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Name: Big “One Mech Army” Convoy
Function: Bad ass Maximal Supreme Commander
Subgroup: Beast Wars Neo Ultra Beasts
Big Convoy, the Convoy warrior known as the one man army, is astoundingly powerful, but prefers being alone, heading onto battlefields by himself. He wields a Big Cannon, which can blitz enemies with a single shot. On orders from Vector Sigma, Big Convoy has been appointed as an instructor to a group of young warriors.
Strength: 10 Intelligence: 10 Speed: 9 Endurance: 10 Rank: 10 Courage: 10 Firepower: 10 Skill:10
Ah, Big Convoy, leader of the Cybertron (Maximal) squad that was sent to discover the fate of Lio Convoy in the Beast Wars Neo cartoon, has only recently appeared in transformers fiction outside of Japan as a member of the bi-partisan committee on Cybertron in Beast Wars: The Ascending. Sadly, his part was rather small, and he never received his beast mode, instead transforming into a spider-tank. With the conclusion of that series, it’s unlikely that he will return.
Because I have a soft spot for bad ass characters with ludicrous amounts of weaponry who transform into fuzzy-wuzzies, Big Convoy kinda became the ultimate figure from the Beast Era. While he was out; however, I could not afford to import him; I could only pine from afar. Which is more-or-less the same story with the rest of the Beast Wars Neo figures. All of them turned into unique or unusual animals (giraffe, horse, penguin, snake), and I did manage to pick a few of them up once I had the finance to fuel my addic-er, hobby. Big Convoy, however, continued to elude me by either being out of stock or insanely expensive, sometimes both. But perseverance had the advantage and I eventually found him, on e-bay of all places, for a decent, though still expensive, price. We know how that turned out; otherwise, we wouldn’t be here now, eh?
Yes, he is mine at last. Though once I opened the box I was surprised to find that he has only one mode...
Army Mode:
Like nearly every other holder of the Convoy (Japan's name for Prime) title, Big Convoy comes in shades of red, white, and blue. These primary colours are much less prominent than one might imagine, though. White is only prominent on his lower legs and his right forearm. In both cases, it is juxtaposed with darker colours; red, grey, and brown for the latter and grey and gold for the former. Red comes in two types: the classic “Prime” red and a translucent affair. The shades give the figure a good contrast, especially on those parts where red is superior to the other colours. Blue, actually a metallic blue, only appears sparingly on his toes, sternum, and head where it offers a nice contrast to the other plainer colours. Black, grey, and gold take on most of the detail and filler work, accenting sculpting and breaking up the play between the other colours. The addition of a shiny silver decal over each eye simulates light-piping...in reverse! Really, light from any source will reflect off his eyes. I won’t say they gleam like tusks in the night, but even in low light you’ll know he’s watching every breath you take...
The sculpting is quite good. Lots of mechanical bits, hydraulics and such, but I’m especially impressed with his arms. Both appear to be the same mold at a glance, only differentiated by the paint job, yet closer examination reveals tiny omissions or additions in the sculpt. This is the kind of subtle detail that really makes a figure grand in my opinion. I’ll also mention Big Convoy’s head sculpt, which, aside from being a more bulky version of the classic Prime helmet, features extended antenna that mimic his beast form’s tusks. Open his chest for an eyeful of pretty swell detailing and a removable Matrix done in gold chrome with a red plastic center.
He does have quite a bit of kibble hanging off his shoulders and legs. However, most of it is has nice mechanical detailing on the visible surfaces. Those that don’t, the beast mode legs, aren’t really hidden but from most angles the eye is draw to the robot parts. Too far to either side or the back, though, and you will be met with a wall of beast parts. Kibble is inevitable with any figure, Beast Era figures being especially prone. Fortunately, the overall strengths of the mold keep the excess kibble from being an overwhelming eye-sore, and in some instances--the mammoth tusks on his shoulders--manage to give him a striking profile.
An immobile army is merely a standing target. With that philosophy in mind, Big Convoy wants not for articulation. Each arm has four points, including wrist movement (sadly only a hinge joint). His head rest on a ball joint, and can look any direction but up due to an obstruction behind his head. Surprisingly, Big Convoy even has waist articulation! His legs have a whopping six (!) points, with ball joints on both his toe and spur for maximum balancing. Basically, Big Convoy can bring the pain from any number of positions, and the only thing that will save your ass is the moment of indecision whilst he chooses the implement of your destruction.
