Transformers Missing Link

So, 20 years ago at OTFCC 03, when they debuted 20th Anniversary Optimus Prime (now known as MP-01) I thought it was pretty great... and I still do. However, if you had shown me this, then I'd have blown a gasket. 

For the record, it's 20 years later, and this 40th Anniversary Optimus Prime is making me blow a gasket.
 

I need this... and a new gasket.

A Hyper Galaxy

 

Cybertron/Galaxy Force is one of those lines that feels like the last of it's kind. It was the last series to run before the 2007 live action movie changed everything. Sure, 'classics' happened in between. However that didn't have a cartoon and generally filled out the time before the movie (which had been delayed) released. Cybertron was the last of the Unicron Trilogy (Galaxy Force was stand alone) and a fun ride. Following up on the gimmick heavy lines of the Unicron Trilogy, it took the 'activated' gimmick from Armada and improved it. I liked the different themed planets and variety of robots that came from it.

A neat Kabaya candy toy line sold as part of Galaxy Force was Hyper Galaxy. Hyper Galaxy was a figurine line sold mainly at convenience stores like other candy toys in 2005. There were 3 total figures in the line- Galaxy Convoy (Optimus Prime), Galaxy Convoy Super Mode (Optimus Prime Super Mode), and Master Megatron (Megatron). Each was individually labeled (not blind boxes) and came with a piece of gum. 

The figures were neat overall. Galaxy Convoy Super Mode was my favorite with Master Megatron coming in second. The regular Galaxy Convoy was fine, just not as neat as the others. They were well painted and honestly something I would love to grab from a convenience store. I could easily see myself picking up one while stopping in for a Bueno Bar and bottle of Coke Zero. Unfortunately these cool toys don't reach my small stores. I got my set at BotCon that year. I don't remember the exact price, but it wasn't expensive. The three stood by my computer monitor for a while with some Beast Wars gachapon figures. That was a cool set up.

Convoy to the Stars

I had no clue Star Convoy existed until I was in college. Here I was, some doofy kid who really liked these things, but only knew the ones I grew up with. As the internet became a thing and entered my life I got educated on the stuff I didn't know about. That's what pre-internet life was like when you were a dorky kid. Maybe you got some information from random magazines (professional or fan) or oddball conversations. I knew they came from Japan (more or less) and there was ones released around the world that weren't here. That was about it. Sometimes some different looking ones would pop up as bootleg robot toys at discount stores. That was neat. Turns out there was this thing called Brave a well. Thanks internet!

After learning of Star Convoy I had to have one. Unfortunately it was pretty hard to get. How hard? Real hard. Was that filler? Yep. Like I said it was hard to get one, and if you were in that position, very expensive. Eventually in 2005 Unicron came, but also Takara re-released him. Now you could just get one affordably! Which I did! The reissue was a little different though. Now the yellow chest... thing was gold chrome. That and his box was more in the style of earlier G1 than the late G1 style Takara boxes. I didn't care, I finally had one. Now I just need the new versions. Well, eventually.

Optimus Prime Time

The last of the new Transformers my wife had given me for my birthday was Earthrise Optimus Prime. Like other Earthrise toys, he is traditional G1 upgraded. I've often said more recent leader class toys are the next step to Masterpiece. With Optimus here, the comparison isn't far off. Prime seems like a downgraded Masterpiece, just enough reduced to make him fit a lower price class.

Optimus turns into his traditional flat nosed tractor trailer. You've probably noticed that his robot mode is more angular like his cartoon appearance, while the truck is boxy. Thanks to some tricky unfold-able parts, both looks are intact without sacrificing one for the other. Normally additional panels make for a difficult transformation, but not here. There's just enough panel-forming to get the job done without opening a portal between dimensions and inviting Pinhead into your house.

I really appreciate the trailer making a return here. You don't always get a trailer with Optimus anymore. With this being such a G1 homage, it would be a shame to not include his signature trailer. I also really appreciate just how close of an approximation of the original trailer it is. The robot drone lacks his firing missiles, but the ideas there. It's such a good recreation that I find myself missing Roller. I know there had to be cuts, and that's the deepest one. The trailers door can connect to Micromaster base connectors and even features a removable shield for Optimus to wield (I forgot to take a picture).

True to cartoon form, Optimus can open his chest panels to reveal the Matrix! It's a nice little extra and can even be removed for some darkest hour lighting. The cherry on top of a really good sundae of a toy. Even with his panels, Optimus just transforms naturally, like an evolution of his original toy. I knew going in that this was going to be a very traditional looking toy, but didn't expect it to be such an upgrade of the original toy. Dang, Earthrise is good right out of the gates!

Corpse Convoy

I haven't talked about this weird commercial in a while. Usually when I do, it's joking and mainly just pointing out how weird it is. Though, I do admire it some. It's intention was to help introduce TF 2010/Season 3. They didn't get the movie when we did, so a little explanation was needed for the changes happening to the show. This pretty well done live action clip pretty much informs us that Convoy/Optimus Prime has died. Though man, I really dig the helicopters air lifting his body up. It has the overall presence of a Toho production and I honestly want more of it.

