Review #57: Universe Deluxe Galvatron
I'd reviewed a plethora of Optimus Primes. I've reviewed quite a few Hot Rods / Rodimus Primes. And I've reviewed a few Megatrons in my day. But one faction leader character, I seem to have been putting off... Well, no longer! Here he is, Galvatron! (Why have I been putting him off? Hard to say for sure. I have a theory, but I shall save it for later. For now, let us look at this toy.)
Galvatron was the new Decepticon leader introduced in the 1986 film. Unlike Rodimus Prime, who was a new character, Galvatron was the result of Megatron being rebuilt by Unicron and given a new form. In the G1 days, that alt mode took the form of a laser cannon. (The toy, vaguely a triple changer, could also be a hand held laser pistol.) |
Now, looking at the picture above, it seems pretty obvious that this iteration of Galvatron has a different alt mode. Much like his predecessor Megatron often had happen to him in later toys, this Galvatron has been reimagined as a tank. And frankly, a very nice looking tank mode it is! I like when tank-based Transformers actually look like, well, actual tanks. I especially like when they avoid the dreaded "H-tank" design of having two separate treads on each side, obviously to make it easier to have separate tread-based arms and legs in robot mode. Well, none of that here! A very good looking, and realistic, tank, indeed!
Well, mostly realistic. The tank does feature a large, transclearent orange plastic laser cannon on it. But this is an obvious nod to who Galvatron is, and frankly I think this one fantastical design choice manages to still look really good compared to the otherwise realistic vehicle. The barrel of the laser cannon cannot be raised up or down, but the whole turret can be rotated 360°. The front of the orange cannon is a spring loaded missile which can be fired.
The vehicle spots some lettering saying, "GALV-25." That was a nod to the fact that this toy was released when it was almost the 25th anniversary of the Transformers franchise.
The tank mold holds together very well, forming a cohesive solid with very few gaps. It tabs together rather solidly. Over all, Galvatron is an excellent tank.
Well, mostly realistic. The tank does feature a large, transclearent orange plastic laser cannon on it. But this is an obvious nod to who Galvatron is, and frankly I think this one fantastical design choice manages to still look really good compared to the otherwise realistic vehicle. The barrel of the laser cannon cannot be raised up or down, but the whole turret can be rotated 360°. The front of the orange cannon is a spring loaded missile which can be fired.
The vehicle spots some lettering saying, "GALV-25." That was a nod to the fact that this toy was released when it was almost the 25th anniversary of the Transformers franchise.
The tank mold holds together very well, forming a cohesive solid with very few gaps. It tabs together rather solidly. Over all, Galvatron is an excellent tank.
Moving onto robot mode... Eh, things aren't continuing to look so hot. On the surface, he's a decent looking Galvatron. But when you pick him up and start to play with him, things begin to fall apart. In some cases, literally.
His arms are obviously asymmetrical, with one of them formed by the tank mode's turret. This arm is attached via a peg, and that peg likes to become detached. The other arm is attached via a ball joint. That arm likes to pop off as well, mainly during transformation. The legs don't (usually) fall off, but they have their own issues as well. The feet are very poorly designed. The middle portion of them are very hollow, and the back end of them doesn't reach down quite as far as the front. This, combined with the fact that he has a lot of kibble on his back making him back heavy, makes it difficult to get him to stand upright, especially in a neutral pose. That aforementioned back kibble has a few odd pieces in it, in the form of what almost looks like an extra pair of feet. That is certainly a strange place for a pair of feet to be! Apparently this is an artifact of an abandoned third, "walking tank" mode. On the bright side, positioning these pieces up over his shoulders gives him features similar to the shoulder kibble that his G1 form had. |
His articulation is somewhat uninspiring. His head is on a swivel. The arm with the cannon is, as mentioned previously, attached via a peg, thus it can only rotate forwards or backwards. Backwards, however, is rather limited by the back kibble. The cannon itself can also swivel where it is attached to the rest of the arm. There's an upper arm swivel, and the shoulder can bend. The opposite arm is on a ball joint, but as mentioned before it can pop off easily. This isn't as much of an issue during posing as it is during transformation, but it can still happen. Again, there is an upper arm swivel. And this elbow, because of transformation needs, has a nice double joint in it.
Moving onto his lower body, his waist has a swivel in it and his hips are universal joints that can bend in any direction you may need. But again, for many poses, you may run into some problems with the back kibble. There's an upper leg swivel, and below that a knee joint. However, the knee feels as if it is placed higher up on the leg then it should be. Due to how this figure transforms, it is likely the knees could not have been placed lower on the leg, but it still cannot help but to feel awkward. Finally, the front portion of each foot features a few joints in them mainly used for transformation. They can be a bit handy, however, in trying to make sure his feet remain flat. Anything you can do to get more of his feet on the ground should be done to help this figure, who as mentioned can have quite some difficulty staying balanced when standing.
Moving onto his lower body, his waist has a swivel in it and his hips are universal joints that can bend in any direction you may need. But again, for many poses, you may run into some problems with the back kibble. There's an upper leg swivel, and below that a knee joint. However, the knee feels as if it is placed higher up on the leg then it should be. Due to how this figure transforms, it is likely the knees could not have been placed lower on the leg, but it still cannot help but to feel awkward. Finally, the front portion of each foot features a few joints in them mainly used for transformation. They can be a bit handy, however, in trying to make sure his feet remain flat. Anything you can do to get more of his feet on the ground should be done to help this figure, who as mentioned can have quite some difficulty staying balanced when standing.
Aesthetically, he's not a bad looking robot... if you can get him in a good pose where he can remain balanced to stand upright. But that is a big if. And also be prepared for the frustration of him falling apart in the process.
That is probably why I waited so long to review Galvatron. My feelings on him are quite mixed. He has a great alt mode, and a good looking robot mode... but his overall execution just fails miserably. He is a fiddly, fall-apart mess of a toy that can be frustrating as all hell to play with. He would not be a good toy for children. Adult collectors may have better luck not wanting to throw him at a wall, but it would be a stretch.
When there are official options available, I almost always prefer that to third party options, and feel that third party companies shouldn't bother with figures Hasbro has already done. But I would be remiss if I didn't mention that there is a third party Galvatron that has recently been made available. I won't be getting it myself, but it is out there. And frankly, unless you're like me and insist on sticking with official figures when that is an option, I cannot recommend this figure. That isn't to say I hate it! But I'd have to admit it isn't very good, either. |
If anything, I feel this figure was too ambitious in design, and that design just failed miserably when put together. This figure has a lot potentially going for it, but alas the whole is lesser then the sum of its parts. Perhaps if it had been a larger size class, where the design could have had more room to breathe? But that is not the case, I fear. Maybe someday, Hasbro will give us a better Galvatron. Until then, well... if you need to have a Galvatron, and if you'd rather an official toy? Sure. Get this one. Otherwise, I can't recommend it.
Review added 24 July 2014 by Yotsuya. Comments are welcomed! |
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