Studio Series Success?

 - Ben Watson

With the release of the Bumblebee movie trailer stirring a long dead well of positivity for a Transformers film, I felt it time to take a critical eye to the latest  - and by all rights greatest - offering of movie toys in the Studio Series. 

Celebrating a belated tenth anniversary for the live-action film series (some leaked documents suggest the line may have been intended for release last year as a way of properly marking the occasion), the Studio Series strives to delve into each corner of the continuity to provide all-new and improved figures for many of the most famous of the movie bots. Some having had no new full-scale figures since 2007. As such, for those of us not averse to plastic renditions of these designs, the line promises a smorgasbord of shiny new-old things. But is it really worth the price of admission? 

At the very least, the first of Mr Bay's efforts in the franchise holds a special place in my heart. I can successfully summon nostalgia for the summer of 2007 and thereby gain a much stronger connection to new toys of those first movie designs than pretty much all of Generations' wider G1 offerings. A properly massive toy of Blackout? Dream fulfillment. A version of '76 Camaro Bee that actually stays a car? Yes please. Another go at Jazz? I'll take it. In short, I'm here for at least half of the Studio Series and it's now become a mission to go after every figure bearing that metallic logo that was everywhere 11 years ago. 

But I didn't start out feeling this way about the line. I mean, Blackout was gonna have to be mine, but beyond him I was genuinely skeptical about its impact. Much of the line is either another unnecessary rendition of a character given countless toys already (Optimus, Ratchet) or first time figures for neglected non-entities (Crowbar, Stinger). I didn't feel I needed to really delve into this line and would be happy cherrypicking the couple of things I wish I'd had since I was 14. Factor in the ludicrous cost of each figure - a holdover from the even more ludicrous pricing from The Last Knight - along with the suspicion I'd not be seeing them in person, and I was ready to write off the Studio Series in favour of the stronger wealth of Power of The Primes. But what happened was quite the reverse.

First off, cost is still an issue, I'm not as liquid as I was this time last year. I will never stop chafing under the thought of spending Voyager money on a Deluxe but the reality is oil is going up and I've been paying nigh on £20 for Deluxes for years now. Price can be seen as the largest negative factor around this line especially when many of its figures are shockingly below average size for their pricepoint, but we'll get to that... I want to make it plain, yes these figures are expensive, but leave the talk of cost at the door because there's a lot more going on here. 

In lieu of Power of The Primes' now seemingly stunted offerings and abysmal distribution, I've very much hopped on to Studio Series as the Hot New Thing. I can visit a local store, pick up one more of the figures I'm after (admittedly just one at a time due to their cost but there's a positive to that) and have that real satisfaction of a new purchase without waiting for the postman. All this and I can get the hit of nostalgia Power of The Primes can't provide too. It's irritating to think in this way we've skipped all the lines between G1 and the Movie that would have done that trick a little better, but I've gotta take what I can get. man. I can't understate that nostalgic effect as after just getting Blackout I was rushing to dig out all my 07 guys and even go buy more. 

That being said, while the comparison game with the original movie figures is fun, there is a strange disconnect at work for me. Taking Blackout as an example, you've got a Leader figure of this guy who's only ever been a small Voyager. It works to current more complex levels of engineering, with the slightly less solid build that accompanies that. It... feels weird. Not bad at all but like, surreal. Is this what Geewunners feel at every new Generations release? Looking back, it's how I felt about Thrilling 30 Waspinator. While most of the time 2007 doesn't feel that long ago, this really reinforces that a decade of design progression has happened and honestly it's incredibly interesting to see.

While the line lacks a play pattern or gimmick beyond the card backdrops for each figure, it does employ something new to unify the selection as a collection. I mentioned how some figures are appallingly tiny for their price, well some are conversely way more massive than you would have expected from the box they come in. This shows the overarching design goal of screen accurate scale, and while I'm someone who can take the concept as negligible to my enjoyment of the figures, it's something worth pointing out. I'm not aware of any line that's ever gone to such lengths for the sake of scale. Sure, your bigger guys are usually Voyagers and Deluxes are the average but look at Animated Lugnut and Lockdown. Just putting individual characters into arbitrary size classes hasn't always worked. Here, it seems to be the main aim of the entire line. Jazz is smaller than Bee who's smaller than Ratchet but they're all Deluxes. Voyager Starscream stands as tall as Blackout who is dwarfed by fellow Leader Grimlock. While this is undoubtedly a risky move that provokes the largest argument against their high prices, this really feels like something innovative and revolutionary with great potential for employment in future lines. 

