Transformers Prime Ultra Magnus

Presenting the Mighty Ultra Magnus from the Transformers Prime toyline also known as the Powerizers Ultra Magnus.

Ultra Magnus has yet to make his appearance in the Transformers Prime cartoon, but rumor has it that he will be the Hammer Swinging Leader of the notorious Wreckers - a group of Autobots that take things to the extreme i.e. they take the battle to the Decepticons versus Optimus Prime's less aggressive "Circle the Wagons" philosophy.

The Wreckers also believe that the only good Decepticons are the dead ones.

Members of this notorious band of cannon fodder include such well loved Autobots like Bulkhead and Wheeljack.

But seriously, who wouldn't want to follow a hammer wielding giant?



And Transformers Prime Ultra Magnus's blister card reflects this "If there is any Autobot the Decepticons fear as much as Optimus Prime, it is Ultra Magnus. His Battle Hammer has crushed chassis from one side of the galaxy to the other. No battlefield on which his armored feet have stepped has ever been yielded to the Decepticons."

Ultra Magnus' statistics in comparison to the Weaponizer Optimus Prime are as follows :

• Strength - 10 - You were expecting something else? Versus Prime's 10
• Intelligence - 8 - Tied with Prime's 8
• Speed - 5 - With great power comes.... reduced speed. Prime is faster with a 7
• Endurance - 9 - Prime is more lasting with a 10
• Rank - 9 - One level below Optimus Prime's 10 
• Courage - 10 - Ultra Magnus leads from the front matching Prime's 10. 
• Fireblast - 9 - Tied again with Prime's 10
• Skill - 6 - versus Prime's 8. 

Prime is also slightly taller. Though personally, sheer savageness is not measured in these blister cards. When armed with his hammer, I would side with Ultra Magnus any day.

The fight would probably go like this:

Sorry. I'm biased. I love Ultra Magnus and would have more money - and space - if I collected Ultra Magnuses instead of Optimus Primes.

What's NOT to like about the Transformers Prime Ultra Magnus?

Unfortunately this particular figure is not that nice. The biggest problem with the Transformers Prime Ultra Magnus is Hasbro's decision to use easily detachable ball joints for his shoulders and hips.

Because they're ball joints, overall articulation is high, but BECAUSE they are ball joints, they are unable to really bear that much weight. At certain points while posing him, I found out that Ultra Magnus is incapable of even supporting his own weight. Don't get me wrong though, he's still capable of some pretty incredible poses, but you'll really feel the disappointment when you  try to have Ultra Magnus handle his hammer/rifle. It's really heavy, he needs both hands to lift it. If you look closely, most of these picture have the Transformers Prime Ultra Magnus leaning against the wall.

Notice by the way that you can hardly tell that the hammer is lit from the inside by a little greenish light. It's weak and hardly contributes to the coolness of the weapon.

Speaking of that hammer: It transforms into a really, really bulky blaster cannon that cannot - again because of the weight. Now this is either a plus or a minus depending upon whether or not you like Warhammer 20k - think steroid pumped space marines with oversized cannons that - for some strange reason - have almost no recoil. The Warhammer 20K inspiration also fits in with the left arm mounted rocket.

It does fit in though with his image of a slow bulky warrior brutally blasting things apart he slowly wades through a battlefield strewn with body-parts. Again, it's up to you if you like Warhammer 20K

The next problem is his truck form. The Powerizers Ultra Magnus is nothing more than a Voyager version of the Cyberverse version of Ultra Magnus. as such his transformation is far too simple especially after seeing how complex the transformation something like the Transformers Prime First Edition Optimus Prime is. Though I do appreciate the nod given to the Ultra Magnus Robots in Disguise truck mode.

There's another problem with Ultra Magnus' truck mode. You'r primarily supposed to mount his cannon at his back so it looks like a Firetruck's ladder. All you have to do is raise the mounting peg-holes and match the studs on the cannon. Simple. Oh wait! The mounting peg-holes do not align with the mounting studs! Either you securely place them there and the "ladder" is askew, or you spread the peg-holes equally and the "ladder" on Ultra Magnus' back is not secure. Or you can just make Ultra Magnus look like a unicorn and mount it on top.

Which brings us to the last problem: Anybody else notice that the Transformers Prime Ultra Magnus has a baby blue paintjob? Really scary.


What's to like about the Transformers Prime Ultra Magnus?

The detailing! I love the grim expression on his face and the gracious use of accenting paints throughout his body:  Red, Dark Blue, Silver, White, Yellow.

You also have the wonderfully sculpted body that radiates both authority and presence. Even when faced with the mighty Optimus Prime who is taller than Ultra Magnus, Ultra Magnus looks just that much taller than Prime.

And of course, he really is quite poseable thanks to the problematic ball joints - which I suppose you can fix with many after-market solutions.

The Powerizers Optimus Prime AKA Transformers Prime Ultra Magnus is available on Amazon for US$ 54.99 (PhP 2,364 plus shipping). This particular Transformers Prime Ultra Magnus was purchased from Toy Kingdom at the retail price of PhP 1,499.75 (US$ 34.88). He may be a horrible figure, but I do love him

Hammer time!