Will it be by hip cannon? Tuifa? Maybe a double blast from his signature Big Cannon? Perhaps he’ll opt for the Marquess of Queensberry rules or just beat you the old-fashion way: brutally! Your options are cake or death, and he’s out of cake.
Alternatively...
Big Convoy can turn into a green-eyed mammoth and gore you with his tusks or throw you about with this tough rubber trunk. Sadly, his mobility in this form reduces to zero, as every part of his beast kibble locks into place to hide his robot parts. He makes up for it by having very convincing sculpted hair, typical of Beast Era figures, and tusks (also non-gleaming) that are lined and grooved for a worn appearance. The two shades of brown look nice, dark on top and light on the bottom, but the abrupt division, a straight line across his body like he walked through a pool of bleach, is somewhat jarring.
Still, should you try to take advantage of his immobility and head for the hills, you’re in for a surprise. A swift shift of parts, and Big Convoy can bring the biggest and baddest of his weapons to bear, sprouting from his forehead like a massive pimple of DOOM!
Game. Set. Match.
Marks out of ten for the following:
Transformation: Tricky the first time through, but still quite intuitive. Everything locks securely. 6
Durability: No problems as yet. He feels very sturdy. I’d only worry about the rubber used for his trunk degrading over time. 8
Fun: His beast and weapon modes are only so-so, though they still look nice (and mammoths are awesome!). Robot mode is where the majority of the fun is to be had, and there is much. 9
Price: Big Convoy (and his redecos) is no longer available except through internet sites like e-bay, where he can run anywhere from $45 to several hundred for the Black or Universe redeco. I got mine for around $50, and am not disappointed. As with all older figures, it’s up to you what you want to lay down. X
Overall: I’ve been waiting years for an opportunity to pick this guy up. I can happily say that Big Convoy was well worth the wait! 9
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Transformer Kamen
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Cybertron Armorhide [proofed]
Name: Armorhide
Fuction: Comedian Solider
Subgroup: Cybertron Scout Vehicles
A soldier to the core, Armorhide is frustrated by mission that don't go perfectly. He often finds himself aggravated during the search for the Planet Key on Earth. Still, he finds a kind of joy in the frequent battles with the Decepticon forces that seem to block him and the other Autobots at every turn. Tough, dedicated and fearless, Armorhide neither asks or gives any mercy in the ongoing battle with the evil Decepticons
Strength: 8 Intelligence: 5.5 Speed: 5 Endurance: 6 Rank: 4 Courage: 9 Fireblast: 8.5 Skill: 8
Although his bio makes him out as a rough and ready soldier, the Cybertron cartoon (according to the tfwiki has him as both a soldier and a comedian of all things. I suppose I’ll take that as canon, though, consider that Armorhide plays Fred Liner in Channel l337's Bad Mother Truckers stop motion series.
Alternate Mode:
Here Armorhide is a blue and silver cab-over-engine tractor-trailer cab. His detailing is simple but nice, and even his Cyber Key port is unobtrusive. The crane he comes with can plug into a square hole were the trailer attachment would be. The crane cannot rotate but the hook can move up and down. Uniquely for a Cybertron figure, his Cyber Planet Key can be stored on the crane arm. He rolls well, but otherwise there’s not much to say about him other than that he looks nice and has no real flaws.
Robot Mode:
Even without any new colours, Armorhide makes a stout, little robot. Despite ball-joints on his neck, elbows, and hips, he is quite back heavy, especially with his Cyber Key plugged in. He may still, however, strike some good poses, and the delightful grimace molded on his face give him some attitude no matter what position he’s in. The crane becomes a rather large rifle in this mode. It manages to look the part even with the crane hook hanging off the end. His Cyber Key gimmick (which does work in vehicle mode) is easier to access in robot mode. Plug it into his back to flip up his chest, revealing a rack of eight red-tipped missiles. As in vehicle mode, Armorhide is quite a solid figure with very few flaws.
