Megatron (BW)/toys
From Transformers Wiki
The Megatron from Beast Wars has many toys, yeeess.
Toys
Beast Wars
- Takara name: Amazon no Taiketsu: Convobat VS Megalligator (アマゾンの対決 コンボバットVSメガリゲーター)
- Takara ID number: VS-6
- Accessories: Gun/tail
- Known designers: Takio Ejima (TakaraTomy), Masakatsu Saito (concept artist)
- The initial version of Beast Wars Megatron transforms into a green crocodile. The toy is a retool of Iguanus with new crocodile and robot heads, and no frill. The screw hole for the frill bracket remains. Both toys were released at roughly the same time.
- This toy came in a two-pack with the bat-mode Optimus Primal. In Hasbro markets, this duo came with a Beast Wars mini-comic. The Japanese release of the two-pack, dubbed "Amazon Showdown: Convobat VS Megalligator", lacks the comic, but does come with individual character bio cards.
- Whether this toy can be considered the Beast Wars Megatron character as seen in the primary fiction is a matter of debate. Released before the beginning of the animated series, which established Megatron as a separate entity from Generation 1 Megatron, the accompanying profiles and mini-comic imply the Beast Wars to be a direct progression of the Autobot/Decepticon war.
- This mold was additionally used to make the purple-recolored Megalligator (indicated to be Generation 1 Megatron), released individually to be his own character Megalligator and was proposed for Albitron, which never reached fruition. The Iguanus version was used for Crazybolt.
Beast Wars mold: Megatron (Basic Class) | ||
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- Megatron (Ultra Class, 1996)
- Takara name: Megatron (メガトロン)
- Takara ID number: D-1
- Accessories: 2 missiles, "poisonous paralyzer fluid" water-squirting gun
- Known designers: Takio Ejima (TakaraTomy), Masakatsu Saito (concept artist)
- This Megatron transforms into a purple, green, and yellow organic Tyrannosaurus rex. He has very limited articulation in beast mode, located mostly in his legs and the shoulders of his beast mode arms. In addition, he has a water squirter in his dinosaur mouth, which is activated when pulling back on the upper part of his head, opening his jaw, which in turn pulls back on the pump inside his tongue. His thigh-shells can also extend out from the body to fire spring-loaded, anchor-shaped projectiles.
- In robot mode, he features two bat-like wing adornments on either side of his head that wrap around to become his mutant head. In addition to his water squirter (now located as his right arm) and his hip-mounted launchers, his left arm (made up of the dinosaur tail) contains a spring-loaded pincer gimmick that is activated by pushing and pulling on a black lever on his elbow. The water bladder for the squirting gimmick is contained inside a removable throat/tongue section, allowing for the user to fill it with water. The plug located on the top, covering the hole used to fill the bladder, and the pump inside the tongue are both highly susceptible to deteriorating due to the rubbery plastic used; crumbling to dust with age.
- The Takara release features no changes from the Hasbro version. This mold was also used to make the Beast Machines Dinobot T-Wrecks.
Beast Wars mold: Megatron (Ultra Class) | ||
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- Saikyō Beast no Taiketsu: Convoy VS Megatron (VS pack, 1997)
- ID number: VS-1
- Accessories: Two missiles, water squirter
- In Japan, Ultra Megatron was available both individually and in a very large "Strongest Beast Showdown" (最強ビーストの対決 Saikyō Beast no Taiketsu) two-pack with Ultra "Convoy".
- Both toys are identical to their individual releases.
- Megalligator (1997)
- ID number: D-6
- Accessories: Gun/tail
- In Japan, "Megalligator" (メガリゲーター), the Basic Class gator Megatron toy, was also sold as an individual toy, as well as in a VS pack with Optimus.
- The individual release is identical to the two-pack version, which is in turn identical to the Hasbro version.
- Continuing the trend of its Hasbro counterpart, this toy was advertised as a yet third character at the time of release. Oy.
Beast Wars mold: Megatron (Basic Class) | ||
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- Predacon Arachnid Micro Playset (Playset, 1997)
- Known designers: Takio Ejima (TakaraTomy), Masakatsu Saito (concept artist)
- In Europe, the Beast Wars-branded MicroVerse playsets (see below) were released solely as Beast Wars/Biocombat (English/Spanish/Italian packaging) or Beast Wars/Ani Mutants (French/Dutch/German packaging) products.
- This release is entirely identical to the US MicroVerse release of the toy, aside from the packaging and the branding.
- Gold Megatron (199?)
- Accessories: Two missiles, water squirter
- A gold chrome redeco of Ultra Class Tyrannosaurus Megatron. It was a Japanese exclusive Lucky Draw figure, and at least ten were made.
Beast Wars mold: Megatron (Ultra Class) | ||
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- Megatron (Mega Class Transmetal, 1998)
- Takara name: Metals Megatron (メタルスメガトロン)
- Takara ID number: D-40
- Accessories: Tail/whip
- Known designers: Jerry Palmer (Hasbro), Takio Ejima (TakaraTomy), Masakatsu Saito (concept artist)
- The third Beast Wars Megatron toy transforms from a mechanical Tyrannosaurus to an organic robot mode. As with all Transmetal toys, he has a 'third' vehicle mode; roller skates fold out of his feet and his turbines flip open. These modifications can also be deployed in robot mode. In robot mode, his tail becomes a flexible, segmented cutlass weapon. He can either hold it or it can be stored at his side on the connector piece it was attached to when in beast mode.
- The Hasbro release of this figure was in gold, dark brown, and silver. The Hasbro release is known for being remarkably fragile — the deep brown plastic used for Megatron's waist and torso is prone to eventual breakage due to stress fractures. This has often been mistaken for a form of Gold Plastic Syndrome, but is really more of a design flaw coupled with weak plastics. The Takara version, which used a different plastic, does not have this problem. The Hasbro version had three different variants all based on the shade used for the transmetal parts, some were pink, some purple and others a darker blue purple.
