Intro:
A
Transformer that could change to multiple modes has always been my favorites.
Can you imagine how difficult it must be for the designers to actually figure
out how to make that concept work into physical form?
As
if Triple-changers weren’t enough, Has-Tak came out with Six-changers, i.e.
Sixshot and Quickswitch. Those two were the product of the late 1980’s. Fast
forward to the new millennium, Has-Tak revisited that gimmick and decided to
give it a shot, and that’s where the series Car Robots (or Robots in Disguise in the English dub) was produced.
In
that series, Gigatron (Megatron in the English dub) was the Emperor of
Destruction, and is probably one of the most unique Megatron action figure ever
designed. After the lapse of almost 10 years, we finally had another
six-changer.
Yes,
you heard me right, Gigatron can transform into 6 different modes. However,
things get better when Gigatron was upgraded later in the show to Devil
Gigatron, where he would gain yet 4 more configurations. Since both used the
same mold, so that means Gigatron’s action figure could also transform into a
whopping 10 different modes!!!
Wow!
That is just so unbelievable, and I reckoned he currently holds the record of
the Transformer with the most modes!
However,
character-wise, his ability to multi-transform resulted in Gigatron having an
unstable mind. Each of his modes would have a personality of its own. So yes,
he does have a serious case of split personality – making him a very dangerous
opponent, because he’s always unpredictable.
Gigatron
has always been on my most-wanted list, and to finally be able to own him, the
feeling is surreal.
This
Gigatron was released in conjunction with the brand’s 15th
anniversary.
So
without further ado, let’s get down with the review.
Car
Mode (GigaFormula in Japanese dub):
First
we’re going to review the car mode. Well, you’d probably need some imagination
to visualize him as a car. He’s more like this super fast, biologically-infused
car with wings.
Yes,
he isn’t exactly a realistic-looking car, but you have to admit, we’re off to a
flying start here.
For
some odd reasons, this car mode reminds me of Bat-mobile. Don’t ask me why, but
maybe it’s because of the wings.
The
car mode roles quite smoothly and the entire thing does look awesome.
He
looks quite slick and fast, and you could almost imagine him being able to zip
at extraordinary speed.
Of
course, there are kibbles all over this mode. I guess, the whole idea for
Gigatron is not to have a convincing alternate mode, but it’s all about making
it work.
In
the official instructions, the wings are actually closed, but I actually prefer
to angle it somewhat higher. The shoulder pads are supposed to be kept low and
closer to the arms; me on the hands, like it to be opened to conceal the gap
between the shoulders and the legs. These are just two of my preferences for
this mode. You can do however you feel like doing – whatever floats your boat.
Jet
Mode (GigaJet):
The
jet mode looks kinda need. It looks imposing and grand-ish.
It’s
really cool that you can adjust the wingspan of the jet mode – either having a
full wingspan like I always like it to have; or you can have it sweep in.
Good-looking
as it is, I do have a gripe with this figure. The two dragon heads that are on
top of the jet mode can’t really lock in – they just perch on top. The hind
landing gears, which are formed by the arms can’t really lock in either. Unless
the joints are really tight, then the arms just might collapse under the weight
of the figure itself.
However,
I do like the fact that there is a landing gear, which is stored behind the
chest piece.
Bat
Mode (GigaBat):
The
bat mode actually looks quite good! It’s basically the robot mode with its legs
swept to the back, and the hands extended to become the legs.
I
really like the fact that there is actually a bat-mouth, hidden underneath the
head piece in other modes.
The
knee caps of the robot mode actually serves as extra supports for the bat mode,
as this mode can be a little bit back-heavy. The cockpit of the jet mode can be
positioned as the bat’s tail.
Articulation-wise:
it basically has all of the robot mode’s upper body articulations, and by the
way, the wings can somewhat flap.
Overall,
a really neat mode.
Hand
Mode (GigaHand):
Of
all the modes that Gigatron has, this is probably the silliest transformation
mode. A hand! Why do you need an overgrown hand anyway, when you can have much
other cooler mode out there?
Why?
Anyways,
with that being sad, the hand is actually quite articulated! It has almost all
the articulations a hand should have, and it even has a thumb!
 |
| Clenched in a fist |
It
even can clench into a fist! How cool is that?
Silly,
but cool.
Oh
yeah, in this mode, the two weapons are not utilized.
Dragon
Mode (GigaDragon):
The
dragon mode is probably one of the coolest. It is basically the robot mode
standing upside-down.
The
robot’s arms now become the legs, and the legs now become the heads. There are smaller
arms at the robot’s waist, which are kinda puny – imagine T-Rex’s arms, but
with 3 fingers.
The
jet cockpit now becomes the dragon’s tail.
The
figure is a bit back-heavy.
Robot
Mode (GigaTron):
The
robot mode is of course the sixth mode, and visually, I have to say, Gigatron
looks majestic. Evil, but majestic.
The
wings at the back, along with the apt dark-purple paint apps, make Gigatron
looks demonic at best.
In
robot mode, it is about the size of your standard Voyager-class figure, but the
wings tend to make it look even more massive.
Articulation-wise:
the head rotates; the shoulder are on two-sets of ratcheting joints, which
allows all range of motions; the arms rotate above the arms; elbows are on
tight ratcheting joints; the fists rotate; just like the shoulders, the hips
are on 2 sets of ratcheting joints as well; the legs rotate slightly below the
hips; the knees are on ratcheting joints; and finally the ankles are on ball
joints.
Gigatron
could use a waist joint, which would have done a great deal for the figure.
There
is so much detailing on this figure: shoulder pads, wings, shin guards etc –
absolutely fantastic.
The
robot mode is officially the sixth and final mode for Gigatron, but later in
the cartoon series, Gigatron would receive an upgrade, to become Devil Gigatron
– technically the same figure, but recolored from blachish-purple, to
whitish-purple, and supposedly with a whole lot more transformation modes – 10 modes
to be exact.
Hydrofoil
Mode:
Something
tells me that for hereon-in, the transformation modes aren’t really going to be
stellar, or even convincing for that matter.
It
feels as if each of this transformation is a result of random-fiddling with the
figure.
This
Hydrofoil mode example, is nothing more than an extension of the car mode. It
looks plausible, and I can see where they are going with this mode, but it
really isn’t that good.
And
again, the arm piece doesn’t lock in anywhere.
Gryphon
Mode:
Of
all the 4 new modes introduced for Devil Gigatron, the Gryphon is probably the
best.
It
looks good, complete with the tail, and is quite well proportioned.
The
articulations of the Gryphon is similar to the robot’s, but on all four.
Elephant
Mode:
The
elephant mode is probably the 2nd worst of all the modes, and here’s the reason: in
my case, the elephant head can’t really lock in or hook onto the “ear” pieces.
Probably
they do have a latch of the Devil Gigatron figure for the purpose of the
hook-on, but they don’t really have one on this mold.
Even
if they have that lock-in mechanism here, this elephant mode just doesn’t work
for me.
Pterodactyl
Mode:
This
is yet another very weak mode, and I think the photos are self-explanatory. It's the worst of the lot and it doesn’t
look like a pterodactyl at all, not by a long shot.
In
most cases, let’s assume this most doesn’t exist at all.
Summary:
Overall,
Gigatron is a good figure – very adventurous, yet is not really an excellent.
The original modes for Gigatron are good, yet the four additional ones are
sub-par at best (yes, I know for Devil Gigatron, this mold was retooled
slightly).
It
is a fun figure to fiddle with, and if you’re like me, and you enjoy figures
with multimode configurations like Sixshot, you will definitely enjoy this one.
Rating – 8/10
