Toy Review - Siege Ultra Magnus

[GoktimusPrime]

The top of the white cab goes further Gok, so that the tiny notches on the folded up forearms fit into the gaps on the hip skirt. It's got an extra click in it.

Ah cheers, thanks.

Disclaimer: These photos were taken before I read your post so the slight mistransformation is still there and I'm too lazy to redo them.

I managed to find a way to fit my TR Ultra Magnus into Siege Ultra Magnus' cab. The irreducible Magnus! #loadbearer


Cab/chest closes just fine with the Magnus Titan Master inside




Comparison with Combiner Wars Ultra Magnus


I've measured both toys (the heights on the CW UM review were rough approximations - this time I've used a ruler ) and here's how they compare...
CW UM: 23.5cm head height, 26.8cm to the top of the shoulder stacks
Siege UM: 19.3cm head height, 21.1cm to the top of the shoulder stacks
So headwise Siege UM is shorter by 4.2cm, but by the shoulders he's 5.7cm shorter.

On Siege UM I was able to fit 1 Scout car, 1 Deluxe (just) and on the lower deck I could only fit a Mini-Con.


Compare this with CW Ultra Magnus...


Now in all fairness, having a detachable cab that transforms into a white Optimus Prime-like robot is the pièce de résistance of Siege Ultra Magnus. It's really something that hasn't been done since... well... since 1986! Other Ultra Magnus toys are typically based on either Ultra Magnus' armoured robot mode (e.g. MP22) or his unarmoured robot mode (MP2).

On top of this, both robot modes on Siege UM need to be articulated and also fully encasing the core robot (whereas G1 UM is nekkid from the back ). This necessitated Siege UM being a partsformer - it meant that the trailer needs to separate into components and reassemble as UM's armour. At least at the Leader Class price point. If you wanted to have a G1 Ultra Magnus toy whose trailer can do all this without being a partsformer, then prepare to have a ridiculously expensive MP. But obviously on what is still essentially a child's toy for the common mass market at the Leader Class price point, this is about as good as it gets. Sure, CW UM has a core robot too, Minimus Ambus. But Minimus is a completely autonomous robot who basically pilots the Magnus armour, he doesn't wear it. And I do like how parts of Siege UM's core robot, such as the thighs and fists, actually remain as those parts on the armoured super robot mode.

And honestly, I think that this is better than the POTP Leaders. I make this comparison because Siege UM basically has an "evolution" gimmick, which is essentially the cab/small robot component (Orion Pax, Hot Rod, Optimus Primal) combining with the trailer to form the Super Robot mode (Optimus Prime, Rodimus Prime, Optimal Optimus). In the year that's passed since POTP came out I think that they've made notable improvements. And this is the CHUG Ultra Magnus that fans have wanted since the beginning. When Classics Ultra Magnus first came out, many people lamented that it was nothing more than a repaint of Optimus Prime and wished that it had a trailer that could transform into a suit of armour for the robot. Let's face it, many of us only got Ultra Magnus because we wanted Skywarp.

Furthermore, Siege Ultra Magnus does actually improve on some things over CW UM, such as...

The hands have fingers which can open and close, but unfortunately they cannot seem to hold any of the weapons firmly. I would have personally preferred solid fists with 5mm holes

Wish granted!

+ Hubcaps really should be painted silver.

Granted!

+ The red used for the chest panel is a distinctly darker shade of red than that used on the plastic for the body/trailer. As such, they do clash.

Granted! Consistency is victory.

And personally for me, better QC because mine wasn't missing a wheel!

In all honesty, both CW and Siege UM are designed to achieve entirely different objectives. Just wish that Siege UM could've been a bit bigger and as mentioned in my last post, had better ankle tilts on the armour.

And now to address the BW Ironhide in the room -- the truck mode. It's clearly not based on G1 Ultra Magnus' car carrier mode but rather that of God Magnus from Transformers Car Robot (although obviously with a clearly Ultra Magnus colour scheme). This personally doesn't bother me as part of Siege's theme is having Cybertronian alt modes, so they're not going to base the truck cab on a Freightliner (although neither was CW UM). Basing the car carrier mode gives additional meaning to UM's Cybertronian car carrier mode. With other Siege toys (e.g. Hound, Sideswipe, Optimus Prime etc.), their vehicle modes are a hybrid of being Earthen and Cybertronian, and sure, so is UM's, but it has an additional depth of being an homage to God Magnus. It also allows them a bit more creative freedom because you don't have to worry about making an articulated truck mode (since God Magnus' truck mode was never articulated). And this really helps to conceal the exposed arms on the back of UM's truck cab, and having and exposed truck cab rear was something that POTP OP was criticised on. Or the exposed almost everything on the back of POTP Optimal Optimus.