Review #21: Re-Issue Star Convoy
with Micromaster Hot Rod
Howdy, folks.
First things first. For those few who might not have figured it out, yes, my last review was a bit of an April Fools joke. (Sorry, I couldn't resist!) The figure I was reviewing was not a Generation One Hot Rod. While I did have one as a child, and a Rodimus Prime as well, sadly any Transformers I had as a child have long since gone the way of the dodo, as when I was a kid I did the foolish thing of actually playing with my toys, instead of planning ahead and taking care of them... cherishing them... protecting them... so that I could play with them as an adult. Ahem... I mean, so that I could enjoy their collectibility and nostalgic value as an adult.
Anyway...
If the toy I was looking at in my last review was not a genuine, bonefide G1 Hot Rod, what was it? It was a (re-issue) G1 Sideswipe, adorned with "Hotswipe" Hot Rod style stickers designed to go onto the Sideswipe mold, made by the fine folk over at Reprolabels. (Speaking of whom, I just put in a new order from them that will undoubtably influence my May reviews, including an update to the Battle Tanker review.) Anyway, in addition to the stickers, I had also made a few modifications with Sharpies. Long story short, I have a figure that looks like what might happen if Sideswipe dressed up as Hot Rod for Halloween. I actually did this some time ago, so it isn't a figure I modified specially just for an April Fool's joke... but I thought he might make a good one, and thus that last review came to be.
Now that last review did come out over two weeks ago... Sorry for the delay, folks! Also, thank you to people who are visiting the site! We're only a bit over three months old here, so I don't expect to be The Star of the Internet. But when I haven't updated in over two weeks, and I'm still getting about an average of about thirty people visiting a day, that must mean that someone out there thinks what I am doing isn't completely pointless. So thank you to my visitors, and know that you are appreciated. I started this site to share my collection with the world, and if there is no one out there on the receiving end it is all rather futile. Nice to know that it isn't.
So the two week delay... Yeah, life got busy for a bit. Work had me tired out, and then yesterday I was rather, "Oh, I should do my taxes." And thus today, I thought, "I really should write another review." I had some time to kill while waiting for my lovely girlfriend's arrival for the weekend and so got to it. (Although I've not yet even gotten to the review itself, and it is aproaching the time she is due. Perhaps when she gets here, after dinner and some affection, I can distract her for a bit by asking if she wants to play Dragon Age? I think she would not object, and we will at least be in each other's company, which is always pleasant.)
Anyway, moving on... Dinner is done and the girlfriend didn't feel like playing Dragon Age, so I am typing while laying awkwardly and being glomped. Multitasking! So, what was I doing again? Oh yes, a review!
First things first. For those few who might not have figured it out, yes, my last review was a bit of an April Fools joke. (Sorry, I couldn't resist!) The figure I was reviewing was not a Generation One Hot Rod. While I did have one as a child, and a Rodimus Prime as well, sadly any Transformers I had as a child have long since gone the way of the dodo, as when I was a kid I did the foolish thing of actually playing with my toys, instead of planning ahead and taking care of them... cherishing them... protecting them... so that I could play with them as an adult. Ahem... I mean, so that I could enjoy their collectibility and nostalgic value as an adult.
Anyway...
If the toy I was looking at in my last review was not a genuine, bonefide G1 Hot Rod, what was it? It was a (re-issue) G1 Sideswipe, adorned with "Hotswipe" Hot Rod style stickers designed to go onto the Sideswipe mold, made by the fine folk over at Reprolabels. (Speaking of whom, I just put in a new order from them that will undoubtably influence my May reviews, including an update to the Battle Tanker review.) Anyway, in addition to the stickers, I had also made a few modifications with Sharpies. Long story short, I have a figure that looks like what might happen if Sideswipe dressed up as Hot Rod for Halloween. I actually did this some time ago, so it isn't a figure I modified specially just for an April Fool's joke... but I thought he might make a good one, and thus that last review came to be.
Now that last review did come out over two weeks ago... Sorry for the delay, folks! Also, thank you to people who are visiting the site! We're only a bit over three months old here, so I don't expect to be The Star of the Internet. But when I haven't updated in over two weeks, and I'm still getting about an average of about thirty people visiting a day, that must mean that someone out there thinks what I am doing isn't completely pointless. So thank you to my visitors, and know that you are appreciated. I started this site to share my collection with the world, and if there is no one out there on the receiving end it is all rather futile. Nice to know that it isn't.
