General Information:
Release Year: June 2005
Retailer: Japanese exclusive
Price: $35 (Depending on Import Retailer)
Accessories: Missile, Gun
Reverse Convoy is the third mass release use of the sculpt first established in Generation 2 as "Combat Hero Megatron". This sculpt was most recently used as Robots in Disguise Bludgeon, a Kay Bee exclusive toy. However, this time around the sculpt has been altered to accommodate the toy's unique identity.
Box Text:
A new warrior called Reverse Convoy, who hailed from the planet Vehicon, has arrived. But before the mutually opposing camps of the Cybertrons and Destrons, Reverse Convoy finally reveals his true form. "Gwa ha ha ha! Oh, it would have been fun to keep this form just a little longer. My fellow Destrons--and my despised Cybertron rabble--hear me well! I am Megatron--no, I am Megatron reborn: Rebirth Megatron!!" Faced with this unbelievable situation, all were in shock. G1 Convoy's greatest rival, G1 Megatron, who had once plunged the entire universe into chaos, had returned as Rebirth Megatron! Faced with their mightiest foe, the Robot Masters find their battle will become fiercer than ever before...!
Tech Specs (Translated by Doug Dlin):
Name: Reverse Convoy
Function: Dark Emperor of Destructionffff
Profile: A warrior from the planet Vehicon, he is also an authority on energy engineering. In fact, judging from Reverse Convoy's black hole linkup system, he is the resurrected form of the first Destron Emperor of Destruction, G1 Megatron.
Weapon(s): Reverse Blaster, Mega Blaster
| Rank: 10 | Power: 10 | Defense: 10 | Stamina: 10 | Speed: 8 |
Robot Mode:
At first, one is led to believe that we have here another Convoy added onto the ranks of the Robotmasters storyline (including G1 Convoy, Beast Wars Convoy and Lioconvoy). In that respect, the toy succeeds well. The blue color is very "Convoy-esque" and there is no mistaking the head design. The head sculpt is an all new one, appearing to be influenced primarily by the Powermaster Optimus Prime/Ginrai head design featuring two barrels on either side of the head. The central crest and mouthplate face are present as well.
However, there is more to this Transformer than meets the eye (of course). Fold the robot head forward and into the chest and you clear room for the head of this figure's real identity, Megatron! The alternate head is tucked behind the cannon. You swivel it forward and what is revealed is a rather unique Megatron head design. It has elements of his G1 design such as the helmet area and the sharply pointed face design. However, it also has elements of the "Convoy face" with two cannons on either side of the head and a very sharp point at the bottom of the chin, almost as if the faceplate from the Convoy face slid away. This seems further bolstered by the paint apps. The entire head's base color is metallic silver. The eyes are red (appropriate for a Decepticon) and the area around the mouth has a metallic purple spray op. This seems to indicate the section is hidden by the mouthplate since the top half of the face is silver like the Convoy head's. fThe head is mounted on a base that has a tiny Decepticon symbol sculpted into it and painted purple with a white background.
The other piece which has been redone is the cannon. Formerly an air bladder missile launcher, the primary weapon of this toy is now a simple shoulder cannon missile launcher with a rather unique design. To launch the missile, you push the cannon barrel in and the missile fires, simulating a recoil of sorts. Very nice. Also, the back of the cannon detaches and folds out to form Reverse Convoy's hand held weapon - which has both a missile rack and four barrels of firepower. These two weapons definitely improve the toy a lot as they are much more practical and less awkward looking than the air bladders and large missiles of the past.
The primary color of this figure is metallic flake blue. The rest is mad eup of shades of metallic grey and beige. I have to confess that while the base colors are nice, the deco on this toy is a bit disappointing. Considering the cool deco pattern that was applied to the Bludgeon version of this figure, it would have been nice to see something like that again. However, aside from a few silver patches and black parts (like the treads), the deco is extremely plain. While for an average scrub troop this would be acceptable, for a character like G1 Megatron making his grand appearance, additional effort would have been nice.
Reverse Convoy has eighteen points of articulation in this form. This includes each head and the cannon being able to pivot up.
For those curious, the panels on his arms that can swing out to hold the missiles from previous incarnations of this toy are still there and functional, so you can use those missiles as arm mounted cannons if you want to.
Transformation to Vehicle Mode:
- Detach the gun from his hand.
- Swing the barrels of the gun down.
- If the Convoy head is up, push it down into the chest.
- If the Megatron head is out, swivel it behind the cannon.
- Attach the gun to the cannon via the two pegs on the rear of the cannon.
- Slide the cannon to the center.
- Straighten out the arms and swing them back.
- Swing the mid section up on the hinge, then fold the lower legs up.
Vehicle Mode:
While the sculpt for this vehicle mode is a good one, filled with lines and details - what kills this toy is the deco - or rather, lack thereof. Basically in this form you see all of six deco spots on top of the basic plastic color. The sides have two silver "L" shaped designs, and the rear of the tank has two small silver circles and two silver rectangles. That's it. I confess part of my judgement here is clouded because of how well done the Bludgeon version of this toy was (including spray ops and camo patterns). This version just looks so incredibly boring it's sad.
The central cannon piece is the highlight of this sculpt. Aside from now being a straight forward missile firing cannon, you can also swing the missile rack section at the back up for additional firepower. Thankfully, the missiles are painted metallic green, adding a bit more color to the vehicle mode.
Final Thoughts:
The concept for Reverse Convoy is a great one, G1 Megatron returning in the guise of his greatest enemy. However, the color scheme really needed a lot of work. Considering how nice many other Robotmaster figure decos have been, this is quite disappointing on many levels. Mildly recommended.
Updated Thoughts (January 23, 2004)
Boy, I was harsh on this toy back in the day! I will say that I stand by my original thoughts to a point. The figure's deco could have been a lot better. However, conceptually it is wacky having a Megatron head and an Optimus Prime/Convoy head on the same toys. I also appreciate them using a Generation 2 figure as the foundation for this retool. I think if I were to review this today I'd go a bit lighter on it. The concept is wonderfully goofy and this figure remains a very unique footnote in the history of Transformers.
