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Toy Reviews

Armada
2003
02/22 - Optimus Prime (SC)
2002
02/10 - Initial Thoughts

Robots in Disguise
2002
06/05 - Scourge
06/05 - Megatron Megabolt
06/05 - Autobot 3 Pack
05/21 - Sideways/Axer
05/14 - Obsidian
05/09 - Storm Jet
03/07 - Bruticus
03/04 - Wave 1 Spychangers
03/02 - Side Burn (repaint)
02/17 - Sky Byte
02/07 - Scourge/X-Brawn
02/07 - Ultra Magnus (basic)
02/07 - Optimus Prime (basic)
01/30 - Prowl (repaint)
01/18 - Skid-Z/Wind Sheer
01/18 - Tow-Line/Skyfire
01/12 - Cryotek
01/05 - Ruination
2001
12/17 - Galvatron
12/14 - Rail Racer
12/14 - Predacon 3-Pack
12/14 - Prowl
12/07 - X-Brawn
12/07 - Side Burn
12/01 - Landfill
11/27 - Omega Prime

Beast Machines
2002
05/09 - Silverbolt
04/13 - Mirage
04/13 - Obsidian
04/13 - Sonic Attack Jet
04/13 - Scavenger
04/04 - NS Cheetor
03/07 - Strika
02/22 - Savage/Noble
02/08 - Blackarachnia
02/06 - Optimus Primal
02/01 - Night Viper
01/24 - Nightscream
01/07 - Thrust
2001
12/23 - Blast Charge
12/15 - Tank Drone
12/07 - Megatron
11/29 - Optimus Primal (BP)
11/23 - Jetstorm
11/23 - Rattrap
11/21 - Buzzsaw
11/21 - Tankor

Dinobots
2002
05/09 - Striker
02/17 - Airraptor
2001
12/18 - Rapticon
12/07 - Triceradon

Beast Wars
2002
05/09 - Optimus Primal (TM)
04/16 - Terrorsaur (TM)
03/14 - B'Boom
03/14 - Transquito
03/06 - Cheetor (TM)
02/25 - Sonar
02/22 - Tigerhawk
02/17 - Blackarachnia (TM2)
02/04 - Cybershark (TM2)
02/04 - Waspinator (repaint)
02/02 - Bantor
02/02 - Optimus Minor
02/02 - Scarem
01/30 - Iguanus (TM2)
01/30 - Ramulus
01/30 - Scourge
01/16 - Rattrap (TM)
01/16 - Cheetor (bootleg)
01/06 - Depth Charge
2001
12/25 - Prowl
12/21 - Megatron (TM)
12/15 - Tarantulas (TM)
12/06 - Megatron (TM2)
12/05 - Rampage
12/01 - Tarantulas (bootleg)
12/01 - Airazor (repaint)
11/27 - Silverbolt
11/26 - Terrorsaur (bootleg)
11/25 - Scorponok
11/25 - Rhinox (repaint)
11/25 - Optimal Optimus
11/24 - Inferno
11/24 - Quickstrike
11/17 - Rattrap (bootleg)
11/17 - Dinobot (repaint)
11/14 - Megatron

Other Lines
2002
05/09 - Sharp Edge
04/30 - Galvatron (BW2)
04/18 - Prowl (MW)
04/16 - Big Convoy
04/04 - Minibot Keychains
02/22 - Starscream & BB
02/13 - Bazooka
02/09 - Mach Kick
02/08 - Stampy
01/16 - Shadow Panther
01/14 - Choro Q Toys

Robots in Disguise: Megatron Megabolt

Well, it's been a year in the coming, but he's finally here. For those not in the know, the Beast Machines line was rather abrupt in its end, leaving a few molds available in scarce quantities (Battle Unicorn, Spy Streak, Motorcycle Drone etc) and some even left unreleased entirely (RID Bruticus, Air Attack Primal, Megabolt). However, that was remedied at the end of the Robots in Disguise line with the releases of Megabolt and Air Attack Primal.

That said, Megabolt was a highly anticipated toy. The prototype pictures for it appeared on Ben Yee's page almost two years ago, and with the show accurate big floating head (or BFH for short, you can sub another f word for 'floating' as well if you wish) mode and very cool looking robot mode, people couldn't wait to get their mits on Megabolt. Sadly though, he was never put out, and Hasbro sat on the mold for a year.

However, now he's a KB Toys exclusive (and gah, $12.99), and back with a vengeance. Or something. He's packed in robot mode, but I have him in BFH mode right now, so I'll review that first. Okay well, the actual head part is pretty show accurate, being the same flattened, modified skull sort of deal the BFH was. It's got a bit different coloring, containing more purple, but the colors are volumes more accurate than other BFTS molds (BPOP, Silverbolt etc).

Also nifty is the spider legs. Actually, there are only six of them, so he's actually an insect, not a spider, if you wanna get picky, just to clarify anyway. If you push him along on his little wheels, his legs will move up and down in a sort of crawling motion, and his mouth opens and closes, ala pac-man. The only real problem with this is that the mechanism in the wheels is rather tight, so you may have some trouble pushing him along if you don't press down hard enough. This leads to another problem as the control helmet for robot mode rubs against the ground. The bottom of mine is already a bit scratched up. If you press down the spark crystal (which is Vehicon, by the way), he opens his mouth and fires the missile.

Transformation is nutty, and rather complicated. Going from BFH to robot isn't overly hard, but the other way around is a tad nutty. I didn't need instructions, so everything is fairly obvious to a point, but I had to stare at the pictures a little to make sure. It's really pretty complex, with a lot of folding and pegging and an odd swivel joint that moves his legs above his head, so I won't get into it. You have fun!

Robot mode, as shown by the pictures, is quite excellent. He's pretty well proportioned (save for the pinhead) and has ball jointed thighs, knees, elbows, ankles and shoulders. There's also a stiff 'extra' knee joint that's used for transformation, that makes a bit more sense as a knee, though it's stiff and a hinge, so it's pretty limited.

His actual knees pose a little problem. The figure is extremely top heavy, so if you don't position him in a certain way (so his feet are behind his torso) then they'll buckle and Megsy falls on his back. However, his feet are really big, and he supports a wide variety of poses, so that can be forgiven I suppose.

Gimmicks? Yes. Well, pressing his spark crystal will snap his missile launcher into place above his head. Rather violently as well. And not only does the spring swing it into place, but it gets locked there with a magnet. Oh the niftyness of it all! If you press the spark again, the missile will fire. Also, be careful, if you want to deploy the helmet/launcher but not get a missile in your eye, don't hold down the spark in, as the same mechanism that deploys the launcher also fires the missile. Just a warning.

The helmet itself is pretty neat, and he actually resembles his show self with the helmet on (from the neck up at least), which is a plus. This toy blows the BM Megatron version out of the frickin water any day of the week. Had this been packed as a mega (and it might as well have been, with the dame price), I would not have felt as ripped off as I did with mega BM Megatron. It's just a cool toy.

My advice? If you have a KB, go get it. They're slowly appearing across the country now, though I'm not sure what to say to the international collectors. I guess eBay is always an option, or maybe an online store will start carrying them. Either way, despite the knocked up KB price, this guy is worth it. Very cool stuff.


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