Transformers 40th Selection Lio Convoy review

Announced in mid-2024, delayed around the intended release date for early 2025, and now just coming out as 2025 ends and 2026 begins, we finally have the 40rh Selection Lio Convoy. A figure that is meant to be more faithful version of the character using the Legacy Evolution mold, this was one of the few 40th Selection releases I did want. Adamas Rodimus and Predaking were super expensive and the former had QC issues, while MPM Bumblebee never got a direct Hasbro release for some reason. It was also known for being a part of the new T-Spark line, where making collabs included crossovers with Macross, Godzilla, and Evangelion in addition to having Takara's Diaclone and Zoid lines. While we should have gotten this version of Kimbamus Prime back in 2023, is it worth paying nearly what Leaders cost a few years ago just to make him more show-accurate?

Here we have Lio Convoy in his more anime-accurate lion mode. This figure is not only much closer to what the show looked like with its stylized lion face and mane, but the rest of the figure looks mostly the same beast mode if we move past the head. The limbs are the unchanged from what the Legacy Evolution version had, and the same goes for the tail. Even the shade of white is unchanged; the tail, however, matches with the painted mane far less than what the original tooling had. It was supposed to be painted like the rest of the gold, but Takara skipped it outright either for durability reasons or budget reasons. The Lio Typhoon attack is a new feature, and the jaw opens wider than the original version did, so I will give credit where it's due.

The attack mode is mostly done by tabbing the weapons on top, but you are missing two of the guns that came with the original tooling, making this mode incomplete. On the flip side, they are better painted this time.

For a comparison with the Legacy version, we can clearly see how much more dynamic the new head and the mane are compared to the more pinched gerbil face or the original, and it is appreciative seeing the eyes picked out in the anime style even without some line work to separate the whites of the eyes from the rest of his face. The cost is that he will blend in much less with your regular Kingdom figures given the aesthetics between the realistic beast modes and the 2D character models don't have much compatibility, and who knows if the 3D Mainframe designs would have any proper synergy with the more cartoony 2 and Neo designs. Beyond the head and the toy-accurate gold, there isn't much of a difference between them both; the result is that one of them looks more like a head swap courtesy of a third party beast head kit. One thing that sucks after noticing it on both figures is that the thumb talons are not painted...

The transformation remains the same, and so does most of the robot mode. The main difference is that the deco has a few extra areas picked out, such as the smallest pair of abs on barely above the waist, the.hes are more metallic, the chest isn't painted red and is instead molded that color, silver is added in the inner thighs, and the logo on the left pec is silver instead of white. The claws are much longer on the attack mode, but they don't fold away as nicely. The rest of the figure remains mostly the same, including the articulation and the rest of the tooling. Not sure if wrist rotation would have been possible, but maybe finger articulation could have helped if the hand sizes were kept intact?

The typhoon attack is more accessible this way in robot mode, though angling the head and right arm properly is recommended to keep the mane blades from catching on something. If there was something I wish they kept, it would be the gun that game with Black Lio Convoy since the old toy and the character used a gun in the show.

Here he is with his regular counterpart. While the tooling is always appreciative for the figure, the paint apps are fairly small in terms of size and where they're added, while the blues and gold are more distinct from the Hasbro non-metallics compared to the unchanged red and whites. 

The Energon Matrixes are even repainted differently, with the chambers painted inside while the chest and panel are molded red compared to the original having them molded gray and painted red.

Of note is that none of the guns are seemingly reused, with the 40th Selection ones being new. Makes me wonder if they traded extra weapons in favor of paint apps, because that is usually a Hasbro budget thing and not something Takara by itself would do.

The worst part has to be the unpainted lion hair on the back that better matched up with the rest of the mane, which is actually painted on the Hasbro version. Now I get that the new lion head mostly covers it up, and not many people are going to look at their action figures from the back, but since when was this a thing Takara did with their figures? Already sucks that the figure is missing some accessories that would make the toy feel more complete than it could be, but to skimp out on what was already there and use the new tooling to cover it up is very poor on Takara's part. And you can also see how much better the claws hide on the original Legacy version than the Takara retool, but as mentioned before, that is the least of the figure's concerns compared to this.

A redeco of this for the New Legends price is set to come out, with a paint job as well as new glow in the dark plastic, which represents a ghostly appearance of his from Neo IIRC. Funny how this was announced just as everyone outside of Japan got their regular Lio Convoy's.