- The Japanese version, "Metals Megatron", is slightly different. The Japanese version uses black instead of the brown of the Hasbro version, a light gray for the beast mode hands, tail, and skates instead of the metallic silver of the Hasbro release, and the copper has a darker, more reddish tint as well.
- Shukumei no Taiketsu: Metals Convoy VS Metals Megatron (VS pack, 1999)
- ID number: VS-40
- Accessories: Tail/whip
- In Japan, Metals Megatron was available both individually and in a "Fateful Showdown" (宿命の対決 Shukumei no Taiketsu) two-pack with Metals Convoy. Both toys are identical to their individual releases.
- As mentioned below, this two-pack saw a variant release using the Gold Convoy and Silver Megatron toys in their place. While the figures inside the packaging were different, the packaging remained the same.
- Silver Metals Megatron (Mega Class Transmetal, 1999)
- ID number: D-40
- Accessories: Tail/whip
- A silver version of Metals Megatron was made available as a Lucky Draw figure. Five were produced for individual sale, while more were made available in a variant of the above VS pack with Gold Convoy.[1]
- Megatron (Ultra Class Transmetal 2, 1999)
- Takara name: Metals Dragon Megatron (メタルスオドラゴンメガトロン)
- Takara ID number: D-47
- Accessories: Three missiles
- Known designers: Aaron Archer (Hasbro), Yuichiro Hira (TakaraTomy), Masakatsu Saito (concept artist)
- The final version of Beast Wars Megatron transforms into a mostly mechanical dragon, with articulation in his legs, little dragon arms and his flexible, rubber neck with vacuum metallized overlapping plates attached on top. The neck is flexible and controlled via a small lever located at its base. This lever is installed backwards due to factory error—it can be used to lock the dragon neck in place, but must first be unscrewed and reattached correctly. The projectiles stored in his wings can be fired from a spring-loaded launcher inside his dragon's mouth. The tail is also flexible, and becomes a helmet for Megatron's already-helmeted head in robot mode.
- In robot mode, Megatron resembles a winged demon, appropriate given his characterization. His chest is dominated by a small cockpit with a control chair inside (see #Notes). Megatron's dragon neck and head replaces his left arm, with an additional missile launcher above his helmet. His spark crystal, colored purple, is located on his dragon mode's right pectoral.
- Transmetal 2 Megatron has a half-hearted "transportation" mode, which involves deploying wheels from his heels, then folding his legs up parallel with his body, so that he can roll around on the ground. This is one purpose for the aforementioned neck-locking mechanism, so the dragon can look straight ahead as it rolls. The original commercial for the toy mistransforms this mode, making it look like Megatron scoots around on his knees.
- Megatron's beast mode appearance in the cartoon leaves his legs fully extended, making the entire length of the upper leg the thigh, just like his robot mode. The photography to the right reflects this choice of transformation. Also, where the toy leaves the robot head exposed and the dragon tail disconnected from the spine, the show reinterprets that area to make a more aesthetically pleasing back for the dragon.
- The Takara "Metals Dragon Megatron" version features no differences to the Hasbro release. This mold was also used to make Robots in Disguise Cryotek.
- Due to either a defect of design (tight joints, thin plastic) or the sparkly red plastic used for his construction, Megatron's lower legs have been known to disintegrate even after several years of not being handled. The holes in his hip joints where the pins are inserted also have a tendency to split open due to the texturing on the pin being too course for the relatively thin area.
MicroVerse
- Predacon Arachnid Micro Playset (Playset, 1997)
- Series: Beast Wars: Transformers
- Known designers: Takio Ejima (TakaraTomy), Masakatsu Saito (concept artist)
- A small, non-transforming micro-figure of Megatron in his crocodile body came with the MicroVerse Arachnid playset.
Beast Machines
- Megatron (Mega Class, 2000)
- Known designers: Tim Bradley (concept artist)
- Part of the second wave of Beast Machines Mega Class toys, the first Beast Machines incarnation of Megatron was based on his Transmetal 2 dragon form, but with cues from his Beast Machines design added, specifically the gilded control helmet and the wrapping cape. A compartment on his chest can be lifted to reveal a spark chamber with a Vehicon spark crystal, similar to other Beast Machines toys. Other than a robot and dragon mode, a third mode, one that wraps and closes the dragon wings around the robot, mimics the shrouded appearance seen on the television show.
- Beast Changer (Deluxe Class, 2001)
- Accessories: Wings (left & right)
- The Beast Changer (so called due to Hasbro's inability to secure the trademark on "Savage Noble") transforms from wolf-creature to dragon-creature (the packaging announces a conversion from "savage beast to noble wolf," a reference to the name Hasbro wasn't able to trademark). A spring-loaded tab on the dragon's head opens his jaws. The toy's spark crystal has its own unique symbol, a merger of the Beast Machines Maximal and Vehicon logos. Its spark-action gimmick is a wind-up spinning claw attack.
- Megatron (Ultra Class,
2001)
- Around December of 2000, the online retailer BigBadToyStore put up a list of upcoming Transformers product from Hasbro.[2] Although the main point of interest was a Transtech assortment listing, it revealed several tail-end and unreleased Beast Machines: Battle for the Spark toys, including an Ultra Class Megatron. And that is literally all we know about it. The end.
Robotmasters
- Beast Megatron (2004)
- ID number: RM-02
- Release date: 15 July 2004
- Accessories: Claw/tail, missile launcher, missile
- Part of the first wave of Takara's Robotmasters toys, Beast Megatron (ビーストメガトロン) is a simplified version of the 1996 Ultra Beast Wars Megatron. Much smaller, having a very similar transformation and a sculpt resembling the television series CGI model, but a paint scheme similar to the original toy. The tail/claw weapon was now removeable, revealing a robot fist which the tail/claw weapon could clamp around. He also came with a small laser rifle.
