Animated Megatron (Battle Begins)

Robot Mode: It's hard to talk about this Deluxe version of Megatron without comparing him to the Voyager-class Megatron figure, both of which show Megs in his Cybertron mode. I already own the Voyager-version, but haven't gotten around to reviewing it for myself yet. Still, the two figures pretty much show the same character in the same configuration, so comparisons are inevitable. Here goes.

Megatron is a highly posable figure, his only limitation here being that the big gun on his right arm throws off his balance somewhat. The ball joints connecting his legs to his hip could be a bit tighter, but that could just be my version, not a general problem. Colour-wise he's very similar to Leader Megatron, a gunmetal grey instead of the nearly white grey the Voyager-version sports. His somewhat darker colouring also shows off more of his detailing, which is done quite well. Another advantage he has over the Voyager version is that his proportions look better, though of course he is somewhat too small compared to the other Animated figures, seeing as Megatron towers over pretty much everyone in the cartoon.

Megatron's main weapon is, of course, the big fusion cannon sitting on his arm. The weapon can be removed when Megatron needs his hands free and it also doubles as a kind of sword. Two red blades sit along the rear end of the gun and one can flip forward, so a double-sided blade then goes the entire length of the gun barrel. It doesn't look too bad, but not as good as the rotorblade swords of Leader Megatron.

So as far as robot modes go, this Megatron here is the better of the Cybertron mode Megatrons. You can't really compare him to Leader class Megatron properly, as the two are too dissimilar. But if you want a ranking, robot-wise Deluxe Megatron comes in second after Leader Megatron and before Voyager Megatron. A pretty good robot mode.

Alternate Mode: Megatron transforms into a hovercraft-like space ship. This vehicle mode is kind of a mixed blessing. From certain angles it looks pretty good and despite my not being a fan of non-terrestrial alternate modes, I kind of like the look of it. The problem is, though, that you can see quite a few of Megatron's robot mode bits from other angles. Specifially his head, which just hangs there on the belly of the ship and is pretty visible.

Another slight flaw in this vehicle mode is that many of the screws are visible on top of the vehicle. Would have been better to put them at the bottom. Not a big thing, but it could easily have been done better I think. At first I thought you could simply turn the rear part of the ship around (it's basically Megatron's hip and legs), but the landing gear of the ship is on the side without the screws, so you can't really turn that side upwards.

All in all I like this vehicle mode, but I have to admit that, unlike the robot mode, Voyager Megatron does it better than Deluxe Megatron, if only by a small margin. Still, like I said, a good vehicle mode.

Remarks: You have to wonder why the Animated line features two different versions of Cybertron Megatron, whom we only saw in this mode for five minutes in the pilot episode, and just one of Earth-mode Megatron, who appeared all the way through the second season of the cartoon. Whatever the reason behind this decision, though, this Deluxe version of the Decepticon leader is a pretty well-made figure. The robot mode is vastly superior to that of the Voyager version and while the vehicle mode is slightly worse off, it's still good. So if you plan on getting just one version of Cybertron mode Megatron, I recommend getting this one.

Deluxe Megatron came in the "Battle Begins" two-pack together with Battle Begins Optimus Prime and a DVD containing the first episode of the Animated cartoon. Two excellent figures in a nice package. Well worth the money in my opinion.

Rating: B+

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