Toy Review - Hot Rod (Studio Series 1986)

[GoktimusPrime]

HOT ROD
Series - Studio Series
Sub-line - 86
Size/class - Voyager
New/remould/redeco - New
Wave - 1
Released here - December 2020
Approximate Retail Price - $45
Approximate Size - 16cm (up to spoiler tips), 14cm head height
Allegiance - Autobot
Alt-mode - Aviation on wheels
Main Features/Gimmicks - retractable visor & welding torch hand
Main Colours - red, orange, yellow
Main Accessories - x2 photon guns, buzz-saw hand, Matrix, blast/glow effects

https://i.ibb.co/f1BhYbN/86studioseries-hotrod01.jpg

https://i.ibb.co/ch4p92n/86studioseries-hotrod02.jpg

https://i.ibb.co/gT4b7r9/86studioseries-hotrod03.jpg

https://i.ibb.co/Kj6LFRw/86studioseries-hotrod04.jpg https://i.ibb.co/Fz1XTpV/86studioseries-hotrod05.jpg

https://i.ibb.co/0D5NGsV/86studioseries-hotrod06.jpg

https://i.ibb.co/BndXg4S/86studioseries-hotrod07.jpg

https://i.ibb.co/3d9B3jp/86studioseries-hotrod08.jpg https://i.ibb.co/tYr4tns/86studioseries-hotrod09.jpg

https://i.ibb.co/g7YSm8M/86studioseries-hotrod10.jpg

https://i.ibb.co/WHzDrFB/86studioseries-hotrod11.jpg

https://i.ibb.co/g6hrQhg/86studioseries-CARS1.jpg

https://i.ibb.co/R4nWc9z/86studioseries-CARS2.jpg

[Gehirn]

Really liking this figure. The first Hot Rod I've had that I think has nailed the look and everything.
Only issue is the shoulders being tight. Feel as though I'm going to break them when swinging them back for transformation.

[Tha_Phantom]

They've nailed the overall look in both modes and the back kibble is pretty much non-existent (I'd forgive it anyway, but it deserves praise when they can avoid it). Articulation is amazing aside from the tight shoulders mentioned above and there is plenty of accessories which makes the MP redundant IMO.
Only issue I really have is getting the vehicle mode to fit together 100%, as mine ends up with a gap in the windowline. Anyone else?

Edit: figured out what I was doing wrong. The window gap is still there, but it's very very slight. Gotta say this guy rolls quite well too, another advantage over the MP.

[GoktimusPrime]

Thoughts:
Robot mode is luxurious. The built in visor and welding hand are really neat, as is the ability to attach the spinning laser disc. Double-jointed knees are also a nice touch.
Transformation may require tedious panel massaging, and even then not all panels may sit flush
What's up with that yellow hinge? It ruins the look of the roof, and quite frankly at a Voyager price point I would expect them to just mould that hinge in red plastic to colour match it.
Shoulders; the lateral movement on mine is a bit tight but otherwise okay, but The_Scream_Man also said that his ones are really tight like Gehirn's. Upward medial articulation is super easy, however, there seems to be a lack of horizontal medial articulation.
I like the inclusion of the toy-accurate photon blasters - the first CHUG※ Hot Rod toy to do so.

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※Yeah, I know that this is technically Studio Series, but how many people here are putting these toys on their CHUG shelves vs their Studio Series/Bayformer shelves? ;)

[Sutton]

I like the inclusion of the toy-accurate photon blasters - the first CHUG? Hot Rod toy to do so.
-----------------------------------------------------
?Yeah, I know that this is technically Studio Series, but how many people here are putting these toys on their CHUG shelves vs their Studio Series/Bayformer shelves? ;)

Oh, I am thankyou very much - right next to my DOTM Megatron, they go together really well! :p *SARCASM*

I can understand the logistics behind why they've done it, but they could have tried a little harder to hide the CHUG lineage in these figures - it comes with the same Matrix as Earthrise Optimus, and there's blast effects for crying out loud.

But if moving CHUG to Studio Series is what it takes to get a Hot Rod this good then I'm okay with it.

It's also interesting to note so many of the important Autobot characters being sold at the 'wrong' size class to give them the budget to do them spectacularly well. Voyager Optimus sold as a Leader, Deluxe Hot Rod sold as a Voyager, and Scout VW Bumblebee sold as a Deluxe - which frees up the budget for articulation, paint, parts-count, accessories. I personally think it's a great move but also took some bravery on someone's part at Hasbro/Takara to go in this direction.

