Transformers Adventure Ultra Magnus review

Show accuracy is a common positive many Transformers fans bring up when discussing the Takara Tomy versions of toys before 2018. This did vary from line to line, however, as the differences ranged from "worth purchasing" with the old CHUG lines to "neat but not necessary" with the metallic Animated paint jobs, and "you're joking" with Arms Micron taking away paint apps in favor of stickers. The Adventure line mostly falls in-between the first two categories, though it has to do with the non-show repaints being more enticing than the show characters. Let's see if Ultra Magnus is worth getting from this line. Also, for anyone wondering, Transformers Adventure is Japan's version of Robots in Disguise 2015.

Here we have Ultra Magnus in his vehicle mode. Right off the bat I should mention that the scratched red paint is from a previous owner. Idk how it happened, but this was the cheapest option I could find. Anyways, the truck mode is retooled differently from PRID Optimus Prime, which consists of new tooling for the nose section (mostly the sides) as well as the windows. The front section mostly looks better than the back, which is not only missing the smokestacks but also has what will be the shoulder pylons sticking out. Granted, it isn't the worst out of the Magnus altmodes compared to Platinum Edition, but that one did have proper windows. The trim above the front wheels is nice, and I like that the rims are painted silver alone with the side of the nose and the same areas that the PRID version already had, though I wish the grille was also painted silver.

The jetpack can clip on the back, and it does remind me a bit of how the Jetwing Optimus Prime altmode looked with the arsenal slapped on the fifth wheel.

Here he is next to the Hasbro version, which comes across looking more like a late-G1 repaint with the hot pink windows and and baby blue+navy blue/dark purple combo. Even the shades of yellow for the headlights are different! I always felt that the Beast Hunters color schemes always looked off, from the addition of green on Optimus to the salmon on Arcee, and while Magnus is far from the worse, it is questionable at best since he was in the show prominently, and we have no info on what went down with the colors for the Beast Hunters toys vs Season 3 proper. 

Transformation is mostly the same as with the PRID Voyager, though with the shoulders requiring they be rotated 180 degrees. There is also a piece that flips down below the chest. The resulting robot mode arguably looks better than PRID Prime did, though it may be due to the shoulder pads and color scheme applied here. Not saying that Optimus was lacking (even if he is compared to the First Edition), but this feels a little more dynamic than it previously was. The shoulders are that extra presence to him, and while the back kibble takes up the silhouette, the arms and legs at least still look good overall. I wish the backs of the shoulders were painted more. There is a sticker on the left shoulder that was a common gimmick for both lines, though Takara added more colors around the ring to distinguish them from the Hasbro versions. Since the checklist app Takara had and the RID15 mobile game are both dead, I may as well peel the gaudy thing off. Not like it'll ruin the sculpt.

His head sculpt is decently sculpted yet ridiculously tiny. I'd argue it's even smaller than the head PRID Optimus has. If it was a case where the figure was meant to have an optical illusion trick, then maybe that was the intent? Articulation is the same as before in the original tooling, with ball joints for the neck, shoulders, hips, and ankles while swivels are used above the elbows and thigh; hinges are for the elbows and knees. The hammer he comes with is not the same one as in the stock photos as it instead comes from a Chinese 3rd party company that makes custom weapons. The seller had his in Hasbro Powder Blue for some reason rather than the show accurate gold. Also one of the points snapped off and I wish it was included so I could try and fix it.

The missiles can clip on the sides like on the G1 version of the character or can be inserted in the pylons once they're pointing forwards, now doubling as push pressure missile launchers.

Finally, the jetpack similarly sculpted to the one on Beast Hunters Prime can attach onto the back of Ultra Magnus. It isn't in the show but it is still cool regardless.

For a comparison with his Hasbro counterpart, the color difference making quite the contrast between bent show-accurate and inaccurate entirely. I tried to add some paint apps on my old copy, but Adventure still looks better. 

I should point out that the shin panels are swapped, an issue that was originally on my copy of Beast Hunters Magnus before I swapped them. The pegs don't go anywhere on Adventure Magnus, even if it otherwise doesn't affect the toy. That being said, how the hell does this happen if it was correctly assembled in prior versions of the toy???

Here he is with his mold mate, Optimus Prime. While Optimus was still fine in that mold as it was (apart from the need of better weapons and opaque arms), Magnus admittedly wears the mold better. 

Here he is with First Edition Prime, and the height difference as well as contrasting engineering make me wonder how a retool for Magnus would work for that mold.

And here he is with Beast Hunters Optimus. The scale generally works given how Magnus was shorter than this design for Optimus, but Prime should be the height of APC Toys Dark Master for better accuracy.

For a quick comparison with the CGI model, the colors should be more faded and less G1 vibrant for definitive show accuracy. Not that Takara did a great job with their version, but it makes me wonder if we'll get a KO for Magnus by APC Toys. As it stands, this figure is still good but may not really be worth getting in the aftermarket with how rare the repaint is like with most Takara versions. If you're lucky like me, you could get it for a reasonable price. Otherwise, hope you got Pay in 4 ready!

Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