And here we have all 3 Maximal leaders as represented in Japanese continuity. I guess Optimus Primal could go for the more show-accurate repaint from the Beast Wars again line with the metallic paint job, while who knows if Big Convoy would get any fancy treatments since he is a recent release. While Lio Convoy looks nicer with these two and arguably more than both stock Kingdom/AOTP lines, I can't say I fully recommend the 40th Selection retool as much as I hoped. I really wanted to say that it's a 100% slam dunk compared to what we got before, yet rather than be as impactful of Buster Prime for the premium factor or Super Megatron for the retooling vs price, this feels more like a DNA Design upgrade kit with some reprolabels applied (with the back missing paint). Buster Prime at least had a complete makeover with his paint job, adding silver pin stripes and more paint on his limbs than what the regular version had in addition to the chrome and retooled face and gas tanks/Ion Blaster. Super Megatron almost has nothing in common with Titans Return Megatron and feels like an entirely new toy. This feels more like a small few tweaks. Do they go a long way? Maybe ask those who waited much longer for the toy to actually come out. It wasn't specified what part caused the toy to not transform properly while it was misassembled, but I'm guessing Takara didn't want to deal with another Encore Omega Prime reissue dilemma where the flaws were recall-worthy (especially with the brand unification involving Hasbro now compared to back then). If you want this figure, go ahead and get it. But don't be ready for it to be mind-blowing if you already own the original.

Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Transformers Studio Series 86 Soundwave review

Blah blah blah Soundwave superior blah blah blah a Constructicons inferior blah blah blah 1986 movie look we get it already. We know how his toys work and how the cassettes deploy, we know he is blue and evil. What else can be said about him by this point beyond the decision to make this figure 2 years after the Legacy United line reissued Netflix Soundwave? Given the downfall of current day Leaders of late, I made a review talking about how the tape recording Con compared to SS86 Springer, who just barely won. The decision to make a 2020 Voyager with barely any changes beyond some slight deco tweaks and hopefully not yellowing would have been fine enough if it weren't for the fact that a set that cost around $40 more or less increased by nearly $20. The fact that it was also released around the same time as Dramatic Capture Series Soundwave also proves how much easier it would have been to just make a new mold rather than make us do two repaints too close to each other. Rant out of the way, it's time to see if this figure is worth buying or not at another mark up.

Here we have Soundwave in his tape recorder mode. Once again, this rectangle looks fine as it usually does, and while I don't mind the colorless door since it lets the inner details be better appreciated, I hate how the bottom section has none of the silver to help the button layout stand out better. Just paint it in, guys! While the rec/batt decal is not present the bulb is sculpted but not painted. At least R and L are intact for the speakers. 

The back section is thankfully more filled in than the Netflix version and arguably better than the Masterpiece and Core Class versions. The G1 version still is the most filled in, but it is a simpler toy after all. 

The tape deck can open without issue as per usual with the button on top, and I say without issue because unlike Siege and Netflix, this Soundwave can store tapes without getting the door jammed. Took them 3 tries to fix that, but still better than a third strike.

The three cassettes he comes with include Laserbeak, Ravage, and Buzzsaw. While they end up looking slightly better in hand than in stock photos, I wish there was more paint to make these appear less gappy and broken up as possible. I appreciate the spokes in the center representing the tape spools, but there is still room for improvement. The transformations thankfully are better than the Siege versions, and I don't mind the partsforming weapons given they don't compromise the animals as much as on others (cough Steeljaw).

Here we have them with the over versions. Laserbeak transforms more like the MP instead of the cartoon, and Ravage thankfully isn't as chunky. The older versions had far more paint, though. In fact, the red and yellow on the birds is the only paint applied beyond the eyes and wings.

And here we have them with the other Cassette partners of Soundwave. Frenzy and Rumble came individually at a ridiculous price of $10, while Ratbat was part of a Target exclusive retool of Perceptor that also came with Ramhorn. As for the Soundwave duo, here we have Netflix/Legacy United with SS86. While the size differences are barely the priority, I can at least say that the proportions/panel lining are far less prominent on the newer toy than the original. I also like the bottom trim is smoothened out instead of awkwardly having a bumper in front, but I already mentioned that it's not broken up with some silver/grey. Not helping is that the golden yellow lines weren't completed near the door. So much better with being closer to the proper look of the altmode, but some details are annoyingly missing.

