Transformers Cybertron Megatron review

The Cybertron toyline is one of the best ways to balance playability with good engineering and articulation; a line-wide gimmick like the Cyber Keys, combined with some cool gimmicks that made the figures unique from one another, made the line so well-loved and nostalgic alongside early Beast Wars, the early Movie toylines, and Animated. Megatron, like most Unicron Trilogy characters, received a new body as he continues his conquest to rule the universe; this time, he has the armor of Unicron to strengthen him that bit more. Furthering the influence from the Chaos Bringer is the continued thirst that ultimately led to his downfall as Optimus Prime attested to. With all that said, I can FINALLY say it's time to review the one version of Megatron I always wanted but never got until now!

Here we have Cybertron Megatron in his alien dragster mode. It's one of the more unique forms he's had in his history of tanks, jet, and alien beasts. Other than the DOTM design for Megatron (and by extension, AOE Galvatron), it's rare seeing a Megatron hit the road on some hotter wheels than the Autobots. Setting aside his Eva Unit 1 looking colors is a design that feels very Batmobile-esque. I remember Aaron Archer and other Hasbro designers saying how Batman Begins was bringing back mainstream popularity for the superhero, so he got to be themed after the general Batmobile shape. There is definitely some Burton influence, maybe a bit of Nolan, though being a 2005 toy, Snyder and Reeves versions of the mythos didn't exist yet. Either way, with massive turbines, a tiny cockpit compared to the rest of the vehicle, and rear wheels larger than the ones in the front, he is a Transformer you don't want to get ran over by.

There is a flight mode that can be accessed if the wheel assemblies are tabbed to the rear wheels, and make sure that the front bumper fin halves are rotated to be winglets. It isn't what I'd choose for a flight mode or anything worthwhile as a Triple Changer, but it could be sort of like the way Transmetals worked in Beast Wars.

Inserting the Cyber Key not only pops the turbines up, but you get an activation sound effect to go with it. Pressing the missiles activates the lights in addition to the blasting sounds.

Transformation involves straightening he legs out while hinging the waist down in place, with the latter normally skipped in simpler toys; meanwhile, the arms have a little more going on with the shoulders hinging up in place while the nosecones splitting in half so that the halves can tab behind the forearms. The torso hinging down is normally expected on other TFs, but I like seeing that the cockpit shift back in place to streamline the midriff. I also love that the horns and the shoulder spikes fold out in place. The front wheel parts don't really tab anywhere but they don't flop around thankfully. The robot mode looks very different from the designs we previously saw with his Armada and Energon designs, though that can be explained by him taking influence from the design of Unicron. You can see that the shoulders and forearms take influence from that, and the orange on some parts of the figure make for a chaotic yet badass color scheme on the Decepticon leader. Sure, there are haters who would look at the black, purple, and teal in addition to the orange and say "erm why is he Halloween themed ☝️🤓" yet it's a statement of a color scheme that nobody else can have but himself. Even the bot mode designs not part of Unicron are great, from the huge lower legs with the rear wheels facing forward while the shin guards cover them to the giant embossed Decepticon insignia.

The head sculpt almost feels like he's trying to homage the Decepticon insignia with his horns as well as having a vague shape resembling it, kind of like how G1 Soundwave's face was used as the inspiration for it. Hell, I always thought Cybertron Prime's face, when unmasked, had his face based on the Autobot logo despite it actually being Vector Prime.getting that treatment (though we know G1 Prowl was there to inspire the sigil). His eyes are j usually teal, but they do have light-piping. His articulation consists of a limited neck swivel, rotation at the shoulders, ratchets moving in and out, bicep rotation, double jointed elbows, wrist rotation, slight waist ratchet, ratchets for the hips moving front and back, swivel hinges in and out, swivel above the knees, ratcheted knees, and the ankles have ratchets for hinging up and down with a slight bit of pivot.

His weapons can be accessed with the Cyber Keys inserted in either of his back pieces, giving you access to a machine gun made from one of the wheels (which looks less impressive than the toy, but you can crank the lever so it can spin). Alternatively, a power claw can be deployed and attached onto his left forearm to further homage Unicron's design.

His other versions include the Takara Galaxy Force version known as Master Galvatron. Japanese toy elitists may prefer their versions of Transformers, but what if I told you that the lavender on the rubbery parts instead, the paler yet metallic shade of green for any non-molded green parts, and the unpainted robot nose made it less show accurate than the Hasbro version?

And this is Galvatron, who is colored like G,1 Megatron. While he still has some.u painted stray parts, most of him is costed in a beautiful silver cost of paint. Combine that with the purple, black, and red, and we have one of the best repaints in the Unicron Trilogy. While Cybertron Megatron is pricey enough as it is through the aftermarket, Galvatron could nearly go from $200 to $500 MISB.

