Toy Review - Combiner Wars Ultra Magnus

[Lord_Zed]

Well I finally got my Legends Magnus, the combiner Wars mold I was most looking forward too, and after all the waiting he's ok.

I know everyone else is signing his praises, but I can't, not for his cost. I don't dislike him, but he's not amazing either.

I love the sculpt in robot mode, that is awesome, just perfect. The space trick is decent too, even though it is clearly meant to be 10 stories high.

Transformation is ok too, not amazing but it works and the gimmick is fun. Alpha Trion over Ambus sucks, but I'd take the extra paint any day.

The articulation though bugs me for a toy this size, I guess it's part in parcel for collectors who are used to buying Leader Class toys these days, but I tend to avoid them, I think the last one I bought may have been Buster Prime, and boy how they've simplified them since then, no wrist swivels, no waist swivel, no side to side for the foot and all for no good reason other than it keeps the production cost down I bet. I get they've been doing the half cut feet on some toys since Generations Jazz, but couldn't they have done something better for this guy? The only leg pose he looks vaguely convincing in is the standing with his legs a bit splayed. And then there is his combiner hammer gimmick, but due to the way he hols it (or sometimes doesn't) and his lack of wrist articulation means he doesn't really look any good wielding it.

So yeah, love the sculpt, but I feel the unnecessarily curtailed articulation prevents this toy from being the amazing toys it could of been, as it stands it feels like and up scaled deluxe. So no regrets, on this one but by and large I maintain my stance that Leader Class toys are not worth the cost, I'd rather and overpriced TRU MP car over most leaders any day.

Yeah, but MP Ultra Magnus is 2~3 times the price of CW Ultra Magnus.

But' he's 3-4 times the value in parts alone.

[Zommael]

I got mine whilst in the UK, the CW version. I could have got the Legends version but it was $20 or so more expensive and I wanted Minimus Ambus.

To me, this is basically the perfect Ultra Magnus toy. I feel like it serves as a synthesis of some of the other UMs we've seen over the years, with the integrated cab being reminiscent of CRID, the hammer as a reference to Animated, and the overall looks and transformation scheme harking back to G1.

His articulation is excellent for a toy of his bulk, particularly in the arms where it would be quite tricky to execute, but has been done very well. The lack of ankle tilts is slightly disappointing but he is stable without them, and as a giant robot as opposed to a human is able to get away without them from a looks point of view.

He has oodles of sculpted detail, and from that point of view is one of the nicest looking Transformers I think I've ever owned. I'm not sure exactly how much paint he is lacking compared to the Legends version but it doesn't show too much IMO, apart from I think the red legs look nicer even if they're no longer comic-accurate.

The hammer is an interesting accessory in that it basically looks like a bunch of other weapons stuck together, particularly the lower part of the haft, which is what it is. However, it still looks okay if you remove the bottom rifle to give him both ranged and melee options. I like the full hammer and have it displayed like that atm but there's also the more G1 option of giving him shoulder launchers.

Minimus Ambus is a nice little figure in himself but where he really shines is the gimmick of the opening cab in robot mode into which he can sit and "pilot" Ultra Magnus. I prefer to think of this version of Ambus as something like a Minicon that the "real" Ultra Magnus is partnered with rather than actually wearing the armour. Whilst that's not borne out by most fiction it is hinted at in the toy's bio so I'm running with that explanation for the Zomniverse.

I don't have Masterpiece Ultra Magnus but I have to say from looking at the pictures I would choose CW Ultra Magnus any day. It has far more personality in terms of looks where the MP just seems to be made of blocks. It also wins by homaging various different eras of the franchise, not just G1, which is always a win for me. This is the definitive Ultra Magnus.

[GoktimusPrime]

The lack of a solid grip on the guns doesn't bother you in the slightest?

[Zommael]

The lack of a solid grip on the guns doesn't bother you in the slightest?

I've not had any problems with the grip, so I didn't want to comment. With the hammer at keast you can use the slot below the hand to slide it in and make a better hold.

[AJ_Prime]

I finally got some time to take some pics of the Takara version of this mold with Reprolabels and some minor paint apps. I've included some comparison pics with the Hasbro version. All in all, it's a decent figure and a fine addition to the IDW Generations line.

[UltraMarginal]

haha, the bumper stickers are awesome!

[Tetsuwan Convoy]

Wow, they look pretty nice! Really like the Cockpit area paint and stickers! Very nice. However the sticker on the front of the truck enhances the grumpy angry TimBirton-esque angry face