UltraMagnus: Dealing with it NOW!

Magnus Deals with it Now

"Oh, yes he can!"

See UM's Patent! (see also: Powered Convoy)

And then....then there is the mess that is Ultra-Magnus. Ya got a few hours?

This unit started as but two-possible variations: rubber versus plastic-wheeled. Good enough for the average american collector.

Rubber vs plastic-wheeled cab Rubber vs plastic-wheeled trailer

Then, we found a 'transition' plastic unit. Satisfys most variations freaks, right? This was our base information for quite some time. It had proved rather robust to casual variant scrutiny. It still does, actually. But there's more :-)

Type 1: Deluxe! The rubber-wheel, metal toe version. All chromed on the upper legs and gastanks, and it has a full paintjob. Yes, it has a windshield, too...the small head has full paint, and the large head has full paint, meaning on both the face, and the antennas.
Type 2: a step up from type 3.. it's ENHANCED, meaning it still is plastic, and no chrome, BUT it HAS a windshield, and the small cab's head has paint on it. In addition, the faceplate on the large head was painted.
Type 3: the 'kaybee' special...plastic wheels, plastic toes, no paint on anything, no chrome on anything, no windshield...
Type 4: 2002 TRU Reissue...rubber-wheeled, fully-painted and chromed, has windshield...shorter smokestacks, longer missles(compared to any other release) and has several remolded/reinforced areas on the cab and trailer...more

3 magnus small cab heads

And now, thanks to only the insane who collect all possible types...meet the rest of the variations of Ultra-Magnus. Special thanks to ParticleMan, who spent many phone hours across the country comparing various toys with me. Here's a direct quote from him: "As I was going through my UM stuff tonight, I kept repeatedly asking myself one question- WHY THE HELL DID I EVER GET INTO VARIANTS?? -Needless to say I was cursing your name for the better part of the evening..."

On that note, let's get started, shall we?

The conclusion that there are 3 'base' Magnus units stems from the fact that I'm stubborn :-) Besides, there are still only the 3 basic cab versions in the original release. Various other parts and accs are in a state of transition, spreading across multiple units, especially fists and trailers, but the base combination of units is still technically 3. Theoretically, you could claim that there are 4 base units (base-rubber, base-plastic, and a transitional of each). Then again, you can also claim that there are seven units, based on the trailers...8 counting the reissue.(that's my claim, actually, but more on that at the end of this page :-)

Table One:
Trailer Types

Trailer 1:
Rubber-wheeled
large-peg front
flat-peg rear, small-hole in circle, large '3' in square
small-peg bottom
flat missle and fist mounts
made in Japan small stamping
NO trailer lights

Trailer 2:
Rubber-wheeled
small-peg front
flat-peg rear, no-hole in circle, large '3' in square
small-peg bottom
flat missle and fist mounts
made in Japan small stamping
NO trailer lights

Trailer 3:
Rubber-wheeled
small-peg front
beveled-peg rear, no-hole in circle, no number in square
small-peg bottom
flat missle and fist mounts
made in Japan Large stamping
has trailer lights

Trailer 4:
Rubber-wheeled
small-peg front
beveled-peg rear, no-hole in circle, no number in square
large-peg bottom
flat missle and fist mounts
made in Japan small stamping
has trailer lights

Trailer 5:
Plastic-wheeled
small-peg front
beveled-peg rear, no-hole in circle, no number in square
large-peg bottom
ringed missle and fist mounts
made in Macau small stamping
has trailer lights

Trailer 6:
Plastic-wheeled,
large-peg front
flat-peg rear, no-hole in circle, small '4' in square
lg-peg bottom
ringed missle and fist mounts
made in Macau small stamping
has trailer lights

Trailer 7:
Plastic-wheeled,
****-peg front
****-peg rear, ******in circle, ****in square
**-peg bottom
** missle and fist mounts
made in Macau Large stamping
*** trailer lights

Trailer 8:(reissue)
rubber-wheeled,
Lg-peg front
***-peg rear, no-hole in circle, small 4 in square
**-peg bottom
ringed missle and fist mounts
made in China stamping
has trailer lights

Magnus trailer, front of 'chest', small vs lg peg

hole vs no-hole circle large vs small number indents

Large vs small trailer pegs (bottom) Flat vs ringed peg (arms)

Hasbro stamping, large vs small Back of trailer, tail-lights vs no-tail-lights

trailer side-bracings

A final note on trailers: trailers come with, or without tail-lights(all plastic trailers seem to come with lights, since only some rubber-wheeled ones do, it is presumed to have been phased out of the design at that point). It is also interesting to note the color difference between the plastic and rubber-wheeled trailer components. Blue versus green, at it's most basic. Or blue versus turquoise, if you prefer.

