Transformers Cybertron Hot Shot review

Hot Shot's seen by some of the older members of the fanbase as a cringey character just because of his personality somewhat being that of a typical young anime male protagonist, but I feel that he deserved his character development across Armada, and even though his design was wack in Energon, it was cool that he has still matured (while Ironhide took over as the kid appeal character). Cybertron had him act juvenile at times, though it may have to do with him losing his memory if I recall correctly. Still, I like Hot Shot as a character much like I do with the recent Bumblebees and Cheetor in terms of kid-appeal characters. While I feel that Hot Shot was more iconic in his Armada design, I feel that his Cybertron look is still pretty good. Time for a review of his Deluxe!

Here's Hot Shot in his vehicle mode. It's sleek, stylish, and reminiscent of the Chrysler ME Four-Twelve. It's pretty reminiscent of the mid-2000s era of stylized cars that you'd see Hot Wheels or racing games made for the PS2 would offer (which include music made by Paul Oakenfold). The combination of blue from the body and yellow from the windshield makes this a very nice choice of colors to use in this Hot Shot. Almost feels a bit like Blurr (though Blurr never had yellow windows). I don't even mind the red bits.

The back of the altmode has a 5mm port and a slot for a Cyber Key. I don't have the gun, but it was cast in black and clear yellow plastic, while the Cyber Key is of the Speed Planet variety. Once it's inserted, you can deploy a spoiler reminiscent of G1 Hot Rod. It's subtle but effective for this character.

Hot Shot's transformation is really simple. All you do is extend the legs, open the doors to make way for the forearms, split the front of the vehicle, flip out the toes, and rotate the backpack. It works for what it is, and it's said to belong to a Takara robot called "Volfogg", who came from the Brave series. It'

In robot mode, Hot Shot may not have the unique look of his Armada incarnation, but his Cybertrol self has a nice blend of G1's Hot Rod, Kup, and Blurr. Mainly with the chest, similar transformation, legs, and forearm pipes. While the forearms having the doors remain unchanged (and mostly yellow from the inside), the backpack being raised up a lot more than it normally would, and the legs having a lot of mass from the sides could be a bit distracting, the rest of the design's pretty solid in my opinion. Sure, the side looks flat while the back looks like the car mode standing upright and having some parts shifted around, but it fits the Hot Rod motif that this guy has.

Do forgive the dust on my Hot Shot, but I like the head sculpt he has. It has a bit of an angry expression that's somewhat out of character, but it's done well and has some design cues of Blurr and Springer, too. I'd say it's a more fully-realized version of his Energon design. Curiously feels like a color reversal of the Armada helmet, which was yellow and a black visor while this has a black helmet and yellow visor (might be a visor, or it's an extension of his forehead).

The toy's articulation's got the standard joints of a Deluxe Class Transformer. Swivels at the neck and shoulders, hinges at the shoulders for transformation, ball joints at the elbows and hips, and bends at the knees. While I don't have his gun to show how he looks with it, you can use the Cyber Key to give him Hot Rod's spoiler.

There are a few repaints that have a bit of variety from each other. The first is Exillion Red Version from TakaraTomy's Galaxy Force line. It's a Hot Rod-themed repaint of the mold, but the paint app designs remain the same with a few color changes. Heck, what's yellow's on some of the original deco remains the same on this variant! This version does have blue translucent parts, though.

Another repaint looks similar to the one we saw, but it's actually called Excellion is a different character from Hot Shot, apparently. There are a few more differences here between this and Exillion Red Version, mainly with the deco on the legs, shoulders, different gray plastics, and the flames that are in vehicle mode.

The first repaint to be made outside of the Cybertron line is Breakaway, who was a Walmart exclusive in the 2007 Movie line. The colors certainly evoke the look of the character, but beyond that, you're better off getting the Titans Return version if you have to have a Getaway/Breakaway.

The final use of the mold is Shattered Glass Goldbug. This is an evil version of Bumblebee that was upgraded after he joined the Autobots and took over Drench's role in-universe. I like this take on Bee, what with the fact that he's a Goldbug figure and has the inverted colors.

This toy is simple but makes for a nice addition to the Cybertron collection if you love the Cybertron aesthetic. I'm happy to have this guy with Cybertron Optimus, but now I want to try to get some of the other characters in the line since Cybertron was the first series that got me interested in Transformers (before the first Michael Bay movie got me hooked even more).

There's only one way to rank this toy...

