"Generations" Legacy United Megatron Toy Review

01/09/24

General Information
Release Date: December 2023
Price Point: $9.99 (depending on retailer)
Retailer: General Release (Amazon, BigBadToyStore, Entertainment Earth, Target, Walmart etc.)
Accessories: Shoulder Cannons x 2; Tank/Sword

Official images and text in italics are from Amazon.com:

  • ENERGON UNIVERSE MEGATRON ACTION FIGURE: This 3.5-inch (8.9 cm) Energon Universe Megatron toy features deco and detail inspiration from the animated series, Transformers: Energon
  • 2-IN-1 CONVERTING TRANSFORMERS TOY: Transformers action figure converts from robot toy to jet toy in 11 steps
  • AWESOME ACCESSORIES: This Energon Universe Megatron Transformers figure comes with a cannon and 2 blaster accessories. Accessories attach in both modes
  • ARTICULATED FOR PLAY AND DISPLAY: Transformers figures feature articulated heads, arms, and legs for action poses
  • CELEBRATE THE LEGACY: Transformers Legacy United honors 40 years of Transformers animated history! Collect other Legacy: United figures to unite your collection (each sold separately, subject to availability)
  • GIFT TRANSFORMERS COLLECTIBLES: This Energon Universe Megatron action figure toy makes a great collectible figure gift for any Transformers fan

Unite your favorite characters from across the world of Transformers robots into your collection with the Transformers Legacy United Core Class Energon Universe Megatron action figure! This 3.5-inch Energon Universe Megatron action figure converts between robot and jet modes in 11 steps. Gear up for battle with the included cannon and blaster accessories that attach in both modes. The Energon Universe Megatron figure is inspired by the character from the animated series, Transformers: Energon, and features articulated head, arms, and legs for awesome action poses. Celebrate the last 40 years of Transformers history with Transformers Legacy action figures. Transformers Legacy opens the portal to a whole new universe of -- More Than Meets the Eye -- bringing together every Transformers generation like you’ve never seen before. Collect and combine different characters to create your ideal Legacy lineup. TRANSFORMERS and HASBRO and all related trademarks and logos are trademarks of Hasbro, Inc. © 2024 Hasbro.

Packaging:
Megatron is packaged in a standard sized Core Class box. The box is rectangular with a large flap on top. The background looks like dark blue machinery with some yellow and orange lights. The top flap shows Megatron in vehicle mode with the Generations logo next to it. The main part of the box shows Megatron through a open window shaped with jagged edges that look kind of like the edges of rocks. To the right is the Transformers logo and under Megatron is the Legacy: United logo and below that is Megatron's name with "Energon Universe" over it. The back of the box shows the figure in both modes calling out an eleven step transformation.

Background:
In 2002 Hasbro and Takara launched a new Transformers trilogy which came to be known as "The Unicron Trilogy". The first part was Armada and its follow up was Energon. That series featured Megatron in a new form that looked a lot like G1 Galvatron (it all made sense at the time...kind of, just roll with it). While well received at the time, Hasbro has not revisited this design in a long time...until now! As part of the first wave of Legacy United Core Class figures, "Energon Universe" Megatron has joined the Transformers toy line once again!

Accessories:
Megatron includes three accessories, all based on features from the original figure released in 2004:

  • Cannons: The 2004 Energon Megatron figure had two shoulder cannons with designs based on G1 Galvatron's arm cannon. Unlike those cannons, these are not built into the figure. Instead, they are two identical accessories that are (once again) based on the design of G1 Galvatron's cannon complete with a cone shaped barrel. Each of these features a 3mm peg on the bottom and at the base. The end of each cannon can fit a Blast Effect, which looks great! Each of these pieces is made of bright green plastic with no paint applications.
  • Tank/Sword: The 2004 Energon Megatron figure included an accessory that was a tank and sword weapon. The tank was a callback to his alt-mode in Armada. This figure includes an accessory that is based on that tank with the sword blade sticking out the back. The tank portion is really nicely detailed. It's a shame this is all black plastic with no paint applications because a lot of the detailing gets a bit lost unless you stare at it. I really wish they had used say, light grey on the sword blade but I understand why this may not have been in the budget. This accessory has a 5mm port that allows you to attach it to either of his forearms.