Marks out of ten for the following:
Transformation: Simple and clever. 3
Durability: I’ve had no problems and with his storage capability you don’t even have to worry about losing his Key. 8
Fun: He’s very simply put together, yet I am quite fond of him. 8
Price: Retailed for $6 USD, now he (and his Movie redeco) go for a low-low price of $12-15 USD; a bit excessive, me thinks, but he is a nice figure. 6
Overall: Armorhide somewhat embodies a less-is-more approach. His design and paint scheme are both very simple. His primary gimmick, little more than a opening panel, is unobtrusive, yet quite satisfying. Finally, the small addition of two bits of plastic that allow him to store his Key put him over the edge. If a reasonable price knocks, take the opportunity. 8
Fuction: Comedian Solider
Subgroup: Cybertron Scout Vehicles
A soldier to the core, Armorhide is frustrated by mission that don't go perfectly. He often finds himself aggravated during the search for the Planet Key on Earth. Still, he finds a kind of joy in the frequent battles with the Decepticon forces that seem to block him and the other Autobots at every turn. Tough, dedicated and fearless, Armorhide neither asks or gives any mercy in the ongoing battle with the evil Decepticons
Strength: 8 Intelligence: 5.5 Speed: 5 Endurance: 6 Rank: 4 Courage: 9 Fireblast: 8.5 Skill: 8
Although his bio makes him out as a rough and ready soldier, the Cybertron cartoon (according to the tfwiki has him as both a soldier and a comedian of all things. I suppose I’ll take that as canon, though, consider that Armorhide plays Fred Liner in Channel l337's Bad Mother Truckers stop motion series.
Alternate Mode:
Here Armorhide is a blue and silver cab-over-engine tractor-trailer cab. His detailing is simple but nice, and even his Cyber Key port is unobtrusive. The crane he comes with can plug into a square hole were the trailer attachment would be. The crane cannot rotate but the hook can move up and down. Uniquely for a Cybertron figure, his Cyber Planet Key can be stored on the crane arm. He rolls well, but otherwise there’s not much to say about him other than that he looks nice and has no real flaws.
Robot Mode:
Even without any new colours, Armorhide makes a stout, little robot. Despite ball-joints on his neck, elbows, and hips, he is quite back heavy, especially with his Cyber Key plugged in. He may still, however, strike some good poses, and the delightful grimace molded on his face give him some attitude no matter what position he’s in. The crane becomes a rather large rifle in this mode. It manages to look the part even with the crane hook hanging off the end. His Cyber Key gimmick (which does work in vehicle mode) is easier to access in robot mode. Plug it into his back to flip up his chest, revealing a rack of eight red-tipped missiles. As in vehicle mode, Armorhide is quite a solid figure with very few flaws.
Marks out of ten for the following:
Transformation: Simple and clever. 3
Durability: I’ve had no problems and with his storage capability you don’t even have to worry about losing his Key. 8
Fun: He’s very simply put together, yet I am quite fond of him. 8
Price: Retailed for $6 USD, now he (and his Movie redeco) go for a low-low price of $12-15 USD; a bit excessive, me thinks, but he is a nice figure. 6
Overall: Armorhide somewhat embodies a less-is-more approach. His design and paint scheme are both very simple. His primary gimmick, little more than a opening panel, is unobtrusive, yet quite satisfying. Finally, the small addition of two bits of plastic that allow him to store his Key put him over the edge. If a reasonable price knocks, take the opportunity. 8
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Rattrap's tail
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It's 'canon', not 'cannon'!
Nice review, though.
Love my Armorhide (Movie ver) for the fact that I can store his Cyber Key on him. Scourge? Skyshadow? Storm surge? Divebomb? Metroplex? Crumplezone? Breakaway? Crankcase? Warpath? No such luck, see.
Love Armorhide. We should have more scout class toys.
Nice review, though.
Love my Armorhide (Movie ver) for the fact that I can store his Cyber Key on him. Scourge? Skyshadow? Storm surge? Divebomb? Metroplex? Crumplezone? Breakaway? Crankcase? Warpath? No such luck, see.Love Armorhide. We should have more scout class toys.
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Transmetal Terrorsaur [proofed]
Name: Terrorsaur
Function: Aerial Attacks
Subgroup: Beast Wars Deluxe Transmetal Beasts
A quantum surge has altered the structure of the tyrannical Terrorsaur turning him into a jet-powered, vehicle-like Pterodactyl with an unfettered rage for the Maximals. If Terrorsaur was once known as fearless, his new armor has made him a kamikaze. Hidden jet thrusters leave a trail of fire in his wake and often ignite the terrain below - a fact that tickles his twisted humor circuits endlessly. Fierce talons and turbine spikes offer a dangerous arsenal that keeps him involved with his favorite activity: battling Maximals.
Strength: 6 Intelligence: 4 Speed:10 Endurance:3 Rank:5 Courage:8 Firepower: 3 Skill:5
Terrorsaur, aside from being one half of the Predacon’s air force during the first season of Beast Wars, has the dubious honours of “naming” the Predacon’s ship the Darksyde, and being something of a rehash of G1 Starscream. Both he and Starscream overtly and boisterously coveted the leadership of their respective factions yet both repeatedly showcased an incompetence that would make any command they did hold short lived. Sadly, Terrorsaur failed to garner the level of fan love that his predecessor receives. Perhaps as a consolation prize, Terrorsaur did receive a new toy during the Transmetal run of the Beast Wars line.
