Leo Prime/Lio Convoy (Legacy Evolution/Voyager Class)

Lio Convoy is one of those Transformers characters that'll forever be on a higher shelf in my heart. He was introduced in Beast Wars II when I was in college, blowing me away with just how cool he looked. I even made a poster from some Beast Wars II art featuring Lio Convoy facing off against Galvatron. That poster remained a fixture on my walls for a long time. I still have it, though it's folded away and enjoys retirement inside a box these days. When Hasbro announced an update, I was ecstatic. Sure, he's gotten some new toys over the years and I've gotten a lot of them... with the current updates the excitement was much higher. They're just that good. These days he's known as Leo Prime here in the states to be more English packaging friendly, but it's the same guy.

This new Voyager Class toy is a really nice upgrade. As much of a big deal getting the original toy was to me back in the day, it's far from perfect. In Legacy Evolution he gets a nice upgrade. As the name implies, Leo Prime transforms into a lion. A white lion to be specific often speculated to be playing off Kimba the White Lion. According to various sources, his original concept was to be a Cheetor retool as Optimus Prime. Beast Wars was original conceived as a continuation of the original ongoing Transformers story line. Cheetor was intended to be Prowl, and Optimus got toys inspired by Batman and King Kong. A majestic lion Optimus was a natural choice, and not the first time a lion Optimus was considered. For Beast Wars II a new cast was created and with it a new leader. That lion finally found it's way to toy form.

This new toy is a pleasantly large Voyager Class figure with lots of articulation and features. Lio is a little tricky to transform, but not anything resembling the Lament Configuration. Part of his robot design is the regal draping of the lion over his shoulders giving a royal vibe. The lion's mane can be used as a weapon too. It folds out in places to display weapons for an attack mode. This is a throwback to the original toy as is a hidden Matrix of Leadership within his chest. That sort of thing always triggers the same sense of giddiness it did back in the older days when it wasn't as often used. In lion mode, Lio Convoy has giant fold out claws that also can be deployed in robot mode as can the beast mode's attack forms.

They look cool and give that royal look a little edge. Lio Convoy, Leo Prime... whatever he's called is a classic in my book. This newest figure is a wonderful update that makes me just as happy as the original did a long time ago.