But wait! There's more :-) Yes, not only do you get the above 8 trailers, but we also throw in 5...count them...five different Magnus cabs at no extra charge! :-) (technically 4, since cab #4 is a VERY minor change on cab 3, but I digress)You can see where the 'transitional' problems begin, as there's only one rubber-wheeled cab to match to four rubber-wheeled trailers. But hang with us; we'll get you thru it yet. After Prime-time, this fellow is a piece of cake, variant-wise.

Table Two; Cab Types

Cab 1:
Rubber-wheeled
Full paint and chrome
6-dot side
metal-toed

Cab 2:
Plastic-wheeled
painted face, but unchromed upper legs and tanks
6-dot side
plastic-toed

Cab 3:
Plastic-wheeled
unpainted face, no chrome, no window
6-dot side
plastic-toed

Cab 4:
Plastic-wheeled
unpainted face, no chrome, no window
5-dot side
plastic-toed

Cab 5(reissue):
rubber-wheeled
Full paint and chrome
6-dot side
***-toed

Rubber, transitional, and plastic cabs (front) Long vs short smokestacks

5-dot vs 6-dot plastic cab(side view) window tabs vs no window tabs(inside chest)

(Note: in the UK, the Magnus cab is a type 2 without facepaint)

Next up, we have 7, count'em 7 different Large-head types. Sorry to say, but it's true. In addition to the three paint-styles, you also have to contend with three mold types.

Table 3; Head Types

Head 1:
Oval-forehead, dual-ribbed antenna
Full paint on face and antenna

Head 2:
square-forehead, one-rib on antenna
Full paint on face and antenna

Head 3:
Oval-forehead, dual-ribbed
Only face painted

Head 4(unconfirmed existence):
square-forehead, one-rib on antenna
Only face painted

Head 5:
Oval-forehead, dual-ribbed antenna
no paint

Head 6:
square-forehead, one rib on antenna
no paint

Head 7:
Oval-forehead, dual-ribbed antenna, no brow indents
Full paint on face and antenna

Large heads, 3 *paint* types Large Heads, 3 *mold* types Lg heads, 2 std mold comparisons

There is no further speculation thus far on head number 7. While normal enough in the paint area, the head is devoid of any brow ridges. We don't know why. Only two samples of this head have been discovered thus far. It's not a holdover from Powered Convoy's head, as even *he* has the brow ridges pic. In addition, we do not believe head 4 exists. No one has ever come forward with a finding, so it's become pretty safe to say it never occurred(even if the pattern makes us want to believe there was one :-). For more details on the unit that has the missing brow-indents head, look here.

Nope, we're not done :-) Moving on to the other accs, we have the four different types of guns:

Table 4; Gun Types

Gun 1:
thin-lines, connected to handle
no indent on sm handle
big-raised-indent on side of stock
no-letter

Gun 2:
thin-lines, not-connected to handle
Lg indent on sm handle
big-indent on side of stock
no-letter

Gun 3:
thick lines, not-connected to handle
sm indent on sm handle
small-indent on side of stock
letter'B'

Gun 4:
thick lines, not-connected to handle
sm indent on sm handle
small-raised-indent on side of stock
no-letter

back of gun, Lg handles, thin vs thin lines

middle of gun, small-handles(indent vs none) and side of stock (lg vs sm indents, raised and not)

front of gun barrel

Missle Types: we currently have 3 missle-types(2 regular, 1 reissue). The two original ones are best described as large-shaft/ring versus small shaft/ring. Or just large and small-ringed, if you prefer. They both more-or-less fit any launcher type. No information is available as to whether or not the missle change was phased between multiple units, but I can tell you that the large missles come with the plastic unit, while the small ones go to the rubber one. The missles with the ridiculously longshaft is, of course, the reissue :-)

