Galvatron

Galvatron Tech Specs

Bio
Arrogant, powerful and ruthless, GALVATRON has emerged to seize control of the scattered DECEPTICON forces. He has formed what was once a loose confederation of assassins and warlords into an army capable of threatening the entire universe. Rumors abound, but no one knows where he came from; they know only that he arrived, and swiftly crushed all opposition to his rule. Some DECEPTICONS hope another leader powerful enough to challenge him will emerge, but most are too afraid of him to even hope for someone better.

Galvatron Images

More Images: Toy Gallery

Galvatron Toy Information

Galvatron Parts List

Additional Galvatron parts info:
1X Missile

Galvatron Review

-Submitted by: chaosbringer_00 | Overall Score: 9

Behold: Galvatron! For the first time since Beast Wars II, we get a Galvatron that isn’t a straight-up Megatron repaint. Fans everywhere rejoiced...until they found out that, rather than being Ultra Class, Galvatron had been bumped down to a deluxe. And thus the complaining began. However, big things come in small packages.

VEHICLE MODE

Galvatron takes the form of a tank this go round, and a pleasantly realistic one at that. Except, of course, for the translucent orange barrel. Personally, I don’t mind, but does sort of throw the whole “realistic alt-mode” thing out the window. Putting the barrel aside, Galvatron looks good in this mode, if a little bit bland. That’s okay, though; tanks aren’t supposed to be colorful. Some nice metallic silver breaks up the grey, and that’s all it really needs.
As for what the tank can actually do, the turret rotates a full 360 degrees, but can’t move up and down. A minor grievance, but hardly detracts from the toy. The turret is backed up by a small missile rack, which is a nice touch. Overall the mode is very solid. It holds together well, has good playability, and looks great (if you don’t mind the orange turret). A solid 9/10, in my opinion.

ROBOT MODE

Galvatron has arguably the most complex transformation ever seen on a deluxe, and most other size classes too. Some parts can be frustrating, like getting the turret arm into place, but overall I find it to be creative and satisfying. Many people complain that his parts have a tendency to pop off, and while they do, the trick is to know how to move each section. Once you figure out what direction pressure shouldn’t be applied in, things get much easier. Also, Galvatron has two purely aesthetic parts to his transformation that aren’t explicitly stated in the instructions (they’re in the picture of his finished transformation at the end, but the instructions never show you how). The first is the little flip-out hook in his left shoulder, and the other is the pair of “feet” that flip out from his tank tread kibble. The “feet” are meant to evoke the G1 figure’s shoulder pads, and I think that it’s a neat way to pay more homage to the original character.
In robot mode, Galvatron is an imposing sight. Unlike the original G1 Galvatron, he is much bulkier and angular in design, like a more “normal” Transformer. I find this appropriate, seeing as he has an earthen alt-mode, and thus looks more like other Earth-based Transformers. He still retains some aspects of his sleek, futuristic look, however, especially on the parts painted purple: his head, torso, left shoulder, and lower legs. And while I’m on the topic of color, it is impressive how the purple parts remain completely hidden in alt-mode, so that the tank looks more realistic but the robot mode looks more like the insane tyrant we all know and love.
Articulation is something of a mixed bag on Galvatron. He possesses a great number of joints, many of which are there because of his transformation. The problem lies in the fact that some of the more (no pun intended) pivotal joints are restricted. The cannon-toting arm can rotate 360 degrees at the shoulder, but can’t move outwards at all, and even then the backpack can sometimes get in the way. On the plus side, the turret can be rotated independently of the rest of the arm, opening up more posing options. The forearm can move in and out a little, but is severely restricted. The hand on that arm is open in a claws-extended state, allowing you to pose him in the process of strangling some poor little Autobot, a definite plus. And because the other arm is very articulated (a ball joint at the shoulder and double-jointed elbows), and its hand is in a fist, you can pose him in a “punching palm” sort of pose, like he’s getting ready to beat the slag out of you. His head can swivel 360 degrees, but can’t look up and down. He has universal joints at the hips, basic up and down knee movement, and a swivel joint above and below the knee. His feet also swivel to the left and right, but that’s it. Now, many people complain that the knees are too far up on his legs, but they don’t seem so in person. No, the real problem lies with the swivel joint above his knee. For whatever reason, it is particularly prone to popping off. It pops right back on without any fuss, but quickly becomes irritating. So, in general, Galvatron is well-articulated, but with a few caveats.
Balance can be something of an issue with Galvatron. He has big heels, but because they are square, they are only effective at certain angles. His backpack makes him rather back-heavy, but his wide feet generally compensate. What’s odd about getting Galvatron to balance is that the bottom of his feet aren’t perpendicular to his legs, meaning that in order to get him to stand up straight, you must tilt his legs forward. At certain angles this makes it look like he is leaning forward, but when viewed in profile, you can see that he is stands perfectly straight. This quirk isn’t exactly a negative, but is worth noting.
Having gone over every other aspect of his robot mode (in excruciating detail, I must admit), allow me to talk about the big one: his diminutive stature. Yes, ladies and gentleman, the deranged leader of the Decepticons is shorter than most of his subordinates. That’s the fact of the matter. It really just comes down to whether or not his height bothers you or not. Scale has never been something Hasbro’s worried about in Transformers (excluding Alternators), so I feel that it is a pointless effort to get worked up over when we’ve never had it in the first place. Galvatron has many great qualities, which more than compensate for his height. Robot mode gets a 9/10 from me.

If the amount of detail I’ve gone into over him is any indicator, I love this toy. He’s got a great design, generally good posability, and he’s Galvatron. A Galvatron that isn’t a Megatron repaint. So what if he’s short? He’ll atomize your legs with his cannon to bring you down to his level. If his right arm could move out from his body, I’d give Galvatron a 10/10. As it is, he gets a well-deserved 9/10 from me.

Additional Galvatron Resources