Name: Galvatron
Series: Universe
Allegiance: Decepticon
Alternate Mode: Tank
Thanks to Pulse for loaning me Galvatron for this review (I have since acquired Galvatron).
TANK MODE
Height: 5.5cm Length: 16cm Width: 8.5cm
A grey tank with silver paint applications and black treads, Galvatron has a transparent orange cannon with a very visible fluorescent red outburst behind it. The grey is darker than on the original, but the orange cannon really resembles that of the original, despite a lack of sparkle this time around. On either side of the turret, Galvatron has the serial number "GALV-25" in black. I'm glad the designer went for grey rather than purple here - it gives this tank mode more credibility. Having said that, the red isn't the best idea - it detracts from the orange, which is a nice tribute to the original, but one best done without the red around. While the tank mode works well enough, the red holds it back somewhat, especially when the sculpted details are generally unpainted.
The sculpt here is very good, although other than the silver areas there isn't a whole lot of paint here to highlight it. Galvatron sports missiles, hatches, mesh and the like. The links on his treads are also well done, although you can only see then if you lift him off the table. There is some purple robot junk at the back of the turret but on the whole this is a fairly kibble free tank mode.
The play value is pretty much what you'd expect here - the turret rotates through 360°, there are small plastic wheels underneath allowing him to roll along. The orange cannon is actually a missile launcher, firing an orange missile. The red outburst is actually the trigger - which probably should have been grey. The launcher itself is quite powerful, the missile will happily fire several feet.
A decent tank mode if not a great one, Galvatron's sculpt is detailed and fairly accurate while the transparent orange cannon is a nice G1 tribute. Sadly he lacks colours where he needs it (the sculpted detail) and has it where he doesn't (the fluorescent red). As Transformers tanks go, this one is pretty good, and it's a decent interpretation of Galvatron too, although I wish the grey was lighter.
TRANSFORMATION TO ROBOT MODE
A very involved and complex transformation which I'm not going to describe in great detail - but I'll summarise. The front of the treads becomes his legs, the turret becomes his right arm while the cannon becomes his arm cannon. The head, torso and left are are concealed underneath the rear of the tank, which itself folds up as a backpack.
ROBOT MODE
Height: 14cm Width: 9.5cm
A purple robot with grey legs and grey arms, Galvatron features that fluorescent red here and there, sports a silver Decepticon logo on his upper left arm (which is purple), red panels on his stomach, and a silver face with transparent orange eyes. The orange cannon very much resembles that of the original here, while the colours line up to those of Galvatron as seen in the cartoon. The colour scheme here is pretty good - the grey and purple combine well, and even the red manages to fit into the scheme fairly well. Again I would have prefer the red left out, but it fits in much better this time. The eyes have a fairly effective lightpipe, and again there are some silver painted elements here and there.
The robot mode looks very complex, since there are so many moving pieces involved in his transformation. The arms are highly asymmetrical, and not just the cannon. The right arm is actually slightly longer than the left, the hand is lower and has an open palm while the left is a fist. I don't like the longer arm, but the other asymmetry doesn't bother me. There is some kibble on the back, including a plate hanging off his skidplate, but it's all close to his torso, so it doesn't affect his centre of gravity. The general bodyshape here is good, except for the longer arm.
This is a fine Galvatron tribute, with the purple matching the colour seen in the cartoon nicely, the orange cannon matching that of G1 well. The red panels on his waist and the crown on his head are also traditional, the crown is very much based on the cartoon Galvatron. The legs aren't especially Galvatron-esque, nor is the right arm (cannon aside), but the character is ridiculously obvious here, which is a good thing. Incidentally, there are kneepads which match those of G1, however Hasbro's promo pics don't show them.
The poseability here is pretty good. His head turns, the left shoulder is ball jointed and the right rotates. His elbows are hinged with rotators - the left elbows is a double hinge. His waist turns a little while the hips swing and lift out to the sides. His knees bend and rotate while the ankles can wiggle a little. There are useful heelspurs. The cannon rotates up and down and of course the missile shoots.
The lopsided arms bugs me a little, but that's my only real complaint here. The colours are good, the tribute is very strong and the poseability is good. The red outbursts are less than desirable, but they're pretty much in the background now. While this isn't a perfect robot mode, it's a fine effort, considering this purple Galvatron robot becomes a grey tank.
VARIATIONS
The Henkei Version features a lighter purple, chrome silver on the turret and replaces that orange plastic with black. e-Hobby Galvatron is a limited repaint of Galvatron.
OVERALL
A very well designed toy with good poseability in robot mode, a great tribute in robot mode and a pretty good tank mode. The colours in robot mode are great, even if the tank mode's colours could have been a little better. The transformation is above what you'd hope for from a deluxe. If you're at all into G1 Galvatron, I'd strongly recommend this toy, which really pays homage to the character - 8/10
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