Hot Rod

"If you're gonna ride Danno, ride in style!"

Name: Hot Rod
Allegiance: Autobot
Function: Cavalier
Motto: "My actions speak louder than words."

Profile: Hot Rod is the all-American-boy Autobot. Not too sweet, not too sharp, not too snotty... not a goodie-goodie, but basically a typical adolescent who has dreams of doing great stuff and being as heroic and important as Optimus Prime and other famous and revered top Autobots. He tends to follow rules until they bug him - and he sometimes learns, to his regret, that disobeying wasn't exactly smart. And he often acts without thinking in an effort to do the right thing - and this gets him and sometimes his friends in trouble. But he's not afraid when trouble does arrive and is a brave and honourable fighter and friend. He is especially close to Kup, the grizzled old mentor of an Autobot, although he sometimes resents hearing "wisdom." And he likes Daniel, the Earth kid, a lot. (In a way, Hot Rod is big brother to Daniel - a role model - and Hot Rod knows it and takes the responsibility seriously.) In robot or automotive mode, Hot Rod is sometimes hot-headed, but always a well-meaning, admirable "lad" and popular with all who know him.

Abilities: He carries two photon lasers that temporarily electromagnetise an enemy robot's microcircuits. Speed: 120 mph. Range: 4 miles.

Weaknesses: Hot Rod's impulsive actions often get him into trouble.

Strength: 6; Intelligence: 5; Speed: 6; Endurance: 8; Rank: 5; Courage: 10; Firepower: 7; Skill: 6

G1 Animation Model

Robot Mode

Alt Mode


Alternate Images

G1 Marvel Comic


G1 Toy

Third-Party Images

I was very much on the fence when it came to purchasing Hoodlum, as some of the pre-release forum buzz wasn't entirely positive, but as I didn't own the Takara version I decided to pick it up anyway. Upon opening the box my initial reactions were mixed and, truth be told, I remain largely indifferent for reasons I'll discuss further down, but for now here are some official product shots.
Fans Toys FT-17 Hoodlum

Fans Toys FT-17 Hoodlum

Fans Toys FT-17 Hoodlum

Fans Toys FT-17 Hoodlum

Fans Toys FT-17 Hoodlum

Fans Toys FT-17 Hoodlum

Fans Toys FT-17 Hoodlum

Fans Toys FT-17 Hoodlum

After seeing those images you might be wondering what my problem is, but pictures don't tell the whole story. For one thing, this is the fourth Fans Toys figure in a row that I've purchased which has gone on to have paint and/or joint issues (the others being Rouge, Quietus and Hydra). Indeed, ,many people have reported paint chipping out of the box on this one due to the way in which two die cast pieces rub together, which results in an unsightly chip on Hoodlum's, well, hood. If it's not there out of the box you're more than likely to get a chip when you transform the figure, which just isn't good enough. A 'premium' finish is for nought if it results in damage.

Furthermore, it's pretty clear that this mould was designed some years ago and has only undergone minimal refinement (at best) since then. The way in which everything clips together in bot mode feels flimsy, particularly the shoulder assembly. Add to that the that fact that his shoulders sit way too high when compared to the animation model and the joints squeak like crazy... The configuration also limits his shoulder articulation, which is a major pain. This head suffers from similar problems in that it simply cannot look up without modification. Other joints are also prone to squeaking, his hip skirt is a single piece, his head has a seam to allow for a visor gimmick that could have been accomplished with a replacement face... The list of minor nitpicks goes on and taken together they really start to detract from the figure's overall quality.

It's not all negative though. Hoodlum has more shelf presence than Takara's own Hot Rodimus, owing to his greater height and generally more realistic proportions (especially in the chest area). The face sculpt is nice and he has a few cool accessories, such as his twin blasters, saw-blade, visor and Targetmaster companion. He even has an alternate 'Rodimus Prime' face, which allows you to scale him with figures such as the Voyager class MPP-10V. It's not a terrible figure by any stretch of the imagination, but it isn't as good as it could, or should have been.

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