I’ve never been a big fan of non-transforming Transformers. I’m not into statues, licensed merch like Funk POP, and even back in the day I had issues with the rubber eraser-material decoys that were free giveaways, mostly because they didn’t get the likenesses quite right, or weren’t perfectly formed angles; they were lumps. I’ve got the R.E.D. Megatron, which sits on my work desk as a fidget toy, but simply put – all Transformers should transform. That said, while the Hybrid Style G1 Convoy does transform, this guy is something of a cross between a super poseable action mini-figure and a transforming robot. For reference, this figure only stands at around 4″ tall, making it bigger than core class but much smaller than other figures to date. The legs and chest windows are die-cast, giving this diminutive Autobot leader some nice heft.

It (technically) transforms like a Transformer, it looks like a Transformer, but it’s kind of not a Transformer. It’s something in between – a hybrid, if you will – which is maybe why this short-lived line of two figures, Convoy and Galaxy Convoy, was named such. And, like with MP-03 Starscream, Takara re-enlisted Transformers OG and mecha godfather, Shoji Kawamori, to design this figure. So, while this figure might not be the best representation of Optimus ever, by any means, it’s quite an interesting and enjoyable kit overall.

And I say “kit” for the fact that this set comes with a ton of accessories and a chock full of add-ons that make this release a value-packed playset. However, with Kawamori’s special Macross-ey touch, this version of Convoy is perhaps so different from the majority of G1 Prime designs that it can definitely turn off a lot of more purist Prime freaks. But I do admit I like to get my freak on, and this set is good bang for the buck, amidst an endless selection of Primes to choose from. This is most definitely a very Kawamori-esque take on Convoy/Prime, with much more attention paid to the bot mode, and almost none to the alt mode. Let’s just admit it, the truck looks like crap – like a malformed Rubik’s cube or a some child’s Lego representation of a firetruck. But Prime’s iconic Freightliner FL86? Or any truck for that matter? Most definitely not. Let’s start with the bad, and the ugly, and we’ll save the good for last. Just get it over with…

This is a sad, no – miserable, pisspoor excuse for a truck mode. This is partially due to the fact that the pegs and slots on my figure are so horribly unmatched and outside of acceptable tolerances (fancy factory talk for “doesn’t line up right”) that this is the best job I could at converting him into the truck mode. (Whoops, I’ve got the bottom grillplate still tucked in, but that wouldn’t have made a difference to the parts not fitting together.) This is just a bunch of random Prime parts at mismatching dimensions thrown in and jumbled together to form the semblance of a truck. Sort of a Prime Rubik’s cube that wasn’t finished. It looks like something early generative AI would have collaged together when given the prompt with “G1 Optimus Prime truck toy”. What a mess.

I mainly attribute this megaflop in alt mode design to Kawamori’s decision to prioritize bot mode, but the truck mode is just so ridiculous of a failure that you can really only display this in bot mode, rendering it more of a figurine than a transforming toy. The lack of balance in attention given between truck and bot modes is highly atypical for Kawamori, who usually gives painstaking attention to having a super-realistic alt mode, be it a fighter jet, as with his design of the MP-03 Starscream / MP-06 Skywarp (post here) or his original claim-to-fame, the Macross VF-1S Super Valkyrie / aka Jetfire, both modeled after versions of the McDonnell Douglas F-15.

Kawamori was usually super focused on making the vehicle modes of his designs ultra realistic, based on the original real-life source material and streamlined in design, with very little kibble and no parts forming. However, I think for this release, he only provided input on Convoy’s robot form, because that truck bears no semblance to any real truck. Fortunately, the trailer is a really good representation of that all-too-familiar G1 trailer, with a ton of new details and features that I’ll cover in a bit. But regarding the truck’s design, it appears that parts of the truck have been used to form the robot mode in new ways that haven’t really been utilized before, albeit in an awkward transformation that relies on odd connectors and swivels, making the figure feel more like a puppet than a blocky bot.

Interestingly, the transformation process from alt to bot (or vice versa) evokes elements of the original G1 Convoy, but intentionally misleads you into thinking that some parts will form their familiar features when they actually do not. It’s equally intriguing as it is frustrating to figure out for the first time, since there are many pieces that pop off and others that flop around while transforming him.

For example, the silver stripes on the side of the truck become his ribs, that still taper in truck mode. The arms look like the familiar arms of a G1 Convoy, but instead of the fists plugging into the headlights as expected, the arms hinge into thicker forearms that look sort of like the cuff of a sleeve on a jacket.

