gojira77

Hi. Just a reminder-- back in May the TakaraTomy ads described MP3 Starscream as only 320mm long in jet mode and 220mm tall in robot mode. That converts to about 8.66" tall. A recent photo on tformers of MP Convoy and Screamer at a toyshow show how much smaller the villain is. Really, he's probably in scale with the Classics Voyagers (like Nerf Megs and that bitchin' Jetfire) and just a hair shorter than G1 Galvatron. Basically, he's closer to Binaltech size, though a far cry from 1/24 scale, than MP Convoy and Magnus. If you get him, he'll tower over your BT's and Alts about as much as the old G1 seekers did to the mid-sized Autobot cars. As for his colors, photography can be misleading. I'll wait to see him in the display case at Kicks Hobby (my local import store). It looks like in addition to minimizing his outlandish color scheme -- no wonder G1 Starscream was characterized as vain!-- Takara has also chosen more muted hues.

I'm also a Hasbro fan. Afterall, they really are the ones who created the Transformers we love when they brought over the molds from Japan and went to Marvel Comics (the REAL Vector Sigma) to give these characters life and depth. #US1# I really like all the current Transformer lines, too, and appreciate that Mr. Archer is a bona fide transfan. However, sometimes you have to make a stand. A few years ago, I passed over the Hasbro re-issue of Optimus Prime because of the horrible hack job they were forced to perform on his stacks. I completely understood their dilema, but I took my business elsewhere and purchased a New Years Special Convoy. He cost a little more but remains a prized part of my collection. I really, really wanted Alt. Prime to work out, but he's just got too many strikes against him!

Spencer at Ages Three and Up (home of those awesome custom stacks) says that his Japanese supplier insists Convoy's diecast. However, the guys at Kicks Hobby Japan in Seattle say nobody really knows for sure. I don't believe that Japanese magazines are any more accurate than, say, Toyfare, which is far from infallible. If he's plastic, he'll have the same awesome paint job, which really makes sense for the mold. The dark blue breaks up all that red and makes his lower arms look more whole, less like random kibble. And I think $60USD (the online price at Ages) are better spent on one good figure than three crappy ones... And yes, I've seen the Alt. Prime up close in the toy aisle. The transparent-looking red-orange plastic made up my mind for me and I casually put the box back.

Hi, this topic is close to my heart-- so I had to register to reply. I don't think I'm neccessarily in the minority, but even though I have and love my 20th Ann. Prime w/ custom longer stacks, I still really want a decent Alternator Prime. In 20 years I feel that the alternator/binaltech line comes closest to capturing what I felt when I first discovered the Transformers. I'm not an MISB collector, I play with my toys, and with a tight budget I try to only add essential or meaningful pieces to my collection. Ever since I heard about the Dodge Ram alt, I hoped it would be a Prime who could 'interact' with my other 7-8" scale ultra-detailed Autobots. People, how else is your Alt. Grimlock going to stand up to Optimus like he did in War Within or Season 1? Since then I have seen every picture and read every review of the controversial figure, weighing the pros and cons. I think that with the right paint and QC, that mold could be a great Alternator leader, so I'm going to spend the $60 to get a Kiss Convoy. It was said somewhere else that Hasbro appears to have made a "value" Alternator, cutting corners to provide a bigger toy at the same $20 price. I think my childhood hero deserves better. If Convoy does turn out diecast, he'll be my first binaltech.