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Post by Shockprowl on Mar 23, 2009 16:56:02 GMT
Nige's "please make" thread got me thinking... On my list is an Ultra sized, Infiltration Styled Megatron.
Now, I've all the G1 love for the classical 'Gun' Megatron. But even when I was a kid I thought "huh, a gun, gotta be held by someone...". This niggle remained. And has feastered. Even though we never actually saw ol' Megs in his Cybertronian tank form on panel, the robot mode from Infiltration just spanks a whole lotta fat ones for me. Bulky, heavily armed, oh baby. Shockprowl likes.
Look at Titanium War Within Megatron. Or if you're a Titanium HATER like some misguided folkes, think about Megatron in the War Within Comic. I haven't read the comic (I know, I know, but the kid needs new shoes, ok?!), but I love the Titanium toy. Forget the fact he's a belly-former. The style and bulk of him, the gaze, the weaponary. The ability to, you know, drive places. Tank is good.
Then, you look at G2. I'm not an authority on G2 at all, but a massive green camo tank? Sounds good to me. On to Beast Wars. What is a T Rex if it is not a Tank (in Dino terms)? And Armada. Oh Armada. If his turret-gun ended up on his fore-arm....
But a gun? He has to be held by someone else inorder to work properly!?!?! Doesn't sit right.
I feel torn. On the one hand, my G1 love just worships G1 Megatron. And yet, and yet- HE SHOULD BE A TANK!!!!!
I think, I'm fundamentally talking about what is right for the character. In the eighties, a gun that transforms into a robot was the dog's, -but, for the character of Megatron, I think he should he a tank.
Nah wha' a mean?
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Post by KnightBeat on Mar 23, 2009 17:44:39 GMT
Megatron should be a car! Edit: Modified my post to remove a 'p' from the end of car. It's all a bit fishy to me. |
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Post by Grand Moff Muffin on Mar 23, 2009 20:09:48 GMT
An interesting thread. I've sometimes pondered the thought, "What physically makes such-and-such a character such-and-such a character?" For some characters, it's their disguise mode, for others it's something about their humanoid robot mode.
E.g. What makes Grimlock physically Grimlock isn't anything special about his robot mode, it's that he transforms into a T-rex. Similarly, Hound is a green jeep. Mirage is a white/blue Formula-1. Bumblebee is a yellow VW. Skywarp is a black jet. Most TFs, I think, I associate more with their disguise mode and colours, than the shape of their robot mode.
BUT
Shockwave's one eye in robot mode is more important than what he turns into. The cassettes are defined more by the shapes of their robot modes than what they turn into. Wheeljack's horizontal stripy face and flashing ears are more important than what he turns into.
And for some characters, I'm not sure whether I consider the disguise mode or a feature of the robot mode more defining. What is more important physically to make Prowl Prowl - the fact he turns into a police car, or his red antlers in robot mode? Tough call.
As for Megatron, the most important thing for me isn't what he turns into but that he's the robot with the huge fusion cannon on his arm.
Physically speaking, G2 Megatron and live-action movie Megatron fall down in being quintessentially Megatron for me, not because they turn into the wrong thing, but because they don't have a full-blown proper fusion cannon on their arm.
Martin
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Post by jameso on Mar 23, 2009 20:30:26 GMT
Of course, the best Megatron option is that he is a triple changer gun and tank!  Galvatron had a somewhat succesful go at this. I think the main point about Megatron is that he lots of firepower in both robot and other mode. So he doesn't really work as a plane, but does work, for me, as a tank, as long as, as with G2, the tank's turret can go on his shoulder in robot mode. |
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Post by The Doctor on Mar 23, 2009 20:37:26 GMT
I really like Megatron's Machine Wars jet incarnation. Can't quite put my finger on why though.