Transformers Revenge of the Fallen Bludgeon review (w/Bonus POTP Bludgeon)

Bludgeon's been a bit of a staple for Transformers fiction. He was a new antagonist for the Marvel Comics, his Pretender shell was one of the better-looking ones, and his ROTF design has been repurposed in other media! Still, he didn't get many action figures up until the Revenge of the Fallen line. Most older movie figures tend to not age very well when we have more recent lines like TLK or the Studio Series line release better-done toys, and some of the off-screen tend to be hit and miss. I feel Bludgeon is a hit in this case, and for good reason, as we'll discuss!

So here we have Bludgeon in his tank mode. It's a Japanese Type 90 tank that reflects on the original toy's altmode (were without the Pretender Shell, the robot mode can become a small little tank). Here, the altmode feels a lot more complete than it originally was. I like that the treads, despite rolling on tiny wheels, are made of rubber to make them look more realistically like treads than they would be if they were molded plastic. Also, the sculpting on the tank mode works pretty well, as it captures what tanks would have on them, down to some tools that would be stored around the tank. That said, if there's something I really hate on the tank mode, then it's the light gray plastic. The turret, the machine gun, the missile pods, and some joints that are slightly exposed in the tank mode have the material, and it looks really bad! It ruins what is otherwise a nice looking tank. Also, the turret rotates on a soft but somewhat satisfying ratchet joint while the machine gun can swivel normally.

Bludgeon's transformation is fairly complex. The real issues I have with it are the arm joints feeling a bit tight while the spine that has the head attached can be a bit tricky to collapse. Otherwise, the rest of the transformation works really nicely. The turret can be arranged any way you like, but I prefer to make it look like a scabbard.

In robot mode, Bludgeon looks WICKED! Certainly a departure from normal tankformers like Megatron or Brawl as he captures the demon samurai theme very well! I love the skeletal motif that flows across the figure, the feet looking pretty alien (even if there are no good heels), and parts of the tank becoming armor that a samurai would be associated with. The chest design does look weird at first glance, but it does make sense in the context of it looking pretty skull-like.

Bludgeon's head sculpt looks detailed enough to resemble an alien version of a skull, yet the paintwork does look a bit soft. Perhaps some weathering would help accentuate the details better. Also, it looks like there was supposed to be light piping but there's none to be seen, as what would have been the slit for it was reduced to gray plastic.

Bludgeon's articulation is fairly substantial for a Voyager. Head is on a swivel, shoulders swivel front and back, in and out, they move out at the shoulders on two joints (one for the transformation and one for the normal articulation), a bicep swivel, double jointed elbows, and wrists that curl in because of the transformation. Legs move front and back, in and out, they swivel above the knee, bend at the knee, and they hinge at the ankles.

His first weapon is the larger katana, which is made from a portion of the turret's barrel. It's not just colored in the ugly gray plastic, but it's also in this gummy material that's stiffer than some PVC. The katana can either have a bent blade or a warped handle. Either way, not good.

One of his other weapons is a tanto, which is stored from within the turret and can be revealed with this neat Mech Alive feature!

As mentioned, the weapons themselves look sharp, especially the tanto, yet they do have the unfortunate aspect of being made of a softer material that detracts from the look of the toy. They're also annoying to attach or remove from his hands because of how they're made. They can be stored on the skirt armor if you wish.

These weapons can combine to become a somewhat dual-bladed sword, which isn't' as effective with the weapon sizes being so unbalanced and the aforementioned material not working out too well.

Bludgeon was reused in other lines, and they generally become reused for other characters. This is a straight repaint named Banzaitron. It's a bit of a shame that Banzaitron did not get a new mold but is instead a straight repaint. The way I see it, this is Bludgeon using the spark of Banzaitron to power up, giving him a deco that honored the dead Decepticon in my headcanon. To Banzaitron's benefit, his swords look a lot better, and the neon green not only adds to the deco but doesn't look cheap.

BotCon 2012 sees Overlord be the next use of the mold, complete with a retooled head to reflect on the character design. While the colors are accurate, this mold doesn't quite fit Overlord, especially now that we have him in Titans Return.

A few months later, the mold is reused as another Decepticon leader, this time being Generation 2 Megatron in the GDO line. I actually used to have this mold, but the plastic felt pretty cheap compared to Megatron, and the toy's joints didn't seem to help keep Megs standing upright even when I first got him out of the packaging. So he was replaced with Bludgeon. Also, if you want a Megatron that's sort of G2, you're better off sticking with G1 Megatron since he's better as a tank.