So far every figure I've picked up is without a doubt not just a huge improvement over their original (or even their last rendition) but definitely something that feels definitive. It's kind of sad to say, but they don't need to do another figure of Blackout now. Or old Camaro Bee, or Jazz or Ratchet, or tatless F-22 Starscream (cos you know I want that F-4 Bumblebee movie version bad). Studio Series has accomplished its brief. It is giving you the best figures of these designs. They may be small, they may be fiddly, or they may be enormous and perfectly solid, but what the designers (at Takara it seems?) have done is pay real attention to what works best for each character. Sure some are just reworkings of previous conversion schemes, but A) if it ain't broke, don't fix it, and B) this shows the team has picked up on which versions from the past were most well received to use as strong bases for even better versions. Once Studio Series is done, whether you like the idea or not, all of these designs can finally be put to bed. 

All in all, I'm really enjoying Studio Series despite the more bang for your buck nature of Power of The Primes. The line seems to pack in real quality along with that higher pricetag. It delivers on that semi high-end level that Generations is made for and feels like a real collector line even as the successor to The Last Knight's Premiere Edition which really didn't. I find myself really excited to see what comes next as Studio Series is confirmed to carry on into 2019 - the same cannot be said for Power of The Primes. Is this the power of nostalgia or am I just getting bored of endless G1 rehashing? I do want an Abominus, but I'll tell you what, if the rumours of a Voyager Bonecrusher are true, I'd gladly take that over a fistful of Terrorcons. 



Read an older article here

Follow Ben on Twitter @Waspshot23 


If you would like to support the blog, you can buy us a virtual coffee here. Thank you.

How Cyclonus Saved the Decepticons

 - Becka of the Rated Thighs

“Once the Decepticons nearly held the quadrant through terror. Now we scrap like slargs over a few energon cubes. Is this how you honour the memory of Galvatron? Is this the fate of the mighty Decepticon Empire?” 

I’ve been a fan of Transformers for nine years this year, and for eight of those years I wrote off season three of the Generation One cartoon as something I wouldn’t be interested in after all of the deaths in the movie and the change of setting from Earth to Cybertron. (Hell hath no fury like an Ironhide fan being forced to watch him die in two separate films). However after deciding to give season three another go, I found not only that it’s now my favourite of the cartoon, but also that Cyclonus is the most important thing in it. 

Copyright Hasbro

Yes, ol’ lilac bunny ears himself.

Or, to put it another way, he’s at least more important than any of the Decepticons who preceded him: Megatron as the leader, Starscream as the backstabber archetype (looking at you, copycat Terrorsaur), Devastator as the first gestalt, Blitzwing and Astrotrain as the first triple changers…heck, he’s even more important than his own leader, Galvatron.

And yes, he would punch me for saying that. And yes, I would still say it. Why? Because Cyclonus broke the mold of what it meant to be a Decepticon in the most instantly recognizable of Transformers properties. (Before anyone can object with “but the Marvel comic!” yes, the Marvel comic is amazing. But to the average casual fan I’d put money on the cartoon being the more familiar).

In seasons one and two, the Decepticons were portrayed as borderline-idiotically evil, despising anything ‘good’ just because (“I hate nice things!” says Rumble in ‘Microbots’, perfectly summing up Megatron’s entire movement) and refusing to even allow something as meaningful as friendship enter their ranks. Seriously, they spend 90% of their day hating and sabotaging the Autobots, and the remaining 10% of that same day hating and sabotaging one another (see Astrotrain and Blitzwing’s attempted coup in ‘Triple Takeover’ for a prime example of how completely incapable of working together the Decepticons are at this point). But they’ve still got a leg up on the Autobots, so their pointless squabbling doesn’t really amount to much other than to maintain the status quo of Autobots = good and Decepticons = evil. 

Copyright Hasbro

And then the movie happens to them, and they lose everything they’ve spent the last couple of million years building up: their entire homeworld, and the only leader they’ve ever known. The only leader powerful enough to force them to work together. ‘Five Faces of Darkness’ opens with the remnants of the faction hanging out together (yet oh so apart) on a cold barren world, unable to achieve anything even as basic as foraging for energon (although Astrotrain tries, bless his cotton socks). They’re dispirited, desperate, and broken as a faction.

