Where is the Allspark?! Crush the Autobots! Hahahahahaha!

Animated is still my favourite Transformers cartoon. Energon got me really into Transformers but watching the cartoon now when I’m older is distressing. Animated on the other hand is still a rock solid cartoon.

But what about the toys you ask? Well, we looked at the very child-friendly Animated Jazz the other day. Now let’s take look at the mainline Decepticon Leader himself! Megatron!

Vehicle mode

Megatron turns into a mighty chopper. This thing is just impressive. It’s massive but still looks like it could chase you down in no time. Or you know, just shoot you down with it’s gigantic cannon. This thing looks like a final boss in an arcade game.

It’s not all perfect though. Once you look at the underbelly you know exactly how the transformation works. It’s not a deal-breaker for me but it might be for you. You pedant.

Oh yeah, he does have tiny wheels on his underside. But good luck getting him to roll.

Transformation

It’s a very simple transformation that’s on par or simpler than most Deluxe figures. On top of that, the bit of the transformation with the fusion cannon involves partsforming. I’m sure that’ll make some people mad but I don’t really care. It’s nice to be able to go between modes in less than 60 seconds sometimes. Eh, icy boi?

Robot mode

Now here’s an imposing robot despot! Animated always, always impressed me with how show accurate the highly stylised robots were. Megatron here is no exception. When I was a kid I thought it looked like he walked right out of the screen! He’s not that accurate but he’s still very close.

Since he’s the leader of the Decepticons, he needs to be imposing. To that end, it looks like Megatron could punch through any Autobot with his bare fists. He’s a beefcake. Seems he skipped working out his thighs but his calves are massive. Megaton also has some really imposing weapons. He has double greatswords. He also has a massive fusion cannon. Megatron has options if he wants to kill you.

In terms of posability, Megatron is great. He’s only got a limited swivel on his head due to the electronics. His arms rotate at the shoulder as well as go in and out. He swivels at the biceps and bends at the elbows. He has a waist swivel. His hips go in and out as well as rotate. He has swivels just above his knees and bends at the knees. His feet also can tilt inward. There are some limitations to his articulation but you can get some great poses out of Megatron.

Gimmicks

Boy howdy. You cannot fathom how mind blowing it was to have a Megatron figure that spoke with the voice from the cartoon back then. It was incredible. It’s a bit played out at this point but it was a definite step up from the weird explosion/metal screaming that came before it.

Pressing the transparent red Decepticon symbol on his chest/chopper underside activates the light and sound action. In helicopter mode it makes a lifting off, flying and landing noise. What’s neat is if you hold the symbol, it will continue making the flying noise till you let go. Ah right, the chopper blades are geared so that if you spin one the other also spins. Transforming the cockpit triggers the transformation sound and switches the sounds you get when pressing the Decepticon symbol. In robot mode, pressing the symbol gets you three phrases. Where is the Allspark? Crush the Autobots! Hahahahahaha! While he’s talking, Megatron’s mouth moves and his forehead/brow… becomes expressive? Also, his chest, eyes and back (helicopter cockpit) light up. Here’s a video of Megatron in action!

For weapons, Megatron’s propellers come off and transform into some big choppy swords. They’re massive cleavers and he dual wields them like a boss. His fusion cannon goes on either arm and has a unique firing mechanism. You load the missile, cock the back like a shotgun and press the firing button. Bam! The missile comes out strong and the cannon resets itself. I usually don’t care about firing missiles but this is an exception. This is awesome.

Primus, what do Leader Class figures nowadays do again? Just stand there and look pretty? Megatron beats you hands down newbie.

Toy or collectible?

Both.

I do not care if you are a child or adult collector. You must experience Animated Leader Megatron.

Go get him.

Now.

Closing

This.

This is how you make a Transformer for both kids and adults.

As long as you don’t hate the Animated aesthetic, you should definitely hunt down this Megatron.