- Beast Megatron Gentei Black Version (2005)
- ID number: RM-02
- Accessories: Claw/tail, missile launcher, missile, Sacred-Cut Sword "Gazan" blade
- Available only via mail-order through Hyper Hobby magazine, "Beast Megatron Limited Black Version" (ビーストメガトロン限定ブラックバージョン) is just that: a straight black redeco of the Beast Megatron toy. He comes with all his original accessories, appropriately redecoed, as well as a gold-chromed version of the "Sacred-Cut Sword 'Gazan'" solitarium weapon that came with Air Hunter.
Beast Wars Returns
- Megatron (18 November 2004)
- ID number: BR-05
- Beast Wars Returns Megatron (メガトロン) is the almost the same as the Hasbro Beast Machines Mega Class toy; one sprue of red plastic is darker, and the dragon's wing claws are reversed.
- ID number: BR-11
- Accessories: Wings (left & right)
- Beast Wars Returns Noble Savage (ノーブルサヴェッジ) is a toy version of Savage/Noble and a redeco of Deluxe Class Beast Changer, he transforms from a wolf-creature to a dragon creature, with no robot mode. The difference lies in that select red plastic parts were changed to a blue color.
- Megahead Megatron (14 April 2005)
- ID number: BR-12
- Accessories: Missile
- Beast Wars Returns Megahead Megatron (メガヘッドメガトロン) is a Japanese-exclusive redeco of Robots in Disguise Deluxe Class Megabolt Megatron and transforms into a head-shaped spider tank, based on the Grand Mal design. A gear-wheel mechanism moves the legs up and down as the tank mode is pushed along. Pressing the spark crystal on the tank's top opens its jaw and fires a spring-loaded missile. In robot mode, this swings the entire cannon assembly up over the robot's head, along with a "battle mask".
- If one removes the toy's spider-legs in head mode, it fits into the head socket to the Fortress Maximus main body. Though this is likely unintended, it is pointed out here as an extra play feature.
- This mold was also used to make Megabolt.
Timelines
- Darksyde Megatron (BotCon 2006 Convention Souvenir two-pack)
- Accessories: Large missile, projectile, spring-loaded shield/multi-tool arm, claw attachment, hammer attachment, Golden Disk key
- Known designers: Joe Moore (concept artist)[3]
- Representing Megatron before his crash on Earth, Timelines Megatron is a retool and redeco of the Cybertron Ultra Class Cybertron Defense Red Alert toy, and transforms into a large, purple military vehicle similar to a cross between a Russian R-400 Oka mobile ballistic missile launcher and a BTR-90 armoured personnel carrier. The missile can be slid off from its holder, and the left side of his vehicle mode has a flip-up non-firing double-blaster, which can also be "used" in robot mode. Inserting the Golden Disk key (that's marked with the Predacon symbol) into the rear of the missile pops it in half and exposes the inner spring-loaded projectile-launching "laser cannon".
- Megatron comes with a shield that can be mounted on either arm, and when a Key is inserted into the top, a cannon barrel/multi-tool arm flips out that can be equipped with several tools stored in his shins (a spring-loaded hammer-head or a gripping claw). He has two (nonfunctional) Mini-Con Powerlinx hardpoints in vehicle mode, and two different hardpoints in robot mode. The electronics that were previously present in this mold were removed for this release, and all samples of this toy have the space for the robot-mode head manually (and sometimes messily) carved open wider at the top in order to allow the new head to move freely between modes.
- Megatron was an at-show souvenir for BotCon 2006, coming in a two-pack with Waspinator. Only 500 were released.
Beast Wars 10th Anniversary
- Megatron (Beast Wars 10th Anniversary, 2006)
- Accessories: Gun/tail, missile, Jungle Planet Key, "Predacon ship" figurine
- Known designers: Aaron Archer (Hasbro), Tim Bradley (concept artist), Marcelo Matere (concept artist, packaging artist)
- For the 10th Anniversary of Beast Wars, Hasbro created a Deluxe-size figure based mostly upon his original 1996 Tyrannosaurus form, but with technorganic detailing. When a Cyber Key is inserted into his
asstail, it opens up to reveal a missile launcher.
- He is also packaged with a mini-comic-sized reprinting of IDW Publishing's The Gathering #1, a small figurine of the Darksyde (named on the packaging as "Predacon ship"), and a Jungle Planet style Cyber Key without a Cyber Key Code stamped on it. On its packaging, "Predacon" is misspelled as "Preadcon", but a sticker was placed over it with the proper spelling.[4] The sculpts for both leader toys were intentionally designed to blend in with the Jungle Planet aesthetic, "in case" they didn't get a Beast Wars Anniversary release (according to Aaron Archer's statements at BotCon 2005).
- This mold was redecoed into Cybertron Megatron, BotCon 2010 Cindersaur, and United Beast Megatron.
- Optimus Primal vs. Megatron (Multipack, 2006)
- Accessories: Two missiles, water squirter
- The same figures as the Beast Wars Reborn two-pack released in the United States as a Toys"R"Us exclusive and packaged with "Possession". (Oddly, the box art is a re-use from that of the previous 10th Anniversary new-mold deluxe, an entirely different body design.)
Beast Wars mold: Megatron (Ultra Class) | ||
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Beast Wars Reborn
- Convoy vs Megatron (2006)
- ID number: BWR-01
- Accessories: Two missiles, water squirter
- For the 10th Anniversary of Beast Wars, Takara retooled the original 1996 Ultra-sized Megatron toy, giving him a new head sculpt and a new paint scheme based upon the appearance of the CGI model used in the Beast Wars television series.
- This figure came packaged with a version of the 1996 Ultra-sized Optimus Primal which was also retooled and redecoed in the same manner and a Golden Disk CD-ROM that contains control art for a number of Beast Wars toys..
Beast Wars mold: Megatron (Ultra Class) | ||
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Beast Wars Telemocha Series
- Megatron (Deluxe, 2007)
- ID number: TM-02
- Accessories: Claw/tail
- Telemocha Series Megatron (メガトロン) is a redeco of Robotmasters Megatron, with extensive paint details based upon the larger Ultra class Beast Wars Reborn reissue. He came packed with a DVD of the Japanese dub version of "Equal Measures".
