Toy Review - Cloud Megatron

[GoktimusPrime]

TFC-D01 Decepticon Megatron
Series - Cloud
Sub-line - N/A
Size/class - Voyager
New/remould/redeco - Repaint of Generations Megatron, which was a retool of ROTF Bludgeon
Wave - 1
Released here - N/A (eHobby exclusive)
Approximate Retail Price - 6410JPY (AU$70)
Approximate Size - 20cm
Allegiance - Decepticon
Sub-Group - N/A
Alt-mode - Type 90 Kyū-Maru main battle tank
Main Features/Gimmicks - Mech Alive hidden scabbard
Main Colours - silver, gunmetal grey, red
Main Accessories - Katana sword & Tantou dagger, exclusive comic

* This is a basic impression of this retooled figure. See the ROTF Bludgeon review thread for more detailed comments about the core mould.




Visually this figure looks quite nice and is packaged in a beautiful collector style box.

Unfortunately it seems to suffer from mould degradation. A few of the joints are very loose, and there are some panels towards the rear of the tank mode that don't clip in tightly. I can't really say it's worth the $70 that I spent on it. :/ Somewhat recommended if you can get it at a cheaper price, but you're not missing out on much by not having this toy.

[SharkyMcShark]

Shame about the degradation - this is a really good mold when everything is working well.

So this mold has now been Bludgeon, Banzaitron, Overlord and now Megatron. Has any one mold ever been used for this many high profile characters?

[GoktimusPrime]

So this mold has now been Bludgeon, Banzaitron, Overlord and now Megatron. Has any one mold ever been used for this many high profile characters?

Starscream (various versions). The Classics Starscream mould suffered from similar issues when they made Gentei Skywarp & Thunder cracker, but thankfully Hasbro fixed it by time the generations seekers were released.

[Deonasis]

Also the G2 Megatron tank version of this. Some people don't like beating a dead horse but I think a yellow Destructicon Bludgeon would be nice.

For the Cloud version I wish those little guards in front of the treads were a leather brown instead of red. Not sure why it bugs me so..

[Sinnertwin]

Shame about the degradation - this is a really good mold when everything is working well.

So this mold has now been Bludgeon, Banzaitron, Overlord and now Megatron. Has any one mold ever been used for this many high profile characters?

There have been a few. The GT-R's have had Prime, Saber, Maximus & Megatron, the ALT/BT Subaru's have had Smokescreen, Bluestreak, Silverstreak, Red Alert & Ricochet & as Gok pointed out, you have Starscream (G1 & G2) Skywarp, Thundercracker (G1 & G2) Acid Storm, Sunstorm, Bitstream, Hotlink etc

[DELTAprime]

Starscream (various versions). The Classics Starscream mould suffered from similar issues when they made Gentei Skywarp & Thunder cracker, but thankfully Hasbro fixed it by time the generations seekers were released.

I'd love to know for a fact how they fixed that mould, I'm guessing either heavy retool or brand new mould given how much money there is to be made from Seekers. I know that there are at least 3 versions of the Season 1 version of the mould.

I wish they could fix more moulds tho, this Bludgeon mould will be a sad one to loose as it's actually really good.

[GoktimusPrime]

I'd love to know for a fact how they fixed that mould, I'm guessing either heavy retool or brand new mould given how much money there is to be made from Seekers. I know that there are at least 3 versions of the Season 1 version of the mould.

I wish they could fix more moulds tho, this Bludgeon mould will be a sad one to loose as it's actually really good.

The issue with Henkei Skywarp and Thundercracker came down to looseness in the wing joints (making them more floppy) and also the holes in the wings and arms that hold the missile launchers in place. I have to use small bits of Blu Tac to hold them into place. But I haven't experienced any such problem with any of my Generations Seekers, so it appears that they've repaired/restored those parts of the mould -- perhaps they recasted or partially reconstructed just those parts of the mould? I'm not really sure exactly how they do it, but the Generations Seekers clearly demonstrate that it can be done.

[GoktimusPrime]

I've done a side-by-side comparison w/ ROTF Bludgeon, and as I initially suspected, not only do the rear panels on Cloud Megatron fail to sit flush as they do on Bludgeon, but the swords are a LOT softer. When ROTF Bludgeon first came out, I thought that his swords were incredibly soft, but they're positively rock hard compared to Cloud Megatron's swords! Cloud Megatron's swords are so soft that they wobble like jelly if you shake them. On the plus side, they clip into the hands really easily and it doesn't feel like there's as much (if any) risk of the handles placing stress on the thumbs and potentially breaking them. The plastic on the legs are soft enough that it doesn't allow the knees to bend without the lower legs popping off.

The paint operations on Cloud Megatron are a bit sloppy in some places on my figure. There's a small red smudge on one panel in tank mode, and some of the silver on the chest and white on the face has some unpainted spots exposed (making it look like it's been chipped). The paint on the tank treads are also more easily prone to chipping; I have some on mine which have already chipped just from transforming. I hope this isn't a sign of quality issues for other Cloud TFs -- not that I personally intend on getting any others, but for anyone considering getting this or other Cloud TFs, please be wary.

Comparison pics:

[GoktimusPrime]

BWTF.com is currently in the process of uploading toy reviews for the Cloud Transformers. Each review will also have an English translation of their bios. Cloud Rodimus' review is currently up.