Toy Review - ARMADA LEADER MEGATRON (Legacy)

[SharkyMcShark]

MEGATRON
Series - Generations
Sub-line - Legacy
Hypo-line - Evolution
Size/class - Leader
New/remould/redeco - New
Wave - V2
Released here - July 2023
Approximate Retail Prize - $80-$100
Approximate Size - TBA (ruler and figure not in front of me right now)
Allegiance - Decepticon
Sub-Group - Armada re-do like Hot Shot, Starscream, and Prime I guess?
Alt-mode - Tank
Main Features/Gimmicks - Turret that can form various cannons in robot mode.
Main Colours - Green, purple, grey, orange
Main Accessories - gunbarrel


I never had the original of this figure , or the Combiner Wars re-do. When the original came out I didn't like it because of the lack of articulation,and also I was a child and couldn't buy leader class figures on a whim. I wasn't collecting much around the time of CW so didn't get that one either.

So, fresh thoughts on this figure of a character I have no attachment to:

Alt Mode
I normally don't like H tanks. They're usually really obviously just a Transformer doing a yoga pose. That's the case here, more or less, but it passes muster. Something about the proportions of the vehicle have been tweaked so it looks more like a Scorpion from Halo (? I haven't played one of those in a while) instead of a child's toy.

Everything holds together well and it rolls on the usual 'plastic wheels hiding under treads' design.

The turret can't do an unimpeded 360, however. It does have a fairly full range of motion, but there is a stopping point that prevents it from rotating entirely freely.

No gimmicks are present, really. The old flip up rocket launcher has solid molded cannons now, and it still flips up but does not go past pointing vertical.

Transformation
About what you'd expect from a H tank. The tread mass becomes limbs, the turret ends up on the back.

There's nifty mass shifting to bulk out the chest, and the chest opens to retract a cover that hides the (downward facing) robot face in tank mode.

Robot Mode

An imposing figure with a great silhouette.

All of the usual articulation you want is here. I love that (semi) fixed shoulder pieces with independently articulated shoulder joints have become part of the universal design language of Leader class for Evolution (see also: Blitzwing, Laser OP, Skyquake).

You can take the front half of the turret barrel and plug it into Megatron's forearm. This looks tremendously silly. Otherwise, you can have the armpit gun look from Armada (on both sides), or indeed just rotate the whole turret around the waist so that it sits on the front of the figure for some kind of apron of doom (tm).

The shoulder pylons don't really lock in anywhere, so if you don't handle with care they'll flop around while you're posing the figure. The lack of covers for the forearm gaps (fist flip out) annoys me at this price point. Also, the antlers are simply pegged in and like to fall out, so make sure you don't lose them.

Overall

It is a fun figure, great feel in the hand.

Photos pending

[Handsprime]

Here are my thoughts on the new Legacy Armada Megatron (compared to the original)

Robot Mode

He is a massive improvement over the original figure. While he does lack gimmicks like the hidden blade in his left hand, and his firing missile (which hasn't been a thing with Transformers toys in the CHUG toyline since Combiner Wars, which ironically makes another Armada Megatron one of the last figures to feature said gimmick), he makes it up with improved articulation (neck, hands, heels and most importanly, knees!). Sadly (and expected) he does not come with Leader-1, and he doesn't have any ports for the minicon figure to rest, although you can still use the Siege/Earthrise Micromasters if you want. Like with the rest of the Armada Legacy toys, his minicon activated power is manual now, meaning you don't need a minicon to activate his double missile launcher. Seeing as the focus is on the figure and not the gimmicks, he also doesn't include those minicon rooms on his legs.
The transformation is a little bit more complex this time around. One difference is that his face plate is NOT slideable, but rather folds into his chest. Since he doesn't have any electronics, whenever you transform him, you don't have to hear the "DECEPTICONS ATTACK!" sound all the time.

While I forgot to take a photo, he is still able to do his Full Blast Mode, as this is what is advertised as his Evo-Fusion ability.

Vehicle Mode

Honestly I was blown away by his Tank mode. It's so faithful to the original, that I wouldn't of known it was the Legacy toy until I saw the 2 together. Granted there are some noticeable differences (for example lack of Minicon ports on the Legacy toy, and some paint), but it does a really good job of recreating the iconic H-Tank mode.

Verdict

Overall this is a fantastic update of the Armada character. Where it lacks in gimmicks, it makes up with articulation. The fact that at times I had to check twice to make sure he wasn't the original means if you want an Armada Megatron figure for your collection, I recommend picking him up. Hopefully they'll do the Armada Minicons soon, even if they are just micromasters.

[Dimi194]

Terrifyingly, the OG Armada Megatron was my Megatron as a kid (and I've still got him, although the antlers are broken), so I have a lot of nostalgia for this one.
However, unlike the Commander OP, who is a 10/10, this guy doesn't quite do it for me - he's a little bit too small, and the lack of backwards shoulder movement kills me, given that they did so much improvement in other areas.
I have the FansHobby versions of both, and while the Prime is impressive, he is a bit unwieldy, and the core robot was wack, so the Legacy version does provide something unique. However, the FH Megs has such great shoulder articulation, it makes me miss it on this Legacy version - and I'm not sure why they couldn't have moved some flaps around to give him backward motion.

Still a nice figure (and looks good with Micromasters all over him), but not the home run that OP was.

[SharkyMcShark]

TI'm not sure why they couldn't have moved some flaps around to give him backward motion.

It's not even a flaps issue. If you look at the shoulders, they're actually mounted 90 degrees rotated to how a normal shoulder is mounted (ie the joint faces backward, not sideways into the chest).

You'd need a whole different joint.

[GoktimusPrime]

Approximate Size - TBA (ruler and figure not in front of me right now)

Photos pending

While you're at it, would you be so kind as to also include a poll on this thread please? Thanking you.

[Paulbot]

I never had the original of this figure , or the Combiner Wars re-do.

... which ironically makes another Armada Megatron one of the last figures to feature said gimmick) ...

I think a lot of us have completely forgotten the Combiner Wars Armada Megatron toy. Did anyone like that toy?

This one is kinda growing on me, but like the Armada Prime, it doesn't fit into my collection goals.

The size difference to Super Optimus Prime is greater than I thought too