Intro:
For those not in the know, the G1 Ultra Magnus that we’ve learned to know and love, it’s character appearance was based on a Diaclone figure also known as Powered Convoy, which in turn is based on the original Diaclone figure known as Convoy that would eventually be known all over the world as Optimus Prime. Hence, the reason why Optimus Prime & Ultra Magnus both share the same basic cab robot, albeit different in colors. Also because of this, most subsequent Ultra Magnus figures are nothing more than just an Optimus Prime repaints.
The Classic Ultra Magnus figure takes no departure from that notion. He’s basically a white-colored version of the Classic Optimus Prime. The thing is, I’m the kinda guy who is not normally fond of repaints, which made most Ultra Magnus figures pretty much unappealing for me. Classic Ultra Magnus, however, is one of those exceptions, which you would understand why by the end on this review.
Now before I go on any further, I would like to thank my buddy, Big Daddy for selling to me this figure at a quite reasonable price. Hats off to that!!!
Alternate Mode:
Like I said earlier, Ultra Magnus is literally a repaint of the line’s Optimus Prime figure. The nothing much to say about this mode, save that it rolls quite smoothly on all his six wheels. Also, just like the original Optimus figure, Magnus too comes with a knob, hinting a possible release of a trailer that never came, but would later be utilized a certain company for their own version of the expansion trailer.
Robot Mode:
As far as his robot mode goes, he is identical to the original Optimus Prime mould, sans the colors. The only difference is Autobot insignias on the shoulder pads.
Articulation-wise, Ultra Magnus head can only rotate 360°. The shoulders rotate, and there are also another set of hinges that allow upward/outward movements. The arms again rotate slightly above the working elbows, and there are also wrists movements. There is also a waist joint present. The hips, although not on ball joints, have all range of motions. The legs rotate at the working knees, and finally, the ankles tilt upward and downward.
Just like Optimus Prime, Ultra Magnus can wield two blasters as weapons. The first blaster is formed by the sorry-excuse-of-a-smokestack, which is kinda convincing, if you ask me. The second blaster is formed by his wind-vent. While the vent can be left stuck to the robot as if it were a backpack, you can use it as a blaster as well.
Being predominantly white and blue in color, it kinda makes Ultra Magnus a bit dull compared to Optimus Prime.
While this version may not really appeal to most fans, as it is totally different from the original G1 animation depiction, this issue have been successfully overcome by a fans-based organization – the FansProject, who eventually came out with the City Commander set.
Vehicle Mode with Shadow Commander Set:
First of all, I have to admit, I do not have the City Commander set. All I have is the Shadow Commander set (which is of course a repaint of the City Commander set), so for this part of the review, I will make do with what I have. Thus, I would like to extend my humble apologies to all you Cybertronians, and I implore you to use your imagination for this part of the review.
So basically, all you need to do is to insert the knob at the back of Ultra Magnus’s can into the slot underneath the Shadow Commander. Once attached, the whole set (cab and trailer altogether) looks like a huge lumbering brick that rolls smoothly on all of his, err… 10 wheels.
Robot Mode with Shadow Commander Set:
I have to say, despite not actually being the actual City Commander set, the Shadow Commander set look surprisingly on the Ultra Magnus figure. The white blends in quite well with the black of Shadow Commander.
If you’ve read my earlier review on the Shadow Commander (with Classic Optimus Prime), I had a problem of attaching the groin-guard onto the Optimus Prime figure. Surprisingly however, the problem does not exist with this Ultra Magnus figure – the groin-guard fits perfectly, which is awesome!!!
However, it’s not really all that perfect either. Unlike the Optimus Prime figure, who have really tight shoulder and elbow joints, this Ultra Magnus figure has relatively loose joints, so posing the combined figure along with that Big F’ing Gun isn’t really an easy chore.
Overall, however, the combined looks really nice…
Overall:
On its own, the figure might not be a must-have. It’s rather dull. As you may already have known, this particular mould has been reused 3 separate times as Optimus Prime (red-blue combo), Ultra Magnus (white -blue) and Nemesis Prime (all black). In my opinion, if you are looking to buy either one of these mould, without considering the expansion set by FansProject, you might as well grab either Optimus Prime or Nemesis Prime, as they are probably more exciting in terms of visual designs, in my humble opinion that is.
However, if you do have the expansion set in your mind, then I would suggest either Ultra Magnus or Nemesis Prime.
Final verdict, 7.5/ 10 (stand-alone), 9.5/10 (with Shadow Commander)
Too bad I didn't have the fans project trailer. Another thing is that the smoke stack/blaster can form as a shoulder cannon. I prefer to have his wind vent attached as a jet backpack.
ReplyDeleteBig Daddy