- DX Megatron (Ultra, 2007)
- ID number: TM-SP
- Accessories: Two missiles, water squirter
- Telemocha Series DX Megatron (DXメガトロン) is an extensive show-accurate redeco of the original Ultra-class Megatron mold, even more so than the Reborn toy—without the recently remolded show-accurate head. He came with a DVD containing the Japanese dub version of the two-part episode "The Trigger".
Beast Wars mold: Megatron (Ultra Class) | ||
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United
- Beast Megatron (25 February 2012)
- ID number: UN-31
- Accessories: Gun/tail, missile, Jungle Planet Key
- Part of the sixth wave of United toys, "Beast Megatron" (ビーストメガトロン) is a dark purple redeco of the Deluxe Class Beast Wars 10th Anniversary Megatron toy, and is the first release of the mold in Japan.
- Like the 5th and 6th wave figures, Beast Megatron's package features a sticker that said "limited quantity" (数量限定), indicating that this figure is released in limited numbers after its first and only shipment.
Combiner Wars
- Megatron (BotCon 2016 souvenir)
- Accessories: 2 missiles, 2 launchers
- Released as a souvenir figure for BotCon 2016, Combiner Wars Megatron is a redeco/retool of the 2001 Robots in Disguise Ultra Class Megatron/Galvatron mold, which was based on an unused concept by 3H Productions. It features a new head and paint scheme based on Transmetal 2 Megatron from the original Beast Wars cartoon. The snout piece which folds out from under the robot mode head for the original release's bat mode was removed in order to provide clearance for the new head, effectively reducing by one the number of modes to which this release is capable of converting. Despite this, the bat mode is still represented in the (microscopically tiny) instructions. His hand mode, and presumably those of the mold's other uses, can coincidentally hold the same year's Rubber Ducky souvenir.
- The robot mode chest sports a Dinobot spark crystal instead of a Predacon one, possibly because the Dinobot spark crystal is the only version of that tooling which remains. Additionally, the factory neglected to paint the dragon mode's eyes—while accidental, this is fitting since the last time Megatron had a red dragon body, as "Beast Changer" (see above), he was also eyeless in dragon mode. Fun Publications provided eye stickers and a spark crystal-sized Predacon symbol sticker on that year's Magnaboss sticker sheet.
- This mold was also used to make Timelines Deathsaurus. In addition to being Megatron's body in Dawn of the Predacus, the BotCon 2016 toy was also used as Megatron's Beast Upgrade body in Beast Wars: Uprising.
Legends
- Convobat (December 19, 2016)
- ID number: LG-EX
Megalligator was repurposed as the Legends World Megatron during Nightscream's film in the Legends comic.
- Available with the e-HOBBY-exclusive Legends Convobat, this Headmaster of Megalligator (メガリゲーター) is a redeco of Titans Return Nucleon. As a Headmaster, Megalligator can turn into a head compatible with any Deluxe-or-larger Titans Return-style figure, although he is intended for use with LG22 Skull's Deluxe-sized transtector, to which he is color-matched. The deep-green result, however, questionably matches the duller green of the original Megalligator toy. Megalligator can also pinch Convobat's partner drone Ape X Arms, riding its gorilla mode or combining with it to form a jet.
- G2 Megatron (February 24, 2018)
- ID number: LG63
- Accessories: Fusion cannon, rifle, Headmaster, Noble Partner Drone
- Legends "G2 Megatron" (G2メガトロン) is a redeco of Titans Return Voyager Class Megatron in Generation 2 Megatron's "Hero" colors. It transforms from robot to tank to plane reminiscent of his Machine Wars counterpart and back. Megatron comes with a Headmaster module that becomes his head. He also comes with Noble, who is redecoed from Fangry's drone accessory.
- Like all Voyager Class Titans Return molds, he has a pair of pop-up parts to fill in the area around his head; in this case, a pair of missile racks. This version of the mold retains the retooling that includes a pivoting assembly for better range of movement. Due to the nature of his transformation, it is possible to transform Megatron into tank mode without removing his head.
- His fusion cannon can plug into the short barrel of the tank turret or the rifle/Headmaster vehicle weapon. In an undocumented additional feature, the rifle can be inserted into the front end of the fusion cannon. The fusion cannon can be mounted on his forearm or held by any figure with 5mm hands. It also has a peg hole that an accessory such as his rifle can plug into, with extra square peg holes specifically to hold the rifle in place.
- In fiction, this toy represents a transtector body initially owned by Beast Wars Megatron before coming into Generation 1 Megatron's possession.
Masterpiece
- ID number: MP-43
- Accessories: Laser effect part, smiling face, grimacing face, rifle, toothbrush, dinosaur tail/weapon, 2 dinosaur thighs/hip armor pieces, 2 shoulderpads, dinosaur belly/backplate, base adapter (beast mode) base adapter (robot mode), base adapter (robot back)
- Depicting his original pre-Transmetal organic body, Masterpiece "Megatron (Beast Wars)" (メガトロン (ビーストウォーズ)) transforms from a show accurate robot to a show accurate Tyrannosaurus rex, with the latter in particular being far more detailed and show-accurate than any previous toy of the character in beast mode. He comes with extra faceplates: alongside his regular, serious face, he can also have a tooth-clenched grimacing face or a smiling face. His T. rex head features articulated eyes with show-accurate yellow irises and pupils that can be hidden by rolling them into his skull to give him fully red "inactive" eyes as his robot mode hand/arm cannon, reminiscent of the original toy. He also comes with a laser effect part that plugs into the T. rex mouth, a hunting rifle (as seen in "Call of the Wild"), and a toothbrush to recreate the scene in "Before the Storm" where he is seen brushing his T. rex head/right hand's teeth. To further recreate the scene, all his dinosaur mode kibble can be stripped off to complete Megatron's not-fighting look. Finally, he comes with stand adapter pieces to assist with multiple action poses, compatible with the stand that comes with Masterpiece Dinobot: it can be configured for Megatron's robot and dinosaur modes, and can also recreate the scene in "Call of the Wild" where Optimus Primal lifts him overhead each using a unique adapter. Both of Megatron's modes feature insane poseability, and the figure is kept stable via die-cast parts in the feet; despite this, the hip swivel joint in robot mode is quite loose and it's quite easy to knock him around. Additionally, he is the largest Beast Wars Masterpiece figure.
