Man oh
man. If you're a collector like me, you didn't
start with Bandais. You started with Trendmasters,
the first rather large collection of figures released
in America. Regardless on your feelings of the designs,
you can't ignore the fact that Trendmasters
had some interesting takes and new features that
the Bandai figures didn't have. A few years ago
at G-Fest, which fell dangerously close to my birthday,
I came across the Trendmasters Megalon for $50.
I didn't blow that much on it, but my dad
did as a surprise gift. I was shocked, needless
to say. Since then it has remained in the box, but
with the addition of Varan and Baragon into my collection,
Megalon has shed its protective covering to be displayed
and reviewed. Oh sure, you can tell me “What
about the value!?” Well… I have no intentions
of selling any of these figures, so that is moot.
Anyway, lets get into gear here and review the
first rare figure: Megalon. First released in 1995
as part of the Godzilla Wars line, Megalon
proved to be a challenge for any collector. Sold
at KB Toys, many fans would be denied this figure
before it was issued through the company website.
Megalon, along with Baragon and Varan, would come
back the next year in the doomed Doom Island
line. If you were lucky, you might have been able
to find them in Hong Kong. As a general note, this
particular figure is the one that was released in
the Doom Island packaging, as the Godzilla
Wars version is the one with sound.
Anyway, again, going back to this figure…
Megalon stands at about 5 inches and has a rotabale
head along with moveable arms and legs. The tail
can also move a bit. The “wings” or
“shell” can also open or close, but
I hear it isn't uncommon for them to snap
off, so be careful if you have one.
Now for the fun: Its redesign. Being a Megalon
fan, I can't tell you how many fan-made Megalon
redesigns have left more than just a bitter taste
in my mouth. For this one, possibly the first redesign
of the creature, Trendmasters moved away greatly.
Let's start with the obvious: his drills or
lack there of. Even the stats on his trading card
don't list his hands as drills but instead
blades, much like Gigan. An awkward and un-needed
change if you ask me. The new color scheme will
probably be hit and miss with fans, but I kind of
like it. It doesn't look like an underground
kaiju's colors anymore, but it still looks
cool to me. I am especially fond of the new armor
and scales which almost look Samurai-ish, especially
on the legs. The tail has also been made longer,
not a bad idea actually.
The head is a bit weird for me, and for one reason:
Octaman. If you've ever seen this cheapie
1980s Mexican monster movie, you can't deny
that Megalon's new face looks a tad like it.
The red eyes look nice, the antennas are good, the
mouth looks a bit more dangerous, but the horn is
too short. This could have been done on purpose
to prevent it from snapping off, however.
Now, again, as I said, this design will be hit
and miss with fans, but the detailing of it remains
one of Trendmasters' best, especially the
legs with the scales underneath the armor. The head
could use some more work, but it isn't the
blandest of the series. Besides the lack of drills,
I can honestly say that this design, while not as
good as the original, is decent.
The figure will forever remain rare and grow in
value. I seem them going for over $70 and it is
only destined to go higher. If you're a Megalon
fan or a Trendmasters completionist, then by all
means get it. If not, well, leave it alone.
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