Astrotrain's 5.5m in G1, which at the scale of MS-B18 Optimus would be 10cm. MFT figures are usually a bit bigger than they should be, but I can make an exception in this case because of how large his alt modes are

 

Thanks. Is this true Legends scale or more like Legends +. I know MFT tends to run a little bigger.

 

General Rule of Thumb: If it's MFT, it's Legends+.

 

I hope we get a Bitzwing to go with this guy. I first would like to see some proper footed pics of him though.

 

Yeah, Legends +. For reference, IF's Megatron is about 11 cm; this Astrotrain is supposed to be 12 cm, so he'll be a bit taller than Megs but shorter than IF's Jetfire. That's maybe a bit taller than most would probably peg Astrotrain, but I think it still works. Not too far out of line, really.

 

And Newage Megatron is taller than IF Megatron, hmmmmmm.

 

Is it? I did not know that. That's actually quite surprising to me, since their stuff has skewed small. I was planning on picking NA Megs up until @LazyAza decided to make all those shiny Sphinx decos and drained all my discretionary spending for a bit. I hadn't watched any reviews yet so that's news to me.

 

NA Megatron is a good match for MST Optimus, who is 11cm. IF Megs is probably 10cm, at least if you're counting the top of the head. Pics found from other threads:






NA's bots only skew small if you aren't going by the Masterpiece \ Sunbow scale chart. So far it's been pretty close to that, even if using MST Op with them.

While I like the scale chart as a general height reference, I'm not strict to it or anything like that. For me it's more along the lines of whatever feels best when eyeballing it. Astrotrain and Blitzwing technically are Soundwave's height, so a bit shorter than Megatron, but I like them being taller than that because it makes them feel more hulking.  

 

@Matt Booker Nice post, thanks for all the comparisons. I don't own any MFT or MS figures so that was helpful for me. When I said that NA skews small, my point of reference was Iron Factory, which until NA came along was the only legends stuff I had any interest in. NA's carbots are smaller than IF's, so it was surprising to hear that their Megs is so tall. NA's Ironhide is the biggest figure of theirs that I've seen so far, and even he is slightly shorter/no taller than an IF carbot, so it's hard for me to picture how NA's Megs fits in with the rest of their line. And I totally agree about the triple changes being bigger, that's more than cool with me. I went with DX9's Blitzwing for my MP shelf for a lot of reasons, but one of them was that I liked how physically imposing he is. Seems fitting.

 

Glad to help!  

If you're comparing NA Prowl and MST Optimus, NA Ironhide is about right with the scale chart for MP \ Sunbow.

That being said, I would have liked NA Ironhide just a smidge taller.

And note that I'm not saying one scale or another is wrong. Even the G1 cartoon didn't match up with itself sometimes. But when NA first started making their bots, a lot of people kept saying they didn't scale with anything, when they're pretty clearly aiming at Takara's scale.

Oh and back when I had an MP collection, I used DX9 Blitzwing too! Both for the size and because I liked the look of it better.

 

I'm ok with a bot being bigger if warranted, my problem with some MFT guys is that their detail doesn't always 'fill up' the space like the larger IF bots do. Standing next to intricate NA bots or panel lined IF, they don't always feel like an equivalent quality.

 

MFT seem to be going after toon accurate (or inaccurate) look, while NA is going for MP in a small package. IF have their own thing going with their highly stylised IDW iterations of Transformers characters.

 

Sure, but MS does the toon thing at a smaller size which makes the lack of detail less glaring, and if you compare MS Sideswipe to MFT, the MFT has more thin panels which also make him look more plasticy.

Anyway, I do think this Astrotrain looks nice, and the bigger size isn't terrible for the character, but if we was 10.5cm vs 12 I think he would just look more premium for his detailing.

 

the oversized KOs will do that. you'll be seeing things that you did not see before because now they are magnified. on the other hand, MFTs original designs - Hound, and the upcoming Hot Rod / Rodimus combo are decently detailed. heck, MFT's Lambros look better than MSTs.

 

Man, I just can't get over those ugly hips on Newage Megatron. He's perfect otherwise but that kills it for me.

This guy though will be bought no problem

 

I don't love the MST Sideswipe, but the more plain and thin panels of MFT at a larger size does not make him my favorite, but everyone has their preferences. Both alts have problems, MS being too flat and square and overly long side windows, and MFT with a wierd height thickness and lack of grace that the old g1 originals did better.I hope NA tackles them eventually.

 

Is there an Astrotrain that is true Legends scale and looks just as good?

 

There does not appear to be one, and that kind of chuffs me a bit. Legends+ is generally ok for the price point but for those of us that prefer smaller figures we are left to just 'deal with it'. It's okay, certain figures might warrant being a centimeter or two taller in the grand scheme of things, and Astrotrain can certainly be considered in that respect.

 

"chafes"