Megatron

Released in the first year of the Transformers toyline, the original Megatron toy began life as the Microman figure "Gun Robo - P38", which transforms into an accurate replica of a Walther P-38 pistol. This Microman figure was available in two forms: a standard version in two color schemes (one grey, one black), and the "Gun Robo - P38 U.N.C.L.E.", outfitted with three distinctive accessories—a scope, a silencer and a stock—that replicate the appearance of the unique, specialized Walther pistol seen in the popular 1960s spy television series The Man from U.N.C.L.E. It was the "U.N.C.L.E." version, with all of its special accessories, that was released by Hasbro as Megatron. When the figure is in robot mode, the sight doubles as his signature arm-mounted fusion cannon, but can also be combined with the other attachments to form either a "Particle Beam Cannon" weapons emplacement that Megatron can man, or a "Telescopic Laser Cannon" that connects to the figure as an over-shoulder weapons array. The pieces can also form a turret that a Microman figure can sit on and operate (that's what the tiny handles on Megatron's fusion cannon are for), but this feature was naturally left out of the Transformers version's instructions. Megatron also came with a chromed silver "high-density infrared laser cannon" that plugs into his either of his hands. The original Microman release of the toy that would be Megatron featured a spring-loaded firing mechanism that allowed the toy to shoot (dangerously small) plastic bullets one at a time from its barrel. A similar launching mechanism was also built into the stock piece, which could launch the bullets when the accessories were configured into their weapons emplacement mode, or attach to Megatron's hip when in robot mode and launch the bullets through his barrel. As with all missile-firing gimmicks, this feature was removed from the Hasbro release of the toy, though the ports into which the bullets were inserted are still present. Megatron has had several variations, reissues and redecos released down through the years; this article strives to list each distinct edition of the toy under its own respective series. The earliest variation of the toy came in 1985, when (like all toys originally available in 1984) a factory-applied rubsign was added to Megatron's right arm while another version had the rub sign on his left hip guard. Then, the following year, when he was no longer a part of the toy assortment sold at retail, Megatron was made available as a mail-away item in the "Digital Doom on the Highway to Destruction" flier packed in with boxed Transformers toys. He cost $21.50 and five Robot Points. To coincide with the 1986 animated movie release, he was also offered in 'The Autobots Have A Special Mission For...' mail-away pamphlet and came with a special "Movie Edition Certificate" and a round sticker that read " Movie . Edition . Transformer" with the Autobot symbol in the middle. (This item is considered rare.) Perhaps the most significant variant of Megatron released in these early years was the version of the figure released by Takara in Japan (pictured below). Instead of using the Microman "U.N.C.L.E." figure as Hasbro had, Takara released the standard version of the Gun Robo P-38 Microman figure, in its grey color scheme, which featured flat grey plastic on the chest and arms (where Hasbro's toy was chromed), and blue plastic on the inner arms and legs (where Hasbro's was red). Most notably, like that standard Microman figure, Takara's Megatron did not come with the stock, silencer and scope accessories (lacking even the attachment point for his cannon on his right arm), but instead came with a silver-chromed sword and retained his original bullet-firing mechanism. Takara's package art for the figure was an entirely different illustration from the Hasbro version, showing this toy's accessories, but it still erroneously showed the figure with red plastic on its limbs. This coloration was later repurposed by e-HOBBY for a new character named Megaplex. Megatron is probably the most troubled Transformer toy in all of Transformer history, due to being originally Japanese which had different toy laws, he is frequently banned due to being a realistic gun while lacking an orange cap to indicate it's not a real gun. Some countries banned it or deemed it illegal due to criminals or kids misusing it as a real gun and terrorizing others, or law enforcement mistaking it for a real firearm and shooting innocent people dead (as has happened multiple times in the past). For you American fans, it may actually be easier to own a real Walther P-38 handgun than this original Megatron toy.