Toy Review - ULTRA MAGNUS (Studio Series)

[GoktimusPrime]

ULTRA MAGNUS
Series - Generations
Sub-line - Studio Series (The Transformers: The Movie)
Size/class - Commander
New/remould/redeco - New
Wave - 1
Released here - October 2023
Approximate Retail Price - $180
Approximate Size - 24.5cm
Allegiance - Autobot
Alt-mode - Freightliner FL86 car carrier truck
Main Features/Gimmicks - trailer can hold cars, self-opening chest doors, Matrix chest cavity, weapon hard-points for blast effects, detachable cab
Main Colours - bleu, blanc, rouge
Main Accessories - laser rifle, shuttle bridge gun, x2 missile launchers, x2 missiles, blast effects, Matrix of Leadership, backdrop











































Pros

• This is a Poor Man's Masterpiece. Gives you much of the awesomeness of MP Ultra Magnus at a cheaper price.

• Much like MP Ultra Magnus, this is a cartoon-like G1 Ultra Magnus toy which sacrifices having an inner robot to be a more cartoon-like singular figure that transforms without needing to partsform or remove anything (other than weapons).

• Buttocks panel is much proportionately smaller than MP Ultra Magnus'. Whereas MP UM's butt panel drops ends about midway up the upper legs, SS86 UM's butt panel ends at the pubic basin; i.e. same as the base of the crotch. So it really just helps to form the back of the waist section and doesn't protrude beyond that. It would actually look bad if it were any shorter, so HasTak have finally been able to achieve a "Goldilocks" length here; not too short, not too long.

• The chest doors are spring-loaded, allowing them to automatically pop open and stay open when you lift up the blue sternum cover.

• The transformation is fundamentally much like MP Ultra Magnus, although with a few neat interesting twists. Note: I recommend opening the back panel first before flipping out the front wheels (you can push them out from behind).

• Truck mode is in scale, allowing the trailer to potentially hold a higher number of cars. This number will vary depending on the size of the vehicles. I've managed to squeeze in four Deluxe Class cars, and even that's a tight fit. He can more comfortably hold 2 or 3 Deluxe cars, or more Legends/Scout or Core size vehicles. Also, the sizes of Deluxe cars varies wildly... he wouldn't be able to fit more than 2 pre-2011 Deluxe cars. But still, this Ultra Magnus has a pretty big car carrying capcity, rivalled only by G1 and MP Ultra Magni.

• The light piping in the eyes works really well.

• Just like MP Ultra Magnus, the chest features transparent red windows which allows you to see the Matrix inside his chest.

• Incredibly well balanced toy. You can see in one of my photos that I've got him performing a fairly low side-kick. This is harder to achieve on a toy than high kicks, because with high kicks, the rocked back upper body acts as a counterweight to balance the kicking leg. Low kicks are harder to do because there is less counterbalancing, instead relying more on the toy's naturally centred balanced. I cannot think of any other Transformer toy that is as well balanced as this figure, because try as I might, I've never been able to achieve such a low kick on a Transformer (the reason why I always try this is because lower kicks are more realistic in actual fights).

• The silver antennae, smoke stacks and fuel tanks are now all white, and the bumper is red; all accurate to the cartoon model.

Cons

• This is a Poor Man's Ultra Magnus. If you already have MP Ultra Magnus then, and if you're already happy with either Combiner Wars and/or War for Cybertron Ultra Magnus, then there may be less incentive for you to get this toy.

• Robot mode is out of scale, being even taller than the Studio Series 86 Dinobots. This is because this toy has prioritised the scale of the truck mode, especially maximising the car-carrying capacity of the trailer. The trade-off is a larger robot mode. If robot mode scale is more important to you, then consider sticking with Combiner Wars or WFC Ultra Magnus.

• Another trade-off with the larger trailer; the shoulder width is massive. Makes this Ultra Magnus look like he's on steroids.

• I'm not a fan of the cartoon-accurate whites replacing silver/chrome; this is something that I think MP Ultra Magnus did better with. Having said that, I'm not critical about this decision as I understand that HasTak are trying to do something more different with this toy.

