Just to be clear its pretty obvious he has elbow articulation (not sure if its got mid elbow swivel or just the back forth) & his legs are solid strait from the looks and MIGHT have outward hip swing cuz of transformation but I'm curious if his shoulders swivel or have any movement at all. I'm guessing he just has elbow swivel joint with verticle movement and also possible they.swivel laterally as well? No.legs or head swivel. Did j get it right?

 

Unfortunately as the person above this post has noted, the elbows are the only bits of articulation... which isn't unusual for a heavy gimmick toy like this one, but really shouldn't be. Look at Legends/Legion class toys that are noted as 5 or 6 step toys, and they usually have more articulation.  

The legs are solid from the waist down... the head doesn't move (because it has the tank turret sticking out the back of the head), and the arms are locked at the shoulders because of the "auto-transforming" gimmick of the upper body.
No hand movement, or feet.
Just elbows on a pin.
Mine has now seized up in robot mode (the internal mechanism just isn't working anymore so I can't get it back to tank mode), which is in my last photo with the Mega 3-step Optimus... which makes the arms not sit properly, but it's sad to say that even though it is busted, it doesn't impact on the already limited articulation of this toy.  

Nope.
The turret is attached to the robot head, which locks into place in the depths of the tank mode. The barrel part that is removable (and attaches to the robot forearm), can swivel up and down.
I actually prefer the Legion version, as the cannon can rotate, and the tank looks better.

This Ultra version makes me think of the Tron tanks a little.

It was still cheaper than the similar sized Mega 3-step Optimus... and I was expecting it to be more expensive because of it being a TRU exclusive.

 

That price is more than steep. I'm assuming it's geared towards kids. If my kid asked for this, I'm guaranteed to say no and buy several voyagers instead.

This is worst than my animated longarm prime which had ever piece fall off one time or another. And I only got the Takara version for 25 usd. I think that was a crappy tank. But this one takes the cake.

 

Doesn't make sense to me either.

Considering most of the Cons tower over the Autobots in the show (Noted examples: Underbite, Thunderhoof and Megatronus/Fallen himself), it's not right that we aren't getting Voyager-Class or Leader-Class RID figures yet.

 

Obviously they have been deemed not profitable enough for continued large scale usage. RID15 is all about the 1/3/5-Steps so Hasbro can try to compete against mobile devices and the like. The line doesn't even have Deluxes, just the cheaper (both quality wise and price wise) Warrior Class. As for why so many characters are so big in the cartoon, Hasbro seems to try giving TF fiction as much creative freedom as possible.

 

Actually, everyone but the fallen and underbite seem to be about the same height.

 

Please tell me the tank cannon can be rotated to face the right way..

 

I like the figure as is but I'd be lying if I say I don't look at it with mod eyes. There's some really good potential to make a badass out of this guy with a bit of work.

 

I like the vehicle modes of most of the toys, but the transformations have become really lazy. I understand that these things should not be like a rubics cube for kids...but at least TRY to make it a bit challenging.

 

This figure is CRAP! I've never been so frustrated with a Hasbro toy before. Following the 5-step instructions is near impossible. The gears seem so stubborn and nothing moves the way you want to -- everything just locks up. I managed to get it into tank mode and I couldn't get it back into robot without forcing the pieces. I eventually got it to working properly ONCE -- a nice smooth transform. But after that, everything just locked up again and now there's a severe stress mark on the neck. Be forewarned -- if you get this, just leave it in bot mode!