Galvatron Review Capsule

Galvatron is a repaint of Megatron from earlier in 2004. This time around, the toy is meant to be "powered up" and greatly resembles G1 Galvatron from TransFormers: The Movie and the final seasons of the animated series. This new toy offers no new functionality but looks awesome, and is the better of the two decos of this mold. Recommended.

Introduction

Hasbro has released many toys named "Galvatron" over the years and this toy seems to fit the original animated version of the character better than any other-- short of the PVC.

He turns from a really big jet to a really big robot. Oh, and he has a sword, a tank, and a missile that launches from said tank. What's not to like?

Robot

Well, he's really big. Huge, even. From the soles of his feet to the tip of his horns, he's about 15 inches tall.

While very cool, it's readily obvious that this was designed to pay homage to an older character.

And he has a hyper mode, too!

A number of guns pop out and his shoulder cannons fold forward, and that's pretty much it. He has an excellent range of movement, but isn't exactly what you would consider to be super posable. Especially if you consider the fairly large size of the figure. The detailing is good but not the finest Hasbro's pulled off in recent memory, but still, it's plenty good and a nice big solid-feeling robot.

Vehicle

It's a big harrier jet thing! Again.

If you've seen Megatron, you know what to expect with the repaint. Like before, his tank drone can connect to the jet to make a slightly more armored craft. Here, he has few moving parts outside his landing gear and the moving bits for the hyper mode.

As you can see, the wings fold up and guns pop out. It's nothing too special, but on the whole the "Hyper Power" concept of the Energon Decepticons was pretty lackluster and added little to the actual toy. Reconfiguring a weapon does not a special mode make. Still, this is a nice toy-- the new silver, purple, and orange deco really makes it pop out on a shelf and will undoubtedly stand out in your collection.

These are the American large sized toys based on this mold. As you can see, Megatron and Galvatron are more or less identical except for the colors, so if you're colorblind and have Megatron, skipping Galvatron is a good idea.

Additional Accessories

Galvatron includes a tank, a sword that plugs into said tank, and a missile.

The sword plugs into the back of the tank, where the toys electronics are kept. The sounds are nothing special, but it does give the toy that little something "extra" that a $40 toy basically requires these days.

Comparisons

For your convinience, here's a look at the new and old toys.

The tiny Megatron in the middle of the robot shot was the Toys "R" Us exclusive from the two-pack with Optimus Prime, still available in many areas and well worth snagging as well.

Packaging, Tech Specs, & Co-Sells

This toy came packaged in the second wave style TransFormers Energon packaging with a generous compliment of twist-ties.

It's big, but nothing too fancy. Galvatron shipped one per case in a two-piece case, the other is Optimus Prime.

Fin

If you don't have one, it's new to you. The new deco is arguably superior to the first release and a heck of a nice fan wank, and if you can get it cheap you'll probably want this one and the original version. It's a nice toy for a kid, a fun big robot for adult collectors, and nice and colorful and purple. With the white outline around the Decepticon symbols and the nifty orange color to remind you of the old movie character, there's a lot to like here and even more to like at the right price. If you have the money when you see it, we think you'd probably dig it.

Reviewed and photographed by Adam Pawlus
Sample purchased at a Phoenix, AZ Wal-Mart in December 2004 for $10.00 (freak sighting)
Reviewed on March 1, 2005.