So the two week delay... Yeah, life got busy for a bit. Work had me tired out, and then yesterday I was rather, "Oh, I should do my taxes." And thus today, I thought, "I really should write another review." I had some time to kill while waiting for my lovely girlfriend's arrival for the weekend and so got to it. (Although I've not yet even gotten to the review itself, and it is aproaching the time she is due. Perhaps when she gets here, after dinner and some affection, I can distract her for a bit by asking if she wants to play Dragon Age? I think she would not object, and we will at least be in each other's company, which is always pleasant.)
Anyway, moving on... Dinner is done and the girlfriend didn't feel like playing Dragon Age, so I am typing while laying awkwardly and being glomped. Multitasking! So, what was I doing again? Oh yes, a review!
Star Convoy!
Now, ya'll are probably wondering two things. First of all, who the heck is Star Convoy? That guy looks kind of Optimusy to me... And secondly, what the heck? Isn't this supposed to be, "Hot Rod Month?" To answer the first question, Convoy is Optimus Prime. Convoy is what his character was named in the Japanese version of the show. (Anime fans get touchy when characters get renamed in American dubs, nice to know it can work both ways.) Star Convoy, a Japanese exclusive, was the last version of the character to be released in the G1 toyline. So this is basically the final G1 Optimus Prime. |
The answer to the second question is quite simple. I thought, for Hot Rod Month, that once past my initial joke I would review the four Hot Rods I do have in order from smallest to largest. And the smallest is a tiny Hot Rod figure that came with Star Convoy. (I am not well versed in the fiction surrounding this figure, but I would gather that it went something like this. Convoy is reborn as Star Convoy! He sees Rodimus and says, "Yo, give me back my matrix! You're my bitch now, Hot Rod! And just to prove it, a tiny version of you will come with my toy!")
So this review is looking at a Hot Rod, but first we will also be looking at the figure that came with it. Er, I mean, that it came with.
His alt mode is certainly... well... interesting. Some sort of small red cab which is attached, through the roof, to what has to be the biggest damn trailer an Optimus has ever sported, and a rather unique looking one at that. Cab and trailer are permanently attached, this is all one unit. Well, mostly all one unit. While the two guns over the front are permanently attached, the large gun in the center and the smaller turret in the back are optional. But as far as cab and trailer go, there is no detaching those from each other.
You may have noticed that there are no rear wheels, but rather rear treads. These are actual rubber treads. And there is a small switch on the side of one of them. This switch activates a battery operated motor for the treads. Pushing it one way causes Star Convoy to roll forwards. (And at a pretty decent pace!) Pushing it the other way causes him to roll in reverse. Either way will also cause the gun turret on the rear of the trailer's roof to rotate.
So this review is looking at a Hot Rod, but first we will also be looking at the figure that came with it. Er, I mean, that it came with.
His alt mode is certainly... well... interesting. Some sort of small red cab which is attached, through the roof, to what has to be the biggest damn trailer an Optimus has ever sported, and a rather unique looking one at that. Cab and trailer are permanently attached, this is all one unit. Well, mostly all one unit. While the two guns over the front are permanently attached, the large gun in the center and the smaller turret in the back are optional. But as far as cab and trailer go, there is no detaching those from each other.
You may have noticed that there are no rear wheels, but rather rear treads. These are actual rubber treads. And there is a small switch on the side of one of them. This switch activates a battery operated motor for the treads. Pushing it one way causes Star Convoy to roll forwards. (And at a pretty decent pace!) Pushing it the other way causes him to roll in reverse. Either way will also cause the gun turret on the rear of the trailer's roof to rotate.
I'm not going to go too much into Hot Rod just yet. (I'm saving him for last.) But I will bring him into this review for a moment to highlight his interactivity with Star Convoy in vehicle mode. On Convoy's rear, you see a big black panel with labels saying, "1," and, "2." Open it up, and you do find two little bays inside. Now, you could just shove Hot Rod into one of these bays and be done with it. But you may notice that, above the ramp that is formed when you lower Convoy's rear panel, is another ramp. What is this?
