Toybox REVIEW: Transformers Studio Series 86 Ultra Magnus

Release Date: September 2023

RRP: $89.99/£91.99

Even with several of the Transformers: The Movie cast receiving figures towards the tail end of the War for Cybertron trilogy in the Kingdom line, that didn’t mean they were off the table for Studio Series 86. Where there were improvements to be made in the name of screen-accuracy they have for the most part been taken, and there’s no better example of this than Ultra Magnus. Leader class figures are great, but why not go bigger? Studio Series 86 Ultra Magnus gives the Autobot City Commander a much needed boost by bringing him up to Commander class status, as well as the largest single figure in the range thus far.

As the Studio Series’ first Commander class figure, Ultra Magnus comes in the largest box the line has seen yet. Not only does the fact it’s windowless packaging differentiate it from a lot of the rest of the line (other than some Leader class figures), but the landscape orientation also immediately makes it stand out. The front of the box features some absolutely gorgeous artwork of Ultra Magnus mid-battle as the Autobots attempt to flee Autobot City, while the sides of the box repeat this character artwork without the background. On the back of the box you’ll find a number of images showing off the figure in both modes alongside a short character bio, and then inside Magnus himself is tied down to plain cardboard tray. Magnus’ accessories are stored separately in a paper bag to the side of the figure, including his antennae and shoulder-mounted missiles – both of which need to be attached to the figure manually.

And of course it wouldn’t be a (pre-2025) Studio Series 86 release without a dedicated display background also included, and given that this is a Commander class figure you’re also getting one at a very nice size. Ultra Magnus’ is a unique background depicting the Autobots’ escape aboard the shuttles during the Decepticons’ second attack on Autobot City. With Magnus coming in a box that’s longer than it is tall it’s interesting to see a background that’s landscape-orientated rather than portrait, and while Magnus himself takes up pretty much all the space in front of it you could use it with quite a few Deluxe or Voyager class figures instead as well.

City Commander by name, Commander class by nature. Studio Series 86 Ultra Magnus is a brand-new mould which definitely emphasises the “Commander” aspect of the character, standing at an impressive 9.5” tall and looking like he leapt straight out of Transformers: The Movie. While there is moulded detailing on the figure, the majority of it is in line with just how Magnus looked in the cartoon – offering a really clean robot mode with vibrant colours. While a lot of the colouring comes from the plastic itself, Hasbro have also taken care to make sure the all the paintwork matches up. On top of a fantastic head sculpt Ultra Magnus also has built-in light piping, which allows those blue glasses-like eyes to really stand out when backlit. Every bit of this figure oozes personality, with the sheer size of him not only helping to justify that hefty price tag but also scaling with the rest of the Studio Series 86 crew nicely.

When compared with the Kingdom Ultra Magnus figure from 2021 (the last big Ultra Magnus toy released prior to this), you can see that Hasbro have made some pretty big improvements in the name of G1 accuracy. The Kingdom toy is still very good and arguably strives for different things than the Studio Series version (more of which will is covered further down), but in terms of looks arguably the biggest drawback of the Kingdom version is that it’s a remould of the Siege version from two years prior). As such the changes made to turn it from a Cybertronian to Earth-based truck aren’t quite as extensive, whereas the Studio Series one is the cartoon Magnus through and through. The Studio Series one also lacks all of the gritty detailing of the War for Cybertron versions – something which might not be to everyone’s tastes but certainly benefits a cartoon-accurate Magnus quite considerably.

Being a large figure also means there’s plenty of articulation packed into him as well, along with certain joints intended for the transformation that you can also use for extra poseability. Altogether Ultra Magnus features; 

- Ball jointed head 

- Swivel hinge shoulders and hips 

- Bicep, waist and thigh swivels

- Hinged neck, elbows, “skirt” panels, knees and ankles

- Double hinged fingers (index finger is separate, and the other three joined together) 

The bonus articulation can be accessed by unclipping the two red tabs on top of Magnus’ shoulders, which free up some compressed panels (all connected with hinges) that can double up as extra butterfly movement. It does take a bit of practicing to use them without having the panels extended in an unrealistic manner (and even then it doesn’t look quite right), but this added movement is perfect for key Magnus poses like him flustering to open the Matrix. Everything else on the figure moves just as you’d expect it to, with some really nice ratchet joints on the shoulders and hips to make this guy feel extra secure when posing. Together with those big feet you shouldn’t have any issues when it comes to balancing, resulting in an Ultra Magnus that certainly can deal with it when it comes to dramatically pointing (god bless those articulated figures) and action poses.

Lifting up the red T-shaped piece in the centre of Magnus’ chest will also result in the doors behind it springing open, revealing his moulded Matrix chamber complete with removeable Autobot Matrix of Leadership accessory. The chamber itself looks great with its metallic paintwork and moulded detailing surrounding the Matrix itself. Once removed, Magnus can very precariously hold the Matrix with his articulated fingers – it’s far too small for him to hold properly, but you can slot one finger into the handles for intended effect. Pulling up the tabs on Magnus’ shoulders to free up that butterfly movement will also allow him to hold the Matrix properly in front of him, so you can properly recreate that scene before the Sweeps blow him to bits.

