Hot Shot (G1)

The name or term "Hot Rod" refers to more than one character or idea. For a list of other meanings, see Hot Rod (disambiguation).

Hot Rod is an Autobot from the Henkei! Henkei! portion of the Generation 1 continuity family.

They buried me with the rest of Armada, but I'm back anyway!

Hot Rod (ホットロッド Hotto Roddo) might look familiar, but is in actuality a honorable warrior deft in stylish battle. His partner is Jolt.

Fiction

Henkei! Henkei! pack-in comic

Hot Rod was dug up from the ground, stuck in stasis lock, by the Mini Vehicles, just before the buried body of Dinobot was also discovered. As Hot Rod slowly gained consciousness, Dinobot began to attack the others, until finally Hot Rod (and his Mini-Con, Jolt) faced Dinobot in battle. As Hot Rod performed stylish moves, Dinobot suggested the two battle for leadership. However, Hot Rod declined Dinobot's offer and suggested instead they team up and make peace.

Hot Rod returned with Dinobot to Autobot headquarters, where Grimlock quickly ruined Hot Rod's plan by suggesting that Grimlock and Dinobot play at battle with each other. Henkei! Henkei! volume 11

IDW comics continuity

"Tell my JaAm I love her!"

Early in the war, Hot Rod was destroyed by Drag Strip in the front lines of battle. Drift #2

Toys

Henkei! Henkei!

ジャアム!

• Cybertron Hot Rod (Deluxe, 2009)
  • Japanese ID number: C-17
  • Accessories: 2 missile launchers, 2 flame missiles

Henkei! Henkei! Hot Rod is a redeco and retool of Universe Hot Shot, using chrome for his exposed engine block. Unlike the Hasbro version which sticks relatively close to the original Hot Shot's toy color scheme, Takara's version switches the desaturated blue plastic used for the forearms and feet with gray plastic, matching the Armada cartoon colors more closely. Both the yellow and the red plastic are lighter shades than the Universe version (the red more so than the yellow), and the clear blue is darker. Almost every paint deco is a different color on the Henkei figure compared to the Universe, and the Henkei figure has some additional paint where the Universe lacks (and vice versa). Whereas the Hasbro release's license plate sported a "JAAM" nod, the Henkei version instead features the character's name, "Hot Rod".

The Henkei version retains the missile launchers dropped from the Hasbro release, plus the rear bumper features a molded gap in it that allows it to accommodate the missile launchers as his exhaust. Both the missile launchers (minus the handles & triggers) and the exposed engine are chromed. The missile launchers can either be hand-held or mounted to his forearms. The missiles are sculpted to resemble fiery blasts, and they were originally intended by Hasbro to be tinted orange (to work with their idea of Hot Shot as a fire-type character). Instead, they are painted over clear blue on the exposed parts.

Hot Rod's prototype featured transparent plastic on his side windows to match his windshield and rear window, but was replaced with painted opaque windows on the final toy.

This version of the Hot Shot mold was also used to make Timelines Dion.

Notes

• It may seem strange to English-speaking fans that this is "another Hot Rod" in the Henkei! Henkei! continuity, but it is consistent with previously established Japanese nomenclature: The character known in English-speaking markets as "Hot Rod" has always been known in Japan as "Hot Rodimus". And the Unicron Trilogy character Hot Shot's Japanese name is "Hot Rod". Henkei! Henkei! continues those two traditions, which do not conflict with each other.
• It may also seem strange that this wiki is not calling the character "Hot Shot", as it is our policy to default to English names. This character's toy was released as "Hot Shot" in English under the Universe franchise, so why don't we call him that? The answer is that Hasbro and TakaraTomy are taking two different approaches to the character: Hasbro's toy, according to its on-package bio, represents the Unicron Trilogy character in that universe (even labeled "Armada Series"). But TakaraTomy's toy, according to its pack-in manga, is a seemingly brand-new guy in the Generation 1 universe running around with the rest of the Henkei! Henkei! cast. If Generation 1 and the Unicron Trilogy were in the same continuity family, then both incarnations would still be on the same page here, both called "Hot Shot". But they're not in the same family, so the Henkei! Henkei! character gets his own page, and since there is no English-language Generation 1 version of him, we default to his Japanese name (confusing as it may be).
• The possibility exists that he's not a new character after all, since his "origin" consists of him being dug out of the ground. Could he be the Unicron Trilogy character, warped into the Henkei! Henkei! universe somehow? We'll never know... until the next Kiss Players.
• The Hot Rod/Hot Shot character showed up to die in Drift #2 because someone convinced artist Alex Milne to draw him as a casualty, noting that it would make David Willis mad. Milne drew him into the story based on his dislike of Armada and reasoning that the character would not be one used again in the continuity. Because it was a Generation 1-based story, the incident is documented here, rather than on Hot Shot's page.