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While I did own a few of them as a kid, for the most part Micromasters in the U.S., which came out in the final years of the G1 toyline, were just as I was getting out of Transformers. (And well before the glorious day when I got back into them, ha ha.) So I am not an expert on them, but I am pretty sure (and the Transformers Wiki seems to comfirm my thoughts) that the Micro Trailers were never part of the U.S. toyline. So Star Convoy is definitely my first experience with them. They all seemed to be identical in mold design, the only differences being in the stickers and the plastic colour. (Some were white, and some, like this one, were black.)
As I said, they can hold one Micromaster inside. But even better... it can shoot them out! Yes, these suckers have a spring loaded launcher in them, activated by pushing on the little red button on the front of them. Better yet, Star Convoy is designed to work with this feature. The two compartments in his trailer's rear are each designed to hold one Micro Trailer quite snugly. Of course, when they are inside, the button for the launcher would be inaccessable. But fear not! The two yellow bits on top of the trailer? Each one can act as a surrogate button to activate the launcher on a Micro Trailer stored on the corresponding side of the trailer. So push down on one of those, and woosh! Out comes Hot Rod or whatever Micromaster you may have in there. (Assuming, of course, that the doors are open!)
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You may have noticed lots of pegs and peg holed on this thing. Well... while on the surface, a Micro Trailer seems like a pretty simple thing... and, in fact, is a pretty simple thing, that does not mean that whoever designed them back in the day didnt's seem to have put some thought into their play value. Seems these things can be pretty versatile, although as I only have the one -- and not much else as far as Micromaster toys go -- I think I'll take the lazy way out and refer you to the Transformers Wiki's page for Micro Trailers, which has some excellent examples on this.
And with that, that about wraps it up for Star Convoy's vehicle mode. But before I move onto the robot mode, I am a bit tired. (Just because I've found some time to do other things after work today, doesn't mean I hadn't still still come home a bit tuckered out!) And I have a very patient and loving girlfriend who I should stop neglecting for at least a little bit. (Although I gather she must be tired, too, as she seems to have taken the opportunity to get in a nap) But anyway, I'm going to rest for a bit, but then I'll be right back to talk about Star Convoy's robot mode!
And with that, that about wraps it up for Star Convoy's vehicle mode. But before I move onto the robot mode, I am a bit tired. (Just because I've found some time to do other things after work today, doesn't mean I hadn't still still come home a bit tuckered out!) And I have a very patient and loving girlfriend who I should stop neglecting for at least a little bit. (Although I gather she must be tired, too, as she seems to have taken the opportunity to get in a nap) But anyway, I'm going to rest for a bit, but then I'll be right back to talk about Star Convoy's robot mode!
And we're back! And when I say, "I'm going to rest for a bit," I apparently mean, "I'm going to bed now, and I'll work on that review more the next day." So, good morning! Fortunately for you, dear reader, because of the way this all works the delay was rather non-existant to you.
Anyway... Robot mode! Star Convoy is definitely an Optimus Prime, but aesthetically he looks like... well, I have some vague memory of once hearing someone describe him as a cross between Optimus Prime and a Gundam, and I can't disagree with that assessment. Now, this is the re-issued version of Star Convoy, and while I never owned an original one, I have noticed by looking at photos online that there were a few differences in the deco. The obvious one would be that the crest on his chest that here is gold chromed plastic, on the original was plain yellow plastic. The other difference I have noticed is that any plastic that, on this version of the figure, is a colour that is, depending on how the light hits it, either a dark grey or a silver, on the original version of this figure seemed a much lighter grey or white. Out of the weapons that were on his vehicle mode, the two that were over the front (which, as previously stated, are permanently attached) are now on the robot's shoulders. The large gun can now become hand held. The only one left out would be the truck mode's rear most gun, but for storage it will fit inside one of the compartments in the back of the truck mode, which are now the bottoms of the robot mode's legs. The rear end of the truck mode's rubber treads still touch the floor when the robot is standing up, and there are little wheels under his feet. This means that the motorized rolling gimmick still works in robot mode! |
Articulation is somewhat laughable, even for G1 days. A figure this big... and his arms move. Not only that, they don't move extremely well. His arms can rotate all the way around at the shoulder, and bend about 90 degrees at the elbow. Purely because of the transformation, his waist can rotate, but because of the lack of any other articulation that could lead to putting Star Convoy into a more dynamic pose, you'll never use that joint outside of transformation. Star Convoy is a classic example of a G1 Brick, without the excuse that other similar larger G1 figures like, say, Powermaster Optimus Prime or Ultra Magnus had of being armor parts attached to a smaller core robot. Still, this was the innocent days of G1 when we didn't yet know any better and we liked it this way... and because of pure nostalgia (for a toy, it must be noted, that I didn't even know existed and never would have had when I was a kid) I still can't help but like this guy. Brick and all.
