Maximal Leo Prime Nostalgic, Sort Of Transformers Legacy Evolution Voyager Item No.: Asst. F2991 No. F7206 Manufacturer: Hasbro Includes: 4 small blasters Action Feature: Transforms from robot to lion Retail: $33.99 Availability: January 2023 Other: Light on accessories but cute
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While technically not a new character, people buying the nostalgia-driven Transformers Legacy Evolution line know Maximal Leo Prime by his Japanese name - Lio Convoy. The character never had a massive impact on American comics, or the toy line, or the cartoons - but he was star of Beast Wars II. Hasbro imported his toy in Japanese packaging no less! Takara (and subsequently Takara-Tomy) would make additional toys based on the character, including the smaller and simpler Robot Masters release and the very expensive Masterpiece Edition. I was happy with the original and the Robot Masters toys - this one exists somewhere in between the two. It's not very big, and it's not very complicated.

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The original toy was a gimmick-laden bonanza with silver-accented paws, gold painted mane, a button-activated snarling lion face, and some of the best articulation we'd seen up to that point. He came loaded with rocket launchers and flip-out cannons, thanks to his mane's ability to hide everything. Some of that was brought back here, but the 2023 toy lacks much of the original lion mode's personality. There's no spinning mane either, but at least the robot looks a lot like the cartoon as that's what the designers seem to be going for these days. I should also note, this figure sat around for quite a while during the first quarter of 2023. He shipped with the more popular Tarn, who was only one per box.

The 6-inch robot mode is pretty great. There's a lot of articulation in there - no wrists, sadly - but the joints are pretty sturdy and you get rocker ankles. You can pop open the Maximal logo on the chest to reveal a painted area where the Matrix lives, and you can connect C.O.M.B.A.T. blasts if you have any handy. He has no problems holding or using his accessories, and he stands like a champ. If he didn't transform, I'd say he's a pretty good toy for the price. It's of comparable quality to a lot of the 6-inch humanoid figures you can guy these days, except this one looks like a cartoon Optimus Prime lion with fuzzy slippers and flip-out claws that live in cat paws that hang off the back of his robot arms. You don't see those every day.

It's a likable robot figure but mine had some paint streaks on it that didn't belong there. Nothing's perfect, especially in the era of open boxes. The kibble is also pretty cumbersome, and will restrict the kind of blasters you'll want to use with him. The tiny ones included work great, but things like Battle Masters and Beast Weaponizers may be too much for this poor cat to handle.

Shifting him from lion to robot or robot to lion is pretty easy. There are some marvelously clever bits, like the robot legs folding and locking in place to get a better kitty pose. It also rotates a lot of the robot kibble out of the way. The lion paws are unsightly junk hanging off the arms, and the lion's head and backside all spin around to just hang off his sides in robot mode. It does what it needs to do, but I can't help but wonder if it could be better. Could they reinvent the wheel as the transformation goes? Would it have made sense to simplify it, making the lion legs into Leo Prime's robot arms and reducing kibble? I'd like to think so. But alas, it was not meant to be.

As a lion he's pretty good. Not great, as the lean mode is kind of dead-eyed without a lot of personality in the face department. The original toy had lively eyes, and it made a huge difference - it even had painted teeth and a tongue. This one has an unpainted mouth and frankly, it's just not impressive. The ears are left in the gold plastic too, but at least you get the gold kitty claws and a black lion nose. The leg articulation isn't bad, either. Sadly there's no lion mane flip-out cannon attack, although you can pose it yourself if you like.

While the original 1998 toy was as close to a super-articulated robot as you saw at the time with a gimmick-laden lion mode loaded with spring-loaded gimmicks and firing rockets, they bred the toy out of the 2023 model. Hasbro didn't do a bad job here - this is more or less what the line is these days, and after they ripped the "toy" out of this toy line for Siege it's starting to feel a little stale. Given the "we don't want to make toys for adult collectors any fun" direction we've had since Siege, Hasbro did a nice job on this figure. It fits in with the style of the era, and other than a dead-eyed lion head is largely a satisfying toy with a good transformation. I like it enough, and I hope to see them try a new Big Convoy some day. He was basically a brick that turned into a pretty good robot with a few nice gimmicks and the first removable Matrix accessory - so that could be a challenge.

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