Alternity Prime / Convoy (Vibrant Red) Review

Alternity Prime (or "Convoy" as he's called in Japan) is Optimus Prime as a car. Shocking. The Alternity line was created as an extension of the Alternators line of toys, although these weren't released stateside. The only way to get them is to import through your "plastic crack" dealer of choice. However, I didn't get into this line until far too late in the game. The red Alternity Prime was a rarity and cost an arm and a leg to get. I was able to snag one at $90 and thought that was a great deal. Of course, this was a few months back. Now, they're re-releasing this figure since the demand is so high. So, grats to those of you who are getting him for the semi-reasonable price of $60. I say "semi-reasonable" because these toys are about the same size as a normal Deluxe figure. They're just as detailed and complex as the Alternators and have some die cast parts, but they're kind of small.

I was fairly certain I had reviewed this a while back, since I've had it for well over half a year now. But, apparently I didn't. I just took pictures and completely forgot to mention anything about it. So, here I am, writing up a short little blurb on a toy I haven't touched in months. This should be fun, interesting, and probably disheartening!


The detail on this particular piece is really great. When I first heard that Prime was a car I wasn't convinced it would work. Even looking through picture galleries I thought it looked off. But, honestly, this works. I was a bit leery of it being die cast, and pieces scrapping together and paint chipping off, but thankfully they designed it so the metal pieces don't really touch like that, so you're safe for the most part. It's still very possible to chip off paint, but you don't have to treat it like it's made of glass like many of the Alternators.

The transformation is a bit awkward if you're following the instructions since some of the diagrams don't make sense until you figure it out. It would probably help if I could read Japanese moonspeak, but I can't, so when all else fails, there's always youtube videos. There are also times when you really feel like you're going to break pieces. Since some pieces are die cast, they can take much more stress and are VERY SECURELY locked in place. It's not so much of an issue with this particular figure, but Cliffjumper/Bumblebee is especially prone to feeling like you're on the verge of breaking something.

Over all, for a Transformer as poseable and highly detailed as this, it's easy to see why it's $60. Unless you fully understand that this toy is DELUXE size and will seem quite small in comparison to most, I might pass on it. One of the biggest complaints of this line is that the toys are much smaller than people expect them to be--especially for spending as much as you are.

Pros:
* Prime / Convoy (it's Prime... come on. That's a pro)
* Complex transformation
* Detailed figure

Cons:
* Cost ($60 -- or closer to $100 if you got it aftermarket before they decided to re-release it)
* Very small for a $60 toy, if you're not expecting it.

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