Alternity Convoy - Vibrant Red Version
 

Alternity Convoy. He's small, he's about the same price as the larger Binaltech Convoy, and he can apparently kill you before you were born. How does he stack up?

Vehicle Mode
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...-Op-Red-01.jpg

Yes virginia, he has rubber tires.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...-Op-Red-02.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...-Op-Red-03.jpg

... though a license plate is notably absent. He'll get pulled over REAL quick.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...-Op-Red-04.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...-Op-Red-05.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...-Op-Red-06.jpg

Not a whole lot of undercarriage kibble, which is nice. No "Hi! I'm a robot!" face staring at you. The only real noticeable robot parts are the hands. Thumbs up on this.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...-Op-Red-07.jpg

The vehicle mode is nice. A little seam-y, but nothing so drastic as Universe Ironhide. Still, he's not quite as seamless as past Alternators or Binaltechs and definitely has a more broken up appearance. It's obvious that this figure isn't just a car.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...-Op-Red-08.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...-Op-Red-09.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...-Op-Red-10.jpg

He opens up just like his larger Alternator and Binaltech bretheren. Even at a smaller size, he manages to have better or equal detail than them, too.

Transformation & Robot Mode

Chances are, the legs WILL give you fits. There's a very limited level of tolerance on the parts fitting together, and on my figure at least, the tolrance is such that you HAVE to forcibly jam parts together in a manner that honestly makes me nervous of breaking to make them lock.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...-Op-Red-11.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...-Op-Red-12.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...-Op-Red-13.jpg

There's a LOT of panel folding to get here. the instructions are a little vague on how to best line this up since the panels wont want to behave on their own.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...-Op-Red-14.jpg

WALKING CAR HUNGERS!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...-Op-Red-15.jpg

Popping out the arms and doors moves the head up and swings the fenders forward to compress in a similar manner to Movie Jazz, but is MUCH much cooler. Be careful that the head doesn't catch on a tab on the underside of the hood, though.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...-Op-Red-16.jpg

Compresing the body is very reminiscent of Alternator/BT Grimlock, but is done with MUCH more finesse. Swinging down the front of the car pops down the abdomen, which then locks into the waist. It's very slick and very satisfying to do. It's one of the most solid parts of the transformation, and very well designed. See below:


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...-Op-Red-17.jpg


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...-Op-Red-18.jpg


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...-Op-Red-19.jpg


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...-Op-Red-20.jpg

(continued)


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...-Op-Red-21.jpg

The final result. Alternity Convoy has the classic "door wing" appearance with the "hood and window" dangling off his back look that's so prevalent with alternators/BTs.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...-Op-Red-22.jpg

His hips are ratcheted, which makes him super stable, UNLIKE many Alt/BTs. :thumb. He has cannons on his arms, etc.. etc.. No separate gun. That's fine by me, honestly. A lack of separate accessories is easier to deal with.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...-Op-Red-23.jpg

Overall

Most of the transformation involves the legs. The arms are basic "swing out from under the body", door-wing affairs. There's a few subtle touches, with sliding door panels and pivoting underbody locks, but it's nothing too complex. The real meat and potatoes of the transformation is in the legs, where the entire rear half of the car compresses and folds up into Convoy's shins and calves.

It's worth noting that if you follow the instructions exactly, you will likely strain certain joints and generally get annoyed. When in doubt, release as many panels as possible to get the legs out and away from the body. Peaugh's video guide is honestly a better resource than the official nstructions in this case.

Is he nice? yeah, he's a nice figure. Is he worth the money? Ehhhh. Sure. As much as any toy is worth forking out almost $60 for. is he as good as Binaltech Convoy? Honestly I'd say no, as BT Convoy is bigger, metallier, and a great figure in his own right. Still, Alternity Convoy is a pretty cool figure and you'd be hard pressed to find any real faults with him other than price. He locks together nicely in both modes, looks great, and is nicely poseable. His diecast content is pretty minimal, which is a real disappointment, but if he was painted more he'd be shedding paint like crazy during the transformation, which involves SERIOUS part rubbing. It's a little worrisome, still.

If you like how he looks and can afford, get him. If not, well, his lovely ratchets and shiny shiny shinyness might change your mind when you get him, but it's hard to get over how small he is. You're paying more than leader class prices for a deluxe size figure, and it's hard to forget that.

... and here he is with Binaltech Convoy. Brothers? Alternate timeline variations on the same character? Evil Twins? Hell, I dunno.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...Comparison.jpg

So did you figure something else out after we last communicated?

Man, if I hadn't gone with SAL he would have been here last week. >0<

Nope... and from talking with other people who have him, their figures are all the same. The tolerances just seem a little too intolerant. I just hope it wont do any damage to the rear spoiler (which is the part that's being put under the most strain).