Magnus missles, large vs small-ringed Original vs Reissue Missles

Waistplate types:

Table 5; Waistplate Types

*waistplates*-there are a series of mold indents, or MIPS, on the back of the waistplates.
R=raised, S=sunken. The front appears to be unchanged.
I have them in no particular order, nor have I matched them up with a specific
trailer. I leave that to posterity.....:-) So get going, already! ***Type 1 R S R S R S short, flat hole mounts, seems to work with a rubber wheels trailer. ***Type 2 R R S S R R slightly taller, flat mounts, presumably goes to one of the plastic trailers. ***Type 3 S A1 S R R R R S S tall hole mounts w/beveled tops. The A1 is stamped upside down in the center
hole, and note the extra MIPS. ***Type 4 S S S |S| S S S short, flat hole mounts w/ridges (like the Defensor fists), and a sideways
'1' printed towards the lefthand corner. The |S| indicates a sunken
hole in the center hole. ***Type 5 S S S |S| S S S short, flat hole mounts w/ridges (like the Defensor fists), and a
sideways 2 printed towards the lefthand corner. The |S| indicates a sunken hole
in the center hole. Type 6: S S S S |B2| S S S S sunken corner holes, B2 in center hole stamped right side up, plus 2
extra indents. Defintely plastic. Type 7: S S S S |2| S S S S like Type 6, except no B. Definately plastic. The 2 can be printed in either
direction (right side up, upside down, natch). Anal retentive content at its finest huh?

Magnus waistplates

Magnus waistplates (large-version of pic, takes a bit to load)

Table 6; Chestplate Types

Chestplate 1:
rubber-wheeled
no cannons, thick sidetabs, indented tip

Chestplate 2:
transitional
has cannons, thin sidetabs, sm bubbled tip

Chestplate 3:
plastic-wheeled
has cannons, thin sidetabs, remolded insides w/lg bubbled tip

From my experience, the chestplates are as unique as the trailer, with a good fit only for the trailer for which it is assigned to (transition fits last-release rubber and first-release plastic, for example).

Lg chestplate (back) Lg chestplate (front)

*********
Table 7; Large-fist Types

Lg fist 1:
Solid mount hole, flat back, top has large hole opposite thumb, a raised peg behind the thumb, a large bottom hole w/a ridge. These definately go to a rubber wheels version, and work with the large and small hole on handle gun, but NOT the no hole gun.

Lg fist 2:
Solid mount hole, sunken circle around the mount hole, small bottom hole, two raised pin holes on top. Works w/large hole and no hole gun, but NOT small hole. Works w/rubber wheels trailer.

Lg fist 3:
Solid mount hole, raised circle around the mount hole, small bottom hole, 1 sunken pinhole on top. Works w/large hole and no hole gun, but NOT small hole. Works w/rubber wheels trailer.

Lg fist 4:
Hollow mount hole, flat back, top hole next to thumb, large bottom hole w/o ridge. Works w/no hole gun (other two seem too tight). Works with plastic or rubber trailer.

Lg fist 5:
't'-backed mount hole, shallow hole on bottom (accomodates gun sort of), faint indents on thumb and across from thumb, hole right next to thumb, double raised behind thumb.

Lg fist 6:
No hole on bottom, flat mount hole, triangle of shallow indents, indent on middle finger of fist.

Lg fist 7:
same as 6, no dot on middle finger

Lg fist 8:
ring-backed mount-hole, small-deep hole on bottom, VERY faint indents on thumb and across from thumb, double raised-indent behind thumb.(similar to type-5 fist)(Type 8 is reissue)

