General Information:
Release Date: November 2012
Price Point: $14.99 (depending on retailer)
Retailer: General (Toys R Us, Target, Wal-Mart etc.)
Accessories: Rifle, Sword (made of up three pieces)
*Images above with asterisks and text below in italics are from the Official Transformers Web Site:
ULTRA MAGNUS is legendary among AUTOBOTS and DECEPTICONS alike. The mere sight of his armored form charging into battle is more than enough to inspire his troops to victory, and his strength as a warrior is more than enough to break any DECEPTICON army.
Convert, arm and attack with all the TRANSFORMERS action you can handle! This ULTRA MAGNUS figure is just the AUTOBOT to create maximum trouble for his DECEPTICON enemies (other figures sold separately). In Cybertronian truck mode, your ULTRA MAGNUS figure has the speed and power he needs to outrace the enemy. But in robot mode, his blade and blaster will make him nearly invincible in battle – and they combine for an even more powerful weapon! Whether he’s in robot mode or jet fighter mode, his enemies will think twice before taking him on!
Awesome ULTRA MAGNUS figure converts from Cybertronian truck mode to robot mode and back! Comes with blade and blaster! Blade and blaster combine! Figure comes with accessories. Series 01 #012 ULTRA MAGNUS. Ages 5 and up.
Earlier in 2012 the "Fall of Cybertron" video game was released, and with it a line of "Generations" action figures representing characters in that game. One of these characters is Ultra Magnus. While he does not appear in the main game, if you download one of the extra multiplayer packs ("Havoc") he can be used as a playable character.
This action figure is a redeco and retool of the "Fall of Cybertron" Optimus Prime figure, and while a significant one it isn't a faithful rendering of his appearance in the game, so if that's what you are looking for then this isn't the figure for you. What this figure does represent is a cool, interesting take on the Ultra Magnus that is rather successful and worth a look for any fan of the franchise. This review will focus on the changes made to the figure for this release. For a more detailed look at the basic sculpt, check out "Fall of Cybertron" Optimus Prime's review.
Robot Mode:
The "Fall of Cybertron" Ultra Magnus figure features a new head sculpt representing the character's traditional appearance with a large head crest in the center and antennae on the sides. The facial structure is a bit less blocky and rectangular than his G1 counterpart. Instead, the face narrows a bit towards the bottom ending in a prominent chin piece. It looks great and there are some really nice smaller detail including grooves and beveled sections on the sides of the helmet that add a lot of texture to it.
The rest of the figure is the same sculpt as "Fall of Cybertron" Optimus Prime, however the paint job is entirely different. His main plastic colors are blue, white and gunmetal. The blue is the most heavily used color, making up his shoulders, forearms, chest, head and lower legs. The white is used on smaller sections such as his fists, waist and thighs. Gunmetal is found on smaller sections such as his hip joints and the back of his waist. Thanks to the way the blue is distributed, it manages to not look like a retread of Optimus Prime in any way. The red color traditionally associated with Ultra Magnus is relegated to some smaller paint applications (more on that in a bit) which keeps him from looking too much like Optimus Prime. I'm especially happy with the inclusion of gunmetal bits. It's one of my favorite colors to use on Transformers figures as it often gives them a more "machine-like" quality.
There are some significant paint applications on this figure using white, red and silver paint. The white helps add some more white detailing on the upper arms, knees, head and feet. The red is used on his chest, waist and eyes. Two Autobot symbols on his shoulders are also painted in red and two smaller red details are found on his back, looking like rocket boosters glowing with energy. The silver is found on the chest, the raised details on the front of the lower legs and at the edges of the exhaust pipes on his shoulders, a detail I'm very thankful for since those parts are cast in white and would have looked rather dull otherwise.
There are eighteen points of articulation on this figure. That includes four points in each arm and leg. Happily this also includes waist articulation, which is getting more and more rare in the line as of late. The other key point os functionality is Magnus' weapon. In addition to the same rifle that was included with Optimus Prime, there are three additional pieces that come together to form a sword. Two of the pieces form the blade and the other the handle/hilt section. This blade is really cool looking, just like something that would come out of the video game universe. It's a large blade (almost as tall as the figure itself) with several mechanical parts attached to the sides. The sword is cast in gunmetal grey with red and silver paint detailing, matching up with the look and feel of the figure itself. The best part about the sword? You can break it apart and combine it with the rifle, making it even larger and more impressive looking. Once you do this the sword is as tall as the figure itself and it looks amazing. Thanks to a peg on the side of the sword, you can attach it to the hole on his back and it looks great. Altogether there are three pegs on the sword when everything is combined: the sword handle, a peg on the side and the rifle's angled peg.
Transformation to Vehicle Mode:
- Detach the weapons if attached and set it aside for now.
- Rotate the fists around.
- Swing the robot feet up so they wind up on top of the lower legs.
- Swing the smokestacks inside the shoulders up.
- Rotate the forearms around.
- Swing the back central panel up and move it forward. The robot head should sink down, causing the chest piece to swing back.
- Swing the forearms back and connect the tabs on the insides of the arms to the chest section.
- Swing the legs up and connect the tabs to the holes on the piece that forms the back of the robot mode.
- Rotate the bumper pieces around and connect them together.
- Attach the rifle to either hole on the back of the vehicle. You can do the same with the sword.
Vehicle Mode:
Ultra Magnus' vehicle mode is pretty much the same as Optimus Prime's in terms of design. There are no mold changes (other than the weapon sticking out if you attach it). However, it feels like a different figure thanks to the extensive differences in color. The vehicle winds up being mostly blue, but many of the white parts come together towards the front, offering a nice visual contrast. White parts include the front fender and the large exhaust pipes on the sides. This mode also gives you a nice consolidated look at the gunmetal used on the wheels on the sides which add in a nice industrial looking color into the mix.
Silver paint features prominently in this form. It's on the ends of the exhaust pipes, at the back of the vehicle, the grille and most notably on the sides of the wheels. Red paint is distributed throughout the vehicle. Details that that weren't totally obvious in robot mode include red strips in the middle of the vehicle's front end, the headlights and on the sides towards the back. This is a good number of paint details and I'm really happy with them. They look great and all the colors are true to the character.
There are four holes to attach 5mm peg weapons to the vehicle. This includes a hole on each side of the vehicle and on top. Potentially you could load up quite the arsenal on this figure!
Final Thoughts:
Ultra Magnus is a fantastic redeco and retool. The colors and head are one thing, pretty much expected, but the sword was a welcome surprise and really helps make the figure. Highly recommended!
