TRANSFORMERS TOYS AND MERCHANDISE SECTION

Robot Mode:

Alternate Mode:

Box Art:

Quadpredacus' review: SE-02 Megatron

Name: Special Edition Megatron
Function: Harbinger of Death
Sub-Group: Megatron is his own sub-group

"MEGATRON, an evil, destructive tyrant bent on total domination of the universe and all it's resources, led his DECEPTICONS on an endless war of conquest. For millions of years their battle has raged like a fire across the galaxy, and now they are here on Earth in a fight to the finish that will determine the fate of the planet and all it's people.

Well, certainly not along the lines of the classical tech specs for most Transformers, but it produces a menacing image, doesn't it? Anyway, I picked this guy up on one of my transformer splurges. He was one of the two special edition universe figures that I found that day, the other being Overkill. Incidentally, I found both of them at a Marshalls. Until then, I was unaware Marshalls carried GOOD toys, and both of these are CERTAINLY good toys. Not to mention I picked each one up for $10, which is $8 lower than they usually retail for.

Special edition Megs is actually a recolor of one of his previous classics incarnations. The figure he shares the mold with was the Megatron that was only available through the "Optimus Prime vs. Megatron: The Ultimate Battle" two pack. That Megatron was done up in colors which hinted that this mold was a homage to G2 Megatron. The special edition version of this toy however, released under the Universe 2/ Classics line, is done up in G1 colors, and it looks awesome. Now on to the review

Alternate Mode:

This mode is REALLY cool. Megatron, being a repaint of his g2 classics version, transforms into a tank. But not just any tank. He transforms into a totally decked out, semi-futuristic tank. This thing is awesome.

First off, what every tank needs, the large gun/cannon sticking out the front. This is the first good detail of the vehicle mode. The cannon is not smooth, like most tanks. It has a very futuristic look to it, and the first thing that comes to mind is a fusion cannon. Megs also has a small turret gun on the left side, which becomes a small pistol in his robot mode. There is amazing detail everywhere on this mode. A lot of paneling and circuitry showing on this tank. As I said earlier, this toy is done up in the G1 Megatron gray/off white. He also has a lot more red thrown in, but it looks very cool.

The entire upper portion of the tank (the turret) rotates a full 360 degrees, and the cannon itself lifts up and down. Megatron rolls very well in this mode, if you've transformed him correctly. Speaking of the transformation, his robot parts are hidden extremely well thanks to a surprisingly simple transformation. The only parts that show are the feet, but they are folded up in a way that they look to be just another part of the tank.

Transformation:

This is a surprisingly easy transformation for a difficulty rating of 3 out of 4. More finicky than difficult, but anyway, here goes. You start off by separating the back half of the tank (the half with the folded up feet) and folding it down. You do this by holding onto the front and pulling down on the back half. Pull until the entire lower torso comes down and snaps into place, then fold out the feet. Next, rotate the turret so that the cannon faces the back. Line up the two red tabs on either side of the turret with to similarly shaped indents. Then take and separate the two halve of the turret, pulling them down and snapping the tabs into the indents. After accomplishing this, rotate the arms 90 degrees so they are facing they way arms should be facing. Take the left forearm (the one that actually has a hand) and rotate it 180 degrees, until the hand faces up. Finally, rotate the head forward, so you can see the face, and separate the legs. And now you have Megatron!

Robot Mode:

The toy really shines in this mode. His face, save for the red eyes, is dead on for the G1 Megatron, right down to the blank, hateful expression. He has great detail in this mode. He even has individually sculpted fingers on his left hand!! The same colors from the tank mode carry over, with the addition of a darker gray, as well as more red and a little orange and yellow. Remember the little mini-turret he had in tank mode? Well, I'll be darned! He has it in his hand as a pistol! His tank cannon turns into an arm cannon in this mode, reminding one heavily of G1 Megs.

He has a lot of nice articulation in this mode, with a total of 21 joints, counting the one on his cannon and the one on the cannon's blast shield. He has basically as much articulation as a human being, but the fact that the front half of the tank is his chest causes him to be slightly top heavy for certain poses.

Megatron also has a pretty neat gimmick in this mode. Take the arm with the cannon on it, and tip the very front joint forward, until the cannon is resting length-wise in front of him. Then fold the blast shield on the cannon out, so the claw is sticking out. This is the only problem I have with the toy. The blast shield/claw is held in place only by two little bulges of plastic inside the cannon, so after flipping it back and forth 2 or 3 times, it comes off. Anyway, after folding the claw out, locate the translucent red button near his elbow. press that in, and the whole cannon/claw thing spins rapidly, which produces an awesome effect, and is one of few gimmicks I've ever seen on transformer toys that actually looks like it would be really effective in a fight.

Marks out of ten for the following:

Transformation: 8 - Could have been rated a little lower, but a good, effective transformation, none the less.
Durability: 9 - Well made, heavy plastic, he'll be able to take a beating, but the claw falls off too easy to get a ten.
Fun: 9 - It's there. especially for those real sentimental types, who love G1. the gimmick does help though.
Price: 10 - If you can get them at anywhere close to the price I bought them for, grab them. but unless you are a die hard fan of these guys, i wouldn't pay the $18 retail price.
Overall: 9 - An awesome toy, and a great collector's item.