TF:Prime Megatron's alt/mode or lack there of.

[Shockwave 75]

I've seen lots of people complaining about it and other's like it from various other TF series; mostly about how it doesn't really look like anything, just a jumble of re-arranged robot parts. But having just gotten the figure and really getting to see it up close, I have made my peace with it, and here's why:

I don't mind it because I don't see it as trying to be anything. It's not a vehicle, it's not a Cybertronian jet, it's just a flight mode. That's why his head is still visible; it's just Megatron altering the configuration of his body so he can fly. The same could be said of the flying Eradicons/Vehicons/whatever they're called.

Kinda like BW TM Megatron's flight mode, or TM Cheetor's flight mode, or TM Optimus' flight mode, or even Rattrap's "roadster" mode. They weren't supposed to look like vehicles, just a more efficient way of travelling great distances.

All the other TF's are "robots in disguise", but Megatron is not. Frankly I'm amazed that the Decepticon's have Earth modes at all! They don't seem to really give a petro-rabbit's ass about blending in.

[gagagalvatron]

What I dislike is that the FE Deluxe version did a much better job of being a convincing vehicle.

The two figures' transformations are really quite close, but the FE Deluxe looks vastly better. It does a better job of hiding the hands and making the leg sections not look like legs. I see FE Megatron's alt mode and I think "ship" with some Cylon overtones. It even looks decent from underneath.

I look at Voyager Megatron's alt mode and a see a robot bent over. Everything looks kind of thrown together, with little attempt to hide any of the limbs or make them look less like robot parts. I feel like the shoulder pads are there for distraction more than anything else. Look at it from underneath and it looks downright painful, both from a design and an anatomical sense.

[Shockwave 75]

Yeah, but almost all TF's look downright painful when you look at them from underneath.

[gagagalvatron]

Some more than others. What gets me is that FE Deluxe Megatron looks better and, more importantly, looks like they tried. I get the feeling with Voyager Megatron they didn't even bother to try and just let it all hang out.

This is supposed to be an aerial craft, too. Unlike a car, where you're unlikely to see the underside, you will see the bottom of a plane when it flies away or when you're under it. There are lots of Transformers that fly who look decent from the bottom: Air Raid, Highbrow, Lugnut, Soundwave...heck, even DOTM and Prime Starscreams do a better job.

[Undrave]

Obviously you're buying that Megatron for the Robot mode.

Decepticons do care about being disguised on Earth because the humans are in contact with the Autobots. If the humans spot the Decepticons the Autobots will know where they are and that makes things more complicated. To paraphrase a French expression you can enter the Nemesis like you can the village mill, the Decepticons better stay on the downlow or they'll have the strike team show up all the time just to bother them.

[Shockwave 75]

Originally Posted by gagagalvatron

This is supposed to be an aerial craft, too. Unlike a car, where you're unlikely to see the underside, you will see the bottom of a plane when it flies away or when you're under it. There are lots of Transformers that fly who look decent from the bottom: Air Raid, Highbrow, Lugnut, Soundwave...heck, even DOTM and Prime Starscreams do a better job.

You're missing the point.

No it's NOT supposed to be an aerial craft at all! It's just Megatron in flight mode, it's not supposed to look like a vehicle at all!

Originally Posted by Undrave

Decepticons do care about being disguised on Earth because the humans are in contact with the Autobots. If the humans spot the Decepticons the Autobots will know where they are and that makes things more complicated. To paraphrase a French expression you can enter the Nemesis like you can the village mill, the Decepticons better stay on the downlow or they'll have the strike team show up all the time just to bother them.

I disagree. I think they'd only take a earth mode out of neccessity, like Airachnid did, or because they actually like it, like Knock Out.

We know that the set up for the show is that 3 years before we join them in season 1 events similar to the '07 movie have taken place, and the TF's have managed to stay hidden. So again this leads me to Decepticons like Starscream, Soundwave, the Eradicons, and likely Breakdown and Knock Out have earth modes because they needed them at the time but now have no way to return to their Cybertronian modes, so they're stuck.

[Pascal]

You can excuse his lacking alt mode, but really, how hard would it be to give him a truly exciting and cohesive alt mode? Makes for better (and more marketable) toys. I'm glad they made him a truck in DOTM even though I like the jet and the tank.

[Undrave]

Speaking of Alt-modes, did anybody else notice that NO ONE in Prime can fly in Robot mode? Starscream, Megatron, Soundwave, the flying Vehicons, none of them fly once out of their alt-modes, so if they want to fly (or drive real fast) they need a vehicle mode.

I still think in the context of their almost guerilla warfare with the Autobots the Decepticon enjoy the secrecy of their alt-modes. Plus now they got the guys from MECH pestering them too. If they caught someone like Brakedown they can probably catch any of them... heck I'm surprised they don't have a Vehicon yet

[gagagalvatron]

Originally Posted by Shockwave 75

You're missing the point.

No it's NOT supposed to be an aerial craft at all! It's just Megatron in flight mode, it's not supposed to look like a vehicle at all!

If your point is that it's good because it succeeded at looking like nothing then I didn't miss your point; I disagree with it. Strenuously.

I like Transformers because they transform into something, preferably something more than "whatever" or "flight mode". I think you're being entirely too nice and letting the designers off the hook for sleeping on the job.

And, once again, my issue is not with the design but the implementation. The FE Deluxe did it better.

[Undrave]

I can't even excuse the lame plastic color they chose. I understand not being able to paint him all in silver (though the chest could have really used some nice silver detailing) but why couldn't they pick a plastic colour that was at least aproximatively silver? Like a darker grey...not this beige off-cream greyish thing they call a colour.

Plus he's got a pretty bad case of backpack (a lot of these PRID toys seem to be designed to only look good in stock photography, like flying vehicles viewed from the top and robot viewed only from the front, all other angles are sacrificed to easy transformation).