(NOTE: Because this is a repaint, this is not a full-blown review. This mainly covers any changes made to the mold and the color scheme, and merely compares it to Universe 1.0 Nemesis Prime. For a review on the mold itself, read the review of Universe 1.0 Nemesis Prime here.)
Out of all the six exclusives
offered through the first version of the Transformers Club's Subscription
Service, Ultra Mammoth was definitely the most surprising-- not only for
being a (partially) new character, but also because it used a mold only
seen in the U.S. once as a Target exclusive a decade prior, and before
that as a Japanese-exclusive release in the late '90s. Ultra Magnus' usual
red, white, and blue color scheme works mighty well on a mammoth, though.
White and blue are Ultra Mammoth's main colors in beast mode, and though
a dull blue doesn't fit a mammoth all that well, it honestly fits it better
than I thought it would, given the whole "ice age" theme. The white used
on the tusks (and much of the plastic in robot mode) is such a great bone-white
shade and looks perfect where it is, whereas a "purer" straight white looks
good on most of the bottom third of the beast mode, where it looks like
snow on the fur (that said, the difference between the colors is noticeable,
so on a few areas-- like the right lower arm-- where white paint is right
next to the bone white plastic, it can draw the eye unnecessarily). In
robot mode the red becomes more obvious, and serves as a great contrast
color for Ultra Mammoth's very primary color scheme. Despite Ultra Mammoth
not having a whole lot of paint apps compared to previous releases of this
mold, the sheer color variety in robot mode keeps the toy far, far, away
from looking boring. The transparent blue used on his chest panel and left
arm is just the right shade of "icy" blue that both complements the duller
plastic blue and fits in perfect with the arctic theme. There's also a
bit of silver and chrome silver on some of the robot parts to help diversify
the color scheme a bit more, though a few more paint apps on Ultra Mammoth's
shoulders wouldn't have hurt. As with previous versions of this mold, if
you open up Mammoth's chest you can pull out a chromed "Origin Matrix",
which has its place in the Transformers Club's stories, and looks really
cool with the transparent icy blue plastic inside.
No mold changes have
been made to Ultra Mammoth; and surprisingly, no mold degradation has occurred
either. He feels as solid and tight as my Universe 1.0 Nemesis Prime does.
Ultra Mammoth is definitely
a mold with a frustrating, kibble-laden transformation, but it sure has
a nice color scheme this time around. If the phrase "Beast Wars Neo transformations"
don't have you immediately heading for the hills and you like either Beast
Wars toys or Ultra Magnus AND can afford the rather hefty exclusive price
tag, this is unique toy is something you might want to look into getting.
Review by Beastbot