[GoktimusPrime]

But if moving CHUG to Studio Series is what it takes to get a Hot Rod this good then I'm okay with it.
CHUGURSS ;)


It's also interesting to note so many of the important Autobot characters being sold at the 'wrong' size class to give them the budget to do them spectacularly well. Voyager Optimus sold as a Leader, Deluxe Hot Rod sold as a Voyager, and Scout VW Bumblebee sold as a Deluxe - which frees up the budget for articulation, paint, parts-count, accessories. I personally think it's a great move but also took some bravery on someone's part at Hasbro/Takara to go in this direction.
Or just for people to remember that these aren't really size classes, they're price points. :)

[Initial_G]

Thx for the quick write up :)

Are you able to show some side by side pics with their Titans Returns counterparts? I was interested to see how they compare.

[GoktimusPrime]

I've sold my TR Hot Rod, Kup and Blurr, so I'm unable to take comparison pics. Surely someone else can. I'll take comparison pics with Classics/Generations and G1 later, as well as comparison pics between MP and SS86 Hot Rods (but if someone else wants to go ahead and do that first, then be my guest).

[Bidoofdude]

I got Hot Rod the other week, he is a very impressive figure. While he is deluxe in size, the budget differences between this figure and retail deluxes is noticeable. Paint and colours are spot on to his movie appearance for the most part. The figure feels solid and hefty, no hollow-feeling bits. Transformation is quite complex for a figure this size. In this way it can be a bit finnicky and sometimes it feels like the alt mode parts only slightly won't sit completely flush. The alt mode feels much smaller than the robot, if not a bit squashed, but doesn't falter on accuracy very much. The last minute change to the yellow hinge piece on the roof is really annoying, and ruins a lot of the aesthetic charm of the sports car.

The thing that is used to excuse Hot Rod to the voyager price point is the array of accessories that he comes with. All of them look great, and it's really nice to have so many options that are all memorable in their own way. That said, I ultimately think that I won't end up using them very much and they will sit off to the side, but that's just me. The only ones in current use are the matrix and its accompanying blue glowy effect part. They're good but due to the handles of the matrix and the arms/hands/fingers, he can really only hold it in a single position at sternum height. I haven't been able to get mine to hold the matrix overhead with stability, which is a shame. The size of the matrix itself is preferable, as it means it can also be held by other figures such as Scourge with less issues than past versions (POTP and the metal Battle in Space/New Year Special ones).

I like Hot Rod overall, he looks phenomenal next to other recent '86 bots like Siege Springer and Magnus, as well as some slightly older figures like Legends Arcee, Kup and Blurr. The quality and nice accessories make it just worth the $50 asking price for me, as a definitive Hot Rod figure that surely won't be replaced soon. I'd be interested to see how this figure would have turned out if it were tailored to the $35 deluxe price point.

[klystron]

Solid effort by Hasbro. This figure looks amazing. As do most of the new SS86 (and ER and Kingdom) offerings.
Personally I'm not a huge fan of Hot Rod, so I'll be skipping. I'll stick with my PotP Hot Rod / Rodimus, which is the extent of my love for this character.

[GoktimusPrime]

Personally I'm not a huge fan of Hot Rod, so I'll be skipping. I'll stick with my PotP Hot Rod / Rodimus, which is the extent of my love for this character.
Best to skip this toy if you don't love Hot Rod, cos he comes with the Matrix which in TFTM he only uses twice... once when he caught it from Optimus Prime's dying hand before passing it onto its rightful heir, Ultra Magnus... and again when he opens the Matrix and becomes Rodimus Prime. Yyeeeeaaahhh... rubbing salt deep into that wound! :D

[doublespy]

I want to get this out of the way right off the bat: this is the best G1-inspired Hot Rod we've ever gotten imho, including the two previous MP attempts. The 'bot mode wins hands down and the vehicle mode is quite respectable all things considered.

VEHICLE MODE:
Beautiful looking car mode. Much better than I'd anticipated given how cartoon accurate the 'bot mode is within a retail budget. The back of the car is the only thing that isn't toon accurate. I don't mind the yellow and grey hinges here as they are the PVC/nylon type of plastic and had to be cast in the same mold as other parts; yellow to go with the the spoiler piece, grey with the fists and neck.

The effect parts fit on two of the three exhaust pipes and they look awesome here.

On my copy, there's small fitment issues on one of the exhaust pipes (which seems to be a common issue), and on one of the head pieces, but overall a very respectable vehicle mode.

https://i.imgur.com/SHBAJUGh.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/eJU0XNvh.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/vQE9id3h.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/fV9vLxSh.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/4N8Df01h.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/Mgzaj4ih.jpg

TRANSFORMATION:
Designer Yuya Onishi also designed MP-28 Hot Rod. I assume MP-28 having the MP status had many more "marks to tick off" - such as no fake chest, back of car mode also needs to be toon accurate, and accurate backpack in 'bot mode etc. - than this SS86 figure which is ultimately still a retail figure; I can look at the compromises made on MP-28 more objectively, such as the less-than ideal proportions, and the backpack.
You can tell the designer really went to town here on SS86 Hot Rod, without having to tick certain marks off,
and the result shows. It's not that he got much better at designing, it's just that he's working with less limiting parameters this time around.