- Megatron comes with a voice gimmick with newly recorded lines by Shigeru Chiba, activated by pressing the T. rex forehead. He features three sets of sound clips: one for beast mode, one for robot mode, and one consisting of laser blast sounds, which can be cycled through by holding down the T. rex forehead button. Some of the clips feature guest appearances by NAVI-ko, Blackarachnia, and even a snippet of "War War! Stop It".[5]
- With a MSRP of 35,000 yen (approximately 315 USD), this figure had the highest initial price of any mass retail Hasbro or Takara Transformers toy (as opposed to convention exclusives, contest prizes, statues, etc.) until MP-44 Convoy. Originally scheduled for release on January 26, 2019, Megatron was delayed to March 30. The toy was exported to Asian and English-speaking markets by Hasbro, with an additional slipcover over the box and a small battery installation/safety sheet in English.
- For a toy this expensive, that transforms largely by stacking piles of folded-up beast bits on top of each other, owners should take significant care in watching out for stress marks in the plastic, especially the crotch section. The Japanese instructions take the unusual step of warning buyers of the best ways to handle the shoulder and waist movements to avoid breakage. Furthermore, said beast bits aren't guaranteed to hold tight together in beast mode, and must be aligned perfectly to avoid gaps; some of this can be remedied by removing Megatron's right shoulder pad, which would otherwise be completely hidden in beast mode and frees up more space for the skin panels to lock together. There have also been reports of loose waist joints.
- In Hasbro Asia markets, Megatron would have come with a collector coin mounted in a card modeled after his distinctive chest design. The coin appears to have been canceled, presumably due to the fact that, like Shadow Panther, both the coin and the fold-out interior of the card it's mounted on depict the Maximal sigil rather than the Predacon one.[6] The existence of this coin was discovered when some of them found their way onto the secondary market.
War for Cybertron: Kingdom
- Megatron (Beast) (Leader Class, 2020)
- Hasbro ID number: WFC-K10
- TakaraTomy name: Megatron (Beast) (メガトロン (ビースト))
- TakaraTomy ID number: KD-04
- TakaraTomy release date: 24 April 2021
- Known designers: John Warden (Hasbro), Takashi Kunihiro (TakaraTomy), Ken Christiansen (concept artist)[7]
- Released to commemorate the 25th anniversary of Beast Wars, War for Cybertron: Kingdom "Megatron (Beast)" (named as such to distinguish this Megatron from his namesake) is a Leader Class-sized toy that transforms from a robot accurate to his appearance in the first season of the Beast Wars cartoon into a "realistic" Tyrannosaurus rex seemingly inspired by the Jurassic Park school of design. Though Megatron does not come with any fire blast effects, those from other toys can be attached inside his dinosaur mode mouth. While he features a left hand underneath the tail weapon in robot mode, the tail weapon cannot be detached from his forearm.
- Most of the beast mode shell is cast in a rubbery PVC plastic material, likely to enhance the texture of the dinosaur mode as well as assist the part-clashing transformation. The beast mode itself is well articulated, especially with thigh pieces on a slider to ensure vertical hip movement, as well as spring-loaded pieces around his neck to prevent the sculpt from breaking up too much while posing. The downside to the softer plastic is that it's a great deal more susceptible to being warped out of shape if left deformed for prolongued periods. The sides of his tail that fold up for robot mode are the most common example of warping due to being forced out of shape while folded up.
- Stock photos of his robot mode are mistransformed: the bottom of his tail is not flipped out, while the back kibble and thigh armor are not rotated correctly (though the latter does allow for improved hip movement). The TakaraTomy stock photos also show the figure with different colors, similar to what happened with the Earthrise Allicon: all the robot mode purple bits are cast in a deep burgundy plastic, while the robot face is red. Newer pics were shown a few days later, showing the correct color scheme. Official Hasbro stock photography also depicts the red face.
- Megatron comes with a random Golden Disk card that "reveals a possible destiny of a key character", with each character having three possible destiny variants.
- In January 2021, a variant of the figure was discovered featuring a different face sculpt with the same grimace as the original toy.[8]
- This mold was redecoed into T-Wrecks and retooled into Tyrannocon Rex.
Vintage Beast Wars
- Megatron (Reissue, 2021)
- Accessories: Two missiles, water squirter
- In celebration of the 25th anniversary of Beast Wars, the original 1996 Ultra Class Megatron was reissued under the Vintage Beast Wars lineup. Megatron features all the same accessories and functionality as the original toy but differs slightly in deco, having a more saturated purple shade, and the silver paint on his robot head has been swapped to a gloss black. The claw arm spring is also a bit too strong, so the trigger tends to skip across the gear teeth instead of actually triggering the claw properly. The gear skip can mostly be fixed by tightening the three screws in the forearm, which aren't screwed in entirely when fresh out of the box.
- The second set of Hasbro stock photography, which is the one used on the cross-sell, has a silver-painted helmet, akin to the original toy.
- Much like Vintage G1, Megatron is packaged in a box styled after the original Beast Wars toy packaging, package art and all. Also similar to Vintage G1, the time disparity since the original release has the toy reasonably set at over double the price of the toy's 1996 release, $52.99 USD versus $20, and is exclusive to Walmart in the United States and Canada. Due to accommodating multiple languages, the bio card is also rather drastically changed, including using a silhouette of 2007 Transformers Optimus Prime's head for the intelligence. The cross-sell for Cheetor and Rattrap label them both inaccurately as Mega Class figures, instead of Deluxe Class and Basic Class, respectively (though both are priced the same).
