I'm thinking it may also; with HT IM, anything is possible lol
Actually, I kind of wish the pod was a separate diorama style piece included with this figure, but of course that may have risen the cost. Although, even with the Pod feature in this Mk VII I don't think it compromises the integrity of it.
For the cost of re-engineering the figure so that it could convert into the pod they probably just could have included the full pod figure as a separate accessory.