Transformers Reviews

Ultra Magnus

January 11, 2009 12:20 am Ryan Titanium Series, Toy Reviews

By virtue of sitting at the top of my big bin o’ loose transformers, it’s Ultra Magnus’s turn to get a review. This time, it’s a Titanium series Ultra Magnus (G1 Ultra Magnus will have to wait until another day!)

In his vehicle mode, Ultra Magnus is about what you’d expect from a Titanium figure, which is to say, lots of visible robot parts, an inability to roll smoothly, and generally just not that fun. That’s okay, though, because Titanium figures aren’t really meant to be played with. It’s very similar structurally to the G1 toy, except the trailer doesn’t come off, all of the red parts are gone except the missile tips, and the proportions just seem… off. When did Ultramag lose his red? He seems to be stuck as the white and blue guy these days. There’s not much else to say about this mode, other than it doesn’t fit nicely on the base provided (it’s not intended to) and doesn’t have anywhere suitable for storing his rifle.

Transformation from Truck to Robot

Take the missile launchers off of the front of the trailer. Set them aside. Do not eat them, or allow them to be eaten.
Swing the cab down, so that it’s upside-down and facing the opposite direction.
Swing the arms around (”down”, from the perspective of the truck), and slide the upper arms up through the shoulders. Note that the pegs holding the arms together hold tighter than the ball joints in his shoulders. Peg the shoulders into the cab.
Slide the calf up to the mid-foot point where it locks, and rotate the boot into place.
Attach the missile launchers to the shoulders, rotate the forearms if you don’t want him to be palms up, pose, etc.

Now he’ll fit on the base, and we finally see a bit more red. This toy isn’t exactly the most posable figure in my collection (it’s a Titanium, duh), but it’s still ahead of the G1 figure in that regard, at least. Look, knees that sort of bend, and hips! He isn’t just an upended trailer with arms now! And, despite the lack of anywhere to conceal his gun in vehicle mode, at least it’st his only loose part - no helmet, no random bits of kibble! With the exception of the inexplicable loss of red, we’ve got a fairly faithful G1 homage without the things that make the G1 toy kind of lame. He’s got balance issues (that truck attached to his back can’t possibly be helping with this), and his shoulder joints are held together primarily by luck, but I kind of like him in some strange, never going to play with him sort of way. He’s got plenty of paint apps, his tampographed Autobrands look like bloody stickers with the silver outline, he’s just limited by the constraints of his toyline. If Classics Ultra Magnus had been done like this (without an unofficial add-on)… or the Masterpiece Ultra Magnus… man, that would have been something.

Articulation Breakdown (No Pun Intended)

Head - ball joint neck
Arms - ball joint shoulders, swivel missile launchers, double swivel elbows
Legs - swivel waist, triple swivel hips, swivel knees

Score

Deco: Rating: . It’s pretty much spot on (I love those logos on his shoulders!), but I’d have liked to see more red about the torso and trailer. He was nearly half red at one point, what happened?
Posability: Rating: . He’s shockingly posable, especially for a Titanium, but… I’ve been spoiled by toylines where that’s a priority.
Transformation: Rating: . Ugh. Those shoulders drive me nuts.
Ultra Magnitude: Rating: .
Vehicle Mode: Rating: . It’s bordering on robo-yoga. There’s a lot of obvious robot parts showing, it doesn’t roll well, it’s just… well… why did this series bother including transformation?
Robot Mode: Rating: . It’s actually quite good. It’s nice to see the old armour getting some light, rather than just making him another Albinomus Prime.

Overall, Overall Rating: . If you like the Titanium figures (and/or Ultra Magnus), pick him up. Otherwise… well… go for something else. Maybe Animated Ultra Magnus?

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