G2 Megs was repainted as Cloud Megatron, which is in the more traditional G1 deco than GDO Megatron. I still don't care for this reuse since it's better for Bludgeon and the fact that we have a Megatron in tank form (unless you like weird reuses).

Although this was originally a repaint of MV1 Wreckage, I see this toy as a Bludgeon that not only homaged his G1 toy without the signature shell but also reflects his earlier appearance where he was beaten by Whirl and had to upgrade himself to the Voyager we have. Yes, really. I feel it's only good to get if you want the Wreckage mold but don't want the original deco it had. That or if you want to have him be a pre-samurai Bludgeon.

There are two upgrade kits made for Bludgeon as far as I can remember. The first comes from Headrobots, which is the Blood the Dark Warrior upgrade kit, giving Bludgeon two proper swords and a head sculpt that reflects on his Pretender head (along with a jawless face). While I'm 100% on board with the new swords, I honestly don't care for the alternate head since this isn't going to be G1 Bludgeon in my collection. Hasbro should instead make a new mold to reflect his comic appearance than to constantly repurpose his design.

If that wasn't enough, another third party upgrade kit (made by Maiden Japan) gives him the chest and boots of the Pretender. This kit really clashes with the rest of the toy's design worse than the Beewun robots did with the Transformers from the previous five movies. The boots look like they would squeak than belong on this toy.

Finally, Perfect Effect gives ROTF Bludgeon a bit of a different flair to this Bludgeon toy. This adds not just firepower but also two unique head sculpts. One of them is a smaller version of the stock head, while the one you see here reflects on him being possessed by a ghost in the fan comic. This would be neat to get in a way, though only for the weapons to give the tank mode more arsenal than it originally had.

This is a Prime Master version of Bludgeon. It's from Power of the Primes, which is unrelated to Revenge of the Fallen, but it's got a Bludgeon in it, and it's the only Prime Master worth getting IMO. Like the old Pretenders, it's a chunk of plastic that vaguely resembles a humanoid shape, especially from the sides. Also, the back looks hollow.

The arms can only move up and down. Same movement as the old Pretenders. The barrel of his weapon mode can either be a cannon or a...stick for him to beat his enemies on the head. But why use a weapon when he can be one himself? More onto that later.

Here is a size comparison with ROTF Bludgeon. This is about the height of an older Legends figure or a Cyberverse Legion figure.

The shell can open up and reveal Quintus Prime, which means this is a Bludgeon disguise and not quite the actual Bludgeon. Speaking of, there were cards that renamed a character from the line when they have the powers of a specific Prime Master. Can't believe people actually went nuts and tried to collect them all. Back on topic, this Prime Master's just in two colors and lacks paint in the face. There is a slight amount of orange when it's folded up as a Matrix core, but that's pretty much it.

The weapon mode looks a bit stupid but serviceable for what it's trying to be. At least there's more to do with these Pretenders than with the original ones. You can have the arms point up or not; it's up to you.

ROTF Bludgeon has a bit of compatibility with the toy. As you can see, he's able to wield him since the toy does have hands that can hold 5mm posts. They don't look like they do because of how they're shaped, but if at least the knife are anything to go by, then at least it's possible. As for the real Bludgeon toy itself, I love it! It's one of the better done off-screen ROTF figures, but I'd say that he's better than most toys made of characters that were in the film. The design is wicked, the tank mode looks great, and the only issues I have are the ugly gray parts on him. Beyond that, it's a great looking toy! I recommend that you pick him up when you see him in stores, but be sure to paint up parts of him when you see that ugly gray. That and to give him the proper swords.

Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Transformers Titans Return Bumblebee review

Bumblebee's G1 incarnation has been somewhat lukewarm with me when I started to get really obsessed with looking up the history of Transformers before 2007. I don't hate him 100%, but I feel that compared to his Movie, Animated, and TFP incarnations, along with his fellow yellow robot Hot Shot, generally have more energy and moments they stand out for as characters. G1 Bee doesn't need to be as outgoing as they are, but I'd like a bit more than "hey I'm the robot that hung out with that kid named Spike." His toys have generally been better than his character, though the Masterpieces I feel tend to be weaker offerings than some of the mainline stuff. Let's see if Titans Return Bumblebee manages to be a good mainline take on the character!

