BEAST WARS NEO BIG BLACK CONVOY. 1999 TOYSR'US JAPAN EXCLUSIVE

9:43 PM in Beast Wars Neo, BIG CONVOY, Black Repaint, JUST BOUGHT, Limited, Toys'R'Us Japan exclusive, Woolly Mammoth

Hello fellow followers! So sorry for slacking off posting on my blog lately. Been busy with office work and added to that, am a proud owner of a new Honda City 2013 Modulo car! The added responsibility that comes with owing a new set of wheels is both exciting and nerve-wracking as most of you will know. Yay! Ok folks, enough about these two non-Transformers events, as important as they are in one's life, it's time to blog on a very special item that I have been actively scouring for sometime now, to be precise, a good SEVEN years to this day. 

He is none other than the uber-exclusive Toys R' Us Japan exclusive repaint of Beast Wars Neo Big Convoy, also know as his 'body-double' of sorts. So glad to have snagged him at a fairly decent price that what he normally goes for in the collectors market-- complete with unused Bio and missiles, as well as the added bonus of having gotten his box in fairly decent condition. 

Brief info from Transformers Wiki: 

Beast Wars Neo

• Black Big Convoy (Ultra, 1999)
  • Japanese ID number: C-35
  • Accessories: Cannon, two missiles, two hook missiles, Energon Matrix

A redeco of Beast Wars Neo Big Convoy, Black Big Convoy transforms into a mammoth, and is somewhat infamous for being an extremely difficult-to-transform shellformer, as practically all of his beast mode components are shells that fit around the compressed robot to form this mode. As such, he has no leg articulation in this mode, but has a rubber trunk which can be controlled by pushing a lever on the top of his head. In addition, the his tusks can be moved by pulling back either of his ears. Black Big Convoy technically has a beast "attack mode", in which his cannon is folded out.

In robot mode, Black Big Convoy stands slightly shorter than the Beast Wars Ultra Class Lio Convoy and Optimus Primal toys, but makes up for it by being absolutely chock-full of weapons and gimmicks. First and foremost, the spring-loaded cannon, formed out of the beast's head, back, and tail, can fire two missiles from two barrels in succession with a rotating dial. It is held in his hands via 5mm post and can be stored on his back, though doing so may cause some stability problems owing to its weight. Second, his shoulders can be swung up to reveal sculpted, non-firing missile pods. Third, he has flip-out tonfamelee weapons in his forearms. Fourth, the two beast panels on the sides of his legs feature two spring-loaded missile launchers that fire his anchor-shaped projectiles, (similar to the original Beast Wars Ultra Class Megatron toy) and the missiles can be loosely held as melee weapons. Last, but certainly not least, his chest panel flips down, revealing the first-ever removable Matrix toy accessory, vacuum-metalized gold with an opaque orange center. This accessory can be held by any figure with standard 5mm fist holes.

Black Big Convoy was sold in the regular Big Convoy package, with a sticker indicating that it was "Black Big Convoy".

This mold was also used to make Universe Nemesis Prime and Timelines Ultra Mammoth.

• More information on Black Big Convoy at TFU.info

Beast Wars Neo and Big Black Convoy Copyright 1999 Takaratomy. 

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HOLY WOOLLY MAMMOTH! BEAST WARS NEO C-35: BIG CONVOY!!

9:07 PM in Beast Wars Neo, C-35, Korean, Large, Sonokong, Woolly Mammoth

Big Convoy: Mighty Impressive

Hey there fellow bloggers! A very warm welcome once again to another blog post, of which I am proud to feature this time around. The toy in question is both brilliant in overall design and ingenious gimmicks packed into one overgrown mammoth of a beast! That's right, the featured Transformer this time is none other than the Cybertron Supreme Commander（総司令官）, fittingly dubbed as a "One-Man" Army: Transformers Beast Wars Neo トランスフォーマー ビーストウォーズネオ: Ｃ－35　ビッグコンボイ / C-35 BIG CONVOY!!

Sonokong Korea Box Front: Neat!

