G1 Megatron: The Original Toy and How to Spot a Reissue

The original G1 Megatron is a 1984 Hasbro figure from Takara’s Micro Change line that turns into a replica Walther P38 pistol. Because of US rules on replica guns, Hasbro has never reissued it in the US, so a pistol Megatron in Hasbro packaging is most likely a 1980s original. Pistol reissues come from Takara in Japan.

This page sits in our G1 Transformers characters guide, alongside the other main Autobots and Decepticons. It answers one question: how to identify an original Megatron and tell it from the reissues.

What is the 1984 Megatron toy?

Megatron was part of the first year of the Transformers line. TFWiki describes the figure as an accurate replica of a Walther P38 pistol, specifically the version used in the 1960s spy series The Man from U.N.C.L.E. Wikipedia notes it can form three types of gun: the P38 handgun, a particle beam cannon and a telescopic laser cannon.

The Japanese original from Takara looks different. It used flat gray plastic where Hasbro’s version has chrome, and blue on the inner arms and legs where Hasbro used red. TFWiki adds that the Japanese toy could fire plastic bullets and came with a sword, and that Hasbro removed the firing feature for its release.

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Why was Megatron never reissued in the US?

TFWiki calls Megatron one of the most troubled toys in the line’s history, because it was designed in a country with different toy safety laws on replica firearms. It says those laws have prevented any US reissue of the pistol figure. A 2019 review of Hasbro’s Walmart-exclusive Megatron makes the same point: that figure dropped the P38 mode and turned into a tank, because current safety laws would not allow a realistic pistol.

The federal rule behind toy gun markings is 15 U.S.C. 5001, enacted on November 5, 1988. It requires toy, look-alike and imitation firearms to carry a blaze orange plug in the barrel, recessed no more than 6 millimeters. It applies to toys made or entered into commerce from six months after enactment, so a 1984 Megatron predates it.

How do you tell an original from a reissue?

Since no US reissue exists, the reissues you will meet come from Japan. TFU.info and TFWiki both record Takara reissues in the early 2000s, and a later Transformers Collection version added an energy mace. TFWiki notes that Japan reissues the figure often because it has no such safety law.

Three checks narrow it down:

1. Packaging language. A Japanese box with Japanese text points to a Takara release, not a Hasbro original.
2. Extra accessories. A sword or an energy mace points to a Japanese release or reissue; the 1984 Hasbro figure came without them.
3. Colors and chrome. Gray instead of chrome, or blue instead of red, suggests the Japanese version.

Knockoffs of Megatron also circulate. TFWiki lists the usual signs: poor plastic, sloppy stickers and paint, and odd colors or extra chrome. For more on knockoffs across the line, see the Transformers G1 hub.

What makes one original better than another?

We do not quote prices, but the same factors decide interest in every listing. Completeness comes first: the silencer, stock, scope and cannon are small and easy to separate from the figure. Chrome wear on the chest and arms shows quickly in photos. A boxed example is judged on its box, inserts and an unclipped tech spec card.

Related figures

Megatron’s counterpart is the 1984 G1 Optimus Prime, whose trailer, Roller and small parts make completeness the main question. In the 1986 film, Megatron is reformatted as Galvatron, a separate 1986 toy covered on The Transformers: The Movie page.