Beast Wars mold: Megatron (Ultra Class) | ||
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Version 1:
Version 2:
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Legacy
- TakaraTomy name: Megatron (メガトロン)
- TakaraTomy ID number: TL-21
- TakaraTomy release date: 25 March 2023
- Accessories: Fire blast effect
- Known designers: Sam Smith (Hasbro), Takio Ejima (TakaraTomy), Lenny Panzica (initial concept), Emiliano Santalucia (concept artist), Tony Colella (sculptor)[9]
- The only new figure in the third wave of Legacy Leader Class figures, Transmetal II Megatron transforms into his dragon mode in 33 steps and is a heavily cartoon-accurate representation (save for some deco choices and toy-inspired sculpt on the wings). Megatron comes with a fire blast accessory, which can peg into a 5mm port inside of his dragon's head's mouth, or can be wielded as a club, according to promotional photos and designer Sam Smith. Smith's renders and packaging art also show that the final toy is misassembled; the tips of the wings are oriented incorrectly and should curve inward, not outward. This error can be fixed by disassembling the wings via a screwdriver and flipping it around.[10] The later package refresh for Evolution has the tips assembled correctly.
- Oddly, Megatron's robot head is sculpted with an open-mouthed grimace to match the original Transmetal 2 toy, but jagged triangular teeth were then painted over it.
- Megatron's box labels him with the Prime Predacon symbol, rather than the standard Beast Wars version. Neither of these symbols appear on the figure and the Prime insignia is a graphic design error.[11] The correct Predacon symbol appears on the instructions.
- As mentioned above, Megatron was later re-released in Legacy: Evolution packaging (with the wrong Predacon insignia persisting). The product description for the Evolution release describes his blast effect as "Evo-Fusion technology", though the gimmick's logo is oddly absent from the box itself.
Beast Wars Again
- ID number: BWVS-01
- Known designers: Hisashi Yuki (TakaraTomy), Hidetsugu Yoshioka (packaging artist)
- Released as part of the Beast Wars Again line, the "Eternal Beast Showdown" (恒久ビーストの対決) set contains Megatron and Convoy. Megatron is a redeco of Megatron (Beast) in slavishly cartoon-accurate colors, and now using the "pretooled" alternate grimacing head that was originally meant for Kingdom T-Wrecks. Megatron does not come with any fire blast effects, although others can be attached inside his dinosaur mode mouth.
- Some copies of this release of Megatron contains a spring inside the right shoulder joint that was not present on the original release. Unfortunately, this spring is so strong it can flex the torso piece from the inside out and prevent the right shoulder area from fitting together as intended. Unscrewing the torso and removing the spring can significantly alleviate this issue.
Merchandise
Beast Wars Transformers Mutating Card Game
- Beast Wars Transformers Mutating Card Game (1997)
- Megatron was one of the 24 beast warriors to receive a battle card representation for the Beast Wars card game.
Kabaya
- Megatron (candy toy kit, 1997)
- A tiny plastic Megatron figurine molded onto an irregularly-shaped stand was released by Kabaya. Labeled toy 2 of 6, the other characters in his wave were Dinobot, Cheetor, Rattrap, Optimus Primal, and Rhinox. As always, terrible candy is included.
Metal Monument
- Metal Monument Megatron (TAKARA, 1999)
- As the name suggests, the product is a die-cast statue of Megatron. The head is convertible/removable in order to change the normal one with the battle mask/mutant head. The box art and the design of the product are both done by Hirofumi Ichikawa.
McDonald's
- Megatron (McDonald's Happy Meal, 2000)
- McNumber: 3
- Transforms from cloaked robot mode to a very weak dragon mode. Much of the toy is made of translucent plastic, and he uses light piping to light up the spark crystal on his dragon mode's tummy. He doesn't do it very well, though—you sorta have to hold him up sideways to the light and hope it's working.
- This mold was also released in four different color schemes by the Australian restaurant chain Red Rooster, but was advertised as Nightscream.
Titanium Series
- Beast Wars Megatron (3" Robot Master, 2006)
- Accessories: Stand
- For the Titanium Series, the initial 3" Megatron toy was based off his 1996 Ultra version. He's kind of squat.
- The toy features five points of articulation, including shoulders and head articulation. His dino-arm even features a 'wrist' and an articulated jaw. Despite his waist being a connection point it does not swivel.
- Megatron features an enormous amount of paint for such a small toy, including cute little red eyes, and paint washes on most of his dinosaur features.
First 4 Figures
- Megatron vs Rhinox (name unknown) (
2006/2007unreleased)
- Known designers: Jeffry Englert (designer)
- Intended for release in the Transformers Battlefield line by model company First 4 Figures, this was to be 13-inch-ish tall diorama depicting a fight between Megatron and Rhinox. When shown to toy news sites at New York Toy Fair in 2006, the digital sculpt for this set apparently depicted the rather gruesome scene of Megatron impaling Rhinox through the chest with his T. rex hand.[12] Unlike the other planned statues in the Battlefield series, which were designed and sculpted by Little IroN and "Mad" Alterton respectively, this Megatron/Rhinox statue was designed by Palisades alumn Jeffry Englert (alias Trion Studios).[13]
- As a Battlefield release, this model would likely have featured a detailed base designed to interlock with others in the same range to create a massive battle diorama–though that isn't a given, seeing as this statue differs from the others, which were advertised as being by Alterton and depicting "Generation 1" characters. We'll never find out what the deal was, since a general discontinuation of First 4 Figures' Transformers-related output meant that this set was never released.
- Megatron (
2006/2007unreleased)
- This was to be a probably-8-inch tall resin bust of Megatron released as part of First 4 Figures' Beast Wars tenth anniversary series. Megatron would have been sculpted to be accurate to his Beast Wars cartoon design, and would likely have been depicted from the waist and upwards on a base or pedestal. When his digital sculpt was shown to the ASM news gang at New York Toy Fair, he was specifically noted as being based on his design as seen in the first season.[12] First 4 Figures had also allowed BigBadToyStore to solicit him for sale.[14][15]
- Mini busts in the planned Beast Wars line were designed to reflect the scale of the characters as seen in the cartoon, and each was set to be limited to 1,996 pieces, in a nod to the franchise's year of origin.[12] As with the statue above, Megatron and the rest of the Beast Wars bust line were cancelled, with First 4 Figures citing a challenging marketplace and lack of retailer interest.
