TLDR version at the bottom -

So I recently grabbed Hybrid convoy to go with the DX9 / IF scale legends guys and I can't believe how over looked he is.

I love the scale, this size is perfect. It's not necessarily about cost but the space they take up and what you can do with guys this size. Every masterpiece shelf I see people post pics of (mind included) are very stoic looking bots standing in a line or posed but with out much room to appreciate them. This legends'ish scale means you can have little dioramas, scenes and cool action poses with out taking up all this space. I love it.

So, DX9 and IF are meeting this scale which is great but neither of their lines feel like tiny masterpieces.

Let's get the negatives of convoy out the way. The Truck is FUCKING UGLY. Done. Other negatives such as loose joints, fiddly parts etc, for me these are tolerable. As long as nothing breaks during transformation I'm OK.

Where other companies should take notes from THS convoy.

- Multiple posed hands. I'm okay with opening and closing hands but they always look lifeless. I much prefer having multiple hands for multiple poses. Works great on revoltech figures... works great on THS convoy. I do how ever always want a set of closed fists which can stay on during transformation. I don't want to disassemble him.

- Accessories. This is what makes a toy feel special. Not just how much accessories but how special they are. THS convoy is better than Masterpiece convoy and yet is the size of my palm. Auto folding trailer stabilizers, ejection entry ramp, a tiny roller with articulated wheel mounts. Connections to store accessories in the trailer. Small fold down boxes to put the extra hands.... Amazing.

- Paint apps. The reason he looks so good is because with out a reference for scale you could easily mistake him for a full sized figure. There is no indication that they cut corners on material or painting this guy.

- Materials. Mixture of diecast and strong plastic means he feels great even at a tiny size. He is very posable. We aren't just talking about a ball jointed shoulder but a outward sliding hinge to give more articulation along with up and down adjustable hing. His arms can go anywhere.

- Packaging. What an amazing box. A nice fold able flap so you can see all the contents and they are laid out for you to appreciate everything even if you are a MIB collector.

- Articulation. Ball jointed head, hands, shoulders. Waist swivel, ab crunch, elbow rotation, every joint imaginable in the legs and still has ankle tilt !!!

So finishing what I wanted to start, I love the DX9 and IF stuff but DX9 feels like a pop together kabaya figure in comparison and IF still feel like off the shelf toys ( but are brilliant in their own right ) THS convoy feels like a mini masterpiece and looks like one to. It has issues but this guys came out 10 years ago and I don't doubt that if the line had carried on all the problems people had with it would be worked out.

So, 3rd parties, please make me mini masterpieces. All the accessories, don't skimp on paint apps or materials. Make each one feel special. I'd always been taught that you should always try to be better than what is already there. When I compare THS convoy to DX9 Mightron (war in pocket version) I get a similar amount of accessories and both are aiming to achieve the same thing but one feels like a masterpiece and one feels like a toy. DX9 should be aiming to achieve what Takara already started.


TLDR : THS convoy is 10 years old and oversahdowing DX9 & Iron Factory... guys step it up

 

^ this. still one of my favorite primes around. aesthetics isn't the best, but he's so articulated in such a small scale with engineering that isn't a boring 3-step process. i really wish they would've continued this line.

 

I wish I still had mine.

 

Just us 3 that liked him then... guess that why no one else has followed with releases of the same design principals.

 

Not sure if he'll come with multiple hands, but there is a Soundwave that supposedly is intending to be a THS Soundwave.
Mech Planet THS-03 not Soundwave

However, there's also a DX9 legends sized Soundwave also due out:
DX9 X33 Sonic Wizard (legend size not Soundwave)

 

Yea I did see Mech Planet are continuing the name but until I see the final product ill hold judgement but the pics so far make it look on par with the Likes of DX9 Leah & Toufold. Great but still 'toys' in comparison to what THS convoy was

 

those don't look anywhere as intricate as ths prime - they're more like legends figures, not ths.

 

ths is nice but that alt mode.....

 

Yeah, Soundwave seems like he'd be easier to design all robot articulation and still have a decent alt-mode.

The alt mode on THS Prime is sad. Which is too bad. That trailer looks nice.

 

yea the alt mode could definitely be improved on, but this mold is ~10yrs old. imagine what they could achieve now if they rebooted this line...

 

This is (still) one of my favorite transformer toys. I think the box of THS-02B is amazing as well (though the toy is less vibrant than the original, then again you get the shoulder canons....).

The only minus point is the fact that the waist panels do not properly switch into place in truck mode. The truck mode itself is actually cool I think. I'm not talking about (rationally) exusing the alt mode because of the size, no it has a charm.

The prices on these have hit an all-time low now, so no reason not to still take the plunge into this little gem, even if it's 10 years late.