26 Years Later, Transformers Officially Revives the Dark Cosmic Counterpart to Optimus Prime

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A popular element from the franchise is now inspiring a new toy. This toy reimagines a lesser-known, classic version of the Autobot leader’s original figure.

The Takara Tomy New Legends NL-03 Nemesis Star Convoy, also known as Star Nemesis Prime, is a villainous version of the Autobot leader. This figure shares many of the same weapons and abilities as its original counterpart, and it includes a new companion figure to emphasize Nemesis Prime’s evil nature.

This frightening Decepticon is scheduled to arrive later this year and is sure to be a major threat, bringing darkness to the Autobots’ most hopeful moments.

Takara Tomy Rolls Out the Evil With Star Nemesis Prime Action Figure

Nemesis Star Convoy (also known as Star Nemesis Prime) is a recolored version of the Transformers: Age of the Primes Star Optimus Prime toy. That toy was a modernized take on the original Star Convoy from the 1990s. This version was released as part of the Transformers: Return of Convoy line, which was exclusive to Japan. ‘Convoy’ is the Japanese name for Optimus Prime.

Similar to its heroic counterpart, Star Nemesis Prime can change from a huge robot into a Cybertronian semi-truck. It also has a base mode where it essentially splits its robot form in half.

The main change is the color: Nemesis Prime swaps Optimus Prime’s red and blue for black, grey, and dark blue. He’s also much taller in robot form, allowing him to work with smaller action figures. His weapons include a small blaster – one of three cannons that can attach to his vehicle mode – and a larger blaster with a purple energy effect. It’s worth noting that some of the extra effect parts found in the Star Optimus Prime release aren’t included with this figure.

The Micromaster Hot Rod toy has been discontinued and replaced with a new figure of the Decepticon Shockwave. This Shockwave transforms into a Cybertronian satellite and is available for pre-order now. It’s scheduled to be released on Halloween 2026 and will cost approximately $205 USD. While not officially confirmed, it’s expected that this toy will eventually be available outside of Japan, although some exclusive black versions of Optimus Prime remain exclusive to the Japanese market.

Transformers: Return of Convoy was near the end of the original Japanese series, and the franchise’s popularity declined until it made a comeback in the late 1990s. The character of Nemesis Prime first appeared in this installment as a dark blue and black copy of Optimus Prime, created by the evil Unicron.

Ever since, Optimus Prime has frequently been released as a black-colored version, no matter the specific storyline or version of the Transformers universe.

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2026-05-22 17:13