Was G1 Ultra MAgnus an underrated toy, or overrated one? Because I think he's an awesome toy!
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Was G1 Ultra MAgnus an underrated toy, or overrated one? Because I think he's an awesome toy!
How's he underrated? Almost every G1 fan loves that toy! It was uber popular at the time - and a lot of G1 fans argue that, as DrSmoov's parody puts it - Ultra Magnus should have kept the Matrix and remained as Autobot leader instead of Rodimus Prime, like Optimus Prime wanted in the first place! :D
I think Diaclone Powered Convoy (pre-TF Ultra Magnus) actually won a design award... can't remember where I read that though...
Ah k, cool and thanks. DIdn't know because I wasn't born in G1 days lolQuote:
Originally Posted by GoktimusPrime
And I was one of those fans!:pQuote:
Originally Posted by GoktimusPrime
As a kid I always thought Ultra Magnus just oozed charisma, while he would never of replaced Prime he would of been a far better choice for leader than Rodimus IMO. He actually acted like a leader, instead of a whiny emo kid (I still love ya Rodimus!).:D
As a toy by himself I think hes ok, but as a toy fitting with all the other characters way overrated - Wheelie is even better! Also his character on the 'toon zzzzz boring!Quote:
Originally Posted by SkyWarp91
Ultra Magnus has the same awesome robot cab as Optimus Prime, which makes the core robot highly articulated for a G1 toy. As a car carrier, he's interactive with other Autobots - boosting the play value there because he can always carry other Autobots around and deploy them into battle. There was a scene in Transformers The Movie where Magnus was meant to do this, but it got deleted. :( His gun can also be wielded by both the inner robot and powered-up super robot, and the super robot mode has two shoulder-mounted missile launchers. The super robot mode also features decent articulation for a G1 toy -- better articulation than Powermaster Optimus Prime's super robot mode. Ultra Magnus was also the first Transformer to be able to combine with his trailer to form a super robot mode too, so that made him incredibly cool because no other Transformer could do it!
2 years prior we had Optimus Prime, who had a trailer which transformed into battle station - that was cool. But in 1986 we got Ultra Magnus, a toy like Prime who not only came with a trailer, but he could merge with the trailer to become a super armoured robot! Phwoar!! Don't tell me that didn't impress the pants off you at the time!
As for Wheelie, even by 1986 standards he's disappointing. You compare him with all the other 1984, 85 and 86 Autobot Mini-Spies (e.g. Bumblebee, Huffer, Powerglide, Pipes, Swerve etc.), and he's easily the most poorly engineered figure. The robot mode has these spindly legs and being a bit top heavy can make him fall over at times. And for the first few months after owning this toy in 86, I never even knew he had hands!! It was only afterwards while playing with him for the umpteetnth time that I found them by accident and thought, "Hey whaddaya know? He has hands! Man they suck!"
And this is a toy that was purpose-made for Transformers. Some people criticise the heads on Ironhide and Ratchet, but those moulds were made for Diaclone and intended to be piloted power armour. It's not the fault Takara designers like Ono Koujin that Hasbro would later take them and repurpose them as living sentient robots; they didn't know this was going to happen at the time they designed them. But 1986 was the first year that we saw Transformers being purpose-made for Transformers - Ultra Magnus wasn't one of them, he was brought over from Diaclone - but Wheelie was.
As a kid I was disappointed by Wheelie, but I could not get enough of Ultra Magnus! :D
Yeah well, that's the G1 cartoon for you. His G1 comic character on the other hand was more interesting. Sure he got the crap repeatedly beaten out of him over and over again, but that's because he was always going up against Galvatron, who was a freakin' demi-God in the comics! :D The fact that he could even go toe to toe to him made him awesome (it's like the 300 Spartans, even though they lost, they did put up a spectacularly jolly good fight :))Quote:
Originally Posted by Skullcruncher
SPOILERS! I've only had 2500 years to find that out and now you've ruined it! http://i717.photobucket.com/albums/w...yingSmiley.gif ;)Quote:
Originally Posted by GoktimusPrime
If it's any consolation you look pretty good for someone who is 2500 years old:pQuote:
Originally Posted by Sky Shadow
As a kid I never thought about a toys engineering, im not saying hes not poorly constructed - just that he fit better with the scenarios that we(my friends and I) played out with him as a toy.Quote:
Originally Posted by GoktimusPrime
Wheelie was the smallest so he either got beaten down first and need to be 'repaired' or he got taken prisioner and needed to be 'rescued'. In some cases he was the one that got attached to the old glass milk bottles and sent into outer space simply becuase of his size.
