Italian Powered Convoy Question

Powered Convoy is the Diaclone predecessor to the Transformer Ultra Magnus.

So I own an Italian Powered Convoy and have owned several before. I have a blue cab one and used to have a red cab one. The red cab is basically an Optimus Prime cab with Powered Convoy stickers.

Now, there are a number of mold changes between PC and Ultra Magnus. The most obvious is the antennas on the head.

PC:

Magnus:

Notice the shortened antennas. In 2001 or so, Takara reissued Ultra Magnus and did a limited release recolored in colors similar to the Diaclone Ultra Magnus. This of course uses the revised Ultra Magnus molds with the shorter antennas like so:

I've got a line on a red cab one and the seller is trying to tell me that the red cab PCs had the mold changes Ultra Magnus had, namely shortened antennas on the super robot head and the extended belt thing.

The red cab Powered Convoy I had back in the day I know for certain did not have shortened antennas on the head or the extended belt thing. However, I have no way of knowing if it hadn't been parts swapped with a blue cab PC or if there was a running charge or something. This often happens when they mass produce toys for a long time and you get small variations. It definitely happened when Takara was producing several Diaclone or Diaclone related lines in various foreign markets at the same time as Transformers was starting in the US.

For example, the European Joustra Battle Convoy is a weird hybrid between the Japanese Diaclone Battle Convoy and the original American Optimus Prime toy.

I thought it was just reissue parts tossed in, but the seller swears up and down they are vintage. I already got a blue cab PC from him with zero problems from the same seller so I'm inclined to think there might be truth to this. I know the reissue belt will NOT stay on the original trailer for shit so it would be super easy to prove in reality, but not sure I want to risk the dollars to find out.

Have you folks ever heard of anything like this?

-Ginrai
Golden Gate Riot on dead trees at: [www.destroyallcomics.com]

The problem with the Trasformers line is that it gradually changed over to Transformers molds, although usually it is Transformers toys in Transformers colors in Trasformers Diaclone boxes. I have not heard of Diaclones using the Transformers molds, although it is not impossible, because similar things have happened with other manufacturers and some later Transformers releases (e.g. European 1990's Classics Prowl's sticker sheet was based off the Diaclone sticker sheet, not the US Transformers one).

I think what Thomas is saying is fuck it. Just go with the reissues or a sealed vintage one.
-Mason

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Matthewalt "I actually kinda LIKE that approach! You know: let's make a TOY. Remember those? Products designed to be played with without breaking? DO YOU REMEMBER, LOVE?!"

Sounds risky. Unless the price is low, I'd walk away from it. Too many variables.

Ask the seller for detailed pictures of the parts (preferably the insides showing ejector pin marks) and then ask someone who owns a reissue to take good pics of the same parts. Compare. They should be different. If not, Takara reissue.

Well, I already have both a vintage one AND a reissue. But looking for ejector pin marks is a good idea.

-Ginrai
Golden Gate Riot on dead trees at: [www.destroyallcomics.com]

Turns out this is completely a legitimate variant! The reissue is not even the same COLOR. There are other mold differences too, on the robot's body itself! I will get a full series of pictures and go into detail later, but here's a quick shot of the heads:



I hope the color differences come through okay in my picture.

Left is reissue, center is red cab Italian variant, right is blue cab Italian.

-Ginrai
Golden Gate Riot on dead trees at: [www.destroyallcomics.com]



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 07/26/2011 12:32PM by Ginrai.