General Information:
Release Date: June 2013
Price Point: $9.99 (depending on retailer)
Retailer: General (Toys R Us, Amazon, Target etc.)
Accessories: Chop Shop figure/weapon
*Images above with asterisks and text below in italics are from Hasbro.com:
Chop Shop has served the Decepticons for years, but not without some difficulty. After all, Megatron does not take kindly to the way things seem to disappear around the Insecticon warrior. Chop Shop is a born thief with a compulsion to steal things that outweighs even his fear of the consequences should Megatron ever catch him.
Pop into some "explosive" Transformers action with these special Megatron and Chop Shop figures! These Decepticon warriors lie in wait until an unsuspecting Autobot comes around. Your Megatron figure converts from robot mode to tank mode when he wants to run over whatever – or whoever – is in his way. But your Chop Shop figure is a 3-in-1 menace! He can convert from robot to beetle mode, but with the push of a button, he converts to 1 of 2 weapon modes! Will the Decepticons be able to handle your lightning-quick Megatron and Chop Shop figures? Only you can decide!
Pack includes 2 Decepticon warriors! Megatron and Chop Shop figures! Megatron converts from robot mode to tank mode and back. Chop Shop figure converts from robot mode to beetle mode! Also converts to 2 different weapon modes! Includes 2 figures. Legends Class Series 2 004 Megatron and Chop Shop. Ages 5 and up.
Long before he was the leader of the Decepticons, Megatron was a worker in the underground caverns of Cybertron. It was there he began to develop his ideas of revolt and forming an army of his own to conquer Cybertron. This version of Megatron represents the future Decepticon leader as he appeared when he was just a lowly worker. Pairing off with Megatron is the unlikely character of Chop Shop. Chop Shop was one of the "Deluxe Insecticons" in Generation One, a group of Insecticons who came after the first trio of Bombshell, Shrapnel and Kickback. In recent time the "Deluxe" Insecticons have appeared in various IDW Publishing titles, paving the way for Chop Shop coming back to the "Transformers" toy line.
Chop Shop Review
Robot Mode:
Chop Shop had a very distinctive look in his Generation One incarnation. He had an insectoid looking head, complete with antennae on the sides and his body consisted of several angled panels on the chest and arms. Insect legs were attached to his arms and legs as well. Perhaps his most distinctive feature were gigantic mandibles that flanked his head near the shoulders. Apparently the designers didn't want to go too far in reinventing the wheel since this new incarnation of Chop Shop has all these design elements. If you want a slavish design homage, this one definitely qualifies!
There are some differences however. This is a much smaller and less complex sculpt, so certain design elements have been changed. For instance, the G1 version of Chop Shop tucked his rear insect legs into panels on his robot legs. Here, they stick out to the side. Also, on G1 Chop Shop the front of the robot mode formed the top of the insect mode, but here it's reversed. This means the underside of the mandibles face the same direction as the robot head instead of the top. These are very minor elements however. For anyone who is familir with their G1 lore, this guy will be instantly recognizable.
Chop Shop is cast in a reddish brown plastic with some silver. This is a much lighter shade of brown than G1 Chop Shop, but the color still instantly evokes the original character. To further match him up with his G1 counterpart, his thighs have been painted orange and there are angled line designs painted onto his chest in white.
Chop Shop has two points of articulation: the arms. This is a tad ironic given that his larger and more complex G1 counterpart could not move his arms up and down (they could only swing out to the sides). Technically his legs can swing out to the sides as part of his "weapon" mode but that's not really a useful point of articulation.
Transformation to Beast Mode:
- Swing the arms down so they are straight.
- Push the legs together.
Beast Mode:
A two step transformation may imply Chop Shop has a weak beast mode, but really, the G1 version basically did the same thing. You swung some parts around, pushed others in and laid the figure down. This is just a much simplified version of the same general idea. That said, I think Chop Shop looks fantastic. Like his G1 incarnation he has huge mandibles in front with scary looking serrated "teeth". The head to th emiddle section has the distinctive panel design carried over from the robot chest and the back section has vents and thrusters, inspired by similar designs from G1 Chop Shop. There are a lot of angles sections and panels on this beast mode, so there's no mistaking it for a techno-organic Transformer, he's a machine all the way!
The same brown that dominates the robot mode makes up the entire beast mode. There are white lines on the top mirroring the details on the robot chest.
A gear system allows you to spread the rear halves of the beast mode apart to make the mandibles move in and out. This is also a function of his weapons mode.
Transformation to Weapon Mode (from Beast Mode):
- Transform the figure to beast mode.
- On the underside of the figure, swing out the silver peg.
Weapon Mode:
You can tell from the instructions that the weapon mode is really just a variation of the beast mode. This is where the "scissor" movement of the mandibles acts as a weapon. It's a neat little 'extra' feature and I confess there is a somewhat silly appeal to seeing Megatron running around with a beetle on his arm slicing at stuff. This is a nice added feature, but I think the other two modes are the "feature" modes of this toy.
