You probably know how frequent G1 Hot Rod can be on my review site. He first popped up in Titans Return before getting his SS86 treatment as well as two different size class representations in Kingdom as well as an occasional repaint here and there being mentioned, but I never got his G1 toy until now...the turbo-revving punkis best known oby many fans for different things, such as Geewunners seeing him as the thing that killed Transformers, bigger enjoyers observing his numerous incarnations, and IDW fangirls so much as texting random letters everytime he so much as blinked. He was also one of the first figures to be made originally by Hasbro, as he was no Diaclone repurpose whatsoever. So does he hold up or should it be the end of the road for him?
Here is Hot Rod in his vehicle mode. It's the coolest car of 2005 that we didn't get because the 80's vision of 2005 is very different from the actual 2005 we got. It's much chubbier than the proper vehicle from the movie, as it's squished from the front and back due to a possible angle perspective that made designing the figure rather awkward. In fact, this figure was possibly from original concept art that hadn't really nailed the true look for the vehicle mode, which is why stuff like the design for the spoiler or the flames on the sides of the car. It's not the most accurate, but I do like the chrome engine and pipes as well as the foil stickers and lush, blue canopy.
The profile of it looks very funny, and the wasy the spoiler attaches to the back makes it look even more dated than the animation model, but you can at least peg one of the guns on the engine. I wish he has chrome on his wheels, though.
For a vehicle mode size comparison, he comes across as being one of the bigger Autobot Cars in the line, and while those figures were pecifically Scout-sized depending on who the character is, Hot Rod comes off on-par of being a Deluxe from a current day, though again, it varies depending on not just the character but also the line it's from.
Transformation is very simple; you extend the back to become the legs, hinge the arms back, hinge the chest down while rotating the head, and swivel the top of the car 180 degrees. It's nothing too inventive, and it reminds me of G1 Sideswi pe, but it works well enough. The resulting robot mode is very blocky compared to the lean build he is known for in G1, and it can be best described as Hasbro making the most out of the creativity they gained while learning from the different kind of toys Takara used to make. The proportions definitely aren't the strongest suit, with how thick the legs stick out from the sides compared to the thighs, while the arms feel puny next to the torso. I should mention that the way my G1 Hot Rod is transformed allows him to face forward rather than hang his head in shame. He looks pretty flat from the side and the spoiler from the back looks a lot more Playskoolish than I remember.
Head sculpt is pretty good, with a nice use of gray paint and baby blue paint to make the face look sharp for an old toy. It fits well for a youthful character like G1 Hot Rod. His articulation only consists of a measly pair of elbow swivels, bends, and wrists. His guns do make the lack of proper shoulder articulation a little better.
Let's go over the reuses of the mold. I'll only go over any of the major figures with their select differences being prominent ones. This is the original version of the mold, which had stickers that either shiny or not, while his canopy and side stickers (probably from the intended shade of magenta). Being one of the older releases, his arms were integrated thanks to the pins that likely were fragile, meaning using simple snap-on hinges made them much more tolerable. His shin stickers were also originally easy to scrape off either because of the materials or the space between the thighs and legs.
Now let's give him his Targetmaster, because a year later, Hot Rod would trade in his twin guns in favor of Firebolt. His hands and engine block were retooled to be 5mm compatible for the Targetmaster partner, and we would later see the Takara Collection version of Hot Rod coming with the old guns with retooled pegs in order to have both them and Firebolt peg in universally. I should mention while the original toy came with either unpainted die-cast or black plastic for the feet, this version only came with the latter.
Now let him be clear, because Crystal Rodimus is a translucent version of the figure, with almost everything except the tires, feet, pipes, and engine block cast in see-through plastic. The stickers and painted face do break up the illusion as well, but it is a case of it being a very rare version of the character that was pretty popular back in the 2000s era of Takara G1 reissues.
The most recent reissue of the mold came from none other than the Retro Transformers line exclusive to Walmart. A much more cartoon-accurate take on the mold that is even closer to the movie than the original prototype, this guy is less red and more magenta with gray lower legs and paint apps instead of stickers. He even has no chrome on him...which I'd at least take silver paint apps instead of bare gray plastic...yeah, I'm happy to stick with the original colors.
For a monochrome reissue, this is Dark Hot Rod, which is basically the character if he was either dead or was in a black and white TV. His stickers ruin the illusion, though. Also funny how the border of the flames on the side stickers make it look even worse. At least his eyes are red.
For a robot mode size comparison, here he is next to G1 Optimus Prime and Bumblebee. He's a fairly tall figure, and moreso than he was in the cartoon. So if you're not a big fan of G1 Hot Rod's reissue from the Retro line, then you can probably get yourself the Vintage Walmart repaint should there be a good price for it. I paid $25 for my copy, which I am very happy to have. I think this guy is the best of the three 1986 Autobot cars, and probably the reason why Hasbro reissued him more than Kup and Blurr were.
Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
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