Actaully the trailer part for Ultra Magnus was so poor It never got used with how we played with them as kids. I felt the combiners were much more awesome - they could be taken a beating from someone then they combine and then they are handing out a whipping! (Plus you got to make the transforming noise for each one :D) . I only watched the cartoon so maybe if it showed ultra magnus transforming from white cab to super robot like God Ginrai does in Masterforce maybe he would of had more of an influence.
The Marvel Comics never showed the white cab robot either -- but the toy certainly portrayed the cab robot as Ultra Magnus' core mode, and with the combined trailer robot as the powered upped mode. I often played with the car robot as a "young" Ultra Magnus, then later he was given the trailer armour that he could link up with when he was promoted to City Commander. :) But I was playing with Ultra Magnus well before he ever appeared in the comics or cartoon.
G1 Ultra Magnus = most overrated toy and character ever!
Even as a kid I disliked this toy (a friend had it so I did get some hands-on experience with it) and never desired to own. Which still stands today. Its only redeeming feature was that Autobot cars could go in the trailer. But then you could do that with OP too.
My dislike for the toy was amplified by my dislike of the character, another aspect that remains to this day. I never, never liked this character at all. And tbh, I'm not 100% sure why, but he still remains one of my most disliked characters in the whole TF universe. (Maybe because as a kid I was a card carrying member of the Galavtron fan club).
I was also a little offended by "Target 2006", when the writers implied that UM is so freaking fantastic, that three triple changers are only barely enough to compensate for his absence. Pah! I'd put $5 on Springer in a toe-to-toe with UM anyday. And an extra $5 if he's got Sandstorm and Broadside with him.
Anyways, thats my humble 2cents on UM.
Note: perhaps this post should be in the Overrated thread, but hey, the UM conversation was here... :o
At least Ultra Magnus contributed to continuity... unlike say Wheelie whose entire canonical presence is fairly insignificant (arguably even more canonically insignificant than Jar Jar Binks' role in Star Wars The Phantom Menace).
Prime's trailer basically holds one Autobot car. Maybe two if you squeeze in a mini-bot. Ultra Magnus' trailer, as a car carrier, can hold multiple Autobots. Having said that, Prime's trailer is also a mobile battle platform, but Magnus' trailer becomes a suit of armour -- both pretty cool in their own right IMO.Quote:
Originally Posted by klystron
Okay, but Ultra Magnus was a big ticket item for Hasbro to push in 1986, so it made sense for writers to make him cool to try to elicit more kids to buy him. Also, being such a big toy, it kinda made sense that he would be powerful (though nothing wrong with small toys being strong - that's something I liked about Brawn ;)). Also, they were preparing to have Ultra Magnus become an arch-nemesis for Galvatron -- and Galvatron is insanely powerful in the comics... so while Magnus did repeatedly get nine colours of snot beaten out of him by Galvatron, just the fact that he was even able to go up against Galvatron meant that he had to be pretty powerful.Quote:
Originally Posted by klystron
To me, it felt intuitive for Ultra Magnus to be the powerful Autobot leader in Optimus Prime's absence. He seemed a worthy heir... a lot more worthy than the incredibly underwhelmingly disappointing Rodimus Prime. And regardless of what you think about Ultra Magnus, he didn't get that much canonical exposure, thanks to the fact that:
1) Rodimus Prime was the real "flagship" Autobot hero and thus was 'prioritised' over Ultra Magnus; especially in the cartoon
2) In the G1 comics Ultra Magnus only existed in the "future" and not in the "mainstream" universe of the 'present day'.
Who else would you rather see promoted as the Autobot hero from the 1986 line? Would you prefer Rodimus Prime over Ultra Magnus or someone else entirely?
Underrated?
Transmetal Terrorsaur.
Playing with him today, he's everything someone could want in a toy.
So often Transformers toys stop being action figures. Terrorsaur is still an action figure. He's very 'human' in form and proportion, plus he can fly. There is just something about him.