Overall
Recommended if you want a CHUG Ultra Magnus that is better scaled in vehicle mode. But WFC Ultra Magni are better for robot mode scale, and MP Ultra Magnus is just a better figure overall for a cartoon-like G1 Ultra Magnus figure. Visually speaking, the main improvement that SS86 UM has over MP is the smaller buttocks panel, but MP Ultra Magnus does a lot more better than this toy (as it should, given that it's a dearer toy). This toy is understandably not going to be for everyone, and it's good that HasTak have gone to make him a Commander Class figure (which are produced in lower volumes than Leaders).

[Tha_Phantom]

Got this guy over the weekend and I'm thoroughly impressed.
I'm trying to move away from MPs and focus more on CHUG and this guy definitely is a nice substitute for the MP - in some ways it's actually better.
After multiple transformations I'm still finding it hard to put it down. It's on the more complex side but still very intuitive and fun.

My only issues with it are:
1. The arms don't have any friction when they swing out to the sides so tend to drop back down. Forward and backward motions are ratcheted though.
2. There is barely any ground clearance in vehicle mode.
3. The missiles only attach to the sides of the vehicle trailer and not the very front like the G1 toy.

Admittedly, 2 and 3 are nitpicks. It still rolls fine without scraping and as it's a Studio Series toy only screen accuracy is required, but it would've been nice to have the option.
I think they should have done better in regards to the arms though.

Otherwise, a very enjoyable figure as I said. IMHO it is the second best commander class we've had after Jetfire.
Highly recommended!

[GoktimusPrime]

I'm trying to move away from MPs and focus more on CHUG and this guy definitely is a nice substitute for the MP - in some ways it's actually better.
After multiple transformations I'm still finding it hard to put it down. It's on the more complex side but still very intuitive and fun.

Totally agree. I'm finding this transformation to be more intuitive and more enjoyable than MP22's. I think in relative terms, this toy is better executed than the MP. Obviously the MP does more, but that toy had a bigger budget and costs more - but for a cheaper/smaller mainline toy, I think this toy is punching above its weight.

My only issues with it are:
1. The arms don't have any friction when they swing out to the sides so tend to drop back down. Forward and backward motions are ratcheted though.

Mine has some friction, but yeah, they are prone to swinging out slightly. Not much of an issue on my figure, but it might be once those joints get loose. Should be fixable with clear nail polish or Fix Loose Joints Action Figure.

3. The missiles only attach to the sides of the vehicle trailer and not the very front like the G1 toy.

That's a cartoon-likeness thing.

I personally prefer the missiles on the front too, but given that this is Studio Series and the emphasis is meant to be looking like the cartoon, I can't fault it for having the missile launchers on the sides. The red bumper also looks weird, but it is accurate to the cartoon model.

More piccies!

Comparison with LG Ultra Magnus, vehicle mode


Comparison with Siege Ultra Magnus, vehicle mode


Stacked comparison with Siege and LG Ultrae Magni; SS86 definitely wins in the size department.


[color="red"BLOOOOOOOOOOOOSH![/color]


Time Wars


Comparison w/ LG Ultra Magnus, robot mode. I saw some people complaining about SS86 Ultra Magnus being too tall in robot mode. He's not even the biggest CHUG Ultra Magnus; CW/LG Ultra Magnus, a Leader Class figure, is way bigger. If anything, we can see that HasTak tried to keep Ultra Magnus as short as possible given that he also has the biggest truck mode. There's a lot more folding and compacting of parts in SS86 that CW/LG doesn't have (and can't have, since the cab is also a pilot compartment for Minimus Ambus).


Comparison with Siege Ultra Magnus, robot mode. If you prefer to have a CHUG Ultra Magnus that's more to scale with typical Leader Class figures, consider sticking with WFC Ultra Magnus.


Triple threat





Showing comparative size with SS86 Snarl and WFC Leader Optimus Prime.


With other Moofie CHUG toys.


Suitably big enough to step on Wheelie.


G1 accurate pose.


