Pyra Magna is leader of the Torchbearers, the Autobot subgroup that forms the combiner, Victorion. She transforms into a Rosenbauer Panther 6×6 fire truck, and also forms the torso of Victorion, being a retool of Hotspot. She is therefore the most important member of the group. Her name makes her a good counterpart for Ultra Magnus, though toywise she is much smaller than he is. If you’ve been reading up on her, you’ll know that she can fire acid from her water cannons (instead of water, because somebody went to dump acid into her water tanks).
And this is utilised to good effect in the Transformers: Earth Wars game! Pyra Magna’s ability is to charge and set any buildings in her path on fire, causing them to take damage over time. It’s like being on fire (her name, Pyra), and resembles acid corroding the buildings. Thanks Hasbro for the Victorion giftset!
She’s available as part of the Victorion box set that retails for SGD$219.90, and she was launched on 15 May. Victorion was the result of the Fan Built Combiner Polls in 2015, and she’s female!
Alternate Mode
What’s a Rosenbauer Panther 6×6 fire truck? I’ve got you covered there – it’s a brand of firetruck that’s mainly used for putting out aircraft fires. That means it has to be able to cover large areas fast, and speaks to the kind of power that Pyra Magna wields. The predominantly red colour scheme evokes images of Fire Convoy/Robots in Disguise Optimus Prime, and if you’re looking to customise him, this might be the best Hotspot mould to go for.
Of all the Torchbearers, Pyra Magna comes closest to the “robots in disguise” concept, because she could feasibly be mistaken for a real fire engine. She’s got the most realistic colour scheme of the ladies. You’ll need to ignore the big green head on her ladder, but then you can always explain it away as some sort of firefighting component that was installed on her. She’d fit in right next to some model cars, too.
Robot Mode
Pyra Magna’s robot mode is also a good choice for a powerfully built female warrior. She’s got the broadness (thanks to the shoulder pads) that creates this sense of power, but she’s also slim enough to adhere to typical female proportions. Again, if you’ve been playing the Transformers: Earth Wars game, you’ll know that she functions as a tank, which suits her design to a T.
Pyra Magna has the Prowl-style face, with the crest on top. Her sharp chin and red eye shadow clearly mark her as a female Autobot as well. I don’t quite dig the helmet look, but since she’s a faction leader it makes sense that she would wear one of those (many of the leaders do).
Weapons-wise, she’s a melee warrior who wields a “cudgel.” To me it looks more like a scythe, since it’s going to slice you to ribbons rather than hurt you with blunt force trauma. But I suppose hitting anything with that weapon is going to hurt, cudgel or not.
I like Pyra Magna! Her design, powers, and depiction across different media follows a consistent theme (though sometimes, like with the acid powers in comics and fire powers in games, they’re not always the same, but they don’t directly contradict each other). She’s definitely the most suited to be the leader of the Torchbearers, as well as their combined form, Victorion.
Check out my other reviews on the bots in the Victorion giftset!
i’m a toys collector too! 🙂