Takara Masterpiece MP-22 UltraMagnus
MP-22 Ultra Magnus (Takara)
Bottom Line (**** ½ stars- <out of 5>)
By: Stygian360
Introduction:
Ultra Magnus as a character is one that didn’t mean much to me in my childhood. In the original ’87 movie he’s gifted the matrix after the fall of Optimus Prime and although this potential mantle of leadership was not one he desired as a child I couldn’t help but think, “this guy thinks he can even pretend to be Optimus Prime?! I mean sure he’s big, but he’s no Prime.” What can I say; I was a kid loyal to the big red guy. Anyway, Ultra Magnus seemed like a no-brainer for Takara’s excellent Masterpiece line… eventually. I just didn’t expect him to hop into the middle of the already strong streak of MP cars that Takara has been releasing of late, but none the less he was a welcome if unpredicted addition to the Autobot roster. So, does he deliver? Let’s find out.
Articulation:
Ultra Magnus- The one thing that Takara has an excellent handle on after literally decades of rinse and repeat on their toy creation process is figure articulation. With some third party efforts you really don’t know how deep into the articulation ‘bag of tricks’ they may dig, but Takara knows exactly what fans want and with Ultra Magnus they more than deliver. Multiple swivels at the shoulders allow for up down, in and out, as well as (due to transformation more than by design perhaps) a swinging joint that allows for the shoulder area to swing out and away from the chest. The knees and waist are also covered, the wrists swivel (and change out with an extra set of hands so that UM can hold the matrix and attempt to open it- oh, poor UM), and the neck has side/side and a slight up/down. The face even has a change out feature similar to the hands, which allows for a more placid UM or if one so desires an angry UM with a “why won’t this damn thing open” expression.
Spike/Daniel- This package also includes a mini Spike and Daniel in their ’87 movie garb. Frankly the articulation on these two is pretty lackluster. One gets the impression they were meant to sit in UM’s cab in alt mode and that’s it. Both include the standard points of articulation; shoulders up down, legs up down, but also add a bend at the knees so that they can sit in the cab. And for those who like their mini-figures to have a neck swivel unfortunately here you’ll be disappointed. As I find with some third party companies who attempt to do highly articulated mini-figures, sometimes less is more. Perhaps Takara used this philosophy here? Yeah, that’s it. And don’t even get me started on Daniel’s ‘birthing hips’. The less said about that the better.
Paint:
The paint on both Ultra Magnus as well as the Spike/Daniel set is very solid. No dripping, slashes of cut in colors that don’t belong, overspray, or anything of particular note that looks out of order. In fact the paint on my copy looks fantastic! Of particular note is the nice ‘pearlescent’ color on UM’s gun; which appears to be a soft lavender. A friend remarked that he wasn’t overly fond of the color, but it works for me and I’m really digging it.
Transformation:
I’ve now transformed this guy several times and I must say that after the first time of figuring it out I was able to put the instructions away pretty much for good. I tend to mention this because sometimes a transformation is kind of vexing and even after a few times through it can be difficult to remember which parts go where. And even though UM is a fairly complicated affair- especially in the bot chest to alt mode cab area- it’s fairly easy to grasp what parts go where.
Areas of concern for me are the arms pegging together to form the top rail of the trailer in alt mode. For whatever reason the middle pieces which should peg together firmly don’t on mine. This does not hinder transformation though and I was able to get everything lined up otherwise, but the few pegs which proved vexing did require an adjustment or two in the leg area to straighten everything out. Which reminds me; the legs might be an issue for you until you get the hang of the transformation. Because they form such an integral part of the base section of the alt mode trailer they have to be nice, flat and level. Let me repeat that- nice, flat and level. I’ve made the mistake a few times of not leveling out the legs only to pay for it later, so that all of the parts and tabs then lined up correctly on the trailer scaffolding. To be truthful it’s this isn’t due to any fault of the engineering and as long as you pay close attention to getting everything flat and lined up you won’t be knocking your head against anything.
Ultimately transformation feels pretty breezy and once the trailer is locked tight you will have hours of fun admiring this beauty! Also, a fun aside is the fact that the mostly hollow cab is able to come apart from the trailer via a release button on the bottom. Although why you would want to “vroom-vroom” a cab with no trailer- especially one that doesn’t then transform into a much smaller Ultra Magnus- I can’t venture to guess, but it’s nice to have that option.
Bottom Line:
If you don’t already know who Ultra Magnus is than this article probably won’t do much to convince you to buy him. And if you aren’t already familiar with him… what is wrong with you?!?! (kidding) Okay, now quick to the Googles and look up MP-22. Go ahead, I’ll wait on you. Trust me it will be worth it. Okay, back now? I know, right?? He’s damn handsome. Okay that done (gentle plug here) head on over to the order section of this website and put in your order for MP-22 Ultra Magnus. This action figure raises the bar, stomps on it, and then raises it again and needless to say he more than delivers the goods. He’s awesome with a capital ‘A’.
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