Why You Can Trust CNET Best Evil Robot You Can Buy: Robosen's Megatron Auto-Transforms via Voice Commands
The iconic Transformers villain comes to life in a self-converting robot that turns into a tank. It's a killer toy.
- Bridget has spent over 18 years as a consumer tech reporter, hosting daily tech news shows and writing syndicated newspaper columns. She's often a guest on national radio and television stations, including ABC, CBS, CNBC and NBC.
Look out, Optimus Prime. Megatron, the first auto-transforming Decepticon, is now available for preorder.
My younger self won't like that I'm saying this, but Megatron really is better than Optimus Prime — at least when it comes to the latest Flagship Transformers machine made by Robosen Robotics.
Robosen and Hasbro teamed up to release Robosen's first Transformers robot from the villains side: Megatron, the leader of the Decepticons faction and sworn enemy to Optimus Prime. I got a chance to unbox and play with one of the first production models of this high-tech interactive collectible, and the upgrades in machinery and sensors make this baddie oh so good.
It can do everything a fan would hope for, including transform on its own from bipedal robot to a rolling tank via voice commands. Its cannon fires plastic darts and it reacts to your pokes with touch-sensitive panels on the front and back. It comes to life and plays out scenes with its 22 lights and 36 servo motors animating the limbs, which are in sync with villainy banter voiced by Frank Welker, the voice of Megatron from the original 1984 cartoon series.
Megatron auto-converts into a tank with the voice command, "transform." It's individually controlled tracked treads allow it to pivot and turn.
It's available to preorder for $899 and is expected roll out later this year.
For people not familiar with Robosen's product line, this isn't a typical kids toy. With a few hours of play, I barely scratched the surface of all the things Megatron can do (you can see some of that in the video embedded above). More animations and phrases are unlocked when using the app, which I didn't get a chance to test yet. I'll update this post when I do.
As with Robosen's other Transformers, the app allows users to control the robot remotely via Bluetooth and also teaches programing skills to create custom animations. Collectors who have Robosen's Optimus Prime can use the Megatron app to have Megatron interact with his heroic archnemesis.
Not only is Megatron slightly larger than the original Flagship Optimus, which was released in 2021, but Megatron also has more-fluid animation, thanks to more-advanced motors and components. New to the lineup are touch sensors, placed in areas to surprise unsuspecting friends who get too close. Put a finger against the front plate and Megatron has a few ways of letting you know he doesn't want to be touched. ("You fool!") And the same goes if you pick him up and touch his backside.
Megatron's accessories include an Energon sword and mace — but I had more fun with the simple plastic darts that shoot out via a spring release. In tank mode, you can shout, "Open fire!" and watch the shells fly.
In bipedal robot mode, Megatron's voice command wake word is "Hey, Megatron" ("All Hail Megatron" also works), to which he crabbily replies "What's wrong?" You'll get a different animation and scene played out depending on what you say next — and the choices are numerous, anything from "attack" to "happy birthday" brings out a scene that got me cracking up.
Robosen has released a number of other complicated animated robots, including Grimlock, which converts from bipedal robot to chomping and walking Tyrannosaurus rex.
Although Megatron is quick to remind you that, "I belong to nobody!" the preorders are open now on Robosen's and Hasbro's sites to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Transformers franchise. Robosen says the price is expected to go up to $1,199 after the initial preorder window.