Colour Images of Masterpiece Hot Rod (Hot Rodimus) with Price, Release Date and Alt Mode Revealed

Looking forward to Kup, Blurr and Arcee (in that order) getting similar treatments in the future.

So can this Hot Rod turn into Rodimus Prime (sans trailer) too?

They really have to see if the Targetmaster accessory from the Hasbro Rodimus V1 can be included again.

Honestly, the vehicle mode is a bit underwhelming. I don't know, maybe my expectations were too high. No Firebolt?
I'd gladly give up that fishing pole (especially when there's no Daniel) for a Targetmaster. Still getting the figure, though.

The legs still look a little skinny even with the colors, but I think they did the best they could for a voyager sized figure honestly. His legs never seemed like part of the vehicle in the animation model, so it was probably a tough call. Although MP-09 looks a better IMHO, I will be more than content with better engineering than MP-09. The new size is also a neat aesthetic.

With the lighter colors of his boots, it seems to pretty much indicate that this is Hot Rod, and may not really have Rodimus Prime mode down the road.

Is it just me, or do his spoiler-wings look angled up slightly in vehicle mode? I hope they aren't...

Artilleron wrote:The legs still look a little skinny even with the colors, but I think they did the best they could for a voyager sized figure honestly. His legs never seemed like part of the vehicle in the animation model, so it was probably a tough call. Although MP-09 looks a better IMHO, I will be more than content with better engineering than MP-09. The new size is also a neat aesthetic.

With the lighter colors of his boots, it seems to pretty much indicate that this is Hot Rod, and may not really have Rodimus Prime mode down the road.

Is it just me, or do his spoiler-wings look angled up slightly in vehicle mode? I hope they aren't...

And you'll still pick this one up.

Well done on the deco and accessories.
The legs are a little thin but overall, very happy with this.

I wasn't really into this guy at first but these color pictures are really making me like him. I wasn't really a masterpiece guy but then I got acid storm and sunstorm cheap and then decided I should probably get mp10, then I realised I don't have a lot of decepticons so I ordered exhaust and now this guy and shockwave are coming out and I'm considering tracks/road rage. I didn't know how slippery of a slope this was going to be...

I think the fins are a hairs-breath angled upward, I think they were like that in the animation. In the show or movie did Hot-Rod ever use those twin guns? I always seem to remember it using the side exhaust lasers. Was the wrist saw really THAT big?

This is where I wish they wouldn't take the cartoon's look so literally. I just want the flame deco to look like it did on the G1 toy's chest.






The toy looks great except for that fact to me. It looks like it comes with all of the desired accessories that should come with Hot Rodimus (minus a hoverboarding Daniel figure). Looking forward to it!

I think I'm in on this, but I too wish he was a little more like the OG toy. The skinny legs are too cartoon, and I always liked the pipes and the shin details on his legs.
Funny what good some color and some action poses can do though. The fishing pole is awesome. Daniel will wait with Dad in Ultra Magnus until Rod gets here.

Any word on who designed this one? He giving off a strong Ironhide vibe.

Oh, i need this so much

He looks ok. MP9 is still a more intricate and detailed figure to look at... Not so good to handle, and risky to transform, gives it a "im not a toy feel" its a very complex construction that make MP5 and MP9 feel like they are meant to be handled by profesional transforming and skilled hands.

Now this looks like a toy, its superior in simplicity and I bet, transforming engineering, but its too flat.

Im going to get it, mainly to display in vehicle form, hoping it fits into rodimus MP9 trailer. For display robot form, good ol MP 9 and MP9b are just superior in detail...

Thanks for the comparisons. He still looks pretty ok to me.

It will be mine. It'll be a good counterpoint to Alternators Rodimus flanking MP-09 on the shelf.


Man, we're just not getting any hoverboards are we? It's 2015 dammit!

Eh... it looks weird. The arms look too long or something and the chest too flat? I dunno. I don't bother with Masterpiece figures anyways. Way too expensive and full of problems. If they used the general designs for cheaper regular Generations figures I'd be more forgiving of any flaws.

I dunno ... the whole chest looks far too flat and rectangular, not very "sleek" for Hot Rod. Plus there's all that junk in his trunk ... or is it just his trunk?
(It's early, I'm still waking up, I'll make as many bad jokes as I want!)

zodconvoy wrote:Man, we're just not getting any hoverboards are we? It's 2015 dammit!

Well played good sir, well played ...

Hot Rod looks ok and I'm getting him, but he just doesn't wow me like all of the other car bots (yes, even Bumblebee)do.

At least I don't hate this guy like I do MP Ironhide.

I think the new Hot Rod looks better definitely. I am happy with it.

Not a perfect robot mode but it isn't bad. The chest really suffers from being so flat IMO. Chicken legs are a little funny too. I want to see how he fits in standing next to the other MP cars.

