The Energon Pub

Just got him today. Here are my thoughts based on my first impression. Constructive Criticism welcome.

Beast Mode:

Simply the worst part of the figure. The front third isn't bad. You have stubby little lion paws, cute little ears, and a main. Add a fierce expression, and you're good. Move past that, and you get robot kibble, a gap on one side, and freakishly bent legs.

That said, the sculpting itself isn't bad. The figure is covered in a very nice white fur pattern, with gold paint taking over for the mane and tail. Gold paint also appears on the claws.

The figure suffers in terms of articulation as well. Although, the back legs have several points of movement, the stubby front paws negate any poseability options. The mouth can also move up and down, as can the tail.

The figure comes with five guns. Four of which can be placed in the holes on his mane. He also has spring-loaded claws hidden in his front paws.

Overall, a fairly disappointing beast mode.

Transformation:

Lio Convoy's transformation is smooth. Complicated enough to be fun, but simple enough not to be frustrating. Good job.

Robot Mode:

After the disappointing beast mode, I was pleased to find that this mode is AWESOME!

The awkward elements in the beast mode bloom into a powerful robot. His freakish lion legs are now properly jointed, and the fur sculpt is jointed by a nice mechanical pattern on his inner thighs and outer calves. A bit more mech detail shows up on his pecks and upper arms. His torso and crotch area smooth but sculpting in such a way that it looks like Lio Convoy is wearing plate armor. Naturally, his head is sculpted with the traditional Convoy elements: side antenna, a mouthplate, and a central crest.

I really like the placement of the lion head and tail here, they make his shoulders look very wide and powerful, especially in comparison to his tapered waist and lower body.

Three new colors appear in this mode. Red covers the most area; his knees arms, and chest. Grey fills in the mechanical details, while blue mostly appears on his face.

His claws from his beast mode work here as well, and his guns can be placed in his hands, in the holes on the underside of the mane pieces on his arms, or all five guns can be combined to form one massive BFG. Destrons better watch out!

Lio Convoy has really good articulation, with several points on each arm and leg. Add waist articulation and a ball joint for a neck, and he can strike some nice poses.

The only complaint I have, and I'm really stretching, is that the lion pieces on his shoulders can limit his arm movement.

Overall:

Lio Convoy is a good figure. His beast mode fails miserably, but his robot mode actually makes up for it. For such a little guy, he's armed to the teeth(literally!) and he even as a opening panel to reveal his Matrix. Pretty damn sweet.