Now that we’re done with going through that awful transformation from truck we finally don’t have to ever do it again and can leave him in robot mode for good. And to finish him up, you pop on the hands of your liking, from a choice of 3 pairs. I usually just use the judo chop ones, but the others can hold his rifle, or the Matrix. And of course, there’s a tiny Matrix on the inside of his cab. That’s quite a clever bit of tiny engineering. It’s an old gimmick we’ve seen done so many times, but with some die cast in the vicinity and teeny paint apps, fine linework, it’s probably one of the most surprising Matrix reveals ever.

Here we have here a very cool new head sculpt with a new visor, antennae, facemask, and small little tweaks to the G1 Prime face that we all know and love. It’s a cool new take on an old faithful, with a bit more of a mean look and a lot of detail for such a small head. I think it’s pretty cool to see different proportions of his face, and for some reason the proportions seem more “anime” to me, maybe because of the elongated mask and slantier slits for eyes. I think Kawamori was flexing his creative license on Convoy this time around, since he worked on the original; Kawamori is like Convoy’s Uncle Shoji.

Really though, the star of this show is the myriad of accessories that come in this set. That and the window display box. This is quite a nice package overall. You get so many pieces, it’s set up more like a Bandai DX chogokin set than a typical Takara release to date. Called “Designer’s Operation”, you know this series was going to be a one-off. Besides re-colors of this release and THS-01 Galaxy Convoy, we haven’t seen another Hybrid Style release. It would be cool to see more of these, especially with concepts designed by Koujin Ohno solely. I’d be happy if they revived this series later, after some more solid Masterpiece releases. They’ve got a lot to do. But at least they’ve got a lot of material to work with.

The trailer is a real stunner, and I’d say for something this size, just an amazing work. The crane piece is really cool with opening canopy, and versatile enough to be used in various new imagined modes of play, both vertically and horizontally. In vertical mode, you’ve got the traditional repair hangar as portrayed in Diaclone releases. The hidden hinged storage for the hands and mounting points for the weapons are a nice touch, plus the welding gun (not gas) hose is made of wire and can be bent any which way. These are nice little touches that make this feel more premium.

This is one of the best vertical hangar modes of any OP release to date, that pays tribute to the original Diaclone Battle Convoy modes shown in the promo materials and TV ads, while also adding some new styling and line details that update the trailer to a more modern-futuristic design. Of course, it would be great to see a design incorporate more features from the prototype version of Convoy in the Diaclone early 80’s catalog, such as the shoulder mounted cannon or long antennae, but then it wouldn’t really be Hasbro Transformers anymore; it would just be Takara Diaclone. Daily Prime did an excellent job collecting catalog scans and early proto pics of Diaclone Battle Convoy’s evolution into Hasbro Optimus.

In horizontal mode, the whole trailer becomes kind of an artillery base that Convoy can operate. To me it looks like a futuristic armed sled that Prime / Convoy steers from the back. I especially like this mode and the little handles on the telescoping crane gun that let him hold on and fire. There are no spring-fire missiles on the cockpit, but I don’t miss them very much given all the articulation.

There are so many possible modes, but allowing the crane gun to also pop out in truck trailer mode is a nice touch. There’s even a spring-loaded mechanism for the ramp and swing out tripod arms. Finally, the fact they included a real Roller with nimbly wheels on swivels and some nice little details like a signal light. It feels like Roller is a real character in this set, finally given some long overdue attention.

Did I mention I love the add-ons they included? This Autobot insignia functioning as a base for a floating armature? Bonus swag. It’s made of a really nice glossy chromed plastic that looks good enough to display on its own.

With the stand, the jetpack can be worn as a backpack to depict the scene from the seminal episode, “More than Meets the Eye: Part 3”, when Optimus borrows it from Sideswipe to fly up and try to blast the Nemesis spaceship out of the sky, unsuccessfully, only to be brought crashing down to the Earth somehow unscathed but super cranky. I think when we all watched the first few episodes as kids, there was just too much stimulus from all the action and new character introductions to even realize that all Transformers could fly in those first few episodes, but later on only the Decepticons could fly. I don’t want to hear some retcon about how the Quintessons built the Decepticons for military and Autobots for labor; it’s just poor writing (bad comedy?). After all these years, it’s these quirky oversights that make the 80s such a special era—an age of boundless creativity, where imagination thrived unfettered by logic, continuity, physics, or any other constraints for that matter. Anything goes.

That’s why a set like this is just a good value. Even with all my gripes and QC issues, there’s a lot of technical prowess, creative little gimmicks, and a chock full of value thrown into this little package, making it a good pickup for any Optimus lover. I mean, who wouldn’t love little tiny super poseable Optimus?