Doctor McGrath wrote:Not a perfect robot mode but it isn't bad. The chest really suffers from being so flat IMO. Chicken legs are a little funny too. I want to see how he fits in standing next to the other MP cars.

Chicken legs?!? He doesn't have chicken legs! They look perfectly strait to me...

SillySpringer wrote:

Doctor McGrath wrote:Not a perfect robot mode but it isn't bad. The chest really suffers from being so flat IMO. Chicken legs are a little funny too. I want to see how he fits in standing next to the other MP cars.

Chicken legs?!? He doesn't have chicken legs! They look perfectly strait to me...

Chicken legs in the sense that they are super skinny, like he's been skipping leg day in the gym.

OMG they actually included the fishing rod. Well it would of been silly to release Hot Rod without his rod.

Doctor McGrath wrote:Not a perfect robot mode but it isn't bad. The chest really suffers from being so flat IMO. Chicken legs are a little funny too. I want to see how he fits in standing next to the other MP cars.

I totally agree with the chest, and I see what people are saying about the legs but they honestly don't bother me.

Doctor McGrath wrote:

SillySpringer wrote:

Doctor McGrath wrote:Not a perfect robot mode but it isn't bad. The chest really suffers from being so flat IMO. Chicken legs are a little funny too. I want to see how he fits in standing next to the other MP cars.

Chicken legs?!? He doesn't have chicken legs! They look perfectly strait to me...

Chicken legs in the sense that they are super skinny, like he's been skipping leg day in the gym.

The chest looks a bit flat, but it doesn't bother me. I think it still looks WAY better than the MP Rodimus, and I'm hoping a 3rd party company comes out with a trailer for him, that combines with him in robot mode, to enable his to be fully Rodimus Prime.

I will be picking up this Hot Rod, but I still think MP-09 has the better proportions. The hands are better on this version, but really, screw holes on his wrist? That and the chest are the only gripes I have.

dabattousai wrote:I will be picking up this Hot Rod, but I still think MP-09 has the better proportions. The hands are better on this version, but really, screw holes on his wrist? That and the chest are the only gripes I have.

But HEY, at least he looks MUCH better than MP Ironhide.

SillySpringer wrote:The chest looks a bit flat, but it doesn't bother me. I think it still looks WAY better than the MP Rodimus, and I'm hoping a 3rd party company comes out with a trailer for him, that combines with him in robot mode, to enable his to be fully Rodimus Prime.

Could you just not go out and buy MP Rodimus Prime?

Burn wrote:

SillySpringer wrote:The chest looks a bit flat, but it doesn't bother me. I think it still looks WAY better than the MP Rodimus, and I'm hoping a 3rd party company comes out with a trailer for him, that combines with him in robot mode, to enable his to be fully Rodimus Prime.

Could you just not go out and buy MP Rodimus Prime?

Probably will be the same price and be official

Animation model comparison:

Not nearly as flattering as your Shockwave comparisons.

The chest is really killing it.

Talk about dull, Daniel.

It feels a little early for a Hot Rod redux. Does this mean they're going to have another crack at the retro/future Winnebago?

The comparison shots Sabr posted make the new toy a little too fat in both robot and alt-mode. I don't think the fuller flame deco does the width any favors.

Burn wrote:The chest is really killing it.

Yeah, that's what gets me as well. Otherwise, it's pretty good. Looks like they nailed the vehicle mode (which is what I'll be using this figure for) and the legs are better than MP-09. But yeah, that chest...

And am I the only one who's snickering at this image?



Rod holding is rod.

RiddlerJ wrote:So can this Hot Rod turn into Rodimus Prime (sans trailer) too?

They really have to see if the Targetmaster accessory from the Hasbro Rodimus V1 can be included again.

I have the Hasbro release with the targetmaster. I find these
two figures too similar to justify.I know there were mold issues on the original figure but did they justify a new figure.

Burn wrote:

SillySpringer wrote:The chest looks a bit flat, but it doesn't bother me. I think it still looks WAY better than the MP Rodimus, and I'm hoping a 3rd party company comes out with a trailer for him, that combines with him in robot mode, to enable his to be fully Rodimus Prime.

Could you just not go out and buy MP Rodimus Prime?

Is there really that much difference between the two?

I prefer the new toy for be sturdier and supporting "play value" over cosmetics. That said, I think I'd support it more if they molded the hands on, redid the spoiler and pipes for toy safety, and just released it as a $30 Combiner Wars Voyager.

Rodimus Prime wrote:

Burn wrote:The chest is really killing it.

Yeah, that's what gets me as well. Otherwise, it's pretty good. Looks like they nailed the vehicle mode (which is what I'll be using this figure for) and the legs are better than MP-09. But yeah, that chest...

And am I the only one who's snickering at this image?



Rod holding is rod.