Transformation is slightly different from what we had in the past, with the major new differences being the ability to just out the front parts of the shins that were previously kept sticking out on Netflix. The figure ends up with less hollow spots in the forearms as well as having a proper backpack compared to not having one in the Netflix version, though the waist rotation used before is carried over. The resulting robot mode is proportionally much closer to the cartoon than it previously was depicted, and as a result doesn't appear as wide as what we previously had. Ironically, the Siege version had his body frame closer to the character design rather than Netflix, but this ends up being closer to how he appeared in the show. Even moreso than the MP version. I also appreciate that the shade of blue used isn't as bright as it appeared on Thundercracker. Sometimes, he appeared a bit darker in a few G1 episodes, but the movie has a more saturated palette. While he isn't as detailed as the WFC trilogy toys, it doesn't hurt him as much as, say, Windcharger.

Head sculpt is standard affair for Soundwave. Thankfully the mouthplate and visor are easier to pick out with the brighter colors than on the Netflix version. As for his articulation, it consists of mostly the same points as the Netflix version, though now the fingers are able to move while the arms are on butterfly joints and the feet can hinge up for more naturalistic stepping movement. While the cannons still resemble batteries, the silver bit should be rotated on this version's handgun yet it isn't.

Laserbeak or Buzzsaw can perch onto Soundwave's arm via tabs on the forearms, though they barely stay in place. Either the slots are too wide or the tabs just suck as they are.

For a robot mode size comparison, have the same pic from the Thundercracker review. Still feels a bit weird not having Starscream in this size comparison, but besides that, the scale here is also kept accurately to the cartoon. I know Hasbro has a Shockwave on the way, but so far, I'm extremely uninterested in getting a smoother version of a character just for the accuracy when he is not upscaled and cost barely less than the price that Siege Shockwave went for in 2019.

And here he is with his Netflix counterpart. I like the size bump and better proportions, and that takes me back to what I said earlier: we should.habe had this in 2024 instead of Legacy United. It would be one thing to make a straight reissue without any changes, but to put him in a larger size class and justify the price with a Core Class figure that is barely worth its regular asking price is ludicrous. Granted, this also has issues of its own, like the missing paint apps, the cassettes suck in that specific mode, and the price hike is garbage, but this still manages to be better overall than the Netflix version just from being a new mold from the ground up rather than reusing existing parts. Not saying that the Netflix version is automatically garbage beyond the 1.0 version yellowing, but this would have been an easier purchase to go with had it been from a time where Leader Class figures weren't seen as laughable now as they were in the small few years prior to 2025/6. Hell, this easily beats the upcoming Astrotrain without a doubt, and now I want to work on a rant regarding the most recent Studio Series figures coming soon...

Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐ and a half out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Transformers Age of the Primes Big Convoy review

Big Convoy represents a different kind of Maximal leader compared to the ones Japan had in their version of Beast Wars lore. Naturally, Optimus Primal remained consistent with his US counterpart as a noble faction leader and a respect-worthy captain of the Axalon (in spite of the dialed-up ab-lib humor); Lio Convoy felt more in-line with the Japanese trope of tough shonen protagonists with a sense of justice probably stronger than the boss monkey himself. Big, meanwhile, comes across more as a one-bot army in both his strength and personality. Not that he likes to work alone, but he tends to before of a militaristic tough guy that would give the late R. Lee Ermey a run for his money. Regardless, he still makes for a fairly respectable Maximal leader, flaws and all. Now we shall see if waiting for the Japanese Maximal Leader trio is worth the wait after having a longer time gap between Lio and Big than what we had with Primal and Lio.

Here we have Big Convoy in his mammoth mode. To start off with positives, this feels rock solid and very dense, which is one of the benefits towards making this a Leader Class figure. The anatomy is also kept intact, and we have very few robot bits peeking through beyond where the trunk and front section are. I would like to see some deco to help the fur pop even better, but me complaining about no deco applied onto the tusks should be reserved for when we have Nemesis Prime redecoed from this mold where he has blood on them or not. As it stands, still a good beast mode so far.

The only articulation in this mode is the trunk as well as the front legs. The former is disjointed so it doesn't look as natural, and sadly, even as a Leader Class figure, we have no Mammoth Tank mode for this toy.

