G1? No, this is IDW!

This figure… it made so many people happy when it was announced but some were absolutely livid instead. Ultra Magnus here was polarising. He was a Generations figure that wasn’t a G1 update but an IDW figure.

It was dumb.

Now that there’s an actual CHUG G1 Ultra Magnus update, let’s take a look at Combiner Wars Ultra Magnus. Or if we’re being honest, IDW Ultra Magnus.

Packaging

Minimus Ambus

Vehicle mode

Minimus Ambus turns into a tiny Cybertronian car. Look at it! It’s futuristic and apparently a hovercar. It’s nicely painted for something so small as well.

For playability… it’s apparently a hovercar. So there’s no wheels for him to roll with in this mode.

Robot mode

Minimus Ambus is basically a Micromaster. He looks like he does in the comic and that’s impressive. It still doesn’t change the fact he looks like a slighty fancier Micromaster.

I said he’s a Micromaster but he’s much more posable than the old Micromasters ever were. His arms are ball-jointed at the shoulders. His legs are ball-jointed at the hips and can bend at the knees.

Impressive, Minimus!

Ultra Magnus

Vehicle mode

Ultra Magnus is a vehicle carrier truck. He looks amazing; molded detail is plentiful and there’s just enough paint to bring out all the details. He’s a realistic but futuristic vehicle that doesn’t look alien at all.

One interesting detail; look at the cab. You see the ladders and the doors? If they’re human scaled, this truck is absolutely massive.

There’s a lot of playability in this mode. All ten wheels can roll really well while the cab can also swivel from side to side. The back ramp/door can lower and the trailer can happily accomodate Legends, Scouts and small Deluxes.

Transformation

The transformation is much less complicated than I was expecting. Ultra Magnus isn’t as simple as Combiner Wars Armada Megatron but he’s almost there.

It’s actually a very clever transformation that gets a lot done in as few steps as possible. There’s something both satisfying but also disconcerting about transforming a Leader Class Transformer this quickly.

Oh right, the transformation on Minimus Ambus… is super simple. He’s got the standard Micromaster transformation going on.

Robot mode

No matter what you think about the G1 VS IDW debate, there’s no doubt; Ultra Magnus looks incredible. The design is great and this figure executes it so well.

There’s almost no kibble and there’s absolutely nothing getting in the way of anything else. The molded detail and paint are all plentiful and well done. There’s even molded controls and stuff inside the chest where you can put Minimus Ambus. Ultra Magnus is actually a bit hollow but unlike the Generations Leader Jetfire, all the hollow bits are hidden and out of sight for the most part.

There’s something I like about Ultra Magnus that may seem a bit odd. He doesn’t really look like he can transform and it’s hard to guess what he transforms into. If you didn’t know he transformed into a truck and trailer, you’d think Ultra Magnus was just a cool looking robot.

Ultra Magnus has quite a bit of posability. His head can swivel from side to side as well as look up. His arms can rotate as well as go in and out from the body at the shoulders. He has bicep swivels and bending elbows. His fingers can open and close. His legs rotate as well as go in and out at the hips. He has thigh swivels and bending knees. His feet can move forward and back.

Gimmicks

Gimmicks huh…

The Combiner War Leaders didn’t really have action gimmicks. I guess Ultra Magnus’s gimmick is that he comes with Minimus Ambus and he can ride around in Ultra Magnus’s chest in robot mode.

Oh, yeah. On the weapons side of things, Ultra Magnus comes with four weapons that can be used in a bunch of ways. They can be used individually as two missile launchers and two rifles or combined into a giant warhammer.

The individual weapons look great but I love the way Ultra Magnus looks with the warhammer. The warhammer is Ultra Magnus’s default weapon for me.

Toy or collectible?

At this point, both.

Ultra Magnus here didn’t really go up or down in price. That means he’s still available for around RM200 ($50) new and cheaper used. That’s a decent price for what you’re getting.

He’s a big, chunky robot that has a ton of play value. He’s simple and durable but has a ton of posability as well as personality. Older kids and adult collectors will both get a kick out of Ultra Magnus.

Closing

Ultra Magnus is one of the best modern Leaders released so far. He’s got two outstanding modes and comes with a bunch of well thought out accessories. He suffers from some of the problems inherent with the newer Leaders but they’re nowhere near as apparent with him.

Yes, he’s a bit hollow and feels a bit lighter than you’d expect. It doesn’t matter; Ultra Magnus is awesome. Go get him, right now.

PS: Here are comparison pics with the KO Oversized Siege Ultra Magnus.