My steadily growing Prime collection includes Convoys, Primes, and any other form of Prime/Convoy, be it God Ginrai, Nitro, Live, Flame, and etc.  They'll all go on my shelf since they're Convoys.  I'm currently on the lookout for Big Convoy, Black Convoy from Car Robots (Scourge), and a G1 Prime, be it original or reissue.  As well as Primal in his gorilla form.

I don't think there is a "rule" when it comes to this stuff. Use your judgement. Seems like the Prime is the American leadership title, and the Convoy is a remnant from the original diaclone Convoy, which was obviously due to his truck alt mode.

 

A shower of "yeahs" and "whatevers".

Prime = US

 

Convoy = Japan

 

whats so hard to understand???  In galaxy force though, the convoy of each planet just clearly signifies leadership of that planet (in the case of earth for Live convoy, i dunno yet).  :redface

Live Convoy was the leasder of the bots that came to earth in Atlantas

ohhhh is THAT why they all have the name "convoy"?

Its really up to you how you want to interpret it.  I used to have all the primes in my collection, and would display them together, not as primes but as Autobot leaders, and would include Victory Saber and For Max, since Max was the leader during Headmasters. 

what about Vector Prime? same name in both languages, yet he's no leader

In Japan Prime dosn't mean anything, and in the US Vecter Prime's one of the 13 origional transformers, all of them were named Prime, but some have dropped there titles(The fallen, Liege Maximo, Macadam)

does GF/Cy follow DW-WWI continuity?!?!

ok...Prime is US, as stated above. Optimus Primes name meaning the perfection of perfect (more or less). Now, why is that damned Convoy called convoy? Simple, here in the US we call them semis or more apropriately Tractor Trailers in most other countries. We also love the old nickname given to these long rulers of the road, Convoys (yes, like the movie...). I believe in Japan during this time and in mo0st other countries Cb's were a big fad and when you were in a group of Semis you were a convoy, thus Primes original name. Of course this is just my take on it, I'm sure a few parts are wrong.

 

Now the title convoy mean leader more or less when applied to the TF universe, the name prime is used here in the us, both are out of tradition. Think of the Ceasers of rome. When you became ruler, you added Ceaser to your name, or pharoh if you are egiptian, king in monarchies etc.