Hey gang! Going to set this up a little different. Got Megatron yesterday. Assembled him late last night. Came in 1 box with a clamshell placement sheet and plaque.
Pro's:
Easy assembly
Stunning paint app for only having 3 colors
Lots of ways to display him
Simple base = smaller footprint
Con's:
No instructions
Heads may be a turn off to some
Fusion cannon light should be purple or red
Missed opportunity with lightup in energon sword
Displaying energon flail can be a pain
XM needs better electricians
I love this statue. Pictures and video do not do it justice. From the pose to the paint, it says "I'm going to tear you apart and I don't give a damn."
He's easy to assemble, has less parts than Optimus and Starscream. The base is the smallest of the three so it's a much more accommodating footprint. Megatron himself is about the same size as Optimus if he wasn't hunched over. I don't know why XM includes a black envelope for one piece of paper but there were no instructions, no assembly video up on Youtube and Bmutha is doing his live reveal tonight. You can bring up a picture from XM or Spec Fiction and be just fine.
I keep going back to the paint. It's a cross between OP & SS. There are silver parts that pop and flat grays that help the silver shine. Some popping reds and some maroons on his wires and the flat weathered black ties it all together. They could have really screwed this up because of the simplicity of colors. I usually marvel at the details and machinework on my pieces but the paint has me hooked. The paint app on the energon sword is stunning but I feel a missed opportunity that could have had a decent light up. The energon flail has three lightup settings. Fast pulse, slow pulse and solid. Finding a good spot to put the flail is another story. I've seen it sit on the base at cons, mine doesn't want to stay put so unless you display it in front of him you're never going to see it. The fusion cannon lightup color bothers me as it should be purple or red not soft white. There's a hint of purple at certain angles just not enough to satisfy me. I'll fix that with some transparent purple plastic.
I've always liked the original head but the alt head is growing on me. The size difference isn't that bad and they both work. I feel the alt head looks good at certain angles and the original looks great at all angles. I do have an issue with my alt head. Same issue as my Optimus holo arm. When I turn the switch off it still keeps his eyes on dimly lit. I don't understand why the electrical is so hit or miss with these pieces and yet I'm asking for more light ups hee hee.
All in all a fantastic piece. Great continuation to the line and I'm happy they took some nods to the P1 Josh Nizzi tank tread cape Megatron that never materialized. I like the modernized G1/War for Cybertron interpretations more than straight up classic. PCS has that covered and I'd say this Megatron or theirs will fit the bill if you want to add one to your collection.
