I like this name also, it gives the same connotation that Big Convoy does of denoting a large transformer and it makes great use of two classic TF names  

 

Grandiose Prime could make for a good name.

 

I'm liking the 'Maximus' and 'Titan' suggestions too!

Names like 'Colossus' and 'Maximus' also would have a similar ring to 'Optimus' with their -us endings. 'Titanus' could work too. Or what about 'Behemus Prime' as in 'behemoth'? Or 'Leviathus Prime' from 'leviathan'?

Not a bad suggestion either, but perhaps rings a little too much with Megatron.

 

Is he a 'Prime' at all?

From the TF-Wiki

He's not the leader of the Maximals (or indeed Autobots) in the time of the Beast Wars. That is the role of Magnaboss, Silverbolt, Ironhide and Prowl, or the Maximal Elders or Imperium, whichever you like to call them, they're all the same thing.

He leads a team in the Japanese continuity, but he is not at the helm of the Maximal faction.

I'm all for adapting in the characters from the Japanese continuities, but you can't just take the stories as gospel, they've got to fit.

And isn't there only meant to be one Prime at a time? Yet we see Lio Convoy and Big Convoy at the same time, who are both apparently Primes.

 

Yet we've also got Animated which has several Primes running around. Beast Wars II and Neo arent part of OUR G1. But the Japanese'. They have a council of Convoys.

 

Japanese contunity doesn't work like that. The ruling body was a Council of Convoys, each who had a Matrix of their own. They were more then just the rank like Animated Prime/Minor suffix, but less then Supreme Commander. More like 3-star Generals. Additionally Vector Sigma in BWNeo had a rather large roll in the show and was shown to have great influence on even the highest decisions (Due to the fact that it is tied in to all the Matrix's, it's not that surprising) and it chose Big Convoy to be its champion.

 

Maximus Primal.

 

Well we have Vector Prime, and although he's one of the 13, isn't a leader, nor a faction head, so I think Big Convoy can get a pass  

 

If the Japanese BW series and characters were ever presented here in the West, no doubt the fiction and names would have to be tweaked a bit. I think the IDW BW comic series probably had the right idea with using some version of the BW2 & Neo events that was similar but not exact to them.

As for there being more than one Convoy/Prime at a time, it's like Pravus said, in BW Neo, there is a Council of Convoys and all Convoys possesses an 'energon Matrix'. Personally, I could get behind the idea of 'Prime' being a special title given to Cybertronians of outstanding merit, that have done great deeds and that have distinguished military experience in the future time of the BW, a way to honour exceptional Maximals by giving them the title of the greatest Autobot hero of history. That could then explain the presence of multiple Primes in the Beast Wars era. But there should only be a handful of them as the the title is not one that is bestowed so easily.

 

well aside from Optimus Primal, Leo Prime, and Big Convoy how many other Maximals had an energon Matrix? (aside from Prowl/Lio Jr)

 

I vote for this.

 

That we directly see in some media:
Optimus Primal = Beast Convoy
Lio Convoy
Big Convoy
Great Convoy (Head of the Convoy Council)
The 20 some members that we see of the Convoy Council
Crow Convoy
Fire Convoy*
Black Convoy*

*In Car Robots, it's pretty much stated that Black Convoy was a lost Maximal Captain prior to being reformatted into Black Convoy. Fire Convoy's background is a bit convoluted, originally promo materials said that Fire Convoy and his team were from the future, but I think Takara has since retconed it when they came up with their supercontinuity a few years back.

There's mention at the begining of BWNeo that there are a lot of Convoys out there by the Convoy Council, but the absence of Lio Convoy bears investigating and decides to send Big Convoy, assigning him a ship and a crew to investigate.

 

In my personal canon all the non G1 Primes have been re-named thusly:

Lio Convoy: Sentinel Prime - I gave him this name way before TF:A made it cool again. I figured if Optimus Primal could name himself after Optimus Prime, why couldn't another Maximal leader choose another Prime as a namsake?

Big Convoy: Maximus Prime - Heard the name somewhere on a discussion board a long time ago and liked it, so I used it.

Fire Convoy: Prometheus Prime - Commands the Cybertronian Dimentional Patrol, named after the mythic Titan who stole fire and medicine from the Gods and to give to mankind because of his love for all life forms and his willingness to go “above and beyond” to help them. There is also a hint of irony in his naming since the Titan Prometheus gave fire to mankind, and Prometheus Prime transforms into a fire truck.

Armada Optimus: Armada Prime - Commander of the Cybertronian Space Corps.

Energon Optimus: Energon Prime - Commands the Cybertronian Mining Corps.

Cybertron Optimus: Galaxy Prime - Commander of the Cybertronian Space Exploration Corps.

 

i'll call him big shoe, or anything else i want to, thank you very much, it's MY toy, k? thanks  

 

Was it actually ever mentioned in the original Japanese "Car Robots" that Black Convoy and his crew were from a future 'Maximal' time? It's possible Gigatron was, but all we really know about Black Convoy's past is that he was a 'Cybertron' before being reprogrammed into a 'Destronger' on Earth (or an 'Autobot' according to the RID dub).