for the following:
Transformation: 5. Transforming The Fallen into seeker mode was a bit tricky the first time around, but once you see how the connecting pegs work, the transformation is very simple. Durability: 5. While transforming The Fallen, his arms and legs repeated popped out of joints with even the least bit of pressure. The elbows are a rotating joint connected to a male-female-male joint which connects to the forearm, and is very easy to disconnect accidentally. The paws also pop out of the ball-joint easily as well. I am not a huge fan of soft plastic either as I have had older Beast Wars toys with this (thinking of Depth Charge repaint) where the soft plastic can bend and harden in another shape that is not true. Fun: 8. The Fallen is what I expected for this sized toy and represents the character from the Revenge of The Fallen decently. Price: 7. Picked up The Fallen at Toys R Us for $21.99 which is normal for the Voyager class toys. Overall: 8. Overall, The Fallen is a decent toy. I really would have liked seeing a staff accessory with this toy considering the movie version had one. Then again, The Fallen would have to have mitts that could grip it.
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