Now, this toy may come with a tiny Hot Rod, but didn't the original Optimus Prime have a little buddy that he came with? Are we to forget all about poor Roller? No! Fear not! There is a Roller!
The part with the treads? You can yank that right off of Star Convoy. You're left with a robot that will lean back ever so slightly, and has legs that look funny from the side... but presto! Roller! This has to be the biggest, baddest, widest, and flattest Roller ever. And it should come as no surprise, but I shall mention anyways that yes, the motorized rolling gimmick will still work. |
There is one last thing that Star Convoy can do. Like other G1 Optimi, he has a base mode. (I suppose it is a matter of opinion if the original's Combat Deck counts, but I'll allow it.) Alas, Star Convoy's base mode requires the addition of a few plastic ramps, which the chap I bought this from on eBay aparently did not have. I can't begrudge him too much, though. I had gotten this for a pretty good price, and the seller did offer and give me a partial refund after I enquired about the absence of the ramps. But alas, this means I can't fully make the base mode for you. But I shall do my best to aproximate it.
Now with past G1 Optimi, the cab and trailer were separate pieces, meaning when you turned the trailer into a base, you still had an Optimus to go with it. But what about here? The whole thing becomes the robot! So that means you loose your Optimus when you turn it into a base, right?
Now with past G1 Optimi, the cab and trailer were separate pieces, meaning when you turned the trailer into a base, you still had an Optimus to go with it. But what about here? The whole thing becomes the robot! So that means you loose your Optimus when you turn it into a base, right?
Well... not quite, it seems. 'Cause this is a base that has Star Convoy's arms and head as part of it! So basically, the leader of the Autobots has decided to make himself a stationary target and let a bunch of little guys run around inside of him! That makes perfect sense, right?
I've marked in the photo where the ramps would go. Seems that they would interact with the motorized treads. A Micromaster vehicle could roll down one ramp, be carried along the tread which now acts as a conveyor belt, and then go down the second ramp. The motorized function will also rotate the small gun turret that returns for this mode, along with the base upon which stands the Micromaster figure manning the turret. |
On the other side of the base mode is a garage for two Micro Trailers, ingeniously formed from the back of the trailer which could... well... hold two Micro Trailers. In the middle of the base, what was Star Convoy's chest opens up to reveal a command center.
By itself, it is kind of an underwhelming base mode and I am not too put out by the lack of the ramps as it is unlikely I'd often if ever be using them. I should note, however, that back in the day this would have had much more play value via its ability to connect with other Micromaster bases, including a base mode formed from another large robot named Grandus. Grandus is of particular note as his base mode has an elevator which becomes motorized upon connecting to Star Convoy's base mode. Also, Grandus's vehicle mode, along with that of another figure named Sky Garry, could all combine together into what the internet tells me is called a, "Triple Combination Battlestar Attack."
So while a modern collector may look at this figure and think, "This thing doesn't do much, what fun would a kid have with it?" it seems like a lot of Star Convoy's play value came from his interactivity with other toys released in Japan around the same time, circa 1991. So not much play value by himself, I will admit, but still a rather creative effort from the toy designers of the time, looking to bring something new to a toyline that had been around at that point for about seven years and was nearing the end of its life. (That's the G1 line spicifically, mind you. Transformers as a whole have been around pretty much almost continuously.)
So, with Star Convoy out of the way, shall we finally get to the real point of this review? Not the large, behemoth of a figure, but the tiny Micromaster figure that it came with? That's right, this is Hot Rod month after all, so let us take a look at Micromaster Hot Rod!
