Toy Review - Generations Leader Megatron (Armada)

(Please post comments, photos or even a fully comprehensive review - these are just some brief details to start you off)
Impressions of the group or a combiner as a whole can be posted in the pre-existing group review topic here.

ARMADA MEGATRON
Series - Generations
Sub-line - Combiner Wars
Size/class - Leader
New/remould/redeco - redeco w/new head (released at same time as Silver Megatron)
Wave - 1
Released here - Feb/Mar 2015 (here and Asia/America)
Approximate Retail Price - AU$95 (US$45)
Approximate Size - 25cm
Allegiance - Decepticon
Alt-mode - Tank
Main Features/Gimmicks - Firing Missile
Main Colours - Green, purple, silver
Main Accessories - 2x Combining Guns, Missile

http://www.toycollectors.com.au/tran...5/gen15a12.jpg
.

Have the G1 version, and contemplating picking up this one for the a Target sale. I'm just not sure, as I've got no connection to the character (never seen Armada) but it is a solid mould...

I love the original Armada Megatron toy. One of my biggest regrets as a collector was not retrieving it from my mother-in-law's place before my niece detrotyed it :( So with that in mind I was keen to pick this up. I saw it in person at TRU the other day and was supremely disappointed. Proportionally I t just seems all wrong. Apart from the head and the colours, there is nothing to me that evokes Armada Megs. I'll be skipping it. In fact, I'm now keen to track down Armada Megatron

Spectacular mold that does make a lot of compromises in its homage to Armada Megs, but still winds up an excellent end product.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Trent

I love the original Armada Megatron toy. One of my biggest regrets as a collector was not retrieving it from my mother-in-law's place before my niece detrotyed it :( So with that in mind I was keen to pick this up. I saw it in person at TRU the other day and was supremely disappointed. Proportionally I t just seems all wrong. Apart from the head and the colours, there is nothing to me that evokes Armada Megs. I'll be skipping it. In fact, I'm now keen to track down Armada Megatron

---

Do it! While an updated Armada Megs would be good this one is the definition of a shoehorned figure. The original one despite flaws looks 1000% better. :cool:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Trent

I love the original Armada Megatron toy. One of my biggest regrets as a collector was not retrieving it from my mother-in-law's place before my niece detrotyed it :( So with that in mind I was keen to pick this up. I saw it in person at TRU the other day and was supremely disappointed. Proportionally I t just seems all wrong. Apart from the head and the colours, there is nothing to me that evokes Armada Megs. I'll be skipping it. In fact, I'm now keen to track down Armada Megatron

---

The original Armada Megatron looks better and has more fun gimmickry however it is also a blocky, unbalanced and not very poseable figure (which is not uncommon for that era but is the reason I sold it. This Leader figure addresses most of those articulation problems.

Do I wish he didn't have to share proportions with G1 Megs? Yes
Do I wish he had a detachable cannon that can stick to the hip? Yes
Do I wish he came with a minicon? Yes
Do I wish he had the insane screaming Armada Megatron face? Hell Yes

However given the beautiful colours, one of the best tank modes to come out of the factory in a long time (full turret motion, firing cannon AND working treads?!?), plus the fact that you can cheat hip-cannon AND combine with Armada Tidal Wave I am totally sold on this guy. :D

I have both Megatrons. While the original one has Electronics, functional mini-con ports, the ability to combine with Tidal Wave and an appearance closer to the Armada Cartoon, Combiner Wars Armada Megatron has KNEES!!! CW one wins

(PS having both Megatrons is why I changed my avatar to lil formers armada Megatron)

..but ..but the new one doesn't even look like him.

I took some Pictures of both Megatrons to compare them. Here are the Pros and Cons:

Armada Megatron

PROS:
Comes with a Mini con!
Can combine with Tidal Wave
Has Electronics
Mini-con can activate various gimmicks

Cons:
It doesn't have proper knees
Poseability with the figure is limited due to the legs
Gimmicks can get in the way
"DECEPTICONS, ATTACK!" can be triggered very easily (and is very loud)


Combiner Wars Megatron

PROS:
HE HAS KNEES!
His Tank has working treads
There is a lot more articulation than the Armada figure
Dead Mini-con ports so
Lack of gimmicks give him a bit more articulation in the wrists and the legs

CONS:
Figure only slighty resembles Armada Megatron
Poseability is more harder due to the front treads being on the back (making him fall other)
No Leader-1 :(
Cannon on Right Arm is in the way
The 2 guns combined into 1 gun is a bit loose

YMMV:
No Gimmicks or Electronics

EDIT: OK so I forgot to mention about CW Megatron combining with Armada Tidal Wave. Apparently it is possible, but it's very loose and lacks the proper parts to do it. But since it can at least do it (remember that Tidal Wave is over 10 years old), I give the toy a +1 for being able to do that.

