25 Nights of Nineties Nostalgia: Gen 2 Megatron

Today on Transforming Thursday we take a look at the commander of the Decepticons and emperor of destruction, Megatron! Yes, how could we forget him from his appearance in the original cartoon dressed in bright green and purple camo with that giant turret mounted on his… shoulder? Wait something is off here.

Tanks a lot! (We got nothing)
Tanks a lot!
(We got nothing)

Yup you got it, today we will actually be looking at the successor to that classic original design with Generation 2 Megatron. Hasbro decided to re-release/re-deco its line of Transformers for a new generation, un-ironically naming it Generation 2. They even came out with a new show, which was the old show with poorly rendered CG segments added to it. Clearly no every expense was spared to push this toy-line of mostly repaints. Even the G2 Optimus Prime was just the same guy from seven years earlier with a black trailer. So why did Megatron get the new figure then if they couldn’t even be bothered to change Optimus Prime?

Hey kids! Duck!
Kids play.

Perhaps it had something to do with the original Megatron turning into a realistic Walter P-38 firearm.

Things were no longer as relaxed as they once were concerning children’s toys and guns. There are strict rules, even today, about replica firearms and Hasbro’s main villain was not going to get a pass in his current get up. Parental groups would have had a field day protesting Hasbro for peddling guns to children.

So what is the next best thing to being a gun? A bigger gun with wheels and treads! Modeled after an M1A1 Abrams tank, Megatron was back on the scene larger than he had ever been before. His alt mode was a merciless tank equipped with a huge gun that you literally had to cock in order to fire actual missiles. Wasn’t the goal here to be less reminiscent of a gun? It was a gimmick to good not to use, as well as the way his electronics shouted, “Megatron Attack!” – both features the world could not go on without.

Wow, and that color scheme screams 90’S garish attitude. Which, if the comics are to be believed, we have GI Joe’s Cobra to thank for creating; because good lord we can’t go two days without bringing those guys up. Wait… GI Joe, Marvel, Transformers, MASK, Street Fighter, and Professional Wrestling… My God, Cobra is trying to take over the world one toy-line at a time! You heard it here first! Illuminati confirmed! Cobra is real and after your toys!!

About Al 28 Articles
Al Baldino is half bear, half owl-bear, which makes him some sort of terrible fraction no one wants to think about. He's a co-host on the Line Cutters every Wednesday at 7pm EST.