Weapons of war. Fall of Cybertron Optimus Prime, Ultra Magnus, and the ever growing arsenal!

I have to admit a great deal of disappointment in Fall of Cybertron, and it’s almost all this guy’s fault:

I’d like to be able to simply jump on the bandwagon and say that the toy is the problem; that he’s just too small and his transformation is to simplistic. In reality, he is much less bulky than his previous incarnation.

It’s not that, though, I really don’t have a problem with the recent down-sizing of the toys. No, I have an issue with the overall aesthetic. I have since before setting eyes on the toy itself; since seeing this shot from the Fall of Cybertron trailer.

The design just doesn’t come close to his War for Cybertron body (a change that is never actually explained anywhere.) The toy actually improves on the odd, rounded look his head has, making it less rounded and more angled. However, it pales when put next to the awesome War for Cybertron head. The problem that the toy doesn’t fix is the chunky, blocked torso, though it does a decent job of downplaying it.

Still, that boxy, squared-off, top-heavy chest piece is something I would expect from an Ultra Magnus toy, not Optimus.

Oh. Well there you go. Yes, the mold definitely looks better as Ultra Magnus. In fact, I’m pretty sure he can deal with that (and just about anything else) right now.

“You know what the difference is between you and me? I make this look good.”

I consider this a sort of vindication for poor Ultra Magnus. After suffering as an on again, off again repaint of his much more famous “brother”, it’s good to see him actually doing a mold better. The strange part is just how well the exact same mold still manages to pull off a really good Optimus and Ultra Magnus alt mode at the same time.

Since Ultra Magnus’ appearance in Animated, he’s become somewhat synonymous with hammers, but it looks like earlier on, he chose a… stabbier-slicier weapon. The best part is that the sword splits into pieces and can be combined with his gun — the same as the gun that comes with the Optimus version of the mold — to form an even bigger sword.

Funnily enough, the sword itself is modeled after the sword Optimus uses in the final showdown with Megatron in the game.

A scaled-down version of Megatron’s sword actually comes with Fall of Cybertron Air Raid.

When it comes to a sudden boost in weapon accessories, Ultra Magnus and Air Raid are both indicative of the second and future waves of the Fall of Cybertron toys.

The weapon Optimus’ toy comes with appears in promotional material for the game.

This is a nice inclusion, and speaks to this new move to actually make toy versions of the weapons from the game.

Optimus’ primary weapon of choice in the game is the Path Blaster.

Wrong Optimus, right weapon.

Sideswipe, a fellow wave 2 toy with Ultra Magnus, includes this massive weapon.

After playing through the game and getting all the upgrades for the Path Blaster, there’s a good chance Sideswipe is not getting this weapon back from Optimus. All of this new weapon love isn’t entirely new. Back in War for Cybertron, Megatron came with his fusion cannon, the front half of which resembles a combination of the War for Cybertron Fusion Cannon and Fall of Cybertron‘s Riot Cannon

Unfortunately, it was molded as his alt mode’s primary weapon and includes a huge piece at the end. Also, it attaches in a specific way to Megatron’s arm and really can’t be used by other toys.

“What the heck am I supposed to do with this?”

Another weapon, which makes an appearance in the game but is really character-specific, is the Sling Shock. Unlike Megatron’s, Shockwave’s weapon has a standard post and can be held by others.

Starscream comes with the game’s Neutron Assault Rifle, a very mean-looking geared six-barreled cannon.

Last but definitely not the least of wave 2 is one of my favourite weapons to use in multiplayer, the Gear Shredder. Used properly — never charge it all the way, it kills the accuracy — it’s a lethal and, more importantly, fun weapon (watching enemies flee with bladed discs sticking out of them from different angles never gets old).

Included with Kickback, the firing mechanism leaves a lot to be desired for a disc weapon, but it still looks very cool.

There are at least two of the next wave that come with game weapons; Whirl with the Subsonic Repeater and Roadbuster with the Energon Harvester. I can’t wait to grow the Fall of Cybertron in-game arsenal a little more.

“Now. Who needs a good dealin’ with?”