About the scale
I think the only way you can have a smaller robot mode is to have a smaller truck mode. WFC Ultra Magnus manages to be more of a typical Leader Class size because his truck mode is the smallest and can hold one Deluxe or maybe two Core/Legends Class cars only on the upper deck (forget the lower deck). Having an Ultra Magnus toy that can hold up to four cars in the trailer demands a larger size. And bear in mind...
* G1 Ultra Magnus is huge. He's only 3cm shorter than Metroplex, ya know... the Citybot that he's meant to be in charge of (and that's also cos Metroplex has long antennae). If he were any smaller, then he wouldn't be able to hold multiple Autobot Cars.
* MP Ultra Magnus is also big, and towers over MP Grimlock. He needs to be this big to hold multiple MP Cars.

And if the bigger robot mode bugs people that much, WFC UM has you covered. I personally appreciate that HasTak are trying to give us something different with SS86 UM. How dare HasTak give us more choices as collectors.

[KELPIE]

I think this is fantastic.

If I may nit-pick, the white hinges on the chest seem out of place. I'm sure it's something they couldn't avoid, however it just attracts my eyes as the first thing I notice. Nit-pick to be sure but oh well.

Lovely figure and I can't wait to get mine.

[GoktimusPrime]

If I may nit-pick, the white hinges on the chest seem out of place. I'm sure it's something they couldn't avoid, however it just attracts my eyes as the first thing I notice.

I honestly hadn't really noticed it until now. It's because chest panel forms the roof of the truck cab. It's something that they were able to avoid on MP Ultra Magnus with its bigger budget and price point, but unavoidable on a mainline Commander Class figure due to the way the parts are gang-moulded.

[Butcher31]

I take it people have found the two gun storage locations on his back and butt flap? There are small slots to suit each gun. Nice little addition.

Awesome figure. Highly recommend.

[Keidatron]

This is a fantastic figure, very well done and worth getting.

Only two nitpicks for me, the head/ear pipes kept dropping out for me. Not sure why they were seperate pieces in the first place to be honest, but a tiny drop of glue has fixed that easily enough for me.

And cartoon accuracy be damned, I'll be painting that red bumper silver when I get the chance.

But overall, this figure is a must for anyone who hasn't got the MP Magnus or has otherwise not bought a Magnus figure this past decade. He's awesome

[Magnus]

The term 'mini-Masterpiece' gets thrown around for quite a few figures, but in this case I think it's justified, since this figure clearly uses engineering from MP-22.

This is a Poor Man's Ultra Magnus. If you already have MP Ultra Magnus then, and if you're already happy with either Combiner Wars and/or War for Cybertron Ultra Magnus, then there may be less incentive for you to get this toy.

Recommended if you want a CHUG Ultra Magnus that is better scaled in vehicle mode. But WFC Ultra Magni are better for robot mode scale, and MP Ultra Magnus is just a better figure overall for a cartoon-like G1 Ultra Magnus figure. Visually speaking, the main improvements that SS86 UM has over MP is the red bumper and smaller buttocks panel, but MP Ultra Magnus does a lot more better than this toy (as it should, given that it's a dearer toy). This toy is understandably not going to be for everyone, and it's good that HasTak have gone to make him a Commander Class figure (which are produced in lower volumes than Leaders).

This is pretty much the situation I'm in. Studio Series Ultra Magnus is an impressive-looking figure, but I already own MP-22 and think it looks great, as it has better proportions and is largely more screen-accurate, so i don't have a strong desire to buy this figure.

That said, this figure has made some improvements to MP-22's design, namely compacting the cab into the figure's back, adding a waist rotator, a more compact 'butt flap,' and concealing the thighs in vehicle mode. This leads me to think there could be a new Masterpiece Ultra Magnus in the not-too-distant future that incorporates these improvements. Strangely, this prospect worries me a little, because again, I think MP-22 looks great.

By the way, MP-22 already had a red bumper:

[GoktimusPrime]

By the way, MP-22 already had a red bumper:

Woops, my bad!

Mandela Effect'd! (not helped by the fact that I was using MP Ultra Magnus in robot mode and MP Delta Magnus (w/ silver bumper) in my comparison pics, cos I was too lazy to transform MP UM)

Thanks for the correction. I'll edit my original post accordingly.