Maybe but someone had to fill the space bumblebee had in series 1 and 2. To 'fanboys' now he may be annoying and insignificant but back in 1986 Wheelie played that bumblebee role perfectly.Quote:
Originally Posted by GoktimusPrime
But the thing is what did Ulta Magnus really do or contribute to the cartoon? I can't recall anything significant about him. IMO someone like Springer was much more heroic than him. Not sure if you recall Transformers The Movie? UM got slaughtered and the autobots needed someone to standup and be the hero to save the day. Rodimus may have had some poorly written episodes(not fitting an heroic autobot leader) but at least fans can remember them!Quote:
Originally Posted by GoktimusPrime
Yeah but I'd say Bumblebee isn't quite as annoying or useless as Wheelie. Bumblebee never went off and took Spike on a dangerous mission to find out Omega Supreme's birthday or some stupid crap like that. And Bumblebee did serve as the Autobot's spy/scout. Also, Bumblebee contributed more to continuity - for example, he found the Decepticon Space Bridge at the dried up river bed. He was also instrumental in "Attack of the Autobots." What did Wheelie ever do? I think the single greatest contribution that Wheelie made to cartoon continuity was to lead the Dinobots to where Kup and Hot Rod were... that's pretty much it. Helped Hot Rod and Kup to find a ship? Not really... all Hot Rod had to do was look behind him and he would've seen that Quintesson ship sitting there like a sore thumb. And if Hot Rod hadn't noticed it, Kup or one of the Dinobots would have -- the Dinobots may not be Rhodes scholars, but they're not blind!Quote:
Originally Posted by Skullcruncher
"I've never seen anything this beautiful in the entire galaxy.... All right, give me the bomb."Quote:
Originally Posted by Skullcruncher
- Ultra Magnus (Fight or Flee) :)
Ultra Magnus may not have been the primary "hero" in the cartoon, but he wasn't entirely useless/pointless either. What did he contribute to the cartoon, you ask? In Transformers The Movie he directed the counter-offensive when Megatron attacked Autobot City, including issuing the order for Blaster to radio Optimus Prime for reinforcements. If not for this, Megatron's plan to destroy Autobot City may have succeeded. Ultra Magnus also gave orders to set down on Junk for repairs, which led to the Autobots' alliance with the Junkions.
During the remainder of the cartoon, Ultra Magnus continued to contribute - albeit usually as directed by Rodimus Prime and later Optimus Prime. The cartoon portrayed Ultra Magnus as being a soldier rather than a leader, even though his actions at Autobot City showed that he was a capable commander... that was one of the few moments that Magnus showed charisma in the cartoon. (-_-) I'm not saying he's the most awesome character in the cartoon, it's not secret that I much prefer the G1 comics over the cartoon - and it's in the comics that Ultra Magnus shines.
Yeah, he got slaughtered because it was a plot device to get the Matrix into Galvatron's hand -- and it would only be the "chosen one" who gets it off him and becomes the next Prime. And Magnus copped it even worse in the Marvel comic adaptation of Transformers the Movie -- in the action film, they Sweeps combine fire and Magnus blows up. In the comic adaptation, the Sweeps attach energy bonds to his limbs, then fly in opposing directions, effectively draw and quartering Ultra Magnus! Ouch!! :eek:Quote:
Originally Posted by Skullcruncher
Yeah, that's because Rodimus Prime was given a lot more limelight than Ultra Magnus. It doesn't necessarily make him a better character because of it - it just means he got more character development. But sometimes there are characters with a lot of potential that don't get developed... look at Thundercracker! He has a fascinating persona with a lot of potential -- a potential that was NEVER exploited by any G1 writers. Ouch. :(Quote:
Originally Posted by Skullcruncher
I agree. Probably my favorite Transmetal deluxe (with Tarantulas second).Quote:
Originally Posted by Verno
I want to throw a shout out to Beast Machines Night Viper. Loved that toy from the moment I got it. Best snake TF ever. Lanky, snake like warrior with flip out sword. And the legs through the hip to becomes the tail was such a clever idea.
+1 on Night Viper. Very impressive given the challenging alt mode! Works out a lot better than Corahda.
You're probably right - there really isn't anyone else. But I don't wish for a storyline change or that things were different. I just really dislike UM.Quote:
Originally Posted by GoktimusPrime
I can't love all the TF characters. :o
Machine Wars Starscream.