Alternate Mode:
Terrorsaur’s upgrade changes him from a light red to a dark purple, which looks very good. It’s a fairly deep purple brought out nicely by dark green tips on his wing claws and beak. Burgundy and gold appear in the cracks and a bit of red shows up on each wing and is also used for his eyes. A bit of neon yellow on his rear end complete the “normal” colour set. The “metal” in Transmetal comes in the form of silver chrome, used liberally on his main body. All in all he looks quite fetching.
Another hallmark of the Transmetal figures reverses the organic beast mode and mechanical robot mode. With that in mind, Terrorsaur is covered with grooves and rivets for a mechanical feel. To his credit, though, he manages to look like he still needs those wings to fly rather than being a jet propelled ‘dactyl like G1 Swoop. The only detriment here is the awkward way his robot pelvis stores underneath. There isn’t really anything to be done about it, but it does kinda hang out.
Not only does he look good, but his articulation is pretty swell too. His neck rotates up and down and his beak opens. The arms and legs are the real treat here. Each has several points; shoulders and hips on ball joints, then a few hinges and swivels. Yes, he shares both limbs with his robot mode. But he’s a Predacon, damn it! Cheating’s a way of life!
Vehicle Mode:
Speaking of cheating. While most of the Transmetals have a slight modification of their beast mode as a vehicle mode, these modifications usually appear to be useful. In this Terrorsaur seems to fail utterly. The burgundy piece hanging off the rear of his wings swings forward to meet his main wing. The purple covers near his shoulder joints flip forward to reveal VTOL fans. Finally, his butt, er, cracks to reveal four jet engines. His legs can also peg into place on the undercarriage. Honestly, I can find nothing about this mode to be interesting. Fortunately, it does not affect the figure in any way and can thus be ignored without consequence.
Robot Mode:
Now in red-face with yellow eyes, Terrorsaur adds no new colours to his palette. New sculpting reveals itself on his chest, face, and legs. In this mode, Terrorsaur has a more organic motif. His helmet has a leathery cross-hatch as do his legs. The chest area remains mostly smooth, but is sculpted in a fashion to suggest rippling pecks.
Due to the shared limbs, his articulation remains pretty much the same. The vertical weight distribution does give him superior balance, though, and he can strike some very intimidating poses with his blades, which are formed from his main beast mode wings.
The blades are actually my only real complaint with this mode. Although they have a vicious looking hook at the end, the wings don’t really look much like blades. Popping them on and off his arms can be somewhat tricky as well, and their removal leaves his arms looking a bit thin. I know I’m being picky, but he’s making me work for it! For additional playability, his jet pack can be accessed in this mode by splitting apart the silver bits on the side of his backpack.
Marks out of ten for the following:
Transformation: Limb to limb. Very easy, although tabbing his upper body into his waist is quite tricky. 4
Durability: Mine is a bit loose in the hips, but otherwise I’d only worry about the chrome chipping 7
Fun: Aside from the ho-hum “vehicle mode”, he’s quite enjoyable. 8
Price: $6 USD at the lowest tier? That’s a steal. 10
Overall: Terrorsaur is a strong figure with only a few flaws which are easily forgivable or ignorable. This mold was also used for Armada Terrorsaur and Beast Machines Terranotron, so there are plenty of decos to choose from, though I like this one best. 9
Function: Aerial Attacks
Subgroup: Beast Wars Deluxe Transmetal Beasts
A quantum surge has altered the structure of the tyrannical Terrorsaur turning him into a jet-powered, vehicle-like Pterodactyl with an unfettered rage for the Maximals. If Terrorsaur was once known as fearless, his new armor has made him a kamikaze. Hidden jet thrusters leave a trail of fire in his wake and often ignite the terrain below - a fact that tickles his twisted humor circuits endlessly. Fierce talons and turbine spikes offer a dangerous arsenal that keeps him involved with his favorite activity: battling Maximals.
Strength: 6 Intelligence: 4 Speed:10 Endurance:3 Rank:5 Courage:8 Firepower: 3 Skill:5
Terrorsaur, aside from being one half of the Predacon’s air force during the first season of Beast Wars, has the dubious honours of “naming” the Predacon’s ship the Darksyde, and being something of a rehash of G1 Starscream. Both he and Starscream overtly and boisterously coveted the leadership of their respective factions yet both repeatedly showcased an incompetence that would make any command they did hold short lived. Sadly, Terrorsaur failed to garner the level of fan love that his predecessor receives. Perhaps as a consolation prize, Terrorsaur did receive a new toy during the Transmetal run of the Beast Wars line.