As someone with a Takara Micron Legends Ultra??? Class Megatron from back in the day I feel like that's the definitive Armada Megatron and this new Megs is just not.

I feel bad for this guy, he really isn't that bad a figure but he simply doesn't compare with the G1 Megs.

A smarter tactic would be to release him first then G1 Megatron.

I'm baffled they released the 2 Megatrons in the one go. Was looking at Armada Megs again today at Target thinking wether to get him or not, but his reindeer antlers irritate me. There was 4 left of him and zero Silver G1 so he is not loved.

I love the toy to the point that I'm considering picking up the silver version, despite it not initially being on my radar, just because the mould is that good.

That said, it would seem like the easiest thing in the world to simply create a new tooling for the chest piece that more closely matches the original Armada toy. As it is, the only tooling on the whole figure which is different from his wave-mate is the head. I know that's cheap and easy (for those who need a G2 Megatron, it's SO easy to remove the head on this toy) but the only extra part it really needed to make a perfect update to Armada Megatron was the new chest. It's a little disappointing compared to some of the extensive retooling we've seen recently.

Still, Armada Megatron is awesome. G1 Megs looks good in silver, but the purple and green really pop. I love it to pieces (well, hopefully not to pieces...).

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Zommael

I love the toy to the point that I'm considering picking up the silver version, despite it not initially being on my radar, just because the mould is that good.

That said, it would seem like the easiest thing in the world to simply create a new tooling for the chest piece that more closely matches the original Armada toy. As it is, the only tooling on the whole figure which is different from his wave-mate is the head. I know that's cheap and easy (for those who need a G2 Megatron, it's SO easy to remove the head on this toy) but the only extra part it really needed to make a perfect update to Armada Megatron was the new chest. It's a little disappointing compared to some of the extensive retooling we've seen recently.

Still, Armada Megatron is awesome. G1 Megs looks good in silver, but the purple and green really pop. I love it to pieces (well, hopefully not to pieces...).

---

Good Guy Zommael.

Buys the Megatron most other people don't want.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by FruitBuyer

Good Guy Zommael.

Buys the Megatron most other people don't want.

---

My collection isn't for the enjoyment of most other people. :p

The more realistic vehicle mode ruins it for me with this Armada version. To me, Armada is all about cheesy ridicuous looking vehicles and robots. And Minicons. This new megatron's tank mode is WAY too serious for my liking.

I think they should have released it as Gen2 Megatron instead of Armada Megatron... with the green/purple camo and purple helmet head.
It would be a shame to not have some non-Gen1 homage toys being done, but in this case, it doesn't fit the aesthetic of Armada Megatron like how Tets described above. (I love that type of tank the Armada Megatron used too.)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by FruitBuyer

Good Guy Zommael.

Buys the Megatron most other people don't want.

---

However most people also basically bought a G1 Megatron action figure (not that there's anything wrong with that).

Armada Megs rocks BOTH modes like a real transformer :D, although most would probably mistake him for G2 Megs before Armada Megs in tank mode.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by griffin

I think they should have released it as Gen2 Megatron instead of Armada Megatron... with the green/purple camo and purple helmet head.
It would be a shame to not have some non-Gen1 homage toys being done, but in this case, it doesn't fit the aesthetic of Armada Megatron like how Tets described above. (I love that type of tank the Armada Megatron used too.)

---

The trouble with that is you're just releasing two toys of the exact same character, whereas with Armada you can at least say it's two different characters, even if only because of alternate universes and different heads. G2 Megatron would have been cool, yes, but it would have to have been a later redeco rather than a wave-mate, especially given how questionable the weighting of wave 1 is.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Zommael

My collection isn't for the enjoyment of most other people. :p

---

The hero that we need but not the one we deserve.

I think we all agree this mold is great but still in my case, neither version 100% nails their hommage.

The Armada tank mode is decent considering the differences between this and the H-tank original. I especially like the yellow ^ mark and the painted reference under the turrent to the originals "pincers".

In bot mode i wish the chest could have been remolded. I also think the parts sticking up behind the shoulders should have been black (like the G1 version) instead of green. To top it off a little shank-like knife would've been da bomb :cool:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by FruitBuyer

The hero that we need but not the one we deserve.

---

If only this board had rep.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Deonasis

I think we all agree this mold is great but still in my case, neither version 100% nails their hommage.

---

The G1 Megatron comes pret-ty damn close; he even has gun grips on the sides of his legs! :D IMHO Combiner Wars Megatron is about as close as Hasbro can get to making a G1 Megatron character toy that doesn't actually transform into a Walther P38 (for obvious reasons). He's an even closer facsimile of G1 Megatron in robot mode than Classics/Henkei/United Voyager Megatron. :) It's obvious that this mould was initially conceived to be G1 Megatron, then later modified to be Armada Megatron. But I agree with griffin in that it's an interesting choice to give us a wholly new and different Megatron character rather than just a different incarnation of the same Megatron, which is what G2 Megatron would've been. :)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by GoktimusPrime

The G1 Megatron comes pret-ty damn close

---

He sure does come close but I get an uncanny valley vibe from him too, kind of a 'soo close but not quite right' look.

