The Energon Pub

The Beast Wars Masterpiece line has returned with a black repaint of MP 48 Lio Convoy. Unlike previous evil Convoy black redecos in the MP line, Black Lio Convoy is an actual show character from the Beast Wars II anime. In fact, he was the first Black Convoy, with black, grey and teal as a deco. This release, MP-48+ Black Lio Convoy, is however based on the Toysrus exclusive toy from 1998 and not the show. That's because the show had a black mane on a grey body while all Black Lio Convoy toys, including this new Masterpiece one, have a silver/grey mane and a black body. The preview image comes from Fat Toys Corner on Facebook, a collectible retailer.

Two years after the first redeco of MP Primal (MP-38), MP Megatron was released. So hopefully, in 2024...

It should have been Copy Convoy colors.

It looks like they may have remolded the beast mode head? If that's the case, I'd be down for this figure, I've always wanted a lioconvoy

Hellscream9999 wrote:It looks like they may have remolded the beast mode head? If that's the case, I'd be down for this figure, I've always wanted a lioconvoy

I don't think they did, it's just that the eyes arent painted in a cartoony way.

william-james88 wrote:

Hellscream9999 wrote:It looks like they may have remolded the beast mode head? If that's the case, I'd be down for this figure, I've always wanted a lioconvoy

I don't think they did, it's just that the eyes arent painted in a cartoony way.

You might be right, but it was the cartoony face that put me off him in the first place, so this might still solve that issue for me. Will have to wait for higher res pictures to decide.

Minus cartoony face and he might not look as goofy.

I am shocked and disappointed that this is not Flash Lio Convoy

Takara has fully revealed what they are calling their MP 48 + Dark Amber Lio Prime figure. It is Black Lio Convoy, and while it is based on a Toysrus Exclusive, this Masterpiece figure will not be exclusive. So you'll be able to order it from Amazon Japan or any collectible online vendor in the west. The SRP is 20000 Yen, so around 150 USD but there will be a further discount from Amazon Japan when it comes around.

As we can see in these new phots, it is a straight redeco. Even the lion mode retains it's more cartoony face.

Okay, I just woke up and saw this news. I am baffled, baffled, about the toy's new name and backstory that not only have nothing to do with Copy Convoy, but also invent a whole new series of events that we've never seen or heard of before that led to the birth of this "Dark Umber/Amber Leo Prime".

ユニクロン由来の残留アンゴルモアエネルギーが地球の地殻で濃縮圧縮され漆黒のダークエネルギーとなり、伝説の緑のライオン：レオプライムのスパークレスボディと融合誕生した宿命のプライム、それが『ダークアンバー レオプライム』だ。
漆黒のライオンからロボットに変形する。
待望のMP-48ライオコンボイのリカラーアイテムにして新キャラクター設定が与えられ、更に魅力的なアイテムになり登場です。人気の定番ヴィランカラーでありながらそのヒロイックな造形はコレクションアイテムとして最適です。

The residual Angolmois Energy from Unicron is concentrated and compressed in the Earth's crust to become jet-black dark energy, and fused with the sparkless body of the legendary green lion, Leo Prime, to create the fated Prime, the Dark Amber Leo Prime.
It transforms from a jet-black lion into a robot.
It is a recolor item of the long-awaited MP-48 Lio Convoy, given a new character setting and becoming an even more attractive item. Its heroic modeling in the popular standard villain color is perfect as a collection item.

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

Studying this bonkers backstory, here's what I've come up with for how any of it makes sense:

1. First, it refers to Lio Convoy as "Leo Prime", a name the cartoon version of the guy took on after BW Neo during his appearances in Fun Pub's TransTech stories, the Japanese TF: Prime toy bios, and the Legends manga. So this new MP bio would most likely be set at some point after BW Neo.

2. The bio says that this guy was born from residual (as in, leftover or remaining) Angolmois Energy within the Earth (A.K.A. Gaia) converging together and fusing with the "sparkless body of the legendary Green Lion: Leo Prime". The only time Lio Convoy ever turned green was in his original BWII body. But by the time he starts going by "Leo Prime", he acquires several new and different bodies instead. This leads me to suspect that, somehow, he loses his original BWII body and it gets left behind on Gaia before he acquires the first of his new "Leo Prime" bodies.

3. According to this bio, apparently not all of the Angolmois Energy originally found on Gaia was completely sucked out of the planet by Nemesis, so there was some left behind and that is what merged together with Lio Convoy's old body.

In conclusion, the events of this bio are most likely set at some point after BW Neo, wherein Lio Convoy loses his old body on Gaia, upgrades to a new one and goes off to have his multiversal adventures as "Leo Prime". Then some leftover Angolmois Energy reveals itself on Gaia, merges with Lio Convoy's old body, and becomes this new "Dark Umber/Amber Leo Prime" guy.

I know very little about Beast Wars II and even less about Beast Wars Neo, but dammit this figure looks cool. I’ve always loved the design of Lio Convoy, and this deco looks slick.

Sabrblade wrote:Okay, I just woke up and saw this news. I am baffled, baffled, about the toy's new name and backstory that not only have nothing to do with Copy Convoy, but also invent a whole new series of events that we've never seen or heard of before that led to the birth of this "Dark Umber/Amber Leo Prime".

