Here is Metroplex in his vehicle mode. As a bucket-wheel excavator from Gigantion, he moreso resembles one loosely rather than actually become one due to the way the design prioritizes the robot mode instead. I say that since he's almost performing a plank with his arms bent backwards. But while it may not be that great of an altmode for us, Earthlings, I like the addition of the claw and the bucket-wheel on the front and back, respectively. The cannons on the back and tank treads add a bit of extra life, and the shovels on the front are neat additions, too. The tank treads are pretty nice to have, though there might be a bit more needed to make it ride smoothly IRL. Also, while I did say that the robot is basically failing at resembling a vehicle, the thighs don't help much. At the very least, the forearms now flow better with the alt mode a bit better rather than awkwardly facing the back, and his hands are able to store away with no issue. His robot head is not present on the top of the altmode and under the leg, though it comes as the cost of the aforementioned limitation on the articulation.
As far as the functionality is concerned, its got some slight rotation ate the bucket and shovel claw, and the latter can hinge at two parts. The excavator heels can hinge out if necessary in order to pretend they're unloading any dirt or debris on a dump truck. I didn't show this part, but there are A.I.R. Lock clips around where the legs are in order to have some play patterns with toys from two years ago, though the size of this lad means he's not able to have any easy compatibility on top of him being less playset and more vehicle. I guess he can store M&M's.
Metroplex's transformation is very similar to his original Leader Class toy, as the legs straighten out while his arms things down back to their proper orientation. The hands are now able to transform properly from the forearms rather than stay there, in alt mode, and the torso is more involved in terms of transformation, with the chest working differently thanks to the added steps. His resulting robot mode is much like that of Override in the Velocitron Speedia 500 Collection: much more streamlined than the old toy, lacking the clunky, toyetic appearance in favor of being much leaner and meaner by comparison. His torso doesn't look as blocky thanks to the ab-crunch and added transformation steps, the hands stand out better than on the old toy, the legs don't look as baggy, and he overall looks much more impressive than the original Leader Class toy. I know that version is going to be a favorite for some fans who grew up with the line, but Metroplex's Legacy iteration ends up being a massive improvement by comparison. He sadly lacks Drill Bit, which sucks after the price tag he has, and his shoulders can be a little hard to keep tabbed in because the back shoulder blades can untab and have some of the plastic keeping them together get damaged slightly on my copy. Otherwise, this is a huge upgrade after his old toy, though his legs are certainly making me think of a basketball player, moreso than the Ark and Scorponok. Oh, and his crotch looks like ROTF Wheelie's face.
Head sculpt is also better handled than the old toy, with sharper details, and better-integrated antennae; he brings back the light-piping mostly absent on many toys (even if the Ark had light-piping). Also, he has an articulated jaw which means we much talk about articulation! Head is able to turn left and right as well as move up and down (it can also slide front and back for another mode we'll get to), shoulders move front and back though they untab a little too easily at the shoulder blades thanks to the heavy ratchets, in and out both at the base and where the bicep would lie, bicep swivels with ratchets, elbow bends, wrist swivels, thumbs and fingers hinge (the latter being conjoined), an ab crunch, a waist swivel, hips move front and back, in and out, thigh swivels, knee bends, foot swivels, and ankle pivots. The feet can hinge down as pseudo toe-articulation.
His weapon, the Sparkdrinker, is now two separate pieces that become a single weapon, rather than the single unit weapon his old toy has. It's big, has the articulated bucket as part of the axe on the top albeit without any Cyber Key functionality, and is held with an adjustable handle on one hand and a static one on the bottom, which means he can hold with one or both hands. And while it's common knowledge that Optimus Prime from the Siege line, the Galaxy Upgrade version specifically, can't hold it due to the different types of hands, handles, and sizes, I attempted to have him hold it with the two leg guns by connecting them onto any available 5mm ports. Yeah, it's not perfect but sort of possible?
Transforming Metroplex into his work mode is normally seen as negligible on the old toy because of how he doesn't really change much. His legs shorten and the torso changes a bit, but that's really it. There's not much else to really say it's a worthy mode. Which is why I think the Legacy version makes the change better by comparison. Using the waist rotation so the heels now become the feet help make the work mode feel more in-line with him being a construction vehicle, and I like the fact that his weapons can split in two so he can have one arm with the claw and the other as a bucket wheel. His torso transformation is similar to the old toy, yet different thanks to not only a unit that holds the chest panel, handle, and head being able to rotate around, but the arms transform with the inner mechanisms repositioning themselves to better line up with the new head placement of the head on top of now utilizing only gray rather than using the blue and Autobot insignias from the front of the shoulders. And most interestingly, his head now has a welding mask on the back with blue parts to cover the proper face, making the work mode go from pointless to better executed. Normally, modes like these are done by toy companies in order to make the toy look like it's got more to do than it really does, as seen with plenty of older Transformers and Power Rangers Megazords, but this feels more like it was meant to have this mode, which is a compliment I can give it after how half-assed the original work mode turned out.
For a Titan Class size comparison, here he is with the likes of the blocky Scorponok and the wider yet short Autobot Ark. It's interesting how each Titan Class figure has unique attributes from one another, as one looks like a modernized retro toy, another is a spaceship that turns into an homage of the Last Autobot, and our recent addition is a updated take on a more recent version of a character. I like how these guys have different ways of standing out from one another, as Scorponok can turn into either a scorpion (duh) or a city his Headmaster partner Zarak can interact with, the Ark has a spaceship mode and trades a third mode in favor of his partner, Mainframe, turning into either the bridge, a robot, or Teletraan-1, and Metroplex being a Cybertron character instead of G1 on top of having a construction/builder influence with his vehicle mode and a work mode. I wonder how much characters like Omega Supreme, Trypticon, and Fort Max/G1 Metroplex would stand out from each other because I don't have those guys yet.
And for a size comparison with some Cybertron characters, here he is with Siege's aforementioned Galaxy Upgrade Optimus Prime, Galaxy Upgrade Hot Shot (with a fan-made upgrade kit courtesy of Matrix Workshop), and fellow Legacy new-mold Override. He's certainly big, and I can definitely make him look like he's ready to be drawn like a French girl. Overall, Legacy Metroplex is a successful toy, not just as an upgrade from the original Cybertron Leader, but also as a main part of the line as a whole. If you want to get this guy in your collection, whether or not you're a fan of Cybertron/Galaxy Force, this is an outstanding addition to the line that many fans cannot miss out on. Just be sure to keep the shoulder blades locked in while posing the arms, and get ready to have his upgrade kit for the Minicon.
Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ and a half out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
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