Though he's like a brick and has VERY VERY limited articulation, the sheer size of him is what makes him a great intimidating figure. The thickness of his limbs and the Shredder-like helmet with the trident horns combined with his size in robot mode makes him appear as a truly superior warrior of the air!
http://tfwiki.net/w2/images2/9/9a/MWStarscream_Toy.jpg
...plus no gold plastic! :) Shame they omitted the hand gun/launchers. :(
I reckon G1 Thunder Clash is also underrated. Yes, the colours are awful (typical early 90s fad) -- but the mega missile gimmick is really fun. :)
agree entirelyQuote:
Originally Posted by Verno
Skyquake was one of my favorites when I was a kid. He was huge! Plus had a fairly accurate bomb targeting system lol and missiles that fired pretty far. Of the turbomasters/predators thunderclash was the only one I didn't have.Quote:
Originally Posted by GoktimusPrime
My underrated vote goes to the duocons - battle trap and flywheels. As a 6 year old I loved them. They went everywhere with me.
Duocons are awesome. :) I must say another advantage Skyquake has over Starscream seems to be the Predator scope gimmick. For some reason the smaller Predator jets don't work as well w/ MW Starscream's scope as well as w/ Skyquake's. By that I mean it's harder to get them to interlock, and once you do it's damn hard to disengage. I tried it once and it felt like I was going to break Starscream's scope. Never tried that again and I don't recommend anyone else try it. I don't know if Hasbro slightly retooled the scope on Starscream to make it less compatible w/ the Predators or if it's some kind of slight mould degradation (probably the latter I suspect).
Armada Overload.
Sure, it's articulation isn't the best, but it just has this strange quality about it, that takes it from 'brick' to 'that doesn't matter, this is just awesome'.
Myself and Hursticon have agreed that Armada Overload (if more articulated) would be one of the greatest transformers toys ever. It's a big bad looking robot, its a double "master gimmick" being that it is kind of a breast master and a headmaster. As well as having the original transformation sound built in when you connect the headmaster/minicon. plus the playability with becoming a artillery set up for optimus (with jetfire), and being part of his quote un-quote 'convoy' which carries jetfire as a launching pad.Quote:
Originally Posted by Cat
Again a very cool figure. A bit like energon wingsaber it looks good just sitting there, but has a lot more to it, than meets the eye :P
Wait, peeps don't like Thunder Clash?? :eek: He's the coolest truck-former this side of Motormaster!Quote:
Originally Posted by GoktimusPrime
I reckon PRIDE Cliffjumper is a criminally underrated Transformer. As my partner said to me the other day, he looks more like a toy compared to the First Edition but for me, that doesn't stop him from being just as much fun.
I love the fact that not only does Cliffjumper get a completely unique design in TFP, we get to celebrate this fact with not one, but two awesome toys each with their own unique approach to the transformation and look of the character. :cool:
+1 on the awesomeness of Armada Overload. :) The Mini-Con gimmick is clever. I'm usually not a fan of sound gimmicks, but in Overload's case it works well. Yes, the robot mode engineering has some limitations, but considering that this toy is fundamentally an accessoryformer for Optimus Prime, I think it's really well made and a jolly good toy in its own right; whereas many other accessoryformers just suck on their own (e.g. Godbomber, Leobreaker (he really sucks) etc.) Heck - I prefer Overload over ROTF Leader Jetfire. Overload's also the only TF I've purchased from a regular retail store in Perth (Joondalup TRU). ;)
I drew a picture of Overload (left below) on my flight back to Sydney. :D
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y22...anart_chhs.jpg
nice sketch broQuote:
Originally Posted by GoktimusPrime
energon wingsaber is another like overload, by itself its a cool looking brick, but with energon optimus it becomes very cool and playable.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wing_Saber
It makes two kinda average figures great, and with two different configurations its very cool. And as i say for a brick, it looks very cool just sitting there.
I DO love Energon Wingsaber, in fact i love most of Energon, there's not a Decepticon in that line that isn't a bad toy. some of the Autobots are hit and miss. The only strike against wingsaber is he doesn't come with any weapons. I think some sort of sword would have made him much better.Quote:
Originally Posted by KalEl
agreed :)Quote:
Originally Posted by Tallestblue