ユニクロン由来の残留アンゴルモアエネルギーが地球の地殻で濃縮圧縮され漆黒のダークエネルギーとなり、伝説の緑のライオン：レオプライムのスパークレスボディと融合誕生した宿命のプライム、それが『ダークアンバー レオプライム』だ。
漆黒のライオンからロボットに変形する。
待望のMP-48ライオコンボイのリカラーアイテムにして新キャラクター設定が与えられ、更に魅力的なアイテムになり登場です。人気の定番ヴィランカラーでありながらそのヒロイックな造形はコレクションアイテムとして最適です。

The residual Angolmois Energy from Unicron is concentrated and compressed in the Earth's crust to become jet-black dark energy, and fused with the sparkless body of the legendary green lion, Leo Prime, to create the fated Prime, the Dark Amber Leo Prime.
It transforms from a jet-black lion into a robot.
It is a recolor item of the long-awaited MP-48 Lio Convoy, given a new character setting and becoming an even more attractive item. Its heroic modeling in the popular standard villain color is perfect as a collection item.

Translated with http://www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

Studying this bonkers backstory, here's what I've come up with for how any of it makes sense:

1. First, it refers to Lio Convoy as "Leo Prime", a name the cartoon version of the guy took on after BW Neo during his appearances in Fun Pub's TransTech stories, the Japanese TF: Prime toy bios, and the Legends manga. So this new MP bio would most likely be set at some point after BW Neo.

2. The bio says that this guy was born from residual (as in, leftover or remaining) Angolmois Energy within the Earth (A.K.A. Gaia) converging together and fusing with the "sparkless body of the legendary Green Lion: Leo Prime". The only time Lio Convoy ever turned green was in his original BWII body. But by the time he starts going by "Leo Prime", he acquires several new and different bodies instead. This leads me to suspect that, somehow, he loses his original BWII body and it gets left behind on Gaia before he acquires the first of his new "Leo Prime" bodies.

3. According to this bio, apparently not all of the Angolmois Energy originally found on Gaia was completely sucked out of the planet by Nemesis, so there was some left behind and that is what merged together with Lio Convoy's old body.

In conclusion, the events of this bio are most likely set at some point after BW Neo, wherein Lio Convoy loses his old body on Gaia, upgrades to a new one and goes off to have his multiversal adventures as "Leo Prime". Then some leftover Angolmois Energy reveals itself on Gaia, merges with Lio Convoy's old body, and becomes this new "Dark Umber/Amber Leo Prime" guy.

That means there's a chance for another release of the mold as Xopy Convoy with the show accurate deco.

gonna stick with my bw2 leo. im good thanks

Just when I thought the new colour scheme might make his Beast Mode look less goofy.. Those eyes

That robot mode is really neat. Lion mode, not so much

Forget you guys, the lion mode face is my favorite part.

Wasn't originally interested, but now I might just get it.

Dark umber is probably correct, it's the actual name of the brownish color used on his mouth plate and waist among other spots.

Emerje

COMIC!

https://tf.takaratomy.co.jp/products/tf_mp/mp-48plus-web-comic

Thirteen pages. The first chapter in a new series called "The Transformers: End of G1 Universe".

Sabrblade wrote:COMIC!

https://tf.takaratomy.co.jp/products/tf_mp/mp-48plus-web-comic

Thirteen pages. The first chapter in a new series called "The Transformers: End of G1 Universe".

Well that's an ominous title but I know a lot of people here would welcome it.

Amazon Japan pre-orders: https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B0B5SRZP2M/ ... ainSlot=48

Decided to order, came to 17,926JPY total or about $132.

Emerje

Emerje wrote:

Sabrblade wrote:COMIC!

https://tf.takaratomy.co.jp/products/tf_mp/mp-48plus-web-comic

Thirteen pages. The first chapter in a new series called "The Transformers: End of G1 Universe".

Well that's an ominous title but I know a lot of people here would welcome it.

Basically the Japanese G1 equivalent of Last Bot Standing, set in the far far distant future of that universe.

D-Maximal_Primal wrote:That robot mode is really neat. Lion mode, not so much

Much like the default MP, the animated aesthetic really doesn't mesh well with a Beast Mode. Even if it is supposed to be "accurate".

Emerje wrote:Forget you guys, the lion mode face is my favorite part.
Emerje

It's funny, I saw this and only thought how a (somewhat extensive) retool of this mould might make a figure I would actually care about...



Even if he were a one-off, without the rest of Magnaboss. Then I remembered the Takara series did sort of do Magnaboss. So it might not be completely out of the question for the only other Lion Bot to see the light of day again.

Sabrblade wrote:COMIC!

https://tf.takaratomy.co.jp/products/tf_mp/mp-48plus-web-comic

Thirteen pages. The first chapter in a new series called "The Transformers: End of G1 Universe".

And... English script translation!

So Dark Amber is not an evil clone after all. He's basically a fusion of the legit Lio Convoy and Unicron, reborn together in the former's body as a new merged being.

He has nothing to do at all with the original Copy Convoy from the cartoon.

Hasbro Pulse - https://hasbropulse.com/products/transformers-masterpiece-mp-48-dark-amber-maximal-leo-prime

Am I the only one that would pay through the nose to get five Lio Convoys that combined into Voltron?

£159.99 - Indemand Toys (10% deposit available)

$149.99 - TFsource

$132.90 - Robotkingdom

Well I sure am glad I got him on Amazon Japan when I did. At the time the price didn't show a discount so I thought I'd check back and see if the price changed at all. It did. The wrong way.

Price a few days ago:



Price now:



And yes, both sold and shipped by Amazon Japan. Usually we see the prices discounted and then hover around that price up until it sells out, not fly back up to MSRP a few days after listing. Noticed the same thing with MPM Blackout, no discount.

They also brought back the short cancellation window after only a brief hiatus.

Emerje