-Ralph
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Post by Grand Moff Muffin on Mar 23, 2009 20:47:47 GMT
Of course, the best Megatron option is that he is a triple changer gun and tank! Galvatron had a somewhat succesful go at this. I think the main point about Megatron is that he lots of firepower in both robot and other mode. So he doesn't really work as a plane, but does work, for me, as a tank, as long as, as with G2, the tank's turret can go on his shoulder in robot mode. Jets can pack a lot more firepower than guns or tanks. I think with Megatron it's more a case of visible firepower - the size of his weapon relative to his body size. The original gun Megatron, I think had the biggest gun relative to his body size of any TF, at the time or since, and that's what made him Megatron. Martin |
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Post by Philip Ayres on Mar 23, 2009 21:15:08 GMT
I really like Megatron's Machine Wars jet incarnation. Can't quite put my finger on why though. -Ralph They've got the head right. Megatron should be a tank. And what's more he should bethe Combat Hero version done in green. |
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Post by Philip Ayres on Mar 24, 2009 12:07:23 GMT
Thinking about it a new run of the Machine wars flipchanger toys would be nice.
Megatron as was (but better paint obviously) but do the other Megatron as Starscream and give him, Thundercracker and Skywarp new heads.
Hoist as himself in green & orange paired with a red and blue Optimus Prime version. A Mirage similar to the RM version and I'm not sure what to do withthe other one. Add in some Cyberjet repaints, and make the combat heroes as larger versions - Megatron as above, possibly doing the prime as Magnus in white.
My money is waiting for you to take it Hasbro !
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Post by grahamthomson on Mar 24, 2009 14:42:14 GMT
Yeah, I quite like Megatron as a tank. Maybe we'll see him as one again soon.
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dyrl
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Transforming robots are no match for combat waitresses from the future!
Posts: 1,652
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Post by dyrl on Mar 25, 2009 7:23:49 GMT
I think Megatron should be an ice cream truck whose sinister plan is to drive round the neighborhood gathering the good graces of little girls and boys everywhere, only to use them as human shields against the Autobots when the Decepticons next strike.
"That big red truck is attacking Ice Cream Megaman! We have to stop him!"
Pete
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Post by The Doctor on Mar 25, 2009 18:41:51 GMT
I would buy that toy.
-Ralph
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Post by legios on Mar 25, 2009 21:14:07 GMT
Reading through this thread I got as far as the discussion about Megatron as an aircraft and something crystalised in my head. Megatron would make a fantastic A-10 - having the GAU-8/A detachable (having the whole magazine/feed assembly drop out of the fuselage along with the barrel assembly) and mount on one of the arms would make for a nice homage to the original fusion cannon mount.
The other thing that springs to mind is going a bit retro - having him be an early F-4 Phantom II, with the large centreline mounted gun-pod which would be an ideal shape to snap onto the arm.
For my money though I often focus on the head design in terms of whether a character feels "right" to me. MW Megatron has the "bucket-head" design and therefore feels like Megatron to me. The same can be said about Convoys/Primes as well. If they have the square optics and the antennnae on the side of the head then I find it easy to accept them as the character in question.
It doesn't always work that way mind you - I never really got a sense of a resemblance between Cybertron Downshift and Wheeljack, even when folk pointed it out to me.
Karl
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Post by Philip Ayres on Mar 25, 2009 22:07:57 GMT
Would have worked better if Energon Downshift had had the right nam,e
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Post by Shockprowl on Mar 27, 2009 11:28:16 GMT
I think Martin's hit the nail on the head, here, in what makes a character a character. For me it's defo the huge gun on his arm and the bucket-head that makes Megatron. Also like the triple changing idea. Robot, Tank and one of Karlos's Jets. That'd be the Ultimate Megatron!!! Oh, and maybe a T-Rex as well. Quad-Former!
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Galvatron had a somewhat succesful go at this. I think the main point about Megatron is that he lots of firepower in both robot and other mode. So he doesn't really work as a plane, but does work, for me, as a tank, as long as, as with G2, the tank's turret can go on his shoulder in robot mode.
