Better Than the Original
Legacy Hot Rod, you wonderful, beautiful little toy. In a recent article I talked about Legacy TM II Megatron and how it was a bit of a let down. However, this little bot is just the opposite. It's a figure I got because I'm a completionist, it's just some figure to round out the collection. I had zero expectations going in. My only regret being I was unable to get the fancier Powerlinx version that came with the Mini-Con Jolt. I was never a big fan of Hot Shot, but as of today, I am.
Continuing the fun and surprising trend of remakes from all over the Transformers Universe, Hot Shot was originally part of the Armada Trilogy of toys. He was our main antagonist that was meant to draw the kids in, he was a mixture of Hot Rod from G1, Bumblebee from G1 and arguably Cheetor from Beast Wars. The original toy stands out as a rather simple figure and was an introduction to the iconic “chunky” plastic feel that would become common in the Armada era. Like all Armada figures, he came with a Mini-Com, the aforementioned Jolt and when linked to the main figure, Jolt would trigger a pop up cannon that was positioned above the Hot Shot's head.
All of this, except for the action gimmick, is present in the new Legacy figure. The toy is an incredible replica of the original and has little details everywhere you look. The engine returns as a gun, there is a battle visor, and the wheel cannon is there as well. One side of the wheel cannon has a 5mm port to attach some battle effects. Oddly, the instructions do not highlight this feature, instead showing the non 5mm port side facing forward.
Transformation isn't too complex, though I did find a few joint a bit too tight. I loved the way the shoulder panels attach to the robot and later seamlessly become the rear bumpers/spoilers for the car. The only real issue with this toy comes from attaching the gun/engine onto the hood. It slides in perfectly and holds well; the problem is it's way too tight. I had to use a metal wedge to slowly work the engine loose from the toy. Thankfully I didn't damage anything, but I won't be doing that again anytime soon. I am willing to bet a child or two have broken their toys due to this.
At the end of the day, this is a great figure. I loved the Armada series, however ol' Hot Shot remains one of my least favorite figures from the entire trilogy. The Legacy version removes anything I didn't like about the original. Somehow this figure works better without the action gimmick and allows the toy to be just a tiny bit more streamlined in look and transformation.
