Within a month, not only did the Commander Class Armada Optimus Prime release, but his nemesis, the Leader Class Armada Megatron also released, though from two different stores. Probably one of the few times I actually get both characters from a line, but that's because I know they both have combiner potential.
A really quick look at this figure, as there's really not a whole lot to discuss. Contents are exactly what you're seeing, though I should point out it is nice to have a Leader figure that is actually the size of the box (more or less) and not feature some nonsensical armour add on or other extra part to make an obviously Voyager sized figure higher in price.
I honestly have no idea why they made part of the barrel removable. It serves no real purpose and is so random.
Tank move will look familiar to those who had the OG toy. Like Optimus Prime, Megatron suffers from the realities of shrinkage, as well as the removal of many gimmicks, including the Minicon activated weaponry. The secondary gun on the Turret is still there, mind you, just.. not as impressive.. I think there may actually be more paint on this version as compared, but if there is it won't be by much. The Turret can be positioned , and the Barrel can be aimed up and down. Treads remain non functional..
Transformation into robot mode is a bit more complicated that the original toy, but t the same time that wasn't particularly challenging to begin with. Scaling wise, it does a pretty good job against Optimus Prime, though I feel the scaling against Prime is more accurate than compared to Super Prime. I feel the this version has more paint in this mode as compared to the OG toy.
Head sculpt has definitely improved since the OG days. though much of the Armada line wasn't exactly know for having good sculpts.
Instead of a weapon, the removable Barrel can be plugged into the rotated fist of either hand. I suspect this will be part of the combination sequence with Tidal Wave
Speaking of combination, yes the extending waist makes its return..
No sure why but both fists are different.
Of course, Megaton's Super mode can be achieved in effectively the same fashion, namely rotation of the Turret into position, then arranging the guns into the right position.
With regards to articulation, one can say there has been improvement. The most notable improvement would be the legs. I can't remember if the OG toy had a waist rotation, but its here. you also have thigh rotation as well as ankle tilts, which allow for Megatron to be stable in wide legged poses. The upper body, well, not so much. Head articulation is vastly improved. Shoulders technically are improved, but they're trapped inside those giant shoulder pods that, sadly have no rotation what so ever. Sure the Decepticon panels do rotate up, but they only go so far. So ultimately, the usefulness of the new arms and shoulders are limited, like they were are with the Legacy Laser Prime mould.
Paint and Build are very much typical Mainline quality. That is, generally good with some improvements to paint ideal (such as actually have more paint). But at least what is there is sharply applied with no obvious flaws or other cosmetic problems. Build wise, this is a pretty simple figure, so there's not much to screw up from that perspective, though the transformation of the shoulder parts can potentially lead to the organ tips of the chest to be scratched. So there you have it - a nice update of an older toy, though the shoulder issues really knock down the excitement level a few notches, along with the usual loss of gimmicks and size. Having said that, this is my view of Megatron alone, and its possible some of the more questionable design choices were made in order to have the final combined mode be extra good, and only time will tell. All I know is that at least I'm ready for that announcement now, as opposed to finding out it's good later on only to have to frantically find a Megatron to combine with.
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