Review: #505
Name: Ultra Magnus
Brand: Transformers
Allegiance: Autobot
Line: Generations - War for Cybertron: Siege
Year of Release: 2018
Size Class: Leader (Wave 1)
Mold Status: new
CAR CARRIER MODE:
One look at Ultra Magnus' vehicle mode and you can tell that it is heavily inspired by his Robots in Disguise (2001) incarnation (which is very surprising that the designer picked it).
He disappoints a bit from the back where it is really obvious that's the robot legs, even worse when the feet is sculpted at an angle so it doesn't connect flush against each other.
Unfortunately, due to how he transforms and how the pieces come together, he cannot fit any vehicles inside.
In terms of size, above is a comparison against The Last Knight Leader Optimus and Ultra Magnus is surprisingly big here (granted, the back half is hollow but still).
The black guns on either car can swivel up to aim.
A great vehicle mode that looks and handles great. Considering how it transforms by partsforming, he holds together really well.
TRANSFORMATION (TO CAB MODE):
Getting Ultra Magnus into just the cab is as easy as unclipping the sides and then pulling off the red roof.
CAB MODE:
Without the trailer portion, the cab, while passable, is still very weak.
The worst part is how they couldn't hide the robot arms and legs. The legs can be forgiven but at the very least, allow Ultra Magnus to fold his fists in...
He features six rolling wheels here but the front wheels are situated too far front to look natural (this is a bit of a problem in the carrier mode too).
The core figure is supposed to be approximately Voyager sized, but in cab mode, he feels a bit smaller than a Voyager. He's definitely more substantial than a Deluxe (Lockdown pictured above).
As a bonus alternate mode, this is passable. It's extremely flawed.
TRANSFORMATION (TO CORE ROBOT):
As you can tell from the cab mode, that mode is essentially the robot mode sitting down. You fold the legs down, twist the waist around, fold out the arms and the head and you're done.
CORE ROBOT MODE:
Following his original G1 toy, the cab transforms into what is effectively a white Optimus Prime and he looks great.
There's barely any kibble in this mode, only the bottom grill that sits on his back.
The headsculpt looks good, especially the light blue faceplate.
In terms of size, above is a comparison against a Leader, Voyager and Deluxe, showing that he is somewhere between the latter two.
Poseability is excellent, he even features ankle joints so that he can stand flat in any pose.
Most of the joints are hinges and swivels, which give him much needed stability.
His main weapon is the giant silver gun. It's actually cast in red plastic but they just painted it all in silver.
He can hold the weapon in either hand, a plus is that he has wrist swivels too.
Thankfully in this mode, he doesn't have any of that ridiculous "battle damage".
A strong robot mode, there's just something appealing about a white Optimus.
TRANSFORMATION (TO ULTRA MAGNUS):
This is where Ultra Magnus shows off his partsforming. The trailer breaks into multiple pieces: shoulders, forearm guards, lower legs, torso/head, two shoulder cannons, two black guns and a giant silver gun. The pieces separate and connect in intuitive ways so it's a lot of fun breaking it apart.
Connecting them to the core robot is easy and they all stay on via tabs so pieces are less likely to fall off. It's designed really well to be honest.
ROBOT MODE:
This is the mode that you'll be buying the figure for because it is absolutely amazing.
The designers nailed the figure here. While he does have a big backpack, it gives him a nice stocky feel and as the backpack is hollow anyway, it doesn't cause any balance problems.
The headsculpt is nice and is on a balljoint, meaning it can look tilt up.
A comparison against a Leader and Voyager again, you can tell that Ultra Magnus is definitely shorter than a Leader but slightly taller than a Voyager. He is a lot bulkier though and so in the end, still feels decent value enough as a Leader-classed figure.
Poseability is all carried over from the cab robot. The advantage of having the armor partsform is that Ultra Magnus gets to retain nearly the full range of his original articulation instead of being a brick.
The feel are permanently angled so that they can only be flat on the table when his legs are in an "A" stance. It's not bad.
He comes with the silver gun, as well as two huge black guns.
He can hold the silver gun in either hand (the hands remain the same from the cab robot anyway).
However, you can combine the black guns with the silver one to form a bigger three barreled gun that actually looks pretty good.
If you don't like it, you can store the guns on the sides of his legs.
Ultra Magnus holds together really well. It is a shame that the designers wasted part of the budget on just doing random silver "battle damage".
Nevertheless, this is an amazing figure and even if all of the other three modes are rubbish (which they are not), this mode would still more than make up for it.
OVERALL:
Ultra Magnus is just brimming with play value. With four modes, and of course, the fun to be had when powering him up with the armor, even at the smaller size, Ultra Magnus feels worthwhile at his price point. He is highly recommended and is one of the best toys to come out for a while.
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