I do love how he managed to incorporate the arm and lower body twists in the transformation, just like the Look out mountain scene.

https://i.imgur.com/9yt1TQuh.jpg

'BOT MODE:
I have zero complaints here. There are a few inaccuracies of course, but what's important to me is the designer nailed the proportions here which neither of the MP figures quite got right.

The articulation is fantastic. Butterfly joints, double-jointed knees, front to back toe hinge (that's not fail like Siege Springer's), the works. This thing is an ab crunch away from a modern-era MP level articulation.

The accessories are all real nice too. The flip down visor blew my mind. This being executed on a Deluxe-sized figure alone already made me feel Hot Rod is worth the Voyager price point.

https://i.imgur.com/EPANmRdh.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/N8YFOKFh.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/ziGbjF9h.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/jgWVrhqh.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/XyIsyIMh.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/cGDgpq9h.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/JfyvGRoh.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/Sj3zOc9h.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/WnCBO3Yh.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/C3uWmc5h.jpg

OVERALL:
A great start to the SS86 line. I'd be eagerly waiting for that rumored Rodimus Prime to drop

[Silverbolt]

Oh boy, where to start. I absolutely love this figure. This is basically a deluxe sized figure with a voyager level transformation and a variety of accessories. You've got to be careful around the shoulder of the figure as i found them to be a bit still and hard to move making me afraid it may break. When i compaired it to my CHUG Hotrod the SS86 hotrod is just slightly taller. But when i transformed them i was surprised at how small the SS86 version is compared to its earlier CHUG counterpart. There is a lot of bot packed into that alt mode. It a bit like comparing first edition Prime bulkhead and Animated Bulkhead.

[yoshi594]

Love this figure. Best of the bunch by far. Scourge is larger but hot rod is the better figure.
Only gripe is the weird way the arms work (hard to pose naturally without a lot of fiddling) and the yellow part of the hood in car mode.

I reckon there will be the eventual target master double dip. If they go that route, hope they go the masterpiece route with a different deco (more magenta).

[Kyle]

This really is a mini-Masterpiece.

https://i.ibb.co/Mh1h28s/2021-01-13-10-30-28.jpg

[Tetsuwan Convoy]

WAITASEC, he has a little eye visor as well?
RARGH! want has bypassed acceptable levels!
Still got a couple of months to wait Japan, cyamon!

[sideswipes brother]

Just got this guy today..... i very much approve....yes i do.

[Skyfire]

I had a lot of trouble with the lower leg red ensemble staying clipped into the front part of the lower leg. Then I made a discovery. If the foot is tilted out too much (to the little toe side), the grey plastic piece that connects the foot rubs against the curved red panel that tucks inside the leg cavity. As the foot tilts and the grey piece rotates upwards, that piece pushes more against the curving out surface. This springs the red ensemble out and stops it from clipping.

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51102651547_b38ca80f36_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2kRLrV6)


Tilting the foot inwards (towards the big toe) solved my problem.

[Tetsuwan Convoy]

He came out on Saturday here in the land of the aged sun. I bought one. Off the shelf no less, a definite rare occasion for me.
I must say say he looks pretty small in his voyager box, but pretty nice. I think quality wise he definitely is built better than a deluxe, but the accessories alone don't push him ito the voyager type feel for me. More of a deluxe and a half in a way. Like CJ and bumblee are scouts and a half I guess. It's weird. Having said all that though, I got him for a satisfactory price and am pretty happy about that. I think had I payed taktoms rrp of 5000 yennies, I'd feel a bit less well disposed towards him, but as it is I didn't and I am happy with him.

Great articulation, especially in the legs, the shoulders feel a little tight and a tad restricted due to the way they are connected to the main body. I really dig the inclusion of the Visor. Used how many times? Once? But it needs to be there.
The accessories are nice and fun. I really like the way the saw blade was sculpted with circular motion um, motions on it. The guns are not duplicates of each other either. Of this I approve! Finally the Matrix. A great little accessory and the light burst is a very nice addition. you can even hold it up to the lights for some bling bling action! The blast effects are.. ok. Better off for the car mode I think. Despite me previously complaining about his small size as a voyager, the smaller size fit Hot Rod. A voyager would be too big for the young guy.

Vehicle mode, is... wide. I very much prefer the MP version for vehicle mode, something just looks a bit off with this one. Maybe too cartoony looking? Too flat? Too wide? To stubby? I dunno, I can't quite put my finger on it. Also, that damn piece of yellow hinge. WHY? Why isn't it red? It would fit in better.

So overall, worth it. I like him, he's fun and good looking and scratches most of the itches that need scratching.


Must buy? Yes, but not at full price.

