Review: #261
Name: Hot Spot
Brand: Transformers
Allegiance: Autobot
Line: Generations - Combiner Wars
Year of Release: 2015
Size Class: Voyager (Wave 3)
Variations: retooled into Onslaught, retooled into TFSS 4.0 Bludgeon, retooled into Pyra Magna minor repaint into the TakaraTomy version
VEHICLE MODE:
True to his original self, Hot Spot transforms into a blue fire truck, something that resembles a Rosenbauer Panther 6x6, like the one used for DOTM Sentinel Prime.
This is a great fire truck although you can see the robot hands peeking out from behind. The base of the ladder also has a gun attached on each side which can pass off as additional nozzles.
The thing that strikes you with Hot Spot is that this is a long truck. He features eight rolling wheels which is pretty impressive.
He comes with a collector's card featuring artwork from the mobile game Legends, however, the model is based upon his previous Generations figure (the retool from Universe Inferno), a bit disappointing.
As mentioned earlier, Hot Spot is long and so feels rather thin and small compared to other "normal" Voyagers.
At the end of the ladder is a bucket with sculpting on one side showing a hose and the other a water container.
It's actually a big block which serves to hide the combined mode head. However, thinking upon it, the head opens up to reveal some gaps and it makes since since it will be where firefights will be standing up. Too bad you'll need a really small figure to be able to fit into the gap, not even Human Alliance figures can fit.
Lastly, the ladder itself can swivel at the base. There's also a joint at the base and another behind the front bucket which allows it to lift up and down.
This adds in a nice bit of play value and makes Hot Spot much more fun to fiddle around with.
A fantastic vehicle mode that looks and fees great. Noteworthy though is that he does not have any transparent plastic, all his windows are painted black.
TRANSFORMATION:
Hot Spot's transformation is really simple, you can tell how he will transform by just looking at the vehicle mode. There is nothing special here, his legs split apart from the cab, while he arms unfold out from the back. The ladder assembly effectively just sits lower onto his back.
ROBOT MODE:
Hot Spot's robot mode is equally as stunning, if not more, than his vehicle mode. It captures the character perfectly with updated proportions and articulation.
The only negative here is that he carries the whole ladder assembly on his back, which is a huge piece of kibble. On the bright side, it acts as a third leg so Hot Spot almost never falls over backwards.
The head sculpt is very nice, with a different shade of blue used for the faceplate. It is on a balljoint so has a wide range of motion.
Hot Spot has a slim side profile, as slim as his truck was to be fair. One nice thing is that his combiner ports are hidden quite well, it's not immediately obvious that he is part of a combiner.
Hot Spot focuses on being tall rather than bulky and it still works really well. The blocky feel gives him a powerful and solid feel.
If you wish, you can actually fold out the pieces of the ladder on his back to give him a winged silhouette (they're the combined mode's chestplate).
Hot Spot is extremely poseable, with double jointed elbows thanks to his transformation and double jointed knees.
That said, I do find his knee joints to be a bit too weak for my liking. The lower part of his knees needs a way to be locked in somehow because it is quite annoying to get him to stand without accidentally getting him to have a mild case of "chicken legs".
His weapons are a pair of guns.
He looks amazing with the guns in his hands, it suits the look perfectly.
You can get some fantastic dual wielding poses out of him.
Another cool thing is that you can angle the ladder assembly over his head to be a sort of overhead weapon/cannon (inspired by the RiD Optimus Prime repaint).
Hot Spot's robot mode is near perfection. The combiner gimmick does not get in the way or compromise his individual robot mode at all.
OVERALL:
Hot Spot is the best Combiner Wars currently out and probably will be out (since post-Wave 3 Voyagers are either repaints of earlier figures or doesn't look that great). He has a strong vehicle mode and a stellar robot mode. The simplicity of the transformation works in Hot Spot's favor as it helps give him a solidly built robot. Even if you do not have the intention of building Defensor, Hot Spot is well worth a purchase.
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For other Transformers reviews, have a look at this page here.
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Now a quick peek at Hot Spot's third mode. Naturally, he forms the torso of Defensor and this line has some ingenious engineering. For example, the ladder assembly wraps around his whole torso and back up to give him Defensor's distinctive chestplate and head!
Combined with his fellow Protectobots (all released in Wave 3), he is one of the most uniformly colored combiner. Note that Groove is replaced by Rook in this reimagination.
The head sculpt is good although I find that his eyes are too big. Note that the head is also hollow since it unfolds in half for vehicle mode.
Defensor is also one of the more stable combiners, that's not to say that he is easy to balance in a dynamic pose.
The biggest negative of the line is the fact that due to dual-purposing the combiner hands and feet together, you get something where the feet are too small but the hands are too big. It's looks even worse here.
That's about it for now, keep an eye out for the full Defensor review later!