Studio Series Megatron (SS-34)

Prelude: Ah, Megatron, big bad leader of the Decepticons and mastermind behind all their evil plans. Well, unless he’s playing second banana to the Fallen. Or to Sentinel Prime. Or Lockdown. Or Quintessa. Or remains frozen underneath Hoover Dam. Why are we supposed to be afraid of this guy again? Anyway, for most of the movies Megatron looked like some weird alien jet or tank-thing, but in Dark of the Moon he took the form of a dirty, Mad Max’ed truck. Why? Couldn’t tell you, sorry, but I do say this: he looked really, really cool. And now this very cool-looking Megatron is part of the Studio Series, too.

Robot Mode: Let us start by saying that Megatron is pretty big. Not as big as Leader-class figures used to be, mind you (see the pic with Dark of the Moon Sentinel Prime), but in the somewhat scaled-down Studio Series he stands out as one of the bigger guys. He certainly towers over Optimus Prime. He is also very nicely detailed, especially the torso contains lots and lots of sculpted details. The look is also pure (Movie) Megatron, clearly depicting the Decepticon leader from the third live-action movie. Look-wise, Megatron is certainly a delight. Just don’t look too closely form the side, because then you can see right through his hollow torso.

Not counting the various third party capes for Coronation Starscream, I believe this is actually the first Transformer figure ever with an actual cloth cape. Much like in the movie Megatron wears a dirty tarpaulin as a cape to... hide the fact that he’s a big, scary robot? Not sure, really, but it does look cool. Additionally he has a chain harness on his torso, which can be removed just like the cape. Uncloaked, you can see that Megatron’s head still carries the battle damage from his tussle with Optimus Prime (more on that below), which is also very nicely sculpted. Finally he carries his big fusion shotgun on his back, further underscoring his image. All very nicely done.

The articulation is good, if short of brilliant. Megatron can’t twist at the waist and his hands (claws, rather) can only move up and down, not rotate. For some reason only the left claw features an individually poseable thumb, while only the right one can properly hold the shotgun. Moving further down, Megatron has two knees, something many Transformers featured in the second and third movie toylines, so it fits. Finally there are his lower legs, which contain roughly one third of his entire vehicle mode folded together. They are nice and chunky, but don’t hold together perfectly. Also, his feet tend to rotate sideways.

Overall, though, I really like this robot mode. It’s not really Megatron to me, mind you, but does great work as a worn, tough, Mad-Max-style robot warrior that has been shot apart several times but keeps on functioning and killing. While the design does have some minor flaws in term of stability, the cool look and menacing air more than make up for it in my book. Thumbs up for the robot mode.

Alternate Mode: Megatron transforms into a Mack M915 Line-Haul Replacement Tractor. The truck cab unfolds from the lower legs of the robot, while the upper body becomes the trailer. Due to the design, the truck can’t pivot around the (imagined) trailer coupling, instead being one very long piece that is mostly hollow underneath. Which does leave ample room to store the shotgun, by the way.

The finished truck is very long and looks nicely run-down and modified, like something you’d see in a Mad Max movie. The cape from the robot mode becomes a tarpaulin, which is held in place by the chain harness the robot wore on his chest. Much like in robot mode, the truck mode’s looks leave little to be desired.

In terms of play value there isn’t really much here. The truck can roll across the floor, but doesn’t have much clearance due to the pieces of the robot’s chest hanging underneath it. So bottom line, a great-looking truck mode, but the robot mode is much better.

Partner / Add-On: Megatron comes with a small extra figure, a robotic gremlin apparently called Igor. Igor was actually in a few scenes in Dark of the Moon and is apparently a pet put together from Decepticon remains. Anyway, the little figure looks pretty neat and can ride on Megatron’s back or the top of his truck mode. Not a must-have add-on, but nice.

Remarks: After getting half his head blown off by Jetpower Optimus Prime in the climax of Revenge of the Fallen, Megatron underwent a major overhaul from alien jet/tank thing to Earth truck… but apparently they forgot to fix his head in the process. Anyway, Megatron played a pretty minor role in Dark of the Moon, taking a backseat to main villain Sentinel Prime. He did end up saving Optimus Prime in the end, thanks to Carly impressing him with her flawless logic (and flawless appearance in the midst of a war zone). Megatron then proposed a cease fire. Now the original script of DOTM saw said cease fire happening, but Michael Bay wouldn’t have it and instead had Optimus murdering Megatron on the spot. He took his entire head that time, not just half. He then used Megatron’s gun to execute the already defeated Sentinel Prime as well.

Seeing as Megatron looked vastly different in every movie, it’s hardly surprising to get multiple incarnations of Megatron in the Studio Series, too. Dark of the Moon Megatron is easily my favorite so far, looking very much the bad-ass and wearing a kick-ass dirty cape, too. Plus I love that shotgun, too. So bottom line: look-wise the figure easily gets an A-rating from me, but it’s unstable lower legs and hollow torso require some point deduction. Still, a very nice figure and easily recommended to all Movie Megatron fans.

Rating: B+