United Darkside Megatron

Review by Laserwave13:

Prelude: Following right after the well-known and beloved United 3-Packs we now have the second exclusive set. This time as a 2-pack consisting of War for Cybertron Optimus Prime and Megatron as Black or Darkside versions. This set was, as far as I know, limited to about 5,000 pieces and sold primarily at the Tokyo Toy Show 2011 event, where it was sold out within the first hour. A small number of them were also sold through the well-known online shop E-Hobby.

The box itself is pretty similar to the 3-packs, meaning mostly black with very little artwork. Inside is a simple plastic tray, holding both figures with binders and a little bag containing instructions for each of them. Sadly nothing more, no collectors’ card or anything. But this seems normal by now.

Robot Mode: Yes, black repaints of Megatron are nothing particularly new anymore. But this one, I can only say: Wow! The secret star of this set. For me, the WFC Megatron is the best we´ve gotten our hands on since Animated when it comes to design and authenticity of what a Megatron should look like in character. No Earth mode, but what does he need one for anyway? The overall build of him, with all those edges and sharp looking peaks, fits him just perfectly. And now he’s back in black.

Did look very cool on Animated Shadow Blade Megatron and does even better on this WFC version. Mostly because it’s not just the black, but also this outstanding and very shiny. beautiful purple. All the red parts from the Generations and United UN-04 version are now in purple and it´s really, really shiny, I mean that. An awesome contrast to the sometimes darker and sometimes lighter black and grey. He even has a very sharp and highly detailed sculpted Decepticon insignia on his chest. That is so pure Decepticon, rarely seen on toys, and fits the damage that Dark Energon might cause perfectly. Sadly the purple was hard to catch properly on the pictures, so I hope you get the idea.

The big arm-mounted cannon is now grey instead of black which is also a nice contrast and highlights better that way against the black arms. Even the gun has some of that outstanding purple on it, though. The molding is as good as it was before and does not feature any changes. Poseabillity is great and near perfect for Megatron, since you can display him as it should be done. Means arm up and gun out front. Joints are very tight and will hold any pose you may give him. For me, I cannot say this often enough, Megatron how he should be. He puts both the Hasbro Generations and the United UN-04 versions in place, meaning way behind him. Color-wise he may not be game-accurate but what the heck, he is Megatron and very bad-ass at that.

Transformation: As usual for repaints, no differences here. Transformation is considerably easier and less complex than with WFC Optimus Prime, but that is just the nature of his design. On the bright side, this is the only WFC figure that features both street and flight mode by folding the tank-treads under the vehicle. For some the hands are a downside, seeing as they are fully visible in vehicle mode, but since it’s only half a hand on each side front and back you don’t really notice them. They can easily be taken for mechanical details. So all in all, satisfying.

Alternate Mode: Megatron is a tank. The idea itself is nothing new, but fitting for a Cybertronian form. The tank itself looks compact and both wholesome and strong. Not least because of the big cannon that he normally carries on his arm. Even though half the tank is made from his legs, you don’t notice it that much, since the shape of the parts could be anything. So the overall design is simple, but it works just fine and for Megatron the alternate form was never really that important. Megatron does not need to hide. So this mode is the weaker of the two, but the robot is even more perfect than you could ask for. Since the tank is also all-black. of course, the purple bits do stand out and are just as shiny as on the robot form and they look equally awesome, too. Since it’s Cybertronian. we don’t have to care for cutlines, either. Everything fits together tight and nicely, more is not needed and with that, nothing left to say.

Conclusion: As stated above, this is the figure that compels you to buy this set. Megatron as Decepticon and bad-ass looking as he gets. Last seen on Animated and now with black and shiny purple back and better than ever. Sadly only available in 2-Pack with WFC Darkside Optimus Prime, but that should not stop you since Prime is also nice and Megatron is worth the priceby himself. No complaints of any kind, unconditionally recommended and even more so, an absolute must have for any Megatron and WFC fan. Worth every penny!

Rating: A*