Here we have Heatwave in his fire truck mode. It is a fairly faithful recreation of that toyetic aesthetic...from the front. That futuristic look with the angular windshield, the big lights, and the chunky appearance undoubtedly make this one of the highlights of this alt mode. It is a retool of the Legacy Bulkhead mold, which may seem like a smart move at first; the bigger issue arises from when you remember how the figure transforms compared to the show. It was a fairly similar sequence to G1 Optimus, including arms that are made up from parts of the front. The "fists" are sort of there, but they're not painted from the front but they're also faux.
The side of the vehicle shows a clear reminder of how little was done to hide the fact that Heatwave is a Bulkhead retool. Slap a ladder behind the back section, leave any militaristic vehicle details behind, and forget that he has four wheels instead of six. I know one of his toys had 6 for the alt mode, but the character usually has only 4 on them to match the toy. And it sucks too since there was enough room to make this into a proper fire truck as best as possible, but they sure as hell didn't!
For a size comparison, here he is next to Chase, who I'd like to remind you is a new sculpt built from the ground up. I'm fine with Hasbro retooling their figures into some more obscure characters if needed, but I'm pretty sure Heatwave is pretty monumental to anyone who grew up with the Rescue Bots show as much as Bayverse Bumblebee is to 2000s kids, or BW Dinobot to 90s kids, or G1 Optimus to 80s babies. Just think that the original Playskool toy was someone's first ever Transformer, and seeing Chase turn out great while Heatwave struggles with his retool baggage kind of sucks.
Transformation is the same as Bulkhead's, down to the lack of any integration for the robot arms to pull off and Optimus-style torso transformation. Even the ladder is stuck is a case where it needs to be removed from its place before it partsforms back in place, an issue neither Bulkhead nor Breakdown had! I look at the robot mode and wish that the arms were able to have some extra length and bulk to them so that the torso could be more refined in terms of proportions. It made sense for Bulkhead since he was meant to look fat, but the same doesn't apply to Heatwave given how his physique contrasts the former Wrecker. Sure, the torso is appreciative, but it's mostly the front section that's new while the rest of the robot mode has that "close enough" feel that I hate in some Hasbro retools. Sure, the arms are fairly new, but with how crazy some retools can be (Helicopter Dropkick into AOE Drift, for example), surely more effort would elevate this figure.
His head sculpt is the best part of the figure, though it does have the mouth area unpainted to contrast the silver of the visor outline. Articulation is the same we've seen before with Bulkhead, but he does have an axe that is handheld and a water cannon that can go over his arm. Both are cast in clear plastic to match the Energize gimmick.
For a size comparison, he appropriately towers over Chase, but the bot modes once again showcase how much better the police bot turned out than the fire bot. I guess one could say Hasbro funded the police better than the fire department, but a bigger issue makes me worried with how the other teammates would turn out. I don't know if we'll get anyone past the main four, but while Boulder would be a new sculpt, it wouldn't surprise me if Blades was a retool of another copter bot. I would mostly recommend Heatwave if you're a huge Rescue Bots fan or want to support non-G1 stuff, but keep in mind that the figure we got could have been better.
Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
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