Hot Shot

Height: 14.5cm to top of head, 16.5cm to top of back in Robot Mode; 5cm to top of body, 14cm front-to-back in Vehicle Mode.

Articulation: 11 joints in Robot Mode: swivel neck; 3 joints in each arm- double-jointed shoulder, ball-jointed elbow; 2 joints in each leg- ball-jointed hip, hinged knee. Various other joints associated with transformation.

Accessories: Missile Launcher, Cyber Planet Key (Speed Planet).

Colors: Molded light pearlescent blue, dark blue, dark red, clear yellow, and clear red plastic. Painted yellow, silver, red, light pearlescent blue, white (Autobot emblem background), chrome silver (Speed Planet elblem) and sky blue (eyes).

Release Data: Released late June/early July 2005 with an MSRP of $9.99. Still widely available as of this writing (July 25th, 2005)

Gallery: 8 images.

Author: RAC

The Figure

In recent years, Transformers has developed a core cast. In addition to the omnipresent Optimus Prime and Megatron, the last three versions of the line have all included versions of Jetfire, Starscream, and Hot Shot, whose Cybertron incarnation is the subject of this review. Hot Shot's name is pretty self-explanatory- he's usually the requisite "brash young kid" of the Autobots- a role previously filled by the similarly-named Hot Rod. This is not all they have in common, as you'll soon see.

Vehicle Mode

Hot Shot is a fairly sleek-looking sportscar, though as you'd expect he's not any make that's recognizeable. His windows and headlights are tinted yellow, and an interior is visible through the windshield, even if it is undersized. Undersized enough, at least, that you get the impression that Hot Shot would be about the size of a tank if seen in 1/1 scale. There's a small dark blue and silver block on the roof- on top is a hardpoint for mounting the missile launcher, and the Cyber Planet Key is inserted in the back. The Autobot emblem on his hood is small enough that his Vehicle Mode could actually work as a disguise, which is nice. And finally, he rolls very smoothly and easily.

Paint and Detailing

Hot Shot's detailing is very nice in both modes, but the bulk of his paint applications are visible in Robot Mode. In particular, his torso is nicely done, with silver and yellow highlighting the detail here and keeping the blues of the color scheme from getting too subdued for the character. There's a red spot in the center of his chest which seems a pretty natural spot for an Autobot insignia, even though there isn't one there. Either way, the bright red on his chest and shoulders complement the dark red of his limbs nicely, and together the reds serve as a nice counterpoint to the blue that makes up most of his body.

The only questionable design choice is the use of clear yellow plastic on Hot Shot's forehead. It looks okay, but I'm not sure that solid yellow wouldn't have been better.

Vehicle Mode gets 8/10

Sculpt and Deco gets 8/10

Robot Mode

While there is some resemblance to Hot Rod in Vehicle Mode, it's all too obvious in Robot Mode. The way the top of the car becomes his back, the shape of the "collar" section of his torso, and the design of the lower legs are all taken directly from Hot Rod. Also, molded into the interior of the car doors on Hot Shot's forearms are three gun barrels- a nod to the chromed tailpipes that became weapons for Hot Rod. However, all is not the same, besides the obvious question of color- for one, Hot Shot has far broader shoulders, and these make him look a good bit more powerful than Hot Rod. Also, his head is far more ornate, and looks more like a helmet with visor. Though there is a fair bit of Hot Rod styling to his design, Hot Shot does have his own identity, and that's good.

Articulation is fair, but not great. The head gets a full 360 degrees of swivel. The shoulders only have decent range if the back piece is aligned exactly, but there doesn't seem to be any way to lock it into place. The elbows are ball-jointed, and have a good range. There's no waist, and the hips are shaped in such a way as to limit the ball-joints severely when trying to swing out to the side- the only way to do it effectively is to swing the leg forward, then out. The knees work well enough, though- you can get a solid ninety degrees out of them. Like nearly all Transformers he has no ankles, but his lower legs are blocky enough that some limited balancing is possible. He's not an acrobat, but neither is he a statue.

Robot Mode gets 7/10

Accessories

-Missile Launcher

Every Transformer gets at least one. It's a clear yellow piece with a dark blue tip, a maroon trigger, and a clear yellow missile that fires with fairly respectable range and force. It mounts on Vehicle Mode very well, but his forearms are pretty short, which means holding his weapon limits the range of his elbow.

-Cyber Planet Key

A clear red plastic key marked in chrome with the Speed Planet emblem, and then ringed in silver with what appears to be a steering wheel and a few gauges of the type you'd see in a car. It's hollow, and on the reverse side is a code that can be entered at the official Transformers site to unlock a short description of Hot Shot and some design artwork.

When you plug this into Hot Shot's back in either mode, the homage is complete- yellow wings pop out of his back, making him look very much like a bluer and more broad-shouldered Hot Rod. The wings are broader than his shoulders in Robot Mode, which really does balance the tallness of the back piece very well. In Vehicle Mode, the wings are probably too broad to pass off as a spoiler, which is what they were supposed to be on the original Hot Rod. Here, they look more like a Flight Mode, which I rather like. The Key locks into place just firmly enough that you can leave it attached if you so desire.

I'm torn on this, but I like it so far. Features like this are very much like what we got with Armada and Mini-Cons, but I think a small, concealable slot to plug a Key into is aesthetically superior to all those knobby little posts sticking up all over the robots. On the other hand, the Mini-Cons themselves were pretty neat overall, oftentimes moreso than the features they unlocked on any given toy. All in all, I call it a draw.

Accessories get 7/10

Closing Remarks:

Hot Shot is a solid Transformer who looks good in both modes, but could've done with a bit more articulation for my tastes. As I said though, visually he can't be faulted, both as a Hot Rod reference and as a character unto himself. And his accessories are good- there's not anything else he really needs to have. His Cyber Planet Key feature is fairly nifty, and so far it looks like the Cybertron line's central gimmick will be an entertaining one.

I paid the MSRP for Hot Shot, and I think that was just about right. He's a Very Good figure, and well worth the time and money of anyone who's going to be buying the Cybertron line.

-RAC 7/25/2005