Oh a slight side note it would seem that Takara are still making their own boxes (well the back) for the studio series. Kingdom/Siege/Earthrise have just had th e hasbro packaging with a big sticker slapped over them. Studio Series seems to have a Japanese Printing especially done for them. (although the Studio Series have consistently had JP printings.)

[High_Q]

Vehicle mode, is... wide. I very much prefer the MP version for vehicle mode, something just looks a bit off with this one. Maybe too cartoony looking? Too flat? Too wide? To stubby? I dunno, I can't quite put my finger on it.

For me, SS86 Hot Rod's alt mode is ugly because, from the side view, the thickest part of the car is its centre. MP-28's alt mode was perfect, with the thickest / tallest section around 3/4 to the back of the car, making it sleek, like a retro 70s supercar. MP-9 alt mode isn't too bad either.

Really unfortunate since SS86 Hot Rod in bot mode is a better overall representation of the animation model than MP-9 and MP-28.

[Butcher31]

I've been keeping records of parts counts and weights of my figures, then running regression analysis to see how strong the correlation is with price. It's pretty strong. And this figure has a lot more parts than your standard deluxe and actually more than your standard voyager. So on paper it's better "value for money" than a lot of other voyager figures.
Although this is just one way to describe "value". I know it's very subjective.

[Tetsuwan Convoy]

I've been keeping records of parts counts and weights of my figures, then running regression analysis to see how strong the correlation is with price. It's pretty strong. And this figure has a lot more parts than your standard deluxe and actually more than your standard voyager. So on paper it's better "value for money" than a lot of other voyager figures.
Although this is just one way to describe "value". I know it's very subjective.

Get yer logic and reasoning outta here mate. :p ;)

Yeah, I can feel the quality and its plain to see its obviously more than a deluxe size could handle.

[Skyfire]

Get yer logic and reasoning outta here mate. :p ;)

But I want MORE independent variables - number of metal pins, number of different colours, number of tampos... Then we can go full blown multiple regression :cool:!

Or maybe just Pearson correlation since it's the moulds that cost 10s or 100s of thousands of dollars i.e. part count (mould count) vs price.

And so ends the lesson in becoming a Hasbro accountant :).

[Butcher31]

Get yer logic and reasoning outta here mate. :p ;)

Yeah, I can feel the quality and its plain to see its obviously more than a deluxe size could handle.

Sorry. You're right. I'll see myself out.

I included screws and pins but they don't make a difference to the price. Yeah, including paint and tampos would be interesting.

[Dimi194]

So I initially had 0 interest in this figure because I already owned the TR version (as with Kup and Blurr) - but when I was in Kmart and looking closely at him I realised just how nice he looked...

And wow I'm so glad I got this guy! The robot mode is excellent, and all the accessories are really nice (wish the Matrix blast effect used the 5mm hole on the back to connect so it could be used on more figures though). The articulation is just next level, and even the touches like the opening hands and flip down glasses really show why this guy is at the voyager price point.
He's also one of the first figures I've bought in a while (non-movie SS at least) that I needed to look at the instructions to transform - I was shocked that things like the hands flipping was done purely for robot mode and had nothing to do with the transformation!

Car mode is nice - slight shame about the knees sticking out the back, and mushroom wheels SUCK but the rest looks great (including the lovely spoiler) and the yellow hinge doesn't bother me too much.

A fine piece of engineering - if I didn't have such an attachment to the TR Blurr (even with his bland colours) I'd certianly think about biting on the SS86 version of him too!

[KELPIE]

Was given another copy of this guy for Christmas, which was ripe for an opening.

Yet another great example of why fake parts inherently make transformer toys better. Apart from a dogged purist mentality, I can't fathom why people are against it.

It would have been nice if the shoulders could "pop out" so the bot mode was less straight when his arms were by his side.

Overall a pretty special figure that's hard to see another Hot Rod topping for some time.

[SharkyMcShark]

Yet another great example of why fake parts inherently make transformer toys better.

I don't think that word means what you think it does?



Apart from a dogged purist mentality, I can't fathom why people are against it.


Because it depends what you want from a figure.

If you want source accuracy at times it's the only way literally, or practically, to achieve that.

If you don't care for source accuracy and your interest is in the engineering/transformation process it's a real turn off.

[KELPIE]

I don't think that word means what you think it does?

"in a permanent, essential, or characteristic way."
Seems to work for me, however sure, I could be wrong.


Because it depends what you want from a figure.

If you want source accuracy at times it's the only way literally, or practically, to achieve that.

If you don't care for source accuracy and your interest is in the engineering/transformation process it's a real turn off.
You don't think this figure has a good engineering/transformation process? I would almost say it's even more interesting in trying to hide/duplicate aesthetics to make sure both modes look good over just shifting something from one spot to the other.