And then Cyclonus arrives, and with him change. Because Cyclonus is not an egocentric Decepticon who believes only in the superiority of himself, but rather the superiority of the Decepticon movement as a whole.
Within five seconds of being on planet Chaar, Cyclonus has the erstwhile morbidly depressed troops on their feet, cheering, and handing over their meagre energon supplies so that he can find Galvatron and restore them to their former glory. He inspires them in a way Megatron was never able to and Galvatron will never be able to; both versions of the guy led solely by fear, whereas Cyclonus’s natural talent for leadership comes from his own proactive nature. He identifies a problem and immediately starts thinking of ways to overcome it, rather than using the favoured Decepticon tactic of the first two seasons of either a) ignoring the problem outright, b) blaming the problem on someone else, or c) refusing to acknowledge the scale of the problem, refer to a) or b) to continue. (See: pretty much any episode from seasons one and two).

But beyond his complete lack of ego, Cyclonus is also totally almost selfless. The Decepticons of the first two seasons were greedy, desiring power for themselves above all else, but also just that slight bit too lazy and/or cowardly to fully pursue their goals. For example in ‘The God Gambit’ Astrotrain, Starscream, and Thrust discover an energon-rich planet and waste no time in conquering it and forcing its natives into worshipping them – all without contacting Megatron, because they would not wish to share this newfound wealth with their own movement? This is in sharp comparison to ‘Fight or Flee’, in which Cyclonus and Scourge discover another energon-rich planet. Do they do as Astrotrain and crew did one season beforehand? Nope. Cyclonus’s first instinct is to contact Galvatron and summon the Decepticons, recognising the planet’s strategic value in their continuing campaign. It simply doesn’t occur to him to keep the glory for himself. He is a warrior to his cause, and his cause comes above all else – even personal glory.

(Although, as an aside, it has to be noted that he carefully avoids mentioning that he and Scourge had their afts handed to them by the Aerialbots earlier in the same episode when speaking with Galvatron, so it is possible Cyclonus has pride that can be dented at times).

Finally, let’s consider his relationship with Galvatron. It’s fun to simplify it right down to a master and servant dynamic, but like the Depeche Mode song there’s a lot more going on that first appears. For example, I don’t think it’s right to say that Cyclonus has 100% confidence in Galvatron. He unthinkingly corrects him on a couple of occasions – such as commenting on his leader’s lack of strategy at the start of ‘Webworld’ – and also seems to spend the majority of his time acting entirely on his own imitative without any orders from above. In ‘The Big Broadcast of 2006’ he even outright ignores Galvatron’s warnings that the Decepticons are not interested in the Junkions’ rebellion against the Autobots and flies off with Scourge and the Sweeps to see how they could take advantage of the situation. Galvatron has decided against intervention, but Cyclonus deemed the matter important enough to override his master’s command – and drag Scourge and co. along for the ride. Cyclonus, then, is not totally blindly loyal to Galvatron – again, his interests are for the entire Decepticon movement, not the one person leading it. 

Copyright Hasbro

It’s also arguable that Cyclonus doesn’t even perceive Galvatron as a person in his own mind, but rather his own metaphorical figurehead. As already mentioned, Cyclonus has an innate ability to get people to follow him without a second thought and has both the brains and the brawn to back this up. Yet he always defaults back to insisting that Galvatron be the one in charge – and I will argue that this is not because he feels inferior to Galvatron, but rather because he recognises that one of them is good at sitting in a chair and yelling orders whilst the other one is good at actually flying off and making those orders happen. In other words, Galvatron must be in charge because Cyclonus is far too busy to lead and nobody else is suited for the role.

Another part of the Decpeticon mold thoroughly atomized.

If you want a neat summary of everything I’ve written above, I’d invite you to watch ‘Webworld’ – arguably Cyclonus’s most important episode. Cyclonus has enough of the Decepticons’ respect for both Swindle and Motormaster to warn him of the impending revolt against his master (Swindle, for goodness’ sake, does nothing without getting some kind of benefit out of it – yet here he is giving advice for free). Rather than allowing the revolt to happen so he can usurp power, as past Decepticons would have done, Cyclonus immediately sets about trying to fix the problem (albeit with advice given by Quintessons, but at this point he’s desperate). During the various ‘fixes’ on Torkulon he’s wise enough to not meddle in what’s happening – believing medical professionals to have more knowledge than him – but as soon as those treatments become harmful he immediately attempts to intervene. He then apologises to Galvatron, recognising that he has made an error in trying to force him to change, and guides the leader back onto his proper path of wanting to smash Autobots.

