Earthspark Megatron

Prelude: I liked the portrayal of Megatron in Earthspark. I saw this figure on sale at Smyth Toys. So I got him. That’s pretty much it. So, Earthspark Warrior-Class Megatron. Here we go!

Robot Mode: Megatron is a Warrior-Class figure, meaning a somewhat simplified Deluxe. Which brings us directly to the first big problem of this figure: it’s much too small. In the Earthspark cartoon Megatron is among the biggest Transformers on Earth. Earthspark Twitchis about the size of his forearm. Yet here he is the same size as most of the Terrans. So, if you are looking for somewhat realistic scale, well, not in the Earthspark line. That’s why God has given us imagination, I guess. So, Megatron is pretty small. Moving on.

Looking at him from the front, Megatron is a pretty good match for his cartoon counterpart. He has the classic Megatron look except for those big shoulder things. Big fusion cannon on the arm, grey and black paintjob, bucket head, everything fits. He also has rotors on his elbows, but you barely notice them. He can also deploy a blade from his fusion cannon, too. Nicely done.

Just don’t turn him around, because then you see an almost entirely open back, open legs, and can’t really overlook the rotors any longer. Apart from that, though, he is a pretty good figure. Nicely posable thanks to balljoints, including a twisting hip, but sadly not including a turning head. Overall he is a pretty nice depiction of the cartoon character, if you ignore the size and don’t look at him from the back. So bottom line: an okay robot mode. Not great, but okay.

Alternate Mode: Megatron transforms into a stylized tiltrotor aircraft, possibly a futuristic version of the V-22 Osprey. This isn’t the first time, of course, that Megatron has transformed into a helicopter(-like) aircraft, so this (slight) call-back to Animated Megatron is a point in his favor. One thing first, though: despite being a tiltrotor aircraft, the rotors do not actually tilt here. They are fixed facing forward.

Overall the entire aircraft cannot really hide the fact that it’s a robot lying on his back with the arms spread out to the sides, but from certain angles it does look really good. The rear is clearly a pair of robot legs, sure, but you can mount Megatron’s fusion cannon on top to camouflage them a bit better. No landing gear, but that was to be expected in this price class. So bottom line, a functional vehicle mode and it does look kind of like it does in the cartoon, but not really Megatron’s best altmode ever.

Remarks: The Earthspark cartoon is set in a present day where the war between Autobots and Decepticons has kind of (but not really) been over for a while and both sides are stranded on Earth, not knowing if Cybertron still exists. Megatron, originally the leader of the Decepticons, has switched sides upon realizing that the war between the two factions is killing them all and that his original ideas for the Decepticon movement have become radicalized to a point where he no longer recognizes them. In the present day he works together with the Autobots and Optimus Prime to keep Earth and its people – both humans and Cybertronians – safe from harm. And, in one of the most moving Transformers episodes in a good long while, he wishes to teach the Terrans how not to make the same mistakes that he made. Bottom line, greatest good guy Megatron ever.

While I adore the Earthspark cartoon so far, we once again have a great series accompanied by a toyline that… well, I am not calling it bad, no, but it is definitely geared towards kids, not collectors. Case in point this Warrior-Class Megatron toy. It’s not bad, far from it. It’s a good, solid figure that will (probably) survive a child playing with it. I bought it because it was on sale and because we will probably have to wait at least another decade before the then-current Generations-line will bring us collector-oriented Earthspark figures, I guess. So if you like the cartoon and the portrayal of Megatron, this figure is okay. Not great, but okay.

Rating: C+