When I saw pics of this guy last year I wanted to get him, but after seeing him, I just can't quite seem to gather the enthusiasm. Though Leader class is always a tough sell for me.

Still if he goes on clearance........

I really do like that they went for something different like this, though I still want a G2 Megs repaint.

Incant justify spending 80$ on him no. The armada vers. Looked unreal in tank mode but after seeing first hand pics ive changed my mind.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Pep_87

Incant justify spending 80$ on him no. The armada vers. Looked unreal in tank mode but after seeing first hand pics ive changed my mind.

---

With those reindeer antlers, It's a unique Christmas decoration to put on your mantlepiece.:D

well, putting the two Megatrons side by side, the first thing I can say is I want to swap those shin pieces - unpainted grey on silver G1 Megs, and painted the same silver as G1 Megs on Armada Megatron... In fact they're kind of as out of place here as they are on the G1 version. And by G1 version I mean the other 2015 Tank Megatron release. Not the old gunformer.

If I get really bored I might try removing some pins...

Other than that, I really like the colour palette in use, the vibrant purple really contrasts with the muted military green, though I would have like the red pieces to be a little deeper red (similar to G1 Megatron) as they are now, they're an orangey red. However, I don't know the original character design/toy, so this might be the "correct" colour to have used.

Headsculpt is cool, great multi-level detail, face size is a little smaller than G1 Megatron, and a little more "in scale" in my opinion. G1 Megatron's head was just a little too big, by maybe 10-15% to me.

Great release, not worth the $95 I bought G1 Megs from Toyworld at, but for $69 (or $79? I don't remember) I thought I'd give him a shot.

going to pass on this guy, color scheme is wack

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Handsprime

Dead Mini-con ports so

OK so I forgot to mention about CW Megatron combining with Armada Tidal Wave. Apparently it is possible, but it's very loose and lacks the proper parts to do it. But since it can at least do it (remember that Tidal Wave is over 10 years old), I give the toy a +1 for being able to do that.

---

Dead Mini-Con Ports also mean Mechtech Weapon Ports, but putting Mini-Cons on him will really Armada him up.

And combining with Tidal Wave? Gotta pick both of them up.
Also do you have any pictures of Tidal wave combined with CW AM?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by UltimateGalvatron

Dead Mini-Con Ports also mean Mechtech Weapon Ports, but putting Mini-Cons on him will really Armada him up.

And combining with Tidal Wave? Gotta pick both of them up.
Also do you have any pictures of Tidal wave combined with CW AM?

---

While I don't have any photos, I found this one on the internet showing him combined:
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IA8jEaMhGS...0/P2150979.JPG

While it is easy to put both the Front and middle parts on the arms, they are very loose and aren't exactly the same as Armada Megatron, while the pack part is held on by the back 2 mini-con ports:

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sb6jyW8mmt...0/P2150984.JPG

However that isn't exactly easy and is still very loose. It's kinda funny knowing this (And this also works on the other megatron as well so yay)

It would be cool if they made a Titan or Leader Class Tidal Wave designed to combine with him!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by UltimateGalvatron

It would be cool if they made a Titan or Leader Class Tidal Wave designed to combine with him!

---

That would be rather....lopsided.

Here's my quick look at the recent TF Combiner Wars Armada Megatron! I think this ranks up their with the MP-10 Optimus Evangelion crossover for being so ugly it's pretty nice lol!! Definitely an acquired taste!

Transformers Generations Combiner Wars Armada Megatron - YouTube

Hope you can check it out, subscribe, like, and comment with your thoughts on this weird repaint :)

My thoughts :)

I got both the Armada version and the G1'ish version of this figure at the same time, along with about 30 others in my BBTS POL. And while the G1 version was the very first toy I opened, this is one of my last, nearly a month later.

On it's own this is a very good toy! Decent colour scheme, excellent huge tank mode with revolving treads and firing cannon, the robot mode is large and impressive. Again, very good!

It's really just when you compare it to the original Armada Megatron that it falls down. There was a toy that had a LOT of playability! Ramps, holding cells, a Mini-Con partner etc etc. I still remember it as one of the most fun toys I got from the whole Unicron Triogy series :) Whilst this is a great toy, it really does not compare to the original. Perhaps if it had been released without there being a G1 version, people would be more enthused.

Overall I do like him. As stated before the colours are Armada accurate and I like the fact his secondary weapon can attach to his wrist in the same way Leader-1 did. But the toy does not bring back the wonder of the original and is prob only worth grabbing if you want the mould but have no interest in the G1 version.

My thoughts exactly, BigTransformerTrev.