3D Battle-Card Game
- Predacon Megatron (2007)
- A 52-point "rare" character in the 3D Battle-Card Game's "Energon Wars" expansion, Megatron "transforms" into a purple approximation of a T. rex. He uses the same parts layout as Grimlock and Cruellock, although his robot mode is assembled differently. Megatron is nominally the leader of the Decepticons in the set.
Robot Heroes
- Rattrap & Megatron (Two-pack, 2008)
- Known designers: Bill Rawley (Hasbro), Marcelo Matere (concept artist)
- Part of the "Beast Wars Series" label of the Universe-branded Robot Heroes, Megatron comes packaged with Rattrap. He has the standard shoulders-and-neck articulation.
- Silverbolt & Megatron (Two-pack, 2008)
- Known designers: Bill Rawley (Hasbro), Marcelo Matere (concept artist)
- Also part of the "Beast Wars Series", this Megatron is based on his Transmetal form and comes packaged with Silverbolt. Megatron holds the Golden Disk in a special tail attachment seen in the episode "Code of Hero". He has the standard shoulders-and-neck articulation.
Jollibee
- Megatron (Jollibee Kids Meal, 2009)
- Accessories: Con Pencil Point Vise, wing unit
- Inexplicably released nine years later as part of a Jollibee promotion, Megatron is a greatly simplified version of his Beast Machines Mega toy. He includes a stand sculpted with the franchise logo which has room to hold a pencil.
Tiny Titans
- Beast Wars Megatron (Tiny Titans, 2015)
- Series: 3
- Number: 8/12
- Part of the third assortment of Tiny Titans blindpacks, this version of Megatron is a very small, soft-plastic figure of him in robot mode.
- He includes a collectible card that renders him in the 2015 Robots in Disguise styling. The card includes a scan-badge for the Robots in Disguise mobile game, which unlocks a random amount of Energon "currency" and a randomized bonus power-up item.
Prime 1 Studio
Premium Masterline
- Megatron (2017)
- ID Number: PMTFBW-02 / 02EX (exclusive)
- Accessories: Base, alternate head, angry head (exclusive)
- Prime 1 Studio Premium Masterline Megatron is a highly detailed statue of Megatron's robot mode posing over the bits of a destroyed Dinobot. He features LED lights on his eyes and dino-head cannon.
- The statue comes with an alternate head with a smiling expression. The exclusive version also comes with another head with an angry expression.
- The standard version was limited to 500 pieces, while the exclusive version was limited to 300 pieces.
- Megatron Transmetal 2 (2023)
- ID Number: PMTFBW-03 / 03DXS (Deluxe)
- Accessories: Base, 2 alternate faces (Deluxe), alternate right arm (Deluxe), alternate Tarantulas head (Deluxe)
- This version of Premium Masterline Megatron is based on his Transmetal 2 body and is posing over a defeated Transmetal Tarantulas. He also features LED lights on his eyes and dragon-head cannon.
- While the regular release comes with only a standard face and a right arm with a closed fist, the Deluxe version includes two additional swappable faces and an alternate right arm holding Tarantulas' decapitated head. To prevent the statue from having two Tarantulas heads at the same time, the Deluxe version also comes with alternate body parts for Tarantulas that replace his regular head with the internal mechanisms of his sliced neck.
Cutie1
- Megatron (2022)
- ID Number: No:059
- Accessories: Stand
- Cutie1 Megatron is a soft vinyl figure stylized as a button-eyed doll with chibi proportions.
Transformers Character Card
- Released as part of the third wave of the e-HOBBY exclusive Transformers Character Card series, this pair of holographic trading cards depict super-deformed art of "Convoy" and Megatron along with character profiles and tech specs.
- Convobat & Megaligator[sic] Set (November 1 2022)
- ID number: 29 & 30
- Known designers: Shōji Imaki (illustration)
- Released as part of the fifth wave of the e-HOBBY exclusive Transformers Character Card series, this pair of holographic trading cards depict super-deformed art of "Convobat" and "Megaligator" (distinct from the separate characters Convobat and Megalligator) in their Wave 1 Basic Class bodies along with character profiles and tech specs. Megatron is specifically depicted in his "Crocodile" body.
Jada Toys
- Transformers Series 2 18-pack (4cm Die Cast Figure Multipack, 2022)
- Released by Jada Toys, Nano Metalfigs Series 2 Megatron is an incredibly small die-cast figurine molded doing an action pose. He has a little base attached to his feet for balancing reasons.
- He is marketed as a Decepticon instead of a Predacon and comes in an impressive multipack with seventeen other figurines.
Milestone
- Beast Wars Megatron (
2023)
- This Diamond Select "Milestone" statue depicts Beast Wars Megatron in his season 1 body, holding the Golden Disk. Designed by Mark Wong, only 1,000 pieces were to be produced, with an MSRP of $500. The release was canceled.
Transformers: Kindergarten Series
- Megatron (2023)
- A childlike nontransformable figurine of Megatron in a Rubber Ducky inner tube brushing his tyrannosaurus head's teeth was available as part of Transformers: Kindergarten Series, a crowdfunded blindpackaged toyline available exclusively in China. Megatron's figure was the "Big Secret" of the line and was the most rare, and unlike the "Small Secret" chase figure which got an individualized box, Megatron's box was unremarkable. The figurine included a translucent plastic stand and a small chrome foil character card.
ReAction
- Megatron (2023)
- Released in the seventh wave of Super7's line of multi-property 3.75-inch "retro" action figures, ReAction Megatron is a non-converting figure based on his original Mainframe character model, with 5 points of articulation (swivel neck, shoulders, hips).
- Megatron comes packaged on a small cardback that mixes the design of the original Beast Wars packaging with some nostalgic elements resembling Kenner's Star Wars action figures from the late 1970s to early '80s.
