-
Toy Review - Hot Rod (Studio Series 1986)
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-----------------------------------------------------
※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? ;)
-
Quote:
Originally Posted by
GoktimusPrime
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.
-
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Sutton
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 ;)
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Sutton
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. :)
-
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.
-
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).
-
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.
-
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.