By itself, it is kind of an underwhelming base mode and I am not too put out by the lack of the ramps as it is unlikely I'd often if ever be using them. I should note, however, that back in the day this would have had much more play value via its ability to connect with other Micromaster bases, including a base mode formed from another large robot named Grandus. Grandus is of particular note as his base mode has an elevator which becomes motorized upon connecting to Star Convoy's base mode. Also, Grandus's vehicle mode, along with that of another figure named Sky Garry, could all combine together into what the internet tells me is called a, "Triple Combination Battlestar Attack."
So while a modern collector may look at this figure and think, "This thing doesn't do much, what fun would a kid have with it?" it seems like a lot of Star Convoy's play value came from his interactivity with other toys released in Japan around the same time, circa 1991. So not much play value by himself, I will admit, but still a rather creative effort from the toy designers of the time, looking to bring something new to a toyline that had been around at that point for about seven years and was nearing the end of its life. (That's the G1 line spicifically, mind you. Transformers as a whole have been around pretty much almost continuously.)
So, with Star Convoy out of the way, shall we finally get to the real point of this review? Not the large, behemoth of a figure, but the tiny Micromaster figure that it came with? That's right, this is Hot Rod month after all, so let us take a look at Micromaster Hot Rod!
Here is a teeny, tiny Hot Rod. This is the second smallest Hot Rod you can get, beat only just by the one from the "Smallest Transformers" line. The Smallest one, which I sadly don't have, is I will admit a much better looking figure more closely resembling his original G1 toy, but that one is a more recent effort and also made for collectors, while this is a simpler toy from a simpler time, and one designed for children. I think it does quite well at capturing Hot Rod's look in a smaller package.
The original version of this toy had many of its details added by stickers. Indeed, it seems the only paint on him was his face. On the re-issue that has changed, and his hood details, windows, and spoiler are all painted on detail. His engine block and the pipes on the side I will admit I had to colour myself with the ever resourceful silver Sharpie. Pity Takara couldn't do this themselves, as they were already using silver for his face. |
Overall, though, an excellent tiny Hot Rod vehicle mode. Let us get him to robot mode then, shall we?
A rather simplified Hot Rod, but a really nice looking one none the less. He has some nice mold detail to him. And, in the re-issue version, nice painted detail. (The lack of colour on the engine block and pipes, if I hadn't already done something about it, wouldn't be as much of an issue in robot mode.)
Articulation is rather limited, but unlike with the huge Star Convoy, this isn't as troubling in a figure this scale. Basically, his arms rotate at the shoulders, and that is it. Interestingly, for no necessary reason, his lower legs are two seperate pieces that can be moved independantly. However, since they are connected at the knee, the upper legs cannot be moved independently and thus his legs feature no useful articulation. |
The one minor complaint I would have with the robot mode is one shared with the joke review of the Hot Rodified Sideswipe, namely that the spoiler doesn't end up over his shoulders. Instead, it ends up sitting on the front of his legs. However, even though the previously mentioned even smaller Smallest Hot Rod did manage the feat of a properly positioned spoiler, since this is a smaller scaled figure this is not something that I shall be too upset about. (I say again, simpler toy from a simpler time!) And other than that one minor gripe, I think this is a very good representation of Hot Rod's robot mode.
Size comparison time! Here's big ol' Star Convoy, a Sailor Moon DVD case, the Micro Trailer, and the star of this review, the Micromaster Hot Rod.
If this was a modern release newly found on store shelves, I'd likely be very, "meh," an easy pass. But this guy... The final new-mold Prime (or rather, Convoy) released as part of the G1 toyline... Coming with a sweet Micromaster Hot Rod to boot, both of whom were toys never released by Hasbro in the U.S. market... This has nostalgic value and collectability all over it. For the Prime collector, for the G1 collector, or for the Japanese toy collector, these guys are an excellent addition to your collection. Well, that about wraps it up for this review, during witch I stayed completely on point and didn't stray from the topic once! (The proceeding sentence may be a complete lie.) And as I finish it up, since my dear lady friend and I have gone out for a bit, did some things, looked at some places, and generally had a pleasant time, I see now that is is coming up on about twenty four hours exactly since I started writing this review. So I hope you enjoyed sharing this past day with yours truely, and my review of these toys. I hope to not have another two week delay before the next one. (After all, I have two more reviews for Hot Rod Month, and it isn't much of a month if it spills into the next one!) So I'll see you soon with the next one! Review posted 14 April 2012 by Yotsuya. Please comment! |