For a size comparison, here he is along with my very, very first Transformer in the form of Cybertron Optimus Prime! For 20 years, I never had my hands on Cybertron Megatron to go along with my Optimus, and now, that gap has finally been filled. That being said, it will not be an easy feat for various reasons: most copies have parts missing, and complete or near complete sets will cost you in the triple digits. If you can get him complete, I highly recommend him. Hopefully, they also have any of the spare parts or accessories where applicable. In other words, happy hunting!

Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ and a half out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Transformers Age of the Primes Alpha Trion review

Alpha Trion is best for being an archivist for the history of his planet, the one bot who turned Orion Pax into Optimus Prime, and representing himself as one of the original thirteen Transformers. His roles in different continuities also varies in his prominence, where he was pretty reoccurring in regular G1 to having been mostly prominent in prequel material of the Aligned continuity and dying pretty quickly in Cyberverse and One. As for Generations merch, most of it has been exclusive to cons and the like, but we did have a Titans Return version nearly a decade ago which was a Headmaster and triple changer. In-between that and the AOTP version was a retool of SS86 Scourge for a 2-pack along with Orion Pax retooled from mold mate Kup. Now that we have another stab at an all new Alpha Trion, let's see if it's as definitive as it can be for a G1 display.

Here we have Alpha Trion in his spaceship mode. It is based on an unused concept design from the original IDW comic run, which would have been a rare instance of him having an altmode for.G1-related media. It looks fairly decent as an altmode from.yhr front at least, with a decent use of tapering to give it a Cybertronic, layered appearance. The cockpit is much further back than normal, but that's the nature of a more alien design and not something trying to be Earthly. However, the arms don't really blend in that well from the shoulders to the elbows; if they had just covered that area up better, it would have flowed nicer. At least the forearms continue the sculpted details on the middle, but I wish there was some additional silver paneling to cover what will be the biceps of the robot arms.

While a Titan/Prime Master cannot fit inside with the cockpit closed, it is possible to have one sit inside with the empty space underneath the canopy. However, this is not the Alpha Trion Prime Master but instead Quintus, but it doesn't matter since the Prime Master gimmick was lame.

Here he is alongside the Hero is Born version retooled from SS86 Scourge. I always appreciate when we get a new altmode for a character that won't always be stuck reusing a main Decepticon design. They have a few similarities in common with the vague shape, but one looks more like a bath toy than the other.

And here we have him with his fellow Primes. I really love seeing them all together bit by bit, even if Star Convoy isn't in the group shot.

Transformation is not as shellformery as I initially expected, as parts of the robot mode make up a few crucial chunks of the altmode. While the backpack does have the top portion as some sort of makeshift cape, the legs do at least help with making it feel less lazy than with Scourge. Also, be sure that those tips on his shoulder pads are attached at all costs since they come out of the box disassembled for some reason. The robot mode is based on how Alpha Trion appeared in G1 episode War Dawn, the same story where the Aerialbots traveled back in time and met Orion Pax along with Ariel and Dion. While his design may seem less Prime-like than the other characters we got, it still evokes that ancient aesthetic in addition to the presentation of a younger Alpha Trion. The color scheme even adds to that aspect with how unique and unusual it is compared to most other Transformers who came long after him. The Autobot insignia is something that a few collectors complained about, but it does more than represent the history of the faction in G1 fiction as we'll get to.

His head sculpt may be younger, but he still has some facial hair that would later evolve into the facial hair he is known for. By the way, remember when people thought Stratosphere having a mustache was blursed despite, you know, him not being the first Transformer with facial hair? Anyways, before I start delving into the stupid selective memory of the TF fanbase, his articulation consists of a neck swivel and a slight hinge, shoulder rotation as well as outward arm movement, bicep rotation, hinged elbows revealing the hollow forearms, finger articulation, waist rotation, universal hips, thigh swivels, hinged knees, and ankle pivots. He also has a slight bit of ab crunch due to transformation.

His accessories include a quill and the Covenant of Primus, which had two pages featuring Cybertronian text reading "till all are one" and a section based on how it appeared in the Beast Wars cartoon (complete with cassette deck!). His finger articulation helps him hold the book naturally, but the lack of wrist joints limits how well it can work.

The Autobot insignia on his stomach is removable so you can have it double as the Coder Remote, which was used to help the Transformers turn against the Quintessons. Yeah, G1 cartoon lore has that kind of "that's it?" vibe, but removing the sigil leaves him with a gap in his torso so best it stays on there.