Reverse Convoy/Megatron

Thinking about Megatron the other day led me to thinking about Reverse Convoy/Reverse Megatron from the Robot Masters toy line. As I've said before I quite liked the Robot Masters toy line. Sure it had more than it's share of critics (take a shot), but I really liked it (take another shot). When Reverse Convoy was revealed on news sites, it was met with mixed response (you probably shouldn't take another shot, it's a weeknight). Many praised the use of the fan favorite Hero Megatron mold and the inventive head swapping gimmick. Though many criticized that same head swapping gimmick as the Megatron head was far from perfect and several didn't like the colors. I recall even hearing complaints about the reuse of the mold (ask for water and then complain about getting water... I swear some people...).

No surprise, I liked it.

It's a mold I'll never get tired of and with this revision of it, they improved the one thing I never liked. They took away the air pump. It was part of the original toys play gimmick that I always just felt like was in the way. Just a box hanging off the toy that could be stored, but still left the hose in just the right position to assure any slight bump would remove said box from it's storage place and now it was gone. Utilizing the tanks cannon, the head swap gimmick would allow for a quick transformation from Reverse Convoy to Reverse Megatron. Basically Reverse Convoys head would stow away inside the tank kibble as it would during normal transformation, and Reverse Megatron's head would rotate around from the back of the tank's cannon, which of course was mounted on his shoulder. The Megatron head was far from perfect admittedly, due to the back plate of the head fitting into the tank cannon, it was a bit awkward looking. Not to mention, those round things that are often depicted on the side of Megatrons helmet (what are those anyway) looked like hair rollers to some people. I didn't share that opinion, but there was no doubt that the head could have been better. Though the Reverse Convoy head I thought looked sharp.

The colors? Once again, I thought they looked good. I do say they could have used something extra, just to give it a little more pizazz. As is, the colors make me think of Machine Wars Megatron. Whom for all purposes could have been the last appearance of Megatron in this timeline. Not the exact shade, but pretty similar. History hasn't been kind to Robot Masters as many people have either forgotten it or never were aware of it despite regular bootlegs of the toys at your local discount stores. That's a shame, or at least to me as I thought it was great.

Ultra Magnus parts

It's pretty hard not to like Ultra Magnus. He's basically an upgrade of the classic Optimus Prime toy and really a more impressive toy (you gonna need some oven mitts for that hot take). Everyone loves Black Convoy, but that all white cab mode is probably the best the toy has ever looked to me. It does make me wonder again (here we go again), what if Diakron was a success and Transformers never happened? Would we have eventually gotten Battle Convoy and Powered Convoy in the line? Battle Convoy/Optimus Prime is basically the same toy aside from some stickers. Powered Convoy though, has different colors and a few more parts than Ultra Magnus.

I guess we'll never know unless a portal to an alternate reality where that indeed did happen just opened up. Admittedly though, if alternate reality portals started opening up, the one where Diakron was a sucess probably wouldn't get checked first. A firm tenth maybe, but not first.

Ok, I'd check it first and tell you what happened.

Galaxy Convoy

The buzz surrounding the leak of the Siege version of Cybertron Optimus Prime/Galaxy Convoy has gotten me looking back fondly at Cybertron when it was in stores. That certainly was a good Optimus toy. I stalked a few stores nabbing up the first releases of Cybertron one Friday night spending much of the following weekend playing with them on my computer room floor. Though looking back, I don't think I've put much thought into that Optimus over the years.

Instead focusing more on the Energon version that came before and the Classics version that came after. It's a really great looking robot and makes me miss the neat weirdness of the toy. I think that fun sci fi slant on the classic designs is part of what has me liking Siege as much as I do. I like those weird outer space designs merged with traditional looks, which is something Cybertron offered and I super dug back then.

G-Shock X Transformers

こちらも本日情報解禁！
G-SHOCK×TRANSFORMERSコラボ企画 第2弾
マスターオプティマスプライム！
昨年のPVでの映像コラボに続き、製品のコラボが実現！

詳しくは↓↓https://t.co/ukw7vIXj59

スペシャルPV公開↓↓https://t.co/yGf505QKSO#トランスフォーマー#Gショック pic.twitter.com/9PJk5olIFA

— トランスフォーマー情報局 (@TF_pr) November 16, 2018

Today's information is also lifted! G-shock×transformers Collaboration Planning 2nd Master Optimas Prime! Following the video collaboration in PV last year, product collaboration is realized! More ↓↓ https://tf.takaratomy.co.jp/related-products#CASIO-TF … Special PV ↓↓ https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=jMjwoCFSasE … #トランスフォーマー release #Gショック

Battle Convoy commercial

I've always been very fond of using the trailer as some sort of sarcophagus for Optimus Prime/Convoy.

Transformers 2010 commercial

Having a Prime Adventure

Star Convoy tv commercial

Diaclone Battle Convoy commercial

I've said before how I love these mini tokusatsu style productions that get made for Japanese toy commercials. I can watch them for hours. Yesterday, I posted about how I've often wondered how different things would have been if Diakron would have been a hit in the US. I remember seeing the boxes sitting on store shelves as a kid, not fully understanding what made it different than other toy cars (around that time, I was VERY young). If I would have saw these commercials on TV, and maybe a cool Saturday morning cartoon, I would have been hooked.

Weekly Spotlight: Reverse Convoy/ Rebirth Megatron

A warrior born on Planet Vehicon. Also an authority on energy production. In actuality, use of the black hole link system Reverse Convoy possesses caused him to become the rebirth of original Destron Emperor of Destruction, G1 Megatron.