Ultra Prime

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This article is about the Generation 1 Autobot Combiner. For the Animated Autobot who is sometimes known as Ultra Prime, see Ultra Magnus (Animated){{#switch:{{#sub:Ultra Magnus (Animated)|-1}} != .= ?= .

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Ultra Prime is an Autobot Combiner from the Combiner Wars portion of the Generation 1 continuity family.
"Drag Strip, quit trying to steal the viewer's purse! Honestly, sometimes I wonder why you're even on this team."

Ultra Prime is the result of Optimus Prime's Combiner upgrade. The Autobot leader can now merge with any four Transformers to form this powerful behemoth – even Decepticons have been known to get in on the action!

Despite impressions, the boon granted by Ultra Prime is unrefined and imperfect. By mastering the act of combination and selecting the right team of Autobots to unite with, Optimus Prime can go even further beyond to form Optimus Maximus.

Fiction

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Prime Wars Trilogy marketing material

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Autobot commander Optimus Prime was upgraded with the ability to combine. This initially produced Ultra Prime, who could be made with any arbitrary set of warriors Optimus Prime's bio and probably fought on Cybertron, Skydive's bioFirefly's bioAlpha Bravo's bioDecepticon Dragstrip's bio but the existential threat of Decepticon combiners in the Combiner Wars pushed Optimus to master this power and form Optimus Maximus Battle Core Optimus Prime's bio to protect Earth. Mirage's bioIronhide's bioProwl's bioSunstreaker's bio

Toys

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Combiner Wars

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"I know I'm alive, but...why?"
  • Skydive (Deluxe Class, 2015)
  • Alpha Bravo (Deluxe Class, 2015)
  • Optimus Prime (Voyager Class, 2015)
  • Firefly (Deluxe Class, 2015)
  • Decepticon Dragstrip (Deluxe Class, 2015)
    • Accessories: Rifle (combined from Optimus Prime's two smaller rifles), four small guns, four hands/feet
Ultra Prime can ostensibly be formed by attaching any four Deluxe Class Combiner Wars figures to Voyager Class Optimus Prime. Optimus's packaging depicts Ultra Prime as formed using the first wave of Deluxe figures, with Alpha Bravo and Skydive as left and right arms, and Dragstrip and Firefly as left and right legs.
Ultra Prime wields a long rifle formed by combining Optimus Prime's two smaller guns, and features several pieces of sculpted detail based on Energon Optimus Prime's Super Mode, including on his thighs, waist, and inside his opening chest cavity. Opening the chest also reveals posts which allow Legends Class Decepticon Blackjack or his retool Rodimus to be mounted in vehicle mode as additional armor.
Unfortunately, Optimus's hip ratchets are just slightly off centered, giving him an unnatural pose in robot mode, and affecting the stability of any combined mode. This would later be addressed via a running change on Optimus's mold mates, Motormaster and Battle Core Optimus, which corrected the hip ratchets, allowing for much better stability in all modes.

Notes

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  • Ultra Prime's package art appears to have been retroactively recolored—whilst Alpha Bravo is unremarkable, Dragstrip is a recolored Firefly, Skydive a recolored Air Raid, and Firefly a recolored Skydive. It seems likely that the decision to release Dragstrip in wave 1 came late in the game, and that Ultra Prime would have originally been advertised as combining with all four Aerialbots.
  • Ultra Prime and Optimus Maximus being two Combiner Wars-style Combiners with the same torso mirrors both Betatron versus Computron and Elita-Infin1te versus Orthia.
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