For a size comparison, here he is along with his present day self as well as Optimus Prime and Orion Pax. If you told me 10 years ago that I'd have cartoon accurate, transformable versions of these designs, I'd never believe you! Anyways, while the Trion Duo remain at relatively similar heights, Orion sure got a growth spurt as Optimus.

And here we have him along with the other Primes, looking a bit out of place yet belonging at the same time. He's a better figure than I expected, even if his War Dawn-era design isn't as dynamic than his more traditional appearance. The accessories he comes with also help, but I will have to knock points off for those exposed biceps in alt mode and the lack of wrist rotation in addition to the hollow joints. With a bigger than necessary price hike coming soon, I am growing weary from excusing those flaws.

Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

S.H. Figuarts Super Saiyan Gohan & Trunks review

The sons of famous Saiyans Goku and Vegeta are equally as impressive as their fathers; Gohan, despite being somewhat of a side character nowadays, represents the potential of being the new main character had it not been for the importance of his father, but he also has more going on in his life as a scholar and part time superhero (on top of being named after the adoptive grandfather of Goku). Meanwhile, Trunks is both a character who would later grow up with Goten, the younger brother of Gohan, and a fighter from the future who once fought against the Androids and later Goku Black. Both of them now join the collection as I finally get to review these surpassing sons. Also fun fact: I bought Gohan at a nerd culture store within a mall way up North from where I live during a hotel stay. 

Here we have Gohan in-hand, representing his teen era from when he started to train more regularly under the wing of Piccolo. Wearing a gi similar to his then-mentor and later closest friend, he is proportioned somewhere between the bucks used for Kid Goku and the adult versions (though a somewhat leaner young adult version from the final saga of classic Dragon Ball. His proportions are less chibi or childlike, and he has a good amount of muscle for his age. While a non-Super Saiyan head option would be nice, it is at least complimentary to the color of his clothing. I also appreciate that in addition to the creases in the fabric, there is some dry brushing to accentuate his clothes so he looks less plasticky. The only oddity I fine with the figure is that because of the cuts in the hip joints, it makes the legs appear as if they're sticking out much more than they should be. However, it's just from the design of his outfit and not like Hasbro giving DP&A Wolverine birthing hips.

His head sculpt captures the then-changing life of the character, with hair closer to his father's in addition to a yellow fade that accentuates it without being translucent or one color. His alternate accessories include three alternate plates, an alternate hair piece with hair flowing that also includes another face plate, four pairs of hands, and a cape similar to the one worn by Piccolo.

The articulation is the same as with most versions of Goku, Vegeta, etc. There is a double ball jointed neck, ball joints for the shoulders with a small bit of gaps for range similar to a McFarlane DC figure's rotator cuffs, while the biceps swivel and the elbows bend at two points. The wrists rotate at the base where they connect to the arms and the ball jointed ends allow for easier part-swapping. The joint overall can work where the wrists can hinge in and out or up and down. There are two ball joints for the diaphragm and abdomen, hips can kick front and back with added pieces to complete the look of the clothing, in addition to doing the splits without them intruding on the pieces. You have a small bit of thigh rotation as well as double-jointed knees, while the feet can rotate, hinge, and pivot with added toe-ticulation.

His cape is not only made of cloth goods, but it is also wired, allowing the versatility to be more dynamic than what Piccolo has with his plastic cape! Sure, his looks more regal for the sculptwork, but it doesn't look anywhere near as natural as what Gohan has.

As for Trunks, he is seen wearing the Saiyan battle armor commonly worn by his father and briefly by Goku and Gohan. The proportions are closer to what Goku's where near the end of original Dragon Ball, which is a muscular build yet not one as tall as he usually is in Z-onwards. As far as I can tell, the paint is mostly reserved for the straps and the stomach guard, back plate, and toes on his boots, which means that he doesn't have much else in terms of shading and the like. The plastic for the blue at least has a good finish, but the grey-white parts appear unpainted. I know some could say that he should have more bulk in the legs, but given he was still an older teen than Gohan, this works for him.

His head sculpt gives him a fairly glossy paint job for his hairdo, and while has a whole lot more of his father in him than his mother, he still has the trait of changing his haircut up every once in a while like Bulma does. That and he has a ponytail in the back, while one of the hair strands covering part of his face thankfully isn't frail. His accessory count is much smaller than Gohan's, as he only has two faceplates, two pairs of alternate hands, and a set of crossed arms. Lot of pairs this time for a guy named Trunks.  

Articulation is mostly the same, so I should mention that the arms and hands, despite being on a somewhat taller body, might be reused from Blood Awakening Vegeta...it's hard to decipher without getting into extreme scrutiny for detail as with the hands on Figuarts Mario and Luigi.

