Convoy

Review by JoshB

One of the great things about the Revoltech line is that with each figure you can see the evolution of the line. We are seeing materials and joints change from one release to the next. Each time a box comes from HobbyLink Japan I am treated to something new.

Revoltech Convoy (Optimus Prime) continues this series of innovation, and is in my opinion one of the best Revoltech releases yet. I know I keep saying that, but with each release Kaiyodo keeps one-upping themselves.

Convoy is short, only 4.5 inches tall, but what it lacks in height it more than makes up for it in articulation. Consisting of 10 Revoltech joints (the neck is a double Revoltech joint) and 6 monoshaft joints, this Convoy can achieve dynamic poses that no other Convoy toy can.

This round of figures (the other being Giant Robo) feature a new method of connecting the elbow joints. In the past, to achieve this effect Kaiyodo did not use Revoltech joints, but a regular joint (see Getter 1's elbows). This new method has the appearance of a standard joint but uses a Revoltech joint instead. One end of the shaft inserts into the upper arm. The other end of the shaft actually points down instead of directly into the lower arm. it is then secured with a cover, giving the illusion of being a normal joint. This adds an extra level of flexibility, but in exchange, it detracts from the appearance. The black revoltech peg sticks out the back of the arm. Kaiyodo could have fixed this easily by using a red Revoltech joint.

Convoy comes with one Matrix of Leadership, one cannon and 3 variant hands. There is no stand included with this release.

About a year ago, before the Revoltech line came out, Kaiyodo leaked some pictures of a poseable Convoy figure. This figure was sculpted by Katsuhisa Yamaguchi, who also sculpted this figure. It is clear that this toy evolved from that prototype, but many changes to the sculpt have been made to accommodate the Revoltech joint system.

Due to licensing restrictions, Organic Hobby will NOT be distributing this figure in the United States. The only way to obtain this figure is from an on-line import store such as HobbyLink Japan.