Not quite the holy grail yet...but close enough, for now...
Behold...GiG Trasformers No. 50 Camion Convoy Portauto aka Diaclone Powered Convoy...
(source : TFsource)
Quick history lesson (source : TFwiki) : GiG was the Italian toy company which originally held the license from Takara to market and distribute Diaclone and MicroChange toys in Italy. When Hasbro introduced the Transformers brand, GiG rebranded its toys as Trasformers (so, yes, you have read it correctly and no, it's not a spelling error earlier...)
Whether it was GiG that exploited the Hasbro Transformers series or the other way around, please refer to TFwiki for the answers...
The original releases came with a blue cab initially and subsequently, 2 different red cabs (square stack connectors and later, circular ones) which laid the foundation and the birth of the G1 Ultra Magnus...
(source : internet)
...and now, for my piece - the rarer red cab Convoy which was only released by the Takara-licensed GiG, no such Japanese release or reissue unfortunately...
box pretty beaten up...
wear and tear at the edges...
"cute" Takara logo - something you don't see nowadays
hmm...wonder if "Transformers" and "Autobots" were inspired
by "Trasformers" and "Autorobots" respectively?
Unboxing...
styrofoam not perfect...but still good
accessories...
A quick look at two "sort-of" rare accessories nowadays since both were removed from later releases and reissues (even the C-69 Powered Convoy reissue are without these) : Powered Buggy and the Diaclone driver...
one can hardly find these, sold separately on the secondary market...
if any, the driver alone could fetched at least USD30!
Buggy is also transformable...
"Hi, I'm the red buggy..."
Diaclone driver, making himself useful...besides being the "Nascar" driver...
The red cab character before he would be popularly known as Optimus Prime...
different bumper sticker than the one on Battle Convoy...
1. square stack connectors indicating early red cab Convoy release...
2. vertical raised red line similar to Battle Convoy and subsequent pre-rub G1 OP releases...
"look, Ma...no hands"
affixed with blaster...did you realized that the blaster is different from all G1 OPs' blaster?
Now, for a quick look at the Powered Convoy trailer... yes, a modern day vehicle carrier.. haha ... and it's unlike those grey ones of G1 OPs.
It is important to note that the usually damaged tabs and ramps are all in good working condition and that alone is already pretty rare...
Takara 1980, 1984 Japan
Powered Convoy - roll out...
Weapons activated - different missiles attached...
standard GiG "safety" boopers missiles
grey missiles - similar with Japanese releases
yellow missiles?? not sure if these came with any Powered Convoy releases...
Is this piece worth owning? Well, it pre-dates Transformers (ie. pre-TF), 35 years in the making...making it probably the second best thing after Diaclone Battle Convoy...so, I don't think its value could be measured in monetary sense, it's more about owning a piece of history of nostalgic value...
Only setback of mine is its lack of paperworks (quite common but luckily, easily replicated) and Buggy box (alas, this is gonna be difficult to locate) and of course, the really beat-up box (they should have the "handle with care" message plastered over every toy box). Thankfully, they do not in any way affect the transformation of the toy.
On a positive note, the toy itself is in good condition, completely undamaged (especially at the "sensitive" areas mentioned earlier) which is already a rare thing.
*Please continue to bookmark this page*
...alternate modes coming up...either as an aircraft launch pad, repair bay or even a mobile base..woahh...a triple-changer...haha... Stay tune...
