Transformers MP Ultra Magnus
First Reveal & BBTS Price Drop!

NoisyDvL5

The best toy news this week for me has been all about Transformers Masterpiece Ultra Magnus. I know he’s not everyone’s favorite, but he is one of mine! I loved the original toy (which was lost in The Great Flood™, but since replaced – although I’m still missing his shoulder cannons…) and he even made enough of an impact on my parents who randomly bought me the Transformers: Robots in Disguise version years later. I spent dumb money on the G2 repaint of Laser Prime. I’ve spent dumb money on his Classics figure & the third-party armor kit. I’ve almost spent dumb money on Ultra Mammoth more than once…

But those pricey repaints and stand-ins all pale to the ultimate goal: Masterpiece Ultra Magnus. I avoided the MP line until the rumors of his possibility started to spread. I was stoked when he was announced and immediately gobbled up one of the first BBTS pre-order at a whopping $279.99. Yeah, and that was sight unseen. Until yesterday, at least when early images from a Japanese magazine popped up on the net:

Hit up this thread at TFW2005 for a much larger picture (And some cool photoshops later in the thread), but suffice to say, he’s gorgeous. I kinda want two to display him in both modes (the odds we get him repainted are pretty high though – Diaclone Colors? Shining would be cool!) And the good news is that shortly after he was revealed BBTS shot pre-order holders an e-mail about a price drop from that $279.99 all the way down to $189.99! That was the icing on the cake (BBTS was quick to remind us the price can inch back up if their costs go back up, but still saving money rocks)

The only bad news in all this is that he’s been moved back from Summer to Christmas, but better late than never, right?

NoisyDvL5

17 thoughts on “Transformers MP Ultra Magnus
First Reveal & BBTS Price Drop!”

    1. I’m always up for at least one repaint so I can less crazily display both modes.

      Ironically, this has led to Nemesis Prime being in robot mode while Optimus chills out as a semi.

  3. But alas, it won’t include a stand-alone white Prime. The entire cab section instead transforms into the head and a backpack. That’s severely disappointing to me. And it makes any possible Diaclone repaint a dubious proposition. After all, in Diaclone, it absolutely was an armored bot: Powered Convoy, a blue Prime wearing a power suit. Why homage the Diaclone if you’ve taken half of it away? It’s partially justifiable, if you’re just trying to re-create the Transformers toon, which never had the inner bot, but I still feel like they went the cheap an easy route instead of offering a *true* Masterpiece.

    1. see, i go the other way, blue prime in a power suit, to me, would be the easy route for an MP. you’re paying a deluxe, one-of-a-kind premium, he should be unique and his own standalone character/figure.

    2. I was disappointed for a split second, but I like this way better. I don’t need him to transform just like I remember if he looks good in both modes. I figure, if I want a white inner Prime, either Takara or a KO will go there (again).

  4. This was the one MP I was really excited about. Then it didn’t have a cab robot. Now it’s just another Masterpiece I’m not interested in.

    I’m pretty sure I’ll find something else to spend the money on, though.

    1. Is it really that big a dealbreaker? Not doubting, so much as just interested. It looks so great in both modes, that the in-between fades away for me. Is that part really important for you?

      1. Yeah. It is a big deal. That was one of the things I loved as a kid, and it’s more play value. That is still a big reason I buy toys, inherent play value. I’ll still pick him up if I have the scratch at the time. So, not a dealbreaker for me (don’t know about the OP) but it is terribly disappointing.

        1. Gotcha! It definitely was cool to “armor” him up as a kid. And that translated over to even IDW making the character that way. I think I’d still be fine if we got a MP10 repaint in White down the road.

          Though we’ll see how easy he transforms.

          1. I find this surprising too. But if there was a partsformer to remain faithful to his G1 origins, it should be UM. I wonder if collectors will be bothered by the eventual Ironhide/Ratchet figures not having their original battle platforms. I know those are two that I’m looking forward to having cartoon transformations.

            1. I, for one, would be disappointed if Ironhide and Ratchet don’t include their sleds. That made them unique. And while they weren’t featured prominently in the ‘toon, they were implied: Ironhide’s rear cannon was fired by Bumblebee, and Ratchet’s repair bay showed up for a split second. As mentioned above, it’s greater play value and makes them more interesting. I can’t figure out why so many people want to maintain cartoon accuracy for the most boring aspects.

    1. HLJ is a great way to go for Masterpiece, if the exchange rate holds. Definately the way I’ll go, especially now that HLJ has their Private Warehouse feature.

  6. I loved the armouring up gimmick on the original toy. However on the MP figure I don’t think it is that important. All the robot modes in the MP line are based on the cartoon animation models. They could not get a true animation robot mode if they had to incorporate a transforming cab into the figure as well. Also most importantly, Magnus never appeared as a white Prime repaint in the G1 cartoon or vintage Marvel UK or US comics.

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