8 types of Magnus Lg fists

Table 8; small-fist Types

***small fist types (all for rightfists in palm view, ie thumb is facing
left. Lowercase letter is peg pinhole)- This section thanks to Particleman.
type 1- S s R Type 2- S F R Both type 1 and 2 work in the rubber wheeled trailer but NOT in the plastic,
and given that I only have right of 1 and left of 2 I believe
them to be the left and right of the same type. Unless of course you
have parts that prove differently. I need 1 more pair (1 type 1 right/1
type 2 left probably), and the match for whatever works in an unpainted
plastic cab. Type 3- F s R only have a left fist here, and the raised hole is faint. Works with
both rubber and plastic. Type 4- R s F the flat pinhole is almost invisible, even as an outline. I only have a
right fist. Works with both rubber or plasitc. Type 5- F s S only have a left. Works with both rubber and plastic. Type 6- S s S only have a left. Works with rubber, slightly loose in plastic Type 7- S s S The peg hole is noticably larger than on the others, there's a Defensor
fist-esque ridge around the gunhole, and there's an upside down 4 on
the palm. Only have a right. Works with rubber wheeled cab, not
with plastic Type 8(reissue)- S * * Only one-faintly-visable mold-indent. Thick-ridge around peghole for gun.
Also interesting is the rounded-peg insert(for going into the cab).

Table 9; Launcher Types

Launcher 1:
smooth back
smooth side pegs
Round launch-hole

Launcher 2:
ringed back
smooth side pegs
Round launch-hole

Launcher 3:
ringed back
ringed side pegs
Round launch-hole

Launcher 4:(reissue)
smooth back
smooth side pegs
T-shaped launch hole

Of course, that's not the know-all and end-all of launcher types :-) So far, we've confirmed that type one launchers come as small-peg versus Lg-peg...imagine that :-)As for the others, we're still awaiting information...

Type one launchers, large vs small peg Type one and two launchers Original vs reissue launchers(front)

Table 10, the basic parts combinations for the UltraMagnus Figure:

This is an on-going process, one for which I have no stomach for at the moment :-) Obviously, with 8 trailer types, and 7 known fist types, we can assume that there are at least 8 specific configurations for the Magnus unit, with certain parts crossing over multiple releases (such as chestplates, cabs, etc). Please note that right now, a type 3 fist doesn't necessarily go with a type 3 trailer! In the near future, I will of course match up all the number types, and give you the comprehensive list (Example, from ParticleMan: "the transitional plastic chestplate (dark like rubber wheeled version, guns like plastic wheels) goes on the large print, Macau, plastic wheeled trailer, as does waistplate type #3, large fist types 2 and 3 (as stated, probably the same pair) and gun type #1 (the no pinhole on small fist handle one). Therefore, that is the transitional plastic trailer.").Until then, this will sit in a box so I can get some other parts of vari-quest updated.

So basically, there is:
G1 Magnus: Four or Seven types, depending on how you count. Probably more, primus help us.
TRU Reissue Magnus:shortened smokestacks, otherwise much like original rubber-wheeled. Head-type 6, trailer-type 8, gun-type 1, waistplate-type 3, and....chestplate type 3 :-) Yea, reissue chestplate is the same as the plastic chestplate :-)pic

(see also: list1, japanese-reissue magnus)

(see also: Pre-tf Powered Convoy)

Table One:	Trailer Types

Trailer 1:	Rubber-wheeled	large-peg front	flat-peg rear, small-hole in circle, large '3' in square	small-peg bottom	flat missle and fist mounts	made in Japan small stamping	NO trailer lights
Trailer 2:	Rubber-wheeled	small-peg front	flat-peg rear, no-hole in circle, large '3' in square	small-peg bottom	flat missle and fist mounts	made in Japan small stamping	NO trailer lights
Trailer 3:	Rubber-wheeled	small-peg front	beveled-peg rear, no-hole in circle, no number in square	small-peg bottom	flat missle and fist mounts	made in Japan Large stamping	has trailer lights
Trailer 4:	Rubber-wheeled	small-peg front	beveled-peg rear, no-hole in circle, no number in square	large-peg bottom	flat missle and fist mounts	made in Japan small stamping	has trailer lights
Trailer 5:	Plastic-wheeled	small-peg front	beveled-peg rear, no-hole in circle, no number in square	large-peg bottom	ringed missle and fist mounts	made in Macau small stamping	has trailer lights
Trailer 6:	Plastic-wheeled,	large-peg front	flat-peg rear, no-hole in circle, small '4' in square	lg-peg bottom	ringed missle and fist mounts	made in Macau small stamping	has trailer lights
Trailer 7:	Plastic-wheeled,	****-peg front	**-peg rear, **in circle, **in square	**-peg bottom	** missle and fist mounts	made in Macau Large stamping	*** trailer lights
Trailer 8:(reissue)	rubber-wheeled,	Lg-peg front	***-peg rear, no-hole in circle, small 4 in square	**-peg bottom	ringed missle and fist mounts	made in China stamping	has trailer lights

