Here we have Megatron in his alien tank mode. It's a much sleeker design that isn't as horrendously rushed as the original Leader, yet I kind of wish it was slightly wider to have it look more like a crab closing in on someone with its claws. Those wings were a part of the design that did appear at times for a flight mode of the tank mode, and without those, the tank does look good still, yet can go well with those for an option. Also, I kind of wish the turret was not as small as it is here. There are cannons behind it that can hinge up and down, but they weren't on the movie design in its finalized look.
The face being exposed is a weird thing about Megatron, but at least it's a bit better done here. It looks more like it's a mask than a scuba piece that doesn't do a good job on covering it.
For a size comparison, here he is next to his ROTF Leader and Voyager versions. The Voyager in this video will be the Movie the Best version for a more comparable approach since the Hasbro ROTF version was green. I kind of feel there are things that the Studio Series figure does better in tank mode, and there are also things that the ROTF figure does better in tank mode. At least both win by being better than the Leader looking like an amateur Lego set.
Transforming this Megatron is fairly involved, yet not as boring as the original Leader or as weird as the original Voyager. Its arms aren't used for the vehicle mode cannon, nor are they compromised from a visual point of view. The thigh guards and rear cover of the legs did pop off from time to time, an annoying aspect since they had no pins on. Also, the head likes to pop off at times.
Here we have Megatron in robot mode, being leaps beyond the original toys of this particular design. There's no heavy asymmetry with the arms, the head looks less like a mask, the proportions work, all that the ROTF Megatron design could ask for and then some! A problem that I do have with this figure is just how I wish there is a coat of silver paint to make it look shinier than it currently is. Without the deco, Megatron feels somewhat naked and plain. That metallic look is crucial towards completing his appearance! Also, while not noticeable on some angles, Megatron's torso has a gap that isn't filled in by any part of him. Maybe some wings would have worked. At least his back looks a lot more accurate as well as refined than on the previous Voyagers.
Megatron's face sculpt also looks really good. While there is no silver paint on him, at least the molded details do look good for the most part, and nothing is really lost from the lack of paint.
The articulation is pretty good for once! Head is on a ball joint, both arms move freely at the shoulders, and they both hinge in and out. Both elbows bend, and the arms swivel at a bicep. There's a slight thumb joint on the right arm, and there's some movement for the claws on the left arm. The legs move at the hips front and back, then in and out.
Megatron comes with no accessory, but he can have the blade deployed from his fusion cannon. I personally wish he had an alternate arm that can be swapped like on Bumblebee. The blade is made from a softer material, but at least it looks good.
For a size comparison, here is Megatron next to his original figure forms from 2009, a decade ago! Obviously night and day (even though the original Voyager had a waist swivel), but the real kicker is the approach they each have with their arms. The Leader had a massive arm cannon that looked stupidly big and lacked an elbow joint for some reason. The original Voyager had a more accurate arm, but its method of articulation and the blade is all a Mech-Alive feature. If the arm is straight, it's in cannon mode, but when it's bent, it becomes a blade. The Voyager manages to stray away from that. The Leader has a missile launching feature, though.
There are some other random Megatron comparison tidbits I wanted to make, just to give an idea on how his design was done. The left arms on the original Leader and Voyager are pretty puny compared to their right arms, though more so on the Leader with its middle finger. The original Voyager had a missile launcher on the left arm, while the Studio Series Voyager has more fingers and a better-balanced arm.
Also, my Leader Megatron broke at the heel. Which is why the new Voyager is facepalming.
The only reuse of the mold was one that takes him at the end of the movie, and at a scene where he received a beating from an Optimus wearing Jetfire's corpse. This is the Battle Damaged variant, which gives him a more metal deco, bronze for the PVC parts, and a retooled face that has been shot by his own cannon before it was pulled off. I would love to have gotten this if it weren't for me already buying a Voyager that's not too different beyond the deco and head. This would have worked better if it came with an alternate head to make up for the lack of an accessory.
And here we have Megatron with Optimus, Blackout, and Starscream, which means we can recreate the Forest Battle! As for Megatron on his own, he makes for a great improvement compared to his previous forms. That said, I do wish he had a silver coat of paint, at least one accessory for his regular claw (or two if Hasbro made a Scalpel), and the wings of his jet mode that could cover up the torso like they could on a third party upgrade kit. At the very least, we have a Megatron design from the original trilogy that's done right in toy form. In fact, this is the first one we'll be seeing in the series. Later on, we'll check out Dark of the Moon Megatron and then see if MV1 Megatron is well-worth getting after more than 10 years without a new toy!
Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
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