Now try to picture that episode happening with any other Decepticon, even Scourge, in Cyclonus’s shoes. It just wouldn’t happen – they would fly off the moment they discovered that the Torkulons are powerful enough to keep Galvatron prisoner and claim the Decepticons for themselves.

Cyclonus is also important because his colourful nature gives the Decepticons a flavour of believability. Even before season three and the excellently written Rodimus Prime and Ultra Magnus, the Autobots have always had the benefit of multifaceted characters; they had grumps (Cliffjumper, Gears, Huffer), they had naysayers (Sunstreaker in ‘Megatron’s Master Plan’), they had wildcards (Red Alert, Grapple, Hoist, and Ironhide at various points), and they had hubris (Optimus Prime, whenever they were doing badly). The Decepticons were just bad, period, and many of the new ones introduced during season three followed that same bland ideal. Cyclonus did not, and the season is all the better for him.

In closing: he’s a good lad whose positive attributes may have landed him on the Autobot side of things in another life, and showed television audiences for the first time that Decepticons could be more than bland villains hell-bent on the silliest world domination plans possible. And no, we’re not going to talk about what Headmasters did to him. 

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to rate his thighs.

Copyright Hasbro

RRCo Review - Movie Masterpiece Barricade

- Ben Watson



Moving beyond the poster boys of Optimus and Bumblebee, the Movie Masterpiece line seems to be beginning to properly establish itself. With Ironhide on the way and our subject matter today, the line's first Decepticon, Barricade (if you don't count what is technically MPM-1, Takara's release of the 2010 Leader Starscream). So how does this bad cop go about his beat? 

Being one of the small roster of new characters chosen to grace the first live-action film, Barricade very quickly gained a kind of fan favourite status. What better way to represent and introduce the Decepticon philosophy than making the police car robot a bad guy? Something seemed to instantly click with his character. But somehow this didn't relate to him becoming a regular feature of subsequent media. Not appearing in Revenge of The Fallen, though apparently not shown to explicitly die in the first film so he could be brought back for it, it wasn't until Dark of the Moon that he popped up again in an unexpected cameo. Sitting out Age of Extinction and then making a semi-triumphant return in The Last Knight, replete with characterful new look, brings us to his standing in the present day. Ten years have yielded a total of two extra appearances for the character (No Animated walk-on? No Prime namedrop? Ok...) and yet even with those stats on the table, Barricade feels no less worthy of receiving the Masterpiece treatment. 

Widely regarded as one of the more iconic additions to the franchise made by the movies, Barricade - despite his lack of screen time - has never been far from the minds of fans. A strong contender for the 2007 focused MPM line then. Here his first appearance is as faithfully recreated in plastic (and metal!) as it's probably possible to be. His trollish proportions and appropriate layout of car parts are all here. Articulated claws end his very long arms of the law. The vehicle mode's actual wheels adorn his wrists. The front bumper of the car peels away and warps into his chest. Spikes fold out of his hips and feet. Even the lightbar on his back splits and angles out.

A great deal is done to break up and round out the shapes all previous Barricade figures have worked with which they - due to their mainline Deluxe (on average) price point limitations - never really did. The transformation of this figure is very involved to result in the look of this robot mode, but isn't anywhere near as complex as you might think. Following the general scheme of the original 2007 Deluxe, it's nowhere near as time consuming or frustrating as, say MPM Optimus' conversion. Using the greater size of the figure (something akin to a very large Voyager) parts which would have been fiddly and too small to manipulate, let alone engineer and mold properly are here given the ability to add that extra level of deformation to the robot mode.

However, care has been taken with the design to not break up the car mode too much. Seams are mostly kept to the "natural" panel edges of the car to result in a particularly clean alt mode. I say "mostly" because there is one particularly jarring scar running down each of the doors. Rather than work with the line created by the edge of each of the windows, which would result in more accurately shaped panels on the robot's arms, the seam is jagged and cuts into the body of the car. Why? Despite this singular flaw, Barricade's fully licensed Ford Saleen police cruiser mode is spot on. Featuring all the necessary decals, including his infamous "To punish and enslave" motto. This mode even goes so far as to sport an Oklahoma license plate and each of the headlights are actually painted pieces behind a clear front. 