Alternate Mode:
Terrorsaur’s upgrade changes him from a light red to a dark purple, which looks very good. It’s a fairly deep purple brought out nicely by dark green tips on his wing claws and beak. Burgundy and gold appear in the cracks and a bit of red shows up on each wing and is also used for his eyes. A bit of neon yellow on his rear end complete the “normal” colour set. The “metal” in Transmetal comes in the form of silver chrome, used liberally on his main body. All in all he looks quite fetching.
Another hallmark of the Transmetal figures reverses the organic beast mode and mechanical robot mode. With that in mind, Terrorsaur is covered with grooves and rivets for a mechanical feel. To his credit, though, he manages to look like he still needs those wings to fly rather than being a jet propelled ‘dactyl like G1 Swoop. The only detriment here is the awkward way his robot pelvis stores underneath. There isn’t really anything to be done about it, but it does kinda hang out.
Not only does he look good, but his articulation is pretty swell too. His neck rotates up and down and his beak opens. The arms and legs are the real treat here. Each has several points; shoulders and hips on ball joints, then a few hinges and swivels. Yes, he shares both limbs with his robot mode. But he’s a Predacon, damn it! Cheating’s a way of life!
Vehicle Mode:
Speaking of cheating. While most of the Transmetals have a slight modification of their beast mode as a vehicle mode, these modifications usually appear to be useful. In this Terrorsaur seems to fail utterly. The burgundy piece hanging off the rear of his wings swings forward to meet his main wing. The purple covers near his shoulder joints flip forward to reveal VTOL fans. Finally, his butt, er, cracks to reveal four jet engines. His legs can also peg into place on the undercarriage. Honestly, I can find nothing about this mode to be interesting. Fortunately, it does not affect the figure in any way and can thus be ignored without consequence.
Robot Mode:
Now in red-face with yellow eyes, Terrorsaur adds no new colours to his palette. New sculpting reveals itself on his chest, face, and legs. In this mode, Terrorsaur has a more organic motif. His helmet has a leathery cross-hatch as do his legs. The chest area remains mostly smooth, but is sculpted in a fashion to suggest rippling pecks.
Due to the shared limbs, his articulation remains pretty much the same. The vertical weight distribution does give him superior balance, though, and he can strike some very intimidating poses with his blades, which are formed from his main beast mode wings.
The blades are actually my only real complaint with this mode. Although they have a vicious looking hook at the end, the wings don’t really look much like blades. Popping them on and off his arms can be somewhat tricky as well, and their removal leaves his arms looking a bit thin. I know I’m being picky, but he’s making me work for it! For additional playability, his jet pack can be accessed in this mode by splitting apart the silver bits on the side of his backpack.
Marks out of ten for the following:
Transformation: Limb to limb. Very easy, although tabbing his upper body into his waist is quite tricky. 4
Durability: Mine is a bit loose in the hips, but otherwise I’d only worry about the chrome chipping 7
Fun: Aside from the ho-hum “vehicle mode”, he’s quite enjoyable. 8
Price: $6 USD at the lowest tier? That’s a steal. 10
Overall: Terrorsaur is a strong figure with only a few flaws which are easily forgivable or ignorable. This mold was also used for Armada Terrorsaur and Beast Machines Terranotron, so there are plenty of decos to choose from, though I like this one best. 9
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Transformer Kamen
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Thanks. 
Ironically, I find Terroursaur mostly forgettable, though he only beats out Scorponok because ol'Scorpy was my first Beast Wars figure, and I associate him more with his toy bio (mixed with a bit of the Marvel Comics G1 Scorponok) than the thuggish, brown-nosing moron he was in the show.
But I didn't have a Terrorsaur, and he was cheap, so I snagged him during a splurge at BBTS. He did turn out to be one of the better figures from the batch, and I now of some version of all the Pred's original crew.
Ironically, I find Terroursaur mostly forgettable, though he only beats out Scorponok because ol'Scorpy was my first Beast Wars figure, and I associate him more with his toy bio (mixed with a bit of the Marvel Comics G1 Scorponok) than the thuggish, brown-nosing moron he was in the show.
But I didn't have a Terrorsaur, and he was cheap, so I snagged him during a splurge at BBTS. He did turn out to be one of the better figures from the batch, and I now of some version of all the Pred's original crew.
