ToyCyte: Toy Culture Collected

Megatron doesn’t mess around. While his fellow Transformers transform into things like fighter jets and snowplows and absolutely-not-outdated analog Judas Priest cassettes, Megatron transforms into one hell of a handgun – an iconic symbol of violence and potential organ damage. Even though I’m totally not into guns, a robot gun tickles whichever parts of me are still masculine.

The E-Hobby Japan exclusive ‘Black Megatron’ figure, which transforms into a classic Walther P38, will technically only exist in Japan in its purest form. Prior to any importation into the US, gun and toy laws dictate that any toy gun that reasonably resembles an actual gun must have a bright orange plug wedged into the barrel. In the case of the Black Megatron, the inclusion of this plug will hinder the ’silencer’ action that the gun form has, but will not hinder the general transformation features.

It’ll also make your mature Transformers collection look a little younger than you might want it to skew. Toys are serious business. So, while the option to pry the orange plug out of your Megatron is up to you after it passes import laws, what happens next is in your hands, or splattered all over the kitchen wall.

Black Megatron was originally released in 2000 and was super-limited, but this re-release (called the ‘Encore’ edition) will find its way over to the states in early 2009, and will retail for about $100, which is more than an actual gun might cost in some parts of the US.