And on that note - one particularly fun gimmick Hasbro have implemented into this Ultra Magnus is the ability to remove all four of his limbs – replicating that exact “death” at the hands of Galvatron and the Sweeps. The gimmick itself is similar to that of Studio Series 86 Kup, however the limbs themselves are a lot more secure – clipping onto the body via spring-loaded locks rather than simple peg joints. The arms also need a slight bit of transforming to remove (nothing complicated, just essentially flipping around the shoulder struts), whereas the legs simply slide off. It’s nothing elaborate, but it is fun to see scene-specific gimmicks built into the figure without them compromising on the design, articulation or transformation.

Ultra Magnus’ other accessories include his main rifle, the blaster he uses on Junkion and seven combinable blast effect pieces (two large “blast” pieces, two medium “blast” pieces and then three tips). The blast pieces are moulded in translucent orange plastic, with some also featuring additional grey paint to give them added smoke detailing. The large, medium and tip pieces can all be combined to form one giant blast effect, or they can all be used in smaller combinations or separately depending on your preference. The blast effects are compatible with either of Magnus’ guns, or in the place of his shoulder mounted missiles (with the missile tips also combinable with the “blast” pieces as if they were launching). Between the number included here and the number of points they’re compatible with there’s a lot of scope for some great action poses here, adding even more to Magnus’ playability and shelf presence. Both guns are nicely moulded to look as screen-accurate as possible, as well as painted with metallic silver to give them more of a premium look than the usual unpainted weapons we usually see included.

Ultra Magnus’ transformation into a car carrier truck takes a whopping 43-steps, and is quite the marvel of engineering. Unlike the War for Cybertron Ultra Magnus figures which took the G1 toy approach of having the trailer formed from armour parts which wrapped around a white (Optimus Prime repaint) cab/inner robot, Studio Series 86 Ultra Magnus strives for full cartoon-accuracy by jumping straight from robot to vehicle mode. While not the first mainline Ultra Magnus to do this (the IDW-inspired Combiner Wars version was the same), it has an impressively complex transformation that features a lot of moving parts. But despite this, nothing about the figure feels especially fragile and everything locks together in vehicle mode wonderfully. The end result is a very nice-looking car carrier truck which once again really shows off the scale of this release, together with bright colours and a look that remains very true to how Magnus appeared onscreen. In vehicle mode Magnus features weapons storage for his two rifles along the top of the trailer, which can either be pegged in backwards (as per the instruction sheet) or forwards to give him a little extra firepower.

In alt mode it’s not just a case of the Studio Series figure being so much more screen-accurate than the Kingdom figure, but it’s just so much cleaner and better shaped as well. The cab is a significant improvement over the Kingdom figure, which really suffered from having the arms completely exposed on the back. Meanwhile the trailer is taller, bulkier and much less boxy – benefits from it being fully-formed components of the robot and not panels that just fold around the body. While the Kingdom figure might still have value to those who prefer a more traditional G1-styled Magnus, there’s no denying that the vehicle mode suffered when it came to getting the transformation to work. Studio Series 86 Ultra Magnus may be considerably more complicated to transform, but it’s worth it to get two great-looking modes out of the figure.

Even in alt mode Ultra Magnus isn’t short of features. Both the cab and trailer sport free-rolling wheels that allow the vehicle to roll over surfaces, while the cab itself can be pulled forward on a slide mechanism to that allows it to turn whilst still attached. The cab can also be removed from the trailer entirely, despite this not being a completely separate component like it is with the War for Cybertron releases. The trailer itself features opening back doors and a moveable upper platform, making it capable of carrying Deluxe and Core class vehicles. This is perhaps better demonstrated with cars from the 1984-85 cast, but the pictures above using Hot Rod and Kup should give you a good idea. Finally the blast effects can also be used on the missile launchers here just as they are in robot mode, allowing Magnus to quite literally roll out into action with all guns blazing. It’s a really fun alt mode with plenty to offer, ensuring that Magnus truly justifies his Commander class price tag.

As a Commander Class figure Studio Series 86 Ultra Magnus might seem like an expensive investment, but whether you’re new to collecting these characters or picked up a past version of him then he is definitely worth the money. With the self-contained robot mode offering a whole different play experience to the War for Cybertron versions, this is the most cartoon-accurate Magnus we’ve ever gotten officially outside the Masterpiece line – gorgeously detailed, wonderfully articulated, loaded with gimmicks/extras and with a transformation that never fails to impress even in its fiddliest moments. Studio Series 86 has given fans some real gems over the last couple of years, but this is undoubtedly one of the best.