C-374 and C-375 Return of Convoy Micro Trailers

Even though G1 Japanese month is over that doesn't mean I'm going to stop making new acquisitions in what has become my new favorite category. I've decided it is time to stop screwing around and finally complete this section of my collection before things get even more expensive in the future. A small (albeit important) part of that goal includes Micro Trailers #11 and #12 from the Return of Convoy line.

C-370 Sixliner, the first Micromaster Combiner

Alright, time to get back to some Japanese G1 goodness. I've been holding on to this jewel for a little while because I honestly couldn't remember if I had already created a blog post for him. But apparently I was remembering the similar, yet different Sixtrain. It can get a bit confusing at times. Sixliner here is yet another figure in my ongoing quest to replace all my reissues with originals. I was first introduced to him when it was reissued in 2002 as part of Japan's Micromaster line. Of course all those figures were blind-packed and thus I was required to purchase an entire case (12 figures) to ensure I received a complete set. In fact, this plan lead me to receiving two complete sets, the other which I just recently sold.

The Return of Convoy

Back in 1991 when Generation One was dying off Takara was trying to think of a way to bring kids back into the toys. I must assume they decided that the re-creation Convoy (Optimus Prime to those of us outside of Japan) in the form of a Micromaster base would be the best idea since they were all the rage at the time. Since in the Japanese fiction Powermaster Prime was actually a different character named Ginrai this was the first new Convoy toy since the Goodbye version back in 1986! Nothing like bringing back the most popular character from past fiction to revitalize a series, huh? On an additional note they brought Megatron back too but unfortunately there was no toy created for his new form.

Japanese Exclusive: Sky Garry...What the hell is a Garry?

I've had my eye on Sky Garry here for a very long time. Probably at least ten years or more ever since I learned about the Japanese exclusive Transformers. However in the past I never pulled the trigger on purchasing him because he never really seemed that rare or hard to find. As time went by, this of course changed. My basic philosophy to buying old transformers is to "buy it now before it becomes more expensive later". I applied this mindset to the Dinocassettes, Liokaiser, Black Shadow, and countless other hard to find figures. But for some reason Sky Garry always seemed easy to find, almost like and afterthought. So that is how I began to see him. I would only buy him when I found a deal I couldn't refuse. And I found that deal at Botcon this year. A MISB Sky Garry in near perfect condition for only $100. Hell, I paid that much for Movie Starscream!

So of course I had to open him up. If you've never had the pleasure of opening a mint vintage Transformer, it is quite an experience. The smell is what is really memorable to me, that new toy smell. It is kinda like opening up a pack of baseball cards for the first time, you always get that little hint of print along with a little adrenaline at not knowing exactly what you might find.

I will say Sky Garry does not disappoint in the toy department. Sure his robot mode is a brick, but so are all G1's. Not only does he transform into his 'Micromaster' carrier mode, he also transforms into a base that can be connected to other TF: Return of Convoy (the series to which he belongs) bases. There is a tremendous amount of play value in this toy. And he comes with a ton of stickers! I haven't had the chance to apply them yet, but I will sometime soon. Not to mention he comes with an exclusive Micromaster. Micromasters were like the mini-cons of my youth so they still retain that "collect them all" mentality. Obtaining some of these rarer Japanese Micromasters can be very hard to do (Grandus, I'm looking at you).

Robot Mode with Micromaster Shotbomber

Vehicle Mode

There's room for a pilot!

Very cool base mode. I love bases.

I hope to purchase more Return of Convoy figures in the near future, so I can build a massive Micromaster City, but with the cost of Grandus these days it may be a while yet.