Robot Mode:
Megatron's design is a really impressive, shrunken down version of the Super Class figure from 2004. Like that figure, many of the key design elements here are directly inspired by G1 Galvatron. Here's how this sculpt lines up with the 2004 Megatron figure:

  • Head: The head sculpt has a distinctive crown shape on the "helmet" section based on G1 Galvatron's animation model. However, the sides of the "crown" have ridges on them that were distinct to Energon Megatron.
  • Torso: The torso has a distinctive shape with an armor piece sticking out a bit in a curved shape. On either side are two small cylinders stacked on top of one another and the "abdominal" area has a distinct pattern of squares.
  • Arms: The arms are all blocky and rectangular, which is more of a direct callback to the 2004 Megatron figure than G1 Galvatron.
  • Wings: The wings from the vehicle mode wind up on the back of this figure and they add a very dramatic, sweeping shape to the silhouette of the character. The original character design also had wings like these and they were among the most distinctive features of Energon Megatron.
  • Legs: Each of the legs has a distinctive hex shaped knee armor piece and a raised detail under it that looks like an arrow. This and the cylindrical shape of the legs are based both on G1 Galvatron's design as well as Energon Megatron's.

Overall this is a brilliant sculpt for a Core Class figure. It does an amazing job of representing the Energon Megatron design and I'm very impressed.

Megatron is made up of silver, black and bright green plastic. The main paint colors are blue, silver and a little bit of white and orange. A purple Decepticon symbol is also found on his chest. The colors match up really nicely with the original version of this character and he's really only missing some more orange details to here and there to make him align more with the original toy. Color-wise this figure looks great.

There are eleven points of articulation on this figure. This includes two ball joints on each arm and the head. If you want to be generous you can include the wings on his back for a total of thirteen points. The bright green cannons can attach to his shoulders pointing up or forward (a nod to the same weapons on the original figure). They can also be held in his hands. The tank/sword accessory can connect to either forearm. That's a good amount of play value for a Core Class figure.

Transformation to Vehicle Mode:

  1. Detach the accessories and set them aside for now.
  2. Straighten out the arms and legs.
  3. Point the robot feet down.
  4. Swing the cockpit section on the back up over the head.
  5. Rotate the wing piece on the back around.
  6. Rotate the forearms around, then push the arms in and swing the forearms up.
  7. Rotate each lower leg so the knee armor pieces face each other.
  8. Swing the legs forward, connecting them to the arms.
  9. Swing the wings down.
  10. Attach the blaster weapons to his shoulders.
  11. Attach the tank/sword to the top of the vehicle.

Vehicle Mode:
Instead of having a mobile cannon alt-mode like G1 Galvatron, Energon Megatron transformed into a spaceship. This vehicle mode is based on that form. It has a unique design with a curved cockpit section with a "neck" leading to the main body of the vehicle. The cannons from the robot mode flank this "neck" section. The main body of the vehicle is very chunky since it contains most of the robot mode parts, but that is consistent with the design from 2004. The wings are a unique shape, angling upward, then at a hinge piece in the middle it angles downard. This shape is reflected in this figure. Overall the vehicle mode looks great.

All the same colors seen in robot mode are featured here but we get to see a bit more black and blue paint on the cockpit and the wings have a lot of silver and blue paint on them with the ends showing bright green plastic. I only wish the tank/sword accessory was painted a bit to add a splash of color in the middle.

This form is basically a flying battle platform, which is appropriate for a Decepticon leader. This mode has five attachment points for Blast Effects. Two on the wings, the blasters flanking the neck and the tank barrel. He looks super cool with so many blasts coming out of him.

Final Thoughts:
Core Class Energon Universe Megatron is fantastic. He's a perfect "pocket sized" representation of the character. Sure he could use a bit more paint detail, but frankly at a Core Class price point I get why they were left out. If you were into Energon Megatron's design at all this figure is a must have. Highly recommended!

Pros:

  • Excellent sculpt that represents the character nicely in both modes.
  • Good deco.
  • Relatively involved (but intuitive) transformation for a Core Class figure.
  • Includes the shoulder cannons and the tank/sword (not just one or the other to save budget).
  • Good articulation.

Cons:

  • The figure could use a few more paint applications to be "near perfect" but budgetary limitations restrict that.

Lightbox Gallery