Megatron Review
Robot Mode:
MegatronMost fans are familiar with Megatron's Generation One form that involved him tranfsorming into a gun. Of course, over the years various reasons conspired to turn Megatron into a tank more often than not. It is this tank form that serves as the basis of this figure, but there are still elements that call back to the Megatron most fans remember from the original series. The actual design of the figure is largely based on his appearance in the distant past in the IDW Publishing comic book universe when he was a worker and not yet the leader of the Decepticons.
For a Legends figure, Megatron is rather bulky and he commands a sense of power. His chest has a thick armor plate in the front, his shoulders and arms are relatively huge compared to his waist, thighs and head and his lower legs are thick and heavily armored. This is not only a good look for warrior, but it makes sense for someone who works in the rough and tumble mines of Cybertron. His big, chunky forearms evoke large worker's gloves seen on construction sites and he even has hazard stripes designed into the sculpt on the chest plate. Like the IDW design, his upper arms are curved and more cylindrical than his later, more rectangular arms when he changes bodies. What he lacks however are the "back pack" parts seen in the IDW Publishing illustrations of Megatron from the past.
There are five main elements that harken back to G1 Megatron's design:
The head sculpt has the 'bucket head' design on the helmet section, with the area on the lower portion of the helmet section flairing out and forming a wide semi-circle around the face.
The chest plate has a wide, rectangular shape complete with two small triangle details etched into it.
Although it is not the cannon most fans are familiar with, this Megatron does have a cannon mounted onto his right arm.
The mid-section of the body between the chest and waist area has sections with rows of horizontal lines, a detail found on many previous incarnations of Megatron.
On the hips there are "pouch" like details that are inspired by similar details from G1 Megatron.
Megatron is made up of several plastic colors including dark brown, beige and silver. These are very industrial looking colors, befitting a worker in an underground tunnel. The silver is cool in that it hints at his future color scheme. The beige in particular has an almost pearlescent quality to it that I find really appealing. His paint colors include brown (matching the plastic color), red, yellow, silver and purple. The red and yellow are distributed throughout the figure with the red providing fill in and accent details and the yellow generally serving as "hazard" lines, most notably on his head and chest. The red paints some nice details around his elbows and on the eyes, but my favorite detail are the horizontal lines on his mid-body which echoes his future form and colors. The purple is used for the Decepticon symbol on his chest and the silver is on his face. Brown is used on parts like his legs, giving color continuity between the upper body and lower body. A bit of a light grey color can be found on the forearms, but being on the brown plastic gives it a very different look than a flat grey. Overall, it's a strong color scheme that immediately catches the eye because it's not a color scheme you'd expect of a Megatron toy.
Megatron has nine points of articulation. The two points on each arm are ball jointed, allowing for a wide range of articulation. You can add one more if you want to count the ability of his cannon to move on his arm. This is a good amount of range and articulation for a Legends Class figure and it definitely adds to his play value. His fists each have a 5mm post in them that allow him to hold Chop Shop or any standard weapon. His cannon has a peg on it that allows you to attach an additional weapon. His left forearm has 5mm hole so you can really load Megatron up with weapons!
Transformation to Vehicle Mode:
- Detach Chop Shop if attached.
- Swing the front panel of each leg out.
- Move the cannon on the right arm in.
- Swing each of the arms in and plug the peg on the cannon into the hole on the left fist.
- Swing the leg panes back and connect them together.
- Push the robot foot pieces down.
Vehicle Mode:
Megatron's vehicle mode is a tank. Unlike his robot mode, which is more based on being an industrial worker than a warrior, this mode is all about being a powerful weapon of destruction. The base is chunky and blocky with some nice angled lines and raised details. There are armor panels lined along the sides of the bottom section and the turret. The turret section has a cannon barrel that extends out beyond the front of the vehicle. There are other cool, small detail including a targeting sight at the tip of the cannon barrel and a hatch towards the back of the turret.
Thanks to the way the legs extend and fold out to form the base of the tank, most of this form winds up being silver. The top has a mix of light grey and the beige color. Brown is used on the treads the details on the back of the vehicle. The yellow paint shows on the raisd section in the back. Overall, this form looks a bit more industrial and "plain" than the robot mode, but that's okay. The colors fit the vehicle and its purpose.
The tank treads are not functional treads. Instead, there are four wheels on the bottom of the vehicle. In a surprise move, the turret has been designed to turn in a circle and move up and down. These are both movements which many tank mode Transformers haven't had in recent years. The hole from the side of the left forearm in robot mode has a hole that allows you to attach a 5mm peg weapon. Overall, it's a really awesome vehicle mode for this size scale.
Final Thoughts:
This two pack is another strong entry into the group of "Legends" 2 packs that provide awesome representations of characters from various parts of the "IDW" universe. Highly recommended!