I had initially seen him some time ago, but was not too familiar with the character and existence of the toy. Mind you, I did not follow the Beast Wars Neo TV series, and only got to rekindle my interest and love for Transformers only back in the year 2000, via Transformers: Car Robots aka TF:2K, which aired exactly a year and the half after Beast Wars Neo aired. Although not too deeply motivated by the satirical style of the Beast Wars Neo Anime series, nevertheless it was the "neo" --pardon the pun--! kick-ass design which drew me to this mighty beastly robot. Heck, what could be more awesome than a giant mammoth, than a giant mammoth who can transform! >:-P I didn't want to break the bank for this big fella by buying the Takara 1999 released version, so i decided to purchase the Korean reissue which was released a couple of years back. I must honestly say right from the get go, that this is the "official" Takara reproduction, quite similar in the quality of plastic used for the Japanese Takara version. :-) And, once again, e-bay aka "evil-bay" was my source of vice... :-P

I bought it off for only US$ 50.00 (shipping included!), which roughly translates to only about RM180.00- plus i had some discount coupons left over from Paypal of US$10... or RM34-- which technically made it a mere steal at a discounted price or only RM 140.00 or so! >:-) I love the thrill of scouring for bargains on my purchases, and this time I was counting my blessings... ;-)

Inside of Box: Neatly packed in Robot Mode

Anyway, no more ranting, and lets just get straight to the mini-review, shall we? Judging from his "Technical Data", Big Convoy certainly proves that he is no mere push-over and is one which should be handled with respect and high regard, both for his no-nonsense battle sense and leadership prowess!

Big Convoy: Close-up 'Mug Shot'!

Beast Wars Neo

• Big Convoy (Ultra, 1999)
  • Japanese ID number: C-35
  • Accessories: Big Cannon, Mammoth Haken *2, Energon Matrix

Tech Specs

Strength:	10
Intelligence:	10
Speed:	9
Endurance:	10
Rank:	10
Courage:	10
Firepower:	10
Skill:	10
Total:	79

Big Convoy, the Convoy warrior known as the one man army, is astoundingly powerful, but prefers being alone, heading onto battlefields by himself. He wields a Big Cannon, which can blitz enemies with a single shot. On orders from Vector Sigma, Big Convoy has been appointed as an instructor to a group of young warriors.

Nemesis Prime Universe Instruction Manual

Beast Mode: Woolly Bundle?

Big Convoy transforms into a mammoth and is a rather difficult-to-transform shell-former, as practically all of his beast mode components are shells that fit around the compressed robot to form this mode. As such, he has no leg articulation in this mode, though he has a rubber trunk which can be controlled by pushing a lever on the top of his head. In addition, the movement of his tusks can be controlled by pulling either of his ears. Big Convoy technically has a beast "attack mode" (as shown below), in which his Big Cannon is folded out.

'Beast Attack Mode': Cannon On!

Robot Mode:

Ready for Action!

In robot mode, Big Convoy stands slightly shorter than the original Beast Wars Ultra class Optimus Primal and Lio Convoy toys, but more than redeems itself by being armed to the teeth with an impressive set of weapons and smart gimmicks.
























First and foremost, the spring-loaded Big Cannon, formed out the beast head, can fire two missiles from two barrels in succession with a rotating dial. It is held in his hands and can be stored on his back, though doing this may cause some stability problems owing to its weight.

Secondly, he has flip-out tonfa melee weapons in his forearms., which makes for a handy direct combat option, perfect for clubbing the enemies senseless! >:-) It also add an air of brute force to a toy already impressive in it's own right!

Missile Action!

Thirdly, the two beast panels on the sides of his legs feature two spring-loaded missile launchers that fire anchor-shaped projectiles (similar to the original Beast Wars Ultra class Megatron toy).

Red Ruby Matrix: Powerful and Shiny!

Last but not least, the front of his chest panel flips down, revealing a chamber -like storage-- which is capable of storing the first-ever removable Matrix toy accessory. It is coated in vacuum-metalized gold with a transparent red center. This accessory can be held by any figure with standard 5mm fist holes. Not only does it look good, doing so, but it also lends an air of power, and arrogance to the figure. It;s a neat little accessory which complements the figure well. I mean, who wouldn't want to pose their Primes holding the omnipotent Matrix of Leadership?! Very impressed even more! Nice touch!

Light our Darkest Hour!

Overall Thoughts:

Beast War Neo Big Convoy is overall a clunky-shell former, but once you get pass the initial disappointment of the less than stellar Mammoth Beast Mode, his Robot Mode is a sight to behold. Powerful, bestial and a true representation of Japanese toy engineering and most importantly, aesthetics. Thus, I would strongly recommend that both fans and non-fans of the Beast Wars line to plunk down a rather small and affordable fortune to go out and obtain him, as he is getting rarer and more difficult to find in the online and specialist stores. Don't hesitate to add Big Convoy to your collection, too if you are an avid Prime/Convoy collector! Im glad I managed to, and you would too! Thus, Big Convoy deservedly gets a BIG stomping 4 **** 1/2 Four and A Half Stars / Over 5 ***** Stars!!

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