It’s been a long time since there was an Ultra Magnus that
wasn’t an Optimus Prime repaint, and this one sure is not.
Sold under the Combiner Wars line, there is no combining
anything going on here with this Leader class Magnus. He doesn’t even combine
with his trailer to form armor, because the entire truck transforms into the
classic, G1-stlye Magnus, armor and all. But this is not a G1 Magnus, as it
draws cues from both the original and the newer IDW Magnus, and both the
current MTMTE and the ‘original,’
post ’07 live action movie IDW G1 reboot. He’s like a composite Magnus.
Truck mode is nice. The cab is attached to the trailer, and
may be the most intriguing part of the transformation, as it flips and spins to
become the robot chest, covered by flip up panel that provides the standard
Ultra Magnus style chest. Car carrier mode does fit Deluxe class cars, although
some of the Combiner Wars Deluxes are a little too tall to fit on the bottom
row without scraping the top racks. Older Generations/Classics Deluxes fit
without much difficulty. The IDW/post ’07 movie comic look is apparent in the
truck cab, as it is the rounded, smoother style that is usually found in those
interpretations, a noticeable difference from the flat and square G1 truck. 
This Ultra Magnus comes with a tiny Minimus Ambus figure
from the IDW comics. The chest of the robot mode opens up to fit this tiny guy
in his robot mode, and the Magnus head comes down over the Ambus head. I know
some people online had been pulling their hair out over this, but it’s really
not that big of a deal. I love trolling and lulz as much as the next guy, and I
have had more than a few chuckles at people loosing their minds over the last
year or so about this, ever since the figure was first announced, and if loving
G1 is the only requirement, then I am a proud Geewunner myself. But seriously,
folks. I think my favorite response to Minimus Ambus was that people were going
to throw him away. Taking the figures out of the package, I couldn’t help but giggle
at that very idea.
Robot wise, Magnus is very sleek and modern looking. Only of
my big gripes with the original G1 Magnus is that it’s just a big rectangle
with some arms, and while it looks nice on the shelf there is really not much
that can be done with him. I know, I know: “hurrr G1 bricks lol.” This Magnus
has all the Magus trademarks – the tall shoulder stacks, the shoulder missile
pods, the red and blue chest, a terrific head – while being very obviously a
new Magnus: he’s nice and rounded. The forearm guards are smooth and rounded
off, that characteristic chest is very detailed and shaped, the total opposite
of the literal rectangle that is G1 Magnus. The white truck cab becomes the
inner part of the robot chest; a plate flips up to cover it, and the cab
totally disappears. The front of the cab opens up as a seat for Minimus Ambus,
true to the MTMTE ongoing comic, and the large robot head
flips down over the Minimus head. Ultimately, Minimus is not any type of
impediment or intrusion for this figure, unless you’re really looking to see any trace of him in Magnus’ robot mode.
Hardly worth the crying that was taking place online following the reveal. He
comes with two guns which he sometimes has difficulty holding, and they can combine
with the shoulder pods to form the Magnus Hammer, a nod to Transformers Animated and Prime.
If there is a problem with this Ultra Magnus, it’s one that
is hardly specific to him. The plastic of this figure feels incredibly weak and thin. A lot of
Magnus is hollow, which again, hardly anything new in the world of
Transformers, but some of the thin feeling plastic ends up being panels on the
legs on shoulders that move a lot and take some force while transforming. I transformed
this back and forth four or five times, cringing the entire time, gingerly
moving parts around until I finally felt some level of confidence that I wasn’t
stressing the hell out of the plastic just by using the toy for its intended
purpose. I’m hardly a ham-hands; I don’t think I’ve broken a toy since I was a
child. But this plastic is something else. It’s obviously durable; or at least,
it’s obviously durable after you’ve handled it for a while. Except for the
legs, which are completely empty, hidden behind some sliding panels, Magnus
does a better job of not being as hollow a figure as the Leader class
Jetfire/Seeker, so that’s a plus. And, by now, most of us are probably
accustomed to this flimsier, thinner plastic quality, despite Combiner Wars as
a whole returning to a fuller, more satisfying feeling material.
Ultra Magnus is a cool figure, and he’s fun to play with. He
looks great in all modes, even though the transformation isn’t all that much
fun. Other than the truck cab, Magnus just kinda unfolds into a car carrier,
and then folds back up into a robot. Yeah, G1 essentially did the same thing, I
know. I really do like Magnus. As I’d said with some of the Combiner Wars
Deluxes awhile back, this is the totally right kind of updated Transformer
figure: taking all the right things from the original, a strong representation
of the original character, in a modern toy context.
 |
| You know you know what this is from..... |
*EDIT: Seconds after I posted this review, I ran across a blurry picture of this figure remolded into Powermaster Optimus Prime. So, there's that.
No comments:
Post a Comment