Sold my CW Magnus to get this and not regretting it. I prefer Magnus as "white optimus with armor" vs "bearded minicon in a mech suit"

 

I like the concept of a mech suit...just not with Ultra Magnus. Had the concept been applied to Delta Magnus, I think I would've been a tad bit more okay with it. Cybertron Menasor is still a really cool figure with a similar concept.

 

Wait a minute. Didn't one of our leakers/insiders say an Ultra Magnus in SS86 wasn't in the cards?

And real talk, does anyone know any third-party guys besides DNA Design and Perfect Effect that could tackle my concept of better leg armor for Kingdom Magnus? I'm getting a distinct urge to contact them about it...

 

There is a combination of rumors and wishful thinking (including myself):

1. There was a concept/idea for white ER Prime in armor, which didn't happen;
2. ER Leader Prime had lacking trailer, which implies that a better trailer will correspond to a higher price point;
3. K Commander is Rodimus Prime - a tell Voyager/Leader-sized figure with good trailer;
4. Hasbro supposedly is planning to ditch Titan class and instead produce two Commanders a year.

As it is, it seems that a good Ultra Magnus should fit Commander class price point, and with two Commanders a year there are high chances to see him rather soon, maybe even next year.

 

I'd be surprised if it were next year.

I honestly think 2022 is going to be the year for a proper Powermaster Optimus Prime, since our leakers have said no JG1 (although this would straddle the line). The other will probably be Tidal Wave. This is just my informed speculation - I am not a part of the insiders club.

 

I think it would be a brain dead decision NOT to put PMOP in a future commander class product. Hasbro's possible strategy was: Introduce commander class with two big figures-- Skylynx and Jetfire-- so that fans would feel comfortable with the higher price point. And then introduce the idea of a smaller but a much more complex figure (like ER Cliffjumper and SS 86 Hot Rod) in order to make fans feel comfortable with something like Commander Rodimus Prime (voyager/leader class figure with increased complexity, paint apps and accessories).

I'm really excited to see what Hasbro does with the commander class. For the longest time I felt larger figures (leader-class and above) were sorta uninteresting because they often ended up being huge figures with lots of hollowness and boring designs and boring transformations. Can you imagine getting something like Nova Prime with 3P level of detail and intricate engineering in a commander class price point? I would love something like that.

I stay away from 3P because I don't want to buy something pricey that makes me fearful of breaking while fiddling with it. At least with Hasbro stuff I feel comfortable that Hasbro typical includes a high level o of stress tolerance to their designs. Parts might pop off but you can easily pop them back in.

 

The commander class is weird. Once you get past a few obvious choices, you kind of have to start digging around for the next idea and many of them are not "sweet spot" characters.

Short list characters would be:
Powermaster Optimus Prime redux
Tidal Wave
Star Saber
Dezarus
Fire Convoy
Armada Optimus Prime
Cybertron Optimus Prime

Longer list characters might be:
Grandus
Overlord redux
Energon Optimus Prime
Ultra Magnus redux
Devastator (or any other combiner groups)
Thunderclash
Animated Ultra Magnus
Star Convoy

 

I do not find anything odd with any of the choices on your list becoming commander class figures. The commander class box can grow or shrink depending on what's inside and that would be fine with me.

I would not be upset if Hasbro put figures that were basically large voyagers in a commander class box. My expectation is that we would be getting a very complex and very well painted/detailed figure. I look forward to this actually.

We've finally moved away from LARGER SIZE = HIGHER PRICE. It's now HIGHER QUALITY = HIGHER PRICE. And by higher quality I mean increased complexity, parts count and detailing. Thank goodness for this change.

 

I think it's just that Hasbro seems committed to only doing "resonators" at the over $50 level. Jetfire and Sky Lynx are probably safer bets to sell units than even Dezarus or Star Saber. The only reason I listed them as short list is because they showed up as possibilities in the PotP poll, meaning they're still on Hasbro's radar. Optimus will always sell, even if he transforms into a hamburger.

 

Commander wishes:

PMOP
Railracer
Grandus
Buildking
Astrotrain
Tidalwave
BBM Megatron

 

I like the way you think.

 

Anyone not want their Siege UM now? I’m trying to avoid eBay.

 

wotafa posted a review for anyone that wants camera footage.

 

We've already had camera footage from three different YouTubers previously...

 

I’d like an actual Liokaiser. Completely new mold based on the anime.

 

Looking back over this list I put together, one thing stands out.

A commander class Thunderclash could lead to two other repaints: Machine Wars Optimus Prime and the unreleased Universe 1.0 Menasor. While all three are somewhat niche, Optimus Prime's name sells well so a Selects version would probably be a no-brainer. The question would be if Thunderclash would carry well at retail.

 

Transformers Generations War for Cybertron: Siege Leader Class WFC-S13 Ultra Magnus Figure – Hasbro Pulse

 

Me too, I'll alwsys prefer Armor Up UM more than a Mech Suit concept. Once I see K.UM, he'll be in my Armor UM collection despite my rant about his incorrect chest plate coloring and the lack of the Autobot insignia on his right shoulder.

That would work beautifully for Delta Magnus and tie back to the Diaclone root along with his little driver guys, forgot the actual name. M.Ambus repurposing the Diaclone driver makes so much sense.

I hope so too.

 

A red Minimus Ambus would've worked as Powered Buggy.