Gone backpacking.

When pictures first came out for the Age Of Extinction toyline, I was most excited about Leader Grimlock, Evasion Optimus and this guy here, Galvatron. Also, I was super excited to see just what they were going to do with Galvatron in the movie.

Well, Galvatron kind of let me down in the movie since Lockdown really stole the show. How’s the toy though?

Vehicle mode

Welp, Galvatron is a truck. A cab over engine truck just like G1 Optimus.

Ironic.

Anyway, he’s a very nicely detailed and painted truck with no real distractions in this mode. The back is a bit of a mess but it’s not terrible. Also, there’s a bunch of robot mode bits visible underneath the truck but that’s nothing to really complain about.

For play value, Galvatron rolls really well in this mode with all his six wheels. His trailer hitch doesn’t really work with anything though and that means you have to plug his weapon on top of the truck cab.

Transformation

Now this, this transformation. You’ll either think it’s brilliant or just completely lazy.

I’m in the former camp.

Galvatron’s a shellformer through and through but he’s a shellformer that’s fun to transform. It feels like he’s proud that he’s a robot hiding in a vehicle and not a robot that transforms into a vehicle.

He’s also much more enjoyable to transform than that other shellformer we got from AOE. That horrible, unsatisfying, absolute mess of a Transformer. The spring-loaded cab is just way more fun than it has any right to be.

Robot mode

Now this is a monstrous and dangerous looking robot mode. Yes, Galvatron looks a bit too generic to be the leader of the Decepticons but that’s more of a problem with his colours if you ask me. He should have been something more eye-catching like silver or I don’t know, purple?

Aside from the colours, the molded detail is just plentiful and looks great. The backpack is way less obstructive and obnoxious than you’d think it’d be. It’s impressive that aside from the backpack, there’s almost no vehicle mode kibble at all.

Galvatron has decent enough posability but excels in one place. His head is ball-jointed. His arms go in and out as well as rotate at the shoulders. He has bicep swivels and double jointed elbows. His legs go in and out as well as rotate at the hips. He bends at the knees. Galvatron has crazy posability at his feet. They pivot from side to side as well as move forward and back.

Gimmicks

None here really. He’s got his big and scary but unpainted cannon that has a firing missile though.

Toy or collectible?

Conceivably both. Galvatron is much simpler than a regular Voyager Generations Transformer and both modes are pretty good. He’s also available pretty cheap and kid would probably love this guy.

For adult collectors, this Galvatron is pretty much the only choice you have when it comes to a fully posable AOE Galvatron. The truck mode is pretty great and his robot mode is quite movie accurate. The only tripping points are his backpack and his lack of paint.

Closing

Galvatron is definitely flawed but he’s one of my favourite things to come out of the Age Of Extinction toyline. He’s more fun than Drift and is definitely better than First Edition Optimus.

If you come across him and aren’t too put off by shellformers, then give Galvatron a shot.