#mp-36+

Transformers

Masterpiece 36+

Megatron

by Takara (2018)

I got Masterpiece Megatron for my birthday...back in May 2020. Yea, I’m a little late on this one, but to be honest, I’ve been holding off on opening this up for two reasons: One, I hear the transformation is a beast, and I just haven’t been mentally prepared for it, and TWO: I felt like this needed to be an event before I could remove it from the box...as if my 40th birthday wasn’t an event enough.

But regardless I’m finally doing it now, and let this be my return to routine posting again after a looooong hiatus..

Box:

The MP boxes are usually simply a matte black box with the figure prominently displayed and this is really no different.

It’s a simple, elegant box showing off the figure trapped within.

Collector’s Card:

Like all MPs Megatron comes with a collector’s card with a him stand a pose similar to his old G1 baox art and stats on the back which I cannot read. The card quality is decent with a decent gloss.

Collector’s coin:

MP-36+ came with a collector’s coin sealed in within a plastic bubble on a really nice card made up to look like Megatron’s chest.

I’d hate to tear it apart, so I’ve decided to leave it on the card.

Robot Mode:

MP-36+ is a retool of MP-36 meant to be less cartoon accurate and more like his G1 toy which is the main reason why I wanted to check this figure out instead of the getting the base MP-36.

Not owning the original G1 Megatron toy until my 21st birthday this (the OG G1 toy) was always fascinating for me; I remember staring and studying the old Transformers toy pamphlet and wanting it as a kid. 

Right out of the box MP-36+ is an impressive figure; that chrome silver is so good, and a lot of the color detail and tampograph looks straight out of the G1 toy.

The head sculpt has that cold, and cruel stare, and the curly-Q on the chest is a great touch.

Megatron’s joints are mainly soft ratchets and he can hold a pose well.

Well he passes the high-kick pose, so that’s a bonus!

Transformation:

In order to properly transform MP Megatron, I watched one of Emgo’s videos out of fear that I was going to break it.

Transforming this figure is definitely a challenge, and especially when you consider that chrome paint can eventually wear off if you touch it too often, so I was very hesitant to touch it, yet alone alter its shape.

I’m fairly certain the chrome paint adds an extra layer to the toy, because I was occasionally having difficulty getting certain parts of the gun mode to snap into place. [See below]

Naturally every time a piece did snap into place I flinched a bit, fearing that I was going to chip away at the chrome.

(below) Part of the Megatron’s transformation process is to collapse his shins by folding panels, and sort of accordion-ing each leg in on itself.

Well, it’s easier to transform the legs into gun mode than it is to turn him back into robot mode. Un-accordion-ing those legs back into lode-bearing status was not an easy process. I had to resort to metal picks to un-wedge things, and I was afraid that I was going to break the figure. I didn’t, but it was a task, to put it mildly...

Gun Mode:

Megatron’s weapon mode is a Walther P-38 with a silencer, scope, and stock, and this thing (minus the orange tip) looks frighteningly real.

The gun mode is a pretty solid object. It fit comfortable in my hands, and you can squeeze the spring-loaded trigger.

Yea, you can see a lot of the panel details, and I’m not sure there’s much that really can be done about that.

The fact that such a solid, and fun, evil robot can even compress into something so compact is really good engineering.

Once you add the silencer, scope, and stock it completes that classic Megatron gun mode.

The only true issue have with this mode is that the silencer is a very loose fit, so if you’re holding it in your hands the silencer slumps down a bit, and I’m not a fan of that. I’m sure there’s a way to tighten that connection, but I’ll have to do a little research on that.

As a static object it does looks really good.

Comparing MP-36+ to the original G1 Megatron you can see how near identical they are except for the size difference. 

Accessories:

Moving on to accessories (aside from the collector’s card) are the arm cannon, scope and stock, smooth chest panel, and three additional faces (cartoon accurate)

--Alternate chest:

Megatron comes with two chest plates, both chromed out in silver. One has just the Decepticon badge, and other has the black curly-Q’s from the original G1 toy.

The chest slides off very easily, and is a breeze to snap on.

--Alternate faces:

Aside from the G1 toy-styles face Megatron comes with three faces which are more accurate to the Sunbow cartoon design (which also came with the original run of the figure) which is a neutral face, and yelling face, and a laughing face. 

Thanks to the swappable faces of Masterpiece Megatron you can make your own tragedy & comedy muses. So that’s cool.

Orange Tip:

The orange cap over Megatron’s gun barrel has been a big road block for me in not only posting this figure, but every other toy that I’ll be posting after this. 

The orange tip is meant to be a safety plug so that police don’t confuse Megatron’s gun mode for a real gun. It’s an admirable gesture, and I do agree with it, however for my copy I believe some jokster super glued the plug into the barrel, and that has been a problem for me...

The tried and true method for removing the plug is to heat it up with a blow dryer and it’s supposed to be easily removed with either pliers or just your fingers. I attempted that a several times, and it didn’t work, so I’ve had to resort to other methods.

I’ve been using a dremmel to bore out the orange plug, and it’s widdling it away  but I have to be careful not to damage the toy, which I might have already scuffed up the barrel of the gun at this point. It’s been a slow and annoying process. All because some clown thought it would be funny to super glue the plug... 

Final Thoughts:

In my opinion MP-36 is a fantastic Megatron, and a great addition to my Masterpiece collection.

The figure is solid, is really fun to pose, and I love the modified face of the original toy; this collectable has got a lot of personality.

My concerns are to be very careful with the transformation; it can be complicated (especially with the legs), but a little fun too, and I’m worried the chrome silver will eventually chip away, especially in areas that are clipped together during transformation.

I highly recommend the figure, however be wary of that orange plug. I have been trying, and trying, and trying to remove it, and it’s got to be glued in; someone though they were really funny, and I’m not laughing.

Bucket-Headed Decepticon Leader who turns into a gun that fires itself...

TakaraTomy’s “Lucky Draw” figures are well-known for their all-chrome decos and are normally produced as promotional campaign prizes in very limited quantities, possibly a mercy in this case.  Megatron even appears to include the interchangeable faces and chest and the full set of accessories from the original MP-36 release, allowing the lucky few the the choice to test fate itself by prying at the edges of removable panels, or even sliding on the already problematic barrel extension.

We do hope that at least one brave owner transforms their copy into gun mode, once, for a photo for the Transformers Wiki. See the original Facebook post by Rarity of Convoy here.

Thanks to Allspark user Thylacine 2000 for the heads up on this story. Discuss it here on the Allspark forums and stop here first if it’s your first time to create an account.