My mind went there too. Odd pose.

Seibertron wrote:

Rodimus Prime wrote:

Burn wrote:The chest is really killing it.

Yeah, that's what gets me as well. Otherwise, it's pretty good. Looks like they nailed the vehicle mode (which is what I'll be using this figure for) and the legs are better than MP-09. But yeah, that chest...

And am I the only one who's snickering at this image?



Rod holding is rod.

My mind went there too. Odd pose.

Yeah I wonder if that is a real fishing rod, or his hot rod.

SillySpringer wrote:

Seibertron wrote:

Rodimus Prime wrote:

Burn wrote:The chest is really killing it.

Yeah, that's what gets me as well. Otherwise, it's pretty good. Looks like they nailed the vehicle mode (which is what I'll be using this figure for) and the legs are better than MP-09. But yeah, that chest...

And am I the only one who's snickering at this image?



Rod holding is rod.

My mind went there too. Odd pose.

Yeah I wonder if that is a real fishing rod, or his hot rod.

.............just no

The animation model comparisons just took the wind out of my wings. That and the arms look a bit too long

D-Maximus_Prime wrote:

SillySpringer wrote:

Seibertron wrote:

Rodimus Prime wrote:

Burn wrote:The chest is really killing it.

Yeah, that's what gets me as well. Otherwise, it's pretty good. Looks like they nailed the vehicle mode (which is what I'll be using this figure for) and the legs are better than MP-09. But yeah, that chest...

And am I the only one who's snickering at this image?



Rod holding is rod.

My mind went there too. Odd pose.

Yeah I wonder if that is a real fishing rod, or his hot rod.

.............just no

I don't care if someone kills me because I made that joke, it was just too brilliant not to say it.

Dick jokes aside, I bet he looks horrible in the fishing pose from any other angle than the one the picture is taken. Look at the gap between the shoulder & torso the fishing pole is trying to cover up. Cool he has this type of poseability but I doubt my copy will ever be doing this.

Doctor McGrath wrote:Dick jokes aside, I bet he looks horrible in the fishing pose from any other angle than the one the picture is taken. Look at the gap between the shoulder & torso the fishing pole is trying to cover up. Cool he has this type of poseability but I doubt my copy will ever be doing this.

Yikes. I hadn't noticed that.

Ironhidensh wrote:

Burn wrote:

SillySpringer wrote:The chest looks a bit flat, but it doesn't bother me. I think it still looks WAY better than the MP Rodimus, and I'm hoping a 3rd party company comes out with a trailer for him, that combines with him in robot mode, to enable his to be fully Rodimus Prime.

Could you just not go out and buy MP Rodimus Prime?

Is there really that much difference between the two?

This one's smaller, so it's really only good for Hot Rod rather than Rodimus Prime.

Yah the chest is just awkward. I'd rather him look better in robot mode than vehicle mode. I think for most of us, he'll be in robot mode anyways on display.

Seibertron wrote:Yah the chest is just awkward. I'd rather him look better in robot mode than vehicle mode. I think for most of us, he'll be in robot mode anyways on display.

Bingo. The only ones I have in alt mode are duplicate Optimus Primes. Everything else gets displayed in robot mode.

I really was hoping it was an early prototype we first saw, then they could have done something about that blocky chest and that massive backpack, sadly, looks like this is what we're going to get.

Anyone wanna bet my stinky Whirl he gets revisited AGAIN within 10 years?

Burn wrote:Anyone wanna bet my stinky Whirl he gets revisited AGAIN within 10 years?

It would make sense since that'd be the 40th anniversary of the 1986 movie.

That next year is the 30th anniversary of that movie is also why I think Takara decided to revisit him for a 2016 release.

See, this is good case of why I've never been a fan of the G1 cartoon or G1 toon accuracy in the toys. The cartoon models were crummy approximations full of cheats and trickery so they could pump out those shows on a low budget. I saw it when I was 9, and I see it now. They streamlined and simplified important kibble ( ) that, in toy form were some of the most interesting and defining aesthetics of the characters.

This Hot Rod's legs are a perfect example. They are completely kibble free. So now you have to build a box to contain them in alt mode. Which leads to over panelocity! By removing the kibble from his legs they now have to shove it all up his torso, which in turn yields a massive back pack and that goofy chest.
The old toy had cool legs! He had wheels and pipes hanging off 'em, and looked tuff. the Classics Hot Rod did it even better. Sometimes I just wish they would try to find the happy medium between toon and toy accurate. 2 dimensional drawings can't function in 3 dimensional space, and that's OK. Hot Rod is a badarss sharp shooting warrior, not a ballet dancer. Put some meat on those gams.

It makes me wonder if Hot Rod is going to be our first Masterpiece SHELLFORMER?!?!


Now all that being said, I'm still gonna try this figure out, because I'm a sucker for cool robot toys!