For a beast mode size comparison, here we have a Big Convoy in-between Optimus Primal and Lio Convoy. Now this is where he doesn't quite appear as big as he should be. If we remember that Optimus Primal and Lio Convoy are generally close to their real world animal counterparts, then that would make Big Convoy closer to the size of a younger elephant past the size of a baby yet not big enough to be an adult. Granted, he didn't seem to be that oversized in the show he came from, but it'll definitely throw people off who never saw BWN.

Transformation is fairly involved given the Neo series' shellformery nature, with chunks of the alt mode barely integrating into the robot mode in a naturalistic way like with regular Beast Wars characters. Granted, some characters use the kibble for decoratively badass purposes, and Big Convoy is not as offensive as some others (cough Mach Kick), but the resulting robot mode almost looks kike he could have the rest of the beast mode parts shed off to display both simultaneously. It reminds me of the issues that plagued AOE First Edition Optimus Prime, though this is given some slack because it's accurate to the series and not an embarrasingly expensive downgrade to what we had with any version of the ROTF mold. I don't mind that we have to be accurate to the show if that's the point of the line, but jfc are his proportions a bit off compared to normal bots. That being said, I like that the figure has a bit of Optimus/Convoy motifs from the past with the chest merging both the red window look of the cab in G1 as well as the Maximal center bit from Primal. I also dig the asymmetrical arms that were no doubt inspired by the Transmetal 2 characters having some bit of asymmetry to them. I also dig the tusks peering out from behind as sort of like Liege Maximo horns, though the mammoth legs (which can face forward as cannons that I forgot to show), so look too much like the kibble pieces hanging off of the first MP Starscream mold. The back of the robot mode does look pretty bare without the kibble hanging off of it...

His head sculpt continues the trend of resembling the Optimus Prime motif, though with more animefications via the new antenna so as not to exactly copy the old head design 1:1. With his gun in his hand, his articulation consists of a ball jointed neck, shoulder rotation, outward arm movement, bicep rotation, butterfly joints, fairly deep elbows, wrist rotation, waist rotation, universal hips, thigh swivels, hinged knees, and ankle pivots.

His other accessories include a pair of Mammoth Hakens that can be stored within the forelegs or held in his hands like weird little horseshoes ready to be thrown. He also has the same deployable tonfas from within the forearms. They look a bit impractical next to the claws of Lio Convoy but they are something. 

He has his own Energon Matrix, which is perfect timing to remember that he was the first character to have a Matrix that is an actual separate piece rather than having it be sculpted in the chest, though it isn't purposefully similar to the role the normal Matrix in G1 played. On the bright side he can hold it better than most G1 Matrix bearers, even ones with articulated fingers!

The Matrix Cannon, Big Convoy's signature weapon, utilizes a stand so he wouldn't topple over while posing with this behemoth of firepower the same way we see with Iron Man/War Machine's proton cannon. Even the shoulder pads can flip up to reveal missile pods. Sunday best, indeed. It is also capable of being stored on the back provided it is being kept balanced by the mammoth legs/underslung cannons. 

Here we have him alongside the other Maximal Leaders from the Beast Era. I guess the scale does make sense if we were to follow the cartoon logic. Still, not entirely worth the Leader Class price point...by the way, you may notice Lio Convoy looks different than in the Beast Mode pic, and that means the 40th Selection review is FINALLY happening after all those delays. Stay tuned...

And here we have Big Convoy next to his Predacon enemy, Magmatron. While the Maximal is around 10 feet and the dinomess is around 14 feet, I want to say that the scale between these two are fairly in scale with one another, but maybe Lio Convoy ends up being slightly undersized than his official height. Honestly, a size bump would help justify their price tag this figure is going for; while I have been forgiving to some characters when it comes to the smaller size bumps, the price hikes and certain figures getting varying degrees of budget put into them makes me question if this figure is worth the money. In all honesty, it isn't. Not saying this figure is bad, but with the expectations for these figures getting higher like the prices in the economy, you may want to wait for a sale when it comes to a big Convoy. After all, he isn't a G1 character who people will praise no matter the quality (Megatron and Soundwave for example). I will b hesitant on saying the same when we get a Nemesis Prime repaint, but who knows how long that will take.

Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐ and a half out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