While the alt mode is suitably imbued with malice and relatively perfect, to which degree the same could be said of the robot mode is up for debate. Yes, Barricade strikes the perfect monstrous figure when resting on his feet rather than his wheels, but isn't without his limitations. Firstly a waist swivel is present, but totally blocked by the folding and tabbing roof kibble that makes up his back (that has the gall to feature a stand port as if to say "yes this is his actual back, what were you thinking?"). Similarly, his wrists are fused. Admittedly, so much goes into make each of his hands in the transformation that I can't see how this could have been engineered to include a wrist joint, but the lack of one on a Masterpiece figure is certainly jarring. His large and expressive hands are left for you to try to make the most of using only his very high elbows and bicep swivels. 

Despite these slightly annoying hindrances, Barricade can still articulate with character. Even his mouth opens! Ratcheted shoulders, hips and double knees along with perfectly tight ankles allow him to hold many a menacing pose. The inclusion of diecast also adds to his stability. Found making the basis of his torso, including his radiator grille and in his feet (the soles of which are softer plastic for grip on flat surfaces) the material adds that suitably high-end heft to the figure. All this combined with the way the robot mode is made of relatively large pieces makes the figure feel rock solid. 

In terms of accessories, Barricade includes only one. The mace/rotor/spiked wheel/Dyson death machine that he extends from his arm in his only fight with Bumblebee in the first film. It certainly beats any previous weapon a Barricade figure has wielded just due to its screen accuracy but if this is what we got instead of a Frenzy minifigure... I know what I'd rather have. Still, the rotor itself spins and is of quite an appreciable size. However, it has nowhere to store in robot or vehicle mode when not attached to his half-untransformed arm and must adorn a clear display stand it comes attached to?! The instructions even tell you to keep it this way when not in use! While I can joke about something else replacing the weapon, it's clear as day that this stand piece didn't need to be included and can be chalked up as a complete waste of resources. ...Well I guess it did give me a laugh at least. 

So we've covered build, articulation, alt mode, weapon, detailing... What about the paint? This is my one real head scratching moment with this figure. Ok, the mace stand might have beaten it, but why does the figure feature this particular deco? Metallic blue abounds to add something for your retinas to latch onto beyond more black and white but surely it should be purple? Maybe I'm alone in this assumption, but when every other Barricade has had these sections painted purple (even the badge on the car's side) I have been lead to believe that's the colour they should be. Was I just not paying attention and he has in fact got blue highlights in the film? I can only assume "yes" is the answer to this as apparently the design team has worked with the actual renders from ILM used in the film when producing the MPM line. That doesn't make me think it's any less weird though. To me, this deco feels totally out of left field but I must admit, it works. 

MPM-5 Barricade then is a tour-de-force of excellent styling. Finally, after a decade we've received the most astoundingly accurate rendition of the character and while it isn't 100%, it instantly throws any previous contenders to its throne (looking at you Human Alliance) in overnight lockup/the big house/the klink. I'm left with the inescapable feeling that this is what movie figures should have been from day one. With no real budgetary constraints towards rendering the design as faithfully and as ingeniously (and as solidly!) as this, it really does have the air of a proper piece of movie memorabilia. Whatever your stance on that movie may be, this is the kind of product that has been missing from its merchandise for over a decade and for that reason alone, MPM Barricade is worth a recommendation. The real dues you have to give the figure however are many and its sheer presence gives me a lot of hope for the continuing Movie Masterpiece Series. To not think about adding this figure to your collection would be...criminal. 



Follow Ben on Twitter @Waspshot23

Read an older article here

The Last Knight Voyager Megatron - Pictorial Review

 - Ben Watson

The Last Knight hits theatres this week and whether you've booked your tickets and are eagerly awaiting it or not, one thing seems to ring true among fans this time around: Megatron's new design is pretty damn slick. Honestly, I didn't echo this sentiment at first. He looks like a LOTR baddie or a Dark Souls boss more than a Transformer but the figure looked to be something well worth getting my hands on and certainly worth getting behind a lens. 

A Leader version also exists which furnishes the inexplicably reborn Decepticon leader with his new tusky faceplate and some flame effect parts along with a generally sleeker alt mode but I much prefer my leaders to not be Leaders. Voyager is enough size for me - and enough expense; because the very first thing to mention about any TLK toys is sadly the price. Every size class now costs roughly what the one above it used to. I.e. Deluxes are now Voyager money. But thankfully Voyagers don't feel as ludicrously overpriced. I've been paying roughly £30 for them for years through online dealerships so it's not much skin off my nose but I can well see how it might be for most. Good thing then, that Megatron delivers and for the first figure of a new movie design, that's no small feat. 