Here we have Titans Return Bumblebee in his vehicle mode. It's a nicely done take on the character's altmode without making him an unlicensed approximation of the Beetle. In a way, this feels more like a shrunken down version of Classics Bumblebee. There's some nice paint for the grills, front lights, and a side stripe for the altmode. The black paint used on the windows looks pretty good, and there aren't any real smears on it. The only additional paint that wasn't on this toy can be seen on the rims. Those were solid black on the original version, and I'm not going to stick with black rims.

The back has some nice red tail lights, which would have easily been missed by Hasbro, but they're not left out! Very nice touch! Also, this other detail would have been hard to pick out, but thanks to the use of a silver sharpie, I can confirm that the license plate says "100STRA". It's a reference to Movie Bumblebee's 900STRA license plate that most toys had.

Any Titan Master or Prime Master can sit inside Bumblebee, and it's a feature that several other Legends figures from Titans Return or Power of the Primes can do. Opening the cockpit was annoying to do, yet it is doable.

For a vehicle mode comparison, here is the Titans Return Bumblebee figure next to the Thrilling 30 version of the character. I added some paint on that toy, though that was years ago when I had little experience. The T30 Bumblebee is based on the More Than Meets The Eye incarnation of the character, which was a modified version of War for Cybertron Bumblebee. The version of the mold I have is from an Age of Extinction Evolution 2-pack, which means it was included with a Deluxe 2014 Bumblebee and its weapon was not Blazemaster, but a yellow repaint of Jolt's MechTech gun.

As for the differences between both modes, they do look good in their own rights, though I kind of expected T30 Bee to have the same height as his Titans Return counterpart. Then again, the altmode is supposed to look sleeker either way.

Bumblebee's transformation is simple like the rest of his Legends colleagues since 2013, but this figure does have a bit of an issue with the arms and the chest. Untabbing the shoulders feels a bit hard to do because of the lack of space, and the small size of the toy sort of keeps things from being a bit fluid. The rest of the transformation works well enough, though.

Here we have Titans Return Bumblebee in his robot mode. It sure does look like a smaller version of the Classics Deluxe but with differently handled arms this time around.

Bumblebee's head sculpt is pretty well done. Sure, doesn't have that more confident face that the card art has, but it's still better done than the Masterpiece faces.

Bee's articulation is not too shabby for a Legends figure. Head can swivel left and right, shoulders can move front and back on the ball joints while hinge in and out on the hinges (which were used for the transformation). The elbows are on ball joints, which means the forearms can bend and swivel a la an elbow swivel. Hips move front and back as well as in and out on a ball joint, they bend at the knee at a hinge, and they also hinge slightly at the ankle.

Bumblebee has no accessories included, though he can use 5mm compatible guns. The one I have here came from FOC Jazz. It looked puny on his hand, so onto the hand of Bumblebee it goes!

Here is a robot mode comparison between Titans Return and Thrilling 30. The T30 Legends is shorter than the TR one, and while I do appreciate the more unique design the T30 has, TR Bee wins with better plastic quality and having a more worthwhile transformation. It is kind of funny how the T30 Bee's arms are bulky but the feet look normal while the TR Bee has less bulky arms but larger feet.

This mold of Bumblebee hasn't been used as often, though there are at least two variants. This is Legends Bumblebee, which is repainted to better resemble his appearance in the cartoon. He has clear windows (surprising for a Legends figure), but he had fewer paint apps in vehicle mode while including the silver rims that I added on my Bumblebee. He included a Spike Witwicky Titan Master, which is modeled after the Exosuit from the 1986 movie and can become Cerebros's head.

The second use isn't another Bumblebee variant with slightly altered stripes, but it's Chase. Yes, a red repaint that's NOT called Cliffjumper. This red repaint gives the mold a new head and newer paint apps that were based on Chase, but Hasbro renamed him as Roadburn because it'd apparently confuse kids that are more used to the Rescue Bots Chase. Yeah.

Here is the toy with the shoulders reversed, which does look better but not quite functional for the transformation. As for my thoughts on the toy, it's a nicely done take on Bumblebee! It has the aesthetic of the Generations line for a classic Bumblebee, the plastic quality is much nicer than previous Legends figures, and the playability with the Titan Masters is nifty, though slightly annoying to get to. That said, if you haven't gotten this figure yet, you can easily get him right now or wait for the Earthrise version of the character, depending on when it will come out. Still, a nice figure to own.

Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