Transformers Studio Series ROTF Megatron review

Megatron's second form has been popular with fans during 2009, yet looking back now, the figures made at the time didn't really age poorly. The Leader figure was pretty awkward compared to Optimus and the Voyager, while better, had a shell that didn't appear in the movie and looked somewhat green. Either way, a new mold was due to come yet Hasbro was more interested in capitalizing on the new designs made since then, but then the Studio Series line was made, giving us a new version of Megatron based on his ROTF design, which does make sense since it felt easier to make, along with how its the design seen in Forged to Fight and took Takara's thunder away after they decided to make a repaint of the 2009 Voyager. That said, let's see what this Megatron's all about!

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 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Transformers Studio Series Brawl review

Whether he's called Brawl, Devastator, Decepticon Punk, or the tank Decepticon, this character had a Deluxe figure and a Leader Class figure in the original Movie line yet never had a Voyager. He had a Deluxe figure that was pretty weak compared to the contemporary options available, and the Leader Class figure was a much more accurate toy yet felt a lot more clunky when stacked next to later Leader Class figures like ROTF Optimus Prime and HFTD Starscream. A version of Brawl made in the Voyager Class would not be a reality until the Studio Series line was made, so let's see what the mean, green, fighting machine has in store!

Here we have Brawl in tank mode. A modified M1 Abrams tank mode with the additions of a cow-catcher and two missile pods because this Decepticon means firepower. With a camo deco and some bits of rivets to imply how this tank mode was built, Brawl does have that nice feel that a tank former should have.

I do wish the upper two barrels looked like they would match up better. They almost look like Jar Jar's face for some reason with how they look.

Here we have a comparison with the 2007 Deluxe and Leader. The Leader's deco is more apparent yet not as accurate as on either figure, and the treads on the Leader are the best, but the Voyager feels more accurate overall. Deluxe is good, though. I do find it weird that the Voyager's missile pods aren't facing forward. In general, all three of the tanks are good.

Transforming Brawl with the instructions is pretty annoying, and to make matters worse, mine didn't come with any instructions at all! There are some parts that don't look like they're possible to accomplish when you're unaware of how to transform him, such as when to rotate the turret in the robot mode position. That said, once you get the hang of it, you'll have less of a frustrating time transforming the toy, but it's still annoying to deal with.

Brawl's robot mode looks accurate, but there are two issues I have with the figure: The first issue is how the arms work, and the second issue is how the turret sticks out like some weird boner that'd give G1 Megatron a run for his money. Perhaps some would joke this Devastator has an enemy penis than an enemy scrotum found on the ROTF combiner. I wish you can hinge it to make it look like it's positioned to the hip like an underslung cannon. The arms, I do feel are, are a weird part of the toy. They are accurate,, but they don't look normal at the same time. Also, the hands are molded within the turret. The side does look good.

I will compliment the figure by having no big backpack like the original Deluxe and Leader, but I wish the turret was hidden better, and I also wish the hands were easier to see.

The face sculpt looks great, though I wish the eyes were easier to see. Perhaps there are fans that are more used to seeing him with the simpler head design, but that'd work more if the original Brawl figure was made for a Classics line of sorts.

Brawl's articulation is decent. Head is on a ball joint, shoulders swivel 360°, shoulders move in and out, a bicep swivel is added, and the elbows bend. The hips move front and back, in and out, there's a thigh swivel, and a bend at the knee.

Brawl's accessories complete the looks of his arms, as they add even more arsenal that he can unleash in Mission City! They include a missile rack on a blade and a claw with a gun attached. Standard accessories that Movie Brawl normally has.

For a size comparison, here he is next to his Deluxe self that I once owned and the Leader which I never got (even though they've been on shelves more than either Prime or Megatron did). In terms of accuracy, the Studio Series wins better, especially when it's more durable than the Deluxe figure (more on that later), but the Deluxe and Leader manage to win in terms of how the cannons are placed. The Deluxe has it on the arm, Megatron style, and the Leader has it on the hip.

The Deluxe and Voyager at least both handle the weapons in similar ways, but the Deluxe had you remove the cannon for a proper look of the missile pods, and without storage to boot, while the claw looks more intimidating on the Voyager than the Deluxe with its coloring. Also, the proportions of the head made me lower the treads so it can be easier; the Voyager's head looks better.

If there is a problem my Deluxe Brawl had, it's how the back and arms popped off. Too easily. And to make matters worse, this figure had the Allspark Power paint that made him look so bad.

Overall, Brawl's got some minor issues that kind of mess up his aesthetics, but he's still a great recreation of his old self with all the screen accuracy he could get! If you can get past the transformation, limitations of the turret, and the arms, you'll be quite content with this figure. He hasn't been repainted yet, but do expect a Deep Desert variant at some point.

Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Transformers Studio Series Lockdown review

Lockdown was amazing in Age of Extinction, and while he may look nothing like his Animated form, I kind of find the differences of their appearances pretty clever, with the Animated version being more monstrous-looking in a show that's more "kid-friendly" while the Movie incarnation looks more like a man in a suit compared to the more alien Decepticons in the realistic Movie continuity. Despite that, there was a ROTF Lockdown figure that looked closer to his appearance in Animated. While the original Deluxe Lockdown (and the ROTF figure by extension) were able to pull off a Deluxe figure with a tall robot made from a normal-sized car, the AOE Deluxe couldn't quite do that right. It not only relied on a transformation that was more well-known used on DOTM Roadbuster, but it also made him barely taller than, say, AOE Bumblebee.

While fans may be happy with Peru Kill, an unofficial Masterpiece incarnation of the character, those that wanted a better-done version of the character made for the Deluxe and Voyager collection had to either get a knockoff of the Deluxe that scales in robot mode or wait for 4 years to pass so there can be a new stab at the character in Deluxe scale, which means it's time to take at Studio Series Lockdown!

Here we have Lockdown in his Lamborghini Aventador mode. Such a slick altmode with the gorgeous gunmetal gray, the headlights & windows looking slick, and the tires actually being pinned on instead of relying on the ones that peg in. It's such a beautiful altmode that makes you think it'd belong in a toyline that has die-cast metal cars with opening doors, interiors sculpted nicely, and perfect accuracy to the real model.

It's a nicely done take of the character. In fact, I prefer the look of this over TLK Hot Rod's altmode. This one just feels more like a car that a businessman that isn't boring would ride in. I can almost get nostalgic from seeing the promo pics of Lockdown's altmode as revealed by Transformers movie director himself, Michael Bay.

But this is a Transformers toy, after all, so we gotta add some random crap on this car on the exterior, right? For weapon storage, there are two slots that his hook and blade can attach onto. 

For a vehicle comparison, here he is next to his AOE form. While the original AOE toy's altmode still does look good, it's ruined by a paint job that doesn't look as appealing on a car like this. Also, there's the Decepticon insignia that doesn't add to the look, especially when Lockdown was never a Decepticon to begin with. The worst part is how the windows were blue, which makes this AOE figure have a color crisis compared to the Studio Series version.

Transforming Lockdown is pretty involved, and with a transformation that isn't borrowed from another figure. It's more a case of straightening the limbs and collapsing the backpack, though at least it's a bit more different here than previously. Also, remember that there's a slight hinge on Lockdown's chest, so he can a bit more definition on his chest than if it were flat.

Lockdown's robot mode is pretty good. From the front, it's got a much more powerful look, certainly capturing his man in a suit appearance that the original Deluxe never had. From the side, the feet do look weird, and his arms are sadly obscured by the door panels, though thankfully the arms look decent. The backpack doesn't look that decent from the side, but at least from the back, it's not as chunky looking as it is on Jazz, as it's more broken up here.

Headsculpt feels right this time for Lockdown. The eyes are green, there's the folded up mask, and all the details that Lockdown's face should have on a toy are nicely sharp, without that stupid half-assed look that the original AOE figure had.

Articulation is alright. Head is on two joints (on a ball joint on one end and a hinge on another), shoulders are on ball joints, and the elbows bend and can swivel on the ball joint. There is a waist swivel, and the hips move back and forth, though moving them and the waist swivel is tricky as one gets in the way of the other. There is a thigh swivel, bends at the knee, and you can slightly hinge the feet forwards if you want.

For his accessories, he can hold his weapons with either the slots or his 5mm compatible hands. I do like the display options that are available, but I wish he had some firearms thrown into the mix. Maybe some added paint on the weapons would be nice too, though I'm glad they look good.

Here we have Lockdown next to his original AOE self. The differences give me vibes of those "Doctors hate him!" memes, especially when he manages to look a lot better than his original figure. I feel like a fool for getting too excited for this version of Lockdown when it first came out, especially now that we have a much better version of the character to display proudly!

While that version does come with the arm cannon, it's still not too elegant because of the missile feature making the toy look awkward. That and how there's a big protrusion for the 5mm port and weapon storage.

The figure has been repainted once, in the form of Shadow Raider, who was a faceless grunt on Lockdown's ship. I guess it'd be weird to see this figure have the exact same colors as Studio Series Lockdown, but while orange is a nice color, it's not really suitable for a character called "Shadow Raider". Maybe a metallic purple would have worked.

Overall, this version of Lockdown is great to own, even if there are some minor issues that pull it back a bit. It's nice for fans that collect mainline figures than 3P options can have a better-done Lockdown compared to what's been made in 2014. If you see this guy, pick him up!

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