- Megatron Hyper Steel (2023)
- Accessories: Golden Disk
- This redeco of ReAction BW Megatron now features translucent purple plastic and a new Golden Disk accessory. This piece was exclusive to Target.
Flame Toys
- Beast Megatron (May 2025)
- Accessories: large gun, dino head, hands
Released as part of the Furai Model line by Flame Toys, Beast Megatron is an articulated, non-transforming, Voyager Class-sized Gunpla-style model kit, using parts made of hard ABS plastic and some polycaps. He comes with a big dino head and gun.
Notes
- Early in Beast Wars development, Hasbro conceived sea turtle toys of Megatron (using a mold concept similar to Snapper) to go with "Optimus Prime" as a manta. While the turtle Megatron toy never happened, a parallel dragonfly toy of Megatron ultimately became the McDonald's toy Beetle. Had IDW's Beast Wars Sourcebook not solidified Beetle as a separate individual, the toy could possibly have gone on this page.
- Primal's gorilla mode paired against Megatron's Tyrannosaurus rex mode was inspired by the showdown in King Kong.
- The concept art for the original Ultra class figure is largely the same, except the left arm houses an open three clawed hand. This idea would be revisited for 10th Anniversary Megatron.
- Hasbro originally intended Inferno to be the new body for Megatron. According to a 1997 interview conducted by fan HooksX, Bob Forward stated: "For a while there Hasbro was planning to make the Inferno toy the new Megatron. We were going to kill Megatron and bring him back as Inferno."
- Some time before the Transmetal direction was decided upon, a possible retool of original Beast Wars Ultra Megatron into a dragon (noted for ease in the text[16] as "Metals Dragon Megatron" despite clearly not being Transmetal) was on the table. The new figure would reuse all of the legs, upper arms, and the majority of the existing Ultra Megatron torso, while new parts included the lower arms, chest, back (with articulated wings), and head, with the original's geared claw gimmick replaced with a geared drill arm. The new chest also features a Predacon symbol dead center. Considering how early this concept came about, it casts the above "Inferno" comment in a possibly different light. Some small details from this appear to have carried over into the later Transmetal 2 Megatron, mostly in the head sculpt, though it may be coincidental.
- Originally, Transmetal 2 Megatron, along with Optimal Optimus and Tigerhawk, was to have a small driver-like figure sitting on control chair located in the cockpit on his body. These drivers were meant to represent their sparks. Hasbro later realized that kids could confuse these spark representations as pilots controlling the robots, so they were abandoned, but the cockpits remain. The spark pilot was eventually used in the Japanese release of Cryotek.
- A retool of 2001 Robots in Disguise Megatron as a post-Beast Machines Megatron was proposed by 3H for OTFCC 2005, but this idea went unused when 3H forfeited the license to Fun Publications. It would have had a Rubber Ducky accessory. Fun Publications revived the concept as a pre-Beast Wars Megatron for BotCon 2016 (except the duck was human-sized—or sized to Megatron's hand mode—and sold separately).
- Per Hasbro's modern practice of "pretooling" heads for possible figures, Generations: Fall of Cybertron Voyager Class Grimlock was designed with an alternate head as Transmetal Megatron. A prototype sporting the alternate head sculpt surfaced in early 2013.[17][18]
References
- ↑ "ゴールドコンボイ シルバーメガトロン(各5名) 此方は単品箱版となっており他にもVS-40 宿命の対決セットで同仕様のモノが他雑誌でプレゼントされている(後々紹介予定)。セット版は秋葉原まんだらけやヤフオク等で長期に渡って販売されていたので見たことある方も多いのでは?"—Kongoriki, Twitter, 2017/08/24 (archive link)
- ↑ "Ultra: Optimus & Megatron - probable release date - June 2001 (these are new additions to the list - I don't know if they will replace the 2 megas or if they are in addition to them, but these 2 along with the 4 deluxe will be the initial release"—BigBadToyStore, 2000/12/06 (archive link)
- ↑ "Megatron was a tough one. We couldn't find the right mold. Couple of days before concepts were due, Takara showed off Cybertron Red Alert & instantly became my choice. Before that, the only choice was Energon Shockwave, but he was never right. See both concepts & final figure."—Joe Moore, Twitter, 2021/03/11
- ↑ Sticker covering a typo on Beast Wars 10th Anniversary Megatron's packaging with correct "Predacon" spelling.
- ↑ Video showcasing the hidden voice clips.
- ↑ TFW2005.com - The Masterpiece Cards & Coins Thread
- ↑ Transformers panel at Hasbro PulseCon 2020
- ↑ "Kingdom Megatron head variant?" at TFW2005
- ↑ Sam Smith's Instagram posts about Legacy Transmetal 2 Megatron
- ↑ "Not sure if anyone else noticed this, but the wing tips are actually installed back-to-front when compared to the original render and the picture on the back of the box! If we go by the original show, it should be indeed flipped the other way around. It's extremely tight, but it is indeed possible to make this fix with just a screwdriver."—Actar, TFW2005, 2022/09/22
- ↑ "I hate to be the one to burst all the theories for why that symbol is present, but when I asked Evan from the Transformers team about that at SDCC he told to me that it may have just been an error on their part."—Astromotive, Twitter, 2022/10/22
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 "First4Figures Limited Transformers Statues and Busts Info!" at ASMzine.com (archived)
- ↑ "Here's an image of the unreleased Battlefield statue I designed for First4Figures. Obviously it is BW Megatron vs. Rhinox."—Primus (Jeffry Englert), TFW2005.com, 2008/08/28
- ↑ "Update from BigBadToyStore.com: Transformers and G.I.Joe Statues and Busts!!!" on Seibertron.com
- ↑ BigBadToyStore's listings for First 4 Figures' busts (archived)
- ↑ Transformers Generations 2017, p74.
- ↑ "Generations Beast Wars Megatron - Fall of Cybertron Grimlock Remold" at TFW2005
- ↑ "Generations 30th Anniversary Beast Wars Megatron New Images" at TFW2005
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