Table Two; Cab Types

Cab 1:	Rubber-wheeled	Full paint and chrome	6-dot side	metal-toed
Cab 2:	Plastic-wheeled	painted face, but unchromed upper legs and tanks	6-dot side	plastic-toed
Cab 3:	Plastic-wheeled	unpainted face, no chrome, no window	6-dot side	plastic-toed
Cab 4:	Plastic-wheeled	unpainted face, no chrome, no window	5-dot side	plastic-toed
Cab 5(reissue):	rubber-wheeled	Full paint and chrome	6-dot side	***-toed

Table 3; Head Types

Head 1:	Oval-forehead, dual-ribbed antenna	Full paint on face and antenna
Head 2:	square-forehead, one-rib on antenna	Full paint on face and antenna
Head 3:	Oval-forehead, dual-ribbed	Only face painted
Head 4(unconfirmed existence):	square-forehead, one-rib on antenna	Only face painted
Head 5:	Oval-forehead, dual-ribbed antenna	no paint
Head 6:	square-forehead, one rib on antenna	no paint
Head 7:	Oval-forehead, dual-ribbed antenna, no brow indents	Full paint on face and antenna

Table 4; Gun Types

Gun 1:	thin-lines, connected to handle	no indent on sm handle	big-raised-indent on side of stock	no-letter
Gun 2:	thin-lines, not-connected to handle	Lg indent on sm handle	big-indent on side of stock	no-letter
Gun 3:	thick lines, not-connected to handle	sm indent on sm handle	small-indent on side of stock	letter'B'
Gun 4:	thick lines, not-connected to handle	sm indent on sm handle	small-raised-indent on side of stock	no-letter

Table 6; Chestplate Types

Chestplate 1:	rubber-wheeled	no cannons, thick sidetabs, indented tip
Chestplate 2:	transitional	has cannons, thin sidetabs, sm bubbled tip
Chestplate 3:	plastic-wheeled	has cannons, thin sidetabs, remolded insides w/lg bubbled tip

*********	Table 7; Large-fist Types

Lg fist 1:	Solid mount hole, flat back, top has large hole opposite thumb, a raised peg behind the thumb, a large bottom hole w/a ridge. These definately go to a rubber wheels version, and work with the large and small hole on handle gun, but NOT the no hole gun.
Lg fist 2:	Solid mount hole, sunken circle around the mount hole, small bottom hole, two raised pin holes on top. Works w/large hole and no hole gun, but NOT small hole. Works w/rubber wheels trailer.
Lg fist 3:	Solid mount hole, raised circle around the mount hole, small bottom hole, 1 sunken pinhole on top. Works w/large hole and no hole gun, but NOT small hole. Works w/rubber wheels trailer.
Lg fist 4:	Hollow mount hole, flat back, top hole next to thumb, large bottom hole w/o ridge. Works w/no hole gun (other two seem too tight). Works with plastic or rubber trailer.
Lg fist 5:	't'-backed mount hole, shallow hole on bottom (accomodates gun sort of), faint indents on thumb and across from thumb, hole right next to thumb, double raised behind thumb.
Lg fist 6:	No hole on bottom, flat mount hole, triangle of shallow indents, indent on middle finger of fist.
Lg fist 7:	same as 6, no dot on middle finger
Lg fist 8:	ring-backed mount-hole, small-deep hole on bottom, VERY faint indents on thumb and across from thumb, double raised-indent behind thumb.(similar to type-5 fist)(Type 8 is reissue)

Table 9; Launcher Types

Launcher 1:	smooth back	smooth side pegs	Round launch-hole
Launcher 2:	ringed back	smooth side pegs	Round launch-hole
Launcher 3:	ringed back	ringed side pegs	Round launch-hole
Launcher 4:(reissue)	smooth back	smooth side pegs	T-shaped launch hole