Here we have all 4 Saiyans together. They're lined up like on my DBZ shirt, and while they each have varying height differences, they still make for a force to watch out for. Add Piccolo and it's even better! Before I close out, I should mention that their hair coloring may not be 100% consistent in terms of shading or metallic-like elements. Regardless, both sons make for a good set of characters to own in the Figuarts collection, especially Gohan and his various accessories. Trunks is still good, but being how much fewer hands and faceplates he has than most versions of Goku, it sucks how he doesn't have as much value for money. One thing that needs to be mentioned is that some owners of Gohan have had their legs break off at the hips, so be warned if you fear any potential fragility.

Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ and a half out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Gohan)

 ⭐⭐⭐ and a half out of  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Trunks)

Star Wars The Black Series Admiral Ackbar & Sandtrooper review

You know Admiral Ackbar best for his signature catchphrase about traps. That and he also represented the various faces that made the Rebel Alliance unique compared to the Empire. That and Disney fucked his sacrifice up where the same clowns who cherry picked things to shit the EU over would go "erm stop hating The Last Jedi you fandom menace ☝️🤓".  We also probably know about how Sandtroopers were in A New Hope, and unless you saw any expanded media or a fan project like COPS parody TROOPS, you best know them for failing to get the droids. Not much else to say about both of them, but they are paired up for this review, however small the relevance is.

Here we have Admiral Ackbar in hand, and if you're wondering why he looks like a basic toy, that is because Hasbro homaged the old Kenner toy. While toy homages are common for many Transformers and superhero action figures, this makes Ackbar look uncooked. Like raw meat uncooked. I know that's what the old toy looked like, yet while vintage homages like Holiday Special Boba Fett or Revenge of the Jedi Darth Vader work well given the way those colors translate on non-organic character designs, Ackbar ends up resembling a prototype with paint apps missing despite there being the sculpted areas that are begging for them. The tunic over the white jumpsuit is the worst offender, as it looks like it was just carved out of the molding block with nothing applied. I'm surprised he has the yellow stripe going down the sides. I know paying tribute to Kenner is the intent, yet this ends up looking like a Titan Hero in comparison.

His head sculpt suffers the most, with a simple yellow and black eye that, once again, does the part in homaging the old toy, yet looks very basic with the sculpted surface area left unpainted. Yes it's an oxymoron of a complaint but it would have worked better if they went with the route of making the sculpt better match the old toy instead of using the deco. His articulation is subpar due to the limitations on the neck and torso, but the shoulders, elbows, hips, knees, and ankles work fine. Even the gun is missing paint but then again so do many weapons in this scale. 

He also has a baton that came with the original Kenner toy, which is probably why the budget sacrificed those paint apps in favor of this accessory. Honestly, if it wasn't for the need to get some free shipping at Walmart.com to get Retro Seaspray (who does the vintage toy homage better as a robot), this would have been skipped in favor of the original version of the mold.

As for the Sandtrooper, he uses new armor tooling so the articulation could be easier to work with than the original version. It's something we previously saw with the more recent Clone Troopers, and for starters, I will appreciate this figure for not having the stupid parts on the front of the thighs that makes articulating the regular Stormtroopers annoying to work with. As expected from the name, he has the shoulder pauldron and weathering to represent his time walking around in Tatooine searching for the droids. However, the latter suffers from looking more like dust that was stuck on the toy from neglect instead of proper weathering. It's already bad enough that the weathering is barely present but the fact that it's nonexistent from the back is outright laughable! How the hell are you walking around a desert planet and remain clean from the back?! Oh and the midriff is missing paint apps so great job Hasbro.

His helmet is still molded and painted nicely, and at least it feels more complete than the rest of him. I still wish the sand effects were better done on him. Not to the extent where he looks like he dunked himself entirely in sand, but something more believable than what he has. Articulation is slightly different but he can at least turn his head without issue. With his backpack assembly attached, he can use a blaster rifle more specific for his droid hunt on Tatooine (though with how flexible the torso armor is, I may try to pop the arms and head off, remove it briefly, glue the armor on with more give for the peg with more space, and reattach the rest of the body parts.

Here are troopers Storm and Sand together so you can see the difference in armor tooling and the plastic finish. The Stormtrooper certainly.looks much shinier and ready to enter the battlefield, while the latter has brushed some sand in some areas and called it a day. With how haphazard and imperfect Stormtrooper armor assembly can be in the OT, mixing and matching them won't be too out of the ordinary. Still, while I like the new Clones even if they have a cheaper finish, I don't feel as compelled to army build given how lesser the usual Stormtrooper quality somehow feels overall. Sometimes it's articulation and other times it's the finish or lack thereof.

Final ranking: ⭐⭐ and a half out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Admiral Ackbar)

⭐⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Sandtrooper)