Starting in robot mode as everything does these days, Megatron is a very decent action figure before any conversion comes into it. Every joint is afforded a wide range of motion while actually for the most part being exceptionally tight. The current standard suite of articulation for Generations style figures is present, so sadly no wrists or waist swivel but this is more than made up for with a double ball jointed neck and ankle tilts that go as deep as you could ever possibly want them to. For once this point of articulation is a transformation joint - clever. All of this allows you to make the most of Megatron's imposing feudalistic form and imbues a great deal of character. 

Gimmickry is clearly minimal in a line focused only on accurately portraying on-screen designs but (depending on what you count as gimmicks) Megatron isn't totally devoid of fun touches. Firstly he wields his big new axe-sword / sharp pendulum thing. I have no idea how the describe this top-heavy weapon but it looks weighty and destructive in his grip and feels like a perfectly brutal blade for him to counter Optimus' robo-Excalibur with. This can also be stored on his back but lies just out of reach for him to pose as if he's grabbing for it. 

For the first time movie Megatron also wields his cannon mounted on his right arm. I hesitate to habitually drop the words "fusion cannon" because judging by trailers and the inferences of the Leader version it appears much more incendiary in nature. It sits on his arm in the right place and looks suitably alien - a little Gigeresque actually - and can fold up and retract to the underside of his arm. This motion is really for transformation but it can allow you to create the sense of him extending it for battle - a dynamic from the movies I've always enjoyed.

Perhaps the best touch of Megatron's robot mode however is his light piping. It feels like ages since this was a regular thing and while it's relatively difficult to get to glow, it works so well for Megatron's beady rage rubies. This also provides a very effective hint of colour against his mostly monochrome metallic bod. I can understand the feel they're trying to evoke with the layers of black armour but it does leave Megatron feeling particularly visually uninteresting without good lighting. At least the dull gold accents prevent the deco from being completely dim but there are also some not-so-easily seen silver washed sections to create a touch of depth. 

Transformation is quite entertaining, especially considering the fact Megatron essentially goes from an entirely rounded robot to a purely flat-edged jet. Very little of either mode can be seen in the other and honestly it just leaves me feeling like each was made by a different concept team. Megatron appears to use magic to transform because while you can spot jet sections on the figure, the CG model just has nothing that goes any way to resembling vehicle kibble. This is a personal gripe of mine over the newer movie designs; at least before you could see roughly how they transformed and what into but now, pfft, no chance mate. All this aside, Megatron's new jet mode is certainly distinctive. Echoing some shapes of his 2007 alien form but appearing to be made out of earthen jet sections arranged in a sci-fi way, it almost feels like Megatron. Honestly I keep seeing Beast Machines Jetstorm in its suggestion of a face in the translucent cockpit... But good detail abounds to (for once) give you a sense of a Cybertronian mode that isn't just visual BS. I really hope we get a mildly good look at this mode in the film because if nothing else, it feels kinetic and I'd really like to know why those blue thrusters appear to be facing the wrong way... 

All in all, Megatron delivers a really interesting new design that at least has some kind of character driven aesthetic. The layers of armour give a real sense of kineticism which is really the only objective of any movie design. To be able to imagine how the plates overlap and segment as the robot moves  - possibly as they would on-screen - is a testament to this design. Of course whether this figure carries over the presence of Megatron as seen in the movie remains to be seen, especially when this is the first attempt at the design (remember how awkward that first AOE Optimus was) but something about it makes me feel confident that they've done a good job here. Even with the deeply weird jet mode.

The Last Knight aside, this is a very competent and very unique new rendition of the Emperor of Destruction and I'd heartily recommend it. I struggle to think of anything else in my collection that evokes quite the same sense of restrained malice - certainly not another Megatron figure. Time will tell how strongly this design is received compared to each of Megatron's previous incarnations as he does seem landed with the disadvantage of a new look in every appearance. Will he finally get a break and be allowed to seem as constantly iconic as Optimus? I'd like to be hopeful, but somehow I doubt it. Maybe he needs to be just a touch more #Refined...



Follow Ben on Twitter @Waspshot23