COUNTDOWN: Studio Series SS86 Megatron – 6 things that work!

After what feels like years of speculation, months of hype and then weeks of leaks, Studio Series 86 Megatron is finally here!

With TakaraTomy already having debuted their own images, the Hasbro Pulse Fanstream treated us to a full, in-depth peek at what we can expect from the upcoming Leader class toy and boy, it looks incredible. Yet beyond the obvious hoopla, there are some notable points about the SS86 effort which deserve extra mention – and we are more than happy to drill down into them now!

#6: It’s cartoon-styled… but not to a fault!

As a Studio Series release, fans can naturally expect it to have a certain degree of accuracy to the source that inspired it, in this case, the 1986 animated Transformers movie. Yet for all the discourse about the relative merits of cartoon accuracy, and despite how seemingly slavish to the screen this Megatron design might appear at first glance, it’s also fair to say it’s quite superbly stylised in some areas besides. Sure, it has the general body shape, the familiar flat chest, the colourful ab doodads and the all-important bucket head. Yet stack this up next to the likes of the uber-toony MP-36 take on the character, and you’ll immediately see where SS86 deviates a little. For one thing, it incorporates enough greebly detail to make it work beyond just being a straight-up pastiche of the animation, allowing it to seem ‘grounded’ in a way it perhaps otherwise wouldn’t. Still, the screen-inspired look certainly stands as the foremost consideration here, to a maybe almost surprising degree considering the transformation involved…

#5: The head sculpt is pretty much perfect

We all know that a head sculpt design can make or break a toy. Get it right, and you can elevate an otherwise average figure well beyond its station; get it wrong, and you can ruin what may have been a contender for best of the year. Fortunately, the designers of SS86 Megatron absolutely crushed it on this occasion, as everything from the proportions of the overall noggin to the intricacies of the face itself is just about perfect. It all feels spot on versus the screen yet again, but not in any way that would be to the toy’s detriment by having it look a bit silly (yes, I’m thinking of MP-45 again). What’s even more noteworthy is how different the design is to MP-36, which was about as top-tier a cartoon-styled Megatron head as I think any of us could ever have imagined. Needless to say, he’s very handsome to behold, and we can’t wait to get it in front of a lens before too long!

#4: The gun mode accessory is an inspired inclusion

Megatron gun mode accessories are admittedly nothing new. Long-time Masterpiece collectors will likely have at least several versions of them, for starters, to say nothing of the different designs accompanying G1 reissues and all kinds over the years. Yet the specific intent of the SS86 inclusion is somewhat different to that, if only because it’s almost an acknowledgement how even though the main toy couldn’t be made to turn into the character’s on-screen alternate mode, it is still possible to recreate the specifics of how it works in the film using this smaller piece. After all, it’s not like the Decepticon leader spends any time hanging about at his usual full-size in pistol form, so in some ways, relying on an accessory to fill in for that duty almost makes more sense. And sure, such an argument is highly unlikely to convince everyone (especially given what an emotive issue Megatron’s traditional alternate mode has proven to be for some collectors), but given the real-life reality of the situation, it’s about as good a solution as ever there was going to be.

#3: There’s a distinct absence of tank kibble

Without wishing to get too dredged into the ever-ongoing debate about SS86 Megatron becoming a tank, I don’t believe anyone could have predicted just how free of compromise the resulting robot mode would turn out to be! Many dreaded the idea of a Siege-style backpack or some other equally unsubtle way of bolting on the necessary kibble required for such a transformation. Yet, here, you could honestly fool yourself into thinking this was a wholly traditional take, complete with hidden pistol disposition. My favourite element is the devilishly clever – nay, inspired! – way the tank treads fold into the rear of the legs to simulate the gun grip of the classic design, presenting an unmistakable chef’s kiss flourish atop the overall masterclass of toy engineering on offer here. Again, the fact it’s a tank won’t please all collectors, but you can’t deny how well that robot mode turned out, eh?

#2: It’s a pretty cohesive tank mode, too!

Conversely, it’s not just the robot mode which turned out well here. In fact, you could be forgiven for assuming that such an unencumbered humanoid form may have resulted in the mother of all compromises upon transformation, but a quick once over here shows what appears to be a surprisingly clean and cohesive tank guise! It works well thanks to how “real world” it feels, having been loosely inspired by the M8 Buford AGS from the 1980s (a design choice which was not lost on us!) to the point where one can almost imagine Megatron rocking such an alternate mode since the beginning. Sure, it would have been intriguing to see this new toy as a faithful Walther P-38 but to be fair, it should come as no great shock to anyone why such a thing is simply not possible for Hasbro to deliver in the year 2025. Perhaps we may see Megatron as a gun yet again – there’s nothing to say TakaraTomy couldn’t deliver another attempt for the domestic Japanese collector market, for one thing – but given the very obvious external confines placed on the SS86 design in this case, one can’t help but think it all turned out amazingly well in the end.

#1: It looks great next to Optimus

Shock news: a new Megatron toy looks good versus its opposing Optimus! Sure, it may not seem all that noteworthy, but again, considering the very specific requirements placed on the SS86 design and how perfectly the Prime already portrayed the Autobot leader in this case, we should perhaps all breathe a considerable sigh of relief that everything work as well as it apparently does here. The two toys are cut very much from the same cloth, with considerable consistency in terms of articulation and engineering for the robot modes, and it’s fair to say the relative height difference works well, too (some may baulk at Megs being a hair taller than Optimus, but it’s there or thereabouts!). Add it all up, and you have a rather remarkable double act that will surely rival the best pairing of the two faction leaders from over the years.

So that’s our list! What do you make of SS86 Megatron?

TTFN