Toy Review - Cyberverse Hot Rod (Deluxe)

[GoktimusPrime]

HOT ROD
Series - Bumblebee
Sub-line - Cyberverse Adventures
Size/class - Deluxe
New/remould/redeco - New
Wave - 2
Released here - July 2020
Approximate Retail Price - $29
Approximate Size - 13cm
Allegiance - Autobot
Alt-mode - Car
Main Features/Gimmicks - Flame effects
Main Colours - red
Main Accessories - x2 flame effects pieces, Maccadam's right leg component













Thoughts
* An interesting attempt to add more realistic looking car details to Hot Rod's vehicle mode, shifting away from the "80s Future Car" aesthetic from many other Hot Rod toys. Although it's still very scifi looking and if you're after a realistic alt mode on Hot Rod then you're better off sticking with your Alternators/KP and even Bayformers Hot Rods. But points for effort.
* Interesting use of slide joints for the legs to retract rather than using Zed-joints etc.
* The face looks a bit too cutsie for my liking.
* I know that the muffler pipes become makeshift guns, but it would've been nice if this toy actually came with a gun that can be held in either fist.
* There is just too much red happening on this toy and not nearly enough other colours such as yellow and orange to break up all the red. Even the spoilers are red; both the robot mode faux-spoilers and the vehicle mode spoilers. Not a lick of yellow paint on either. The tyres are only painted on the outside and otherwise just look red. The end result is a rather bland colour scheme that kinda makes this toy look cheap.

Overall: Somewhat disappointed. Mildly recommended (mostly if you're looking to the complete the set and/or collect Maccadam components).

[Dimi194]

I actually much prefer this guy to Grimlock.

Don't think the red is too bad (although yellow on the spoiler would have been nice, esp given they went to so much effort to have it end up in the correct place), nice articulation, flame effects are nifty (although the huge pipes coming past the hands is a bit ugh).

Certainly seems a lot more 'dynamic' like the other figures in this line than Grimlock, who I found to be a bit blocky.

[Seraphim Prime]

I'm disappointed that the spoiler is not yellow as the relatively few paint apps makes this figure look fairly bland. It's difficult when your colour scheme is varying shades of the one colour.

One thing I have noticed with the Cyberverse Deluxes is that they appear to have allowed for only two plastic colours (with the exception of Prime who has three) which is fine for most of the characters, but really hurts Hot Rod, who would have benefitted from having the spoiler and upper legs be yellow, which would have then also freed some paint to paint the car spoiler.

[GoktimusPrime]

I don't even know why the tyres aren't fully painted. Even from a realism POV I can accept a red spoiler, because car spoilers are often the same colour as the body (not always, but it's common enough). But half red tyres? That really makes the toy look like a KO to me. :/