Transformers Masterpiece MP-28 Hot Rod

 
He's got the touch! He's got the power! Yeah!

Hot Rod was a young and impatient Autobot introduced in The Transformers: The Movie in 1986. It's arguably his movie. The young Autobot who rises from the ranks to become the next Prime. Unfortunately Optimus left some very big shoes to fill which has often left Hot Rod in a difficult place both in the fiction and the fandom.

Hot Rod has been better used in modern fiction. IDW's take on the character retained his impulsive nature but has given him more room to grow. The cartoon pretty much snapped it's fingers and he was Prime with all the expectations that came with that title.

This is the second time Hot Rod has been given the Masterpiece treatment. The first attempt was ambitious. MP-9 had two distinct alt modes and his robot mode could be adjusted to be Hot Rod or Rodimus Prime. Sadly this figure was very fragile. That didn't stop it getting 4 releases.

A new version of Hot Rod was very welcome. Especially when it was announced that this figure would just be Hot Rod. Let's see if Hasbro/Takara have done a better job with MP-28 than they did with MP-9.

Vehicle mode:
 

The vehicle mode is some sort of futuristic sports car. What people in the '80s thought sports cars would look like in the early 2000s. The car is very sleek. So much so that, unless everything is arranged just right, the car can't roll across a flat surface. The small wheels and limited space to store the robot mode parts underneath don't give a lot of ground clearance.

The dark maroon works well with the orange and yellow. The chromed engine and exhaust pipes shine very brightly. There's some really nice detailing behind the clear plastic of the headlights. On all counts the car mode looks great.

The hood of the car can be opened. This is more a feature for robot mode but nice that it works here. Opening it up reveals more detailing around an empty bay just behind the head lights. The shape of the hole is very familiar. I wonder what's supposed to go in there...

What's a Masterpiece car without an attack mode. Hot Rod is able to plug one of his two guns into his engine. The chromed part flips back to reveal the port. This means there's no obvious hole in the engine normally and no risk of chipping the chrome plugging in the gun. Unlike a lot of the other MPs this was a feature on the original toy which makes it seem a little less out of place.

Of course Hot Rod's never one to be outdone. All the other Autobots have attack modes? Well then he'll have two! You can also plug both of his guns onto his roof. This is, of course, ridiculous.

Transformation:

Untab the arms from the side of the car. There are two tabs - one near the front of the exhaust pipes and one near the front wheel. Untab the hood from the windshield. The whole front of the car will rotate around. Just be aware of the position of the head to make sure it has room to move through. The front of the hood will tab onto what will be the robot mode waist.

Rotate the head around and fold the engine in as much as possible. Flip down the collar pieces. The side parts of the headlights will fold into the waist. Rotate the shoulders so the smooth side is facing forward. Rotate the arms around so they're facing the right way and flip out the hands. The hinges near the shoulder can be used to move the arms out of the way for now.

Lift the top of the car away from the legs. The orange pieces at the rear of the car mode flip in, then the wheel and exahust sections fold into where the legs were. Separate the windscreen from the rear of the car. Rotate the rear through on the arm so that the rear can plug into the underside of the windscreen. The windscreen will plug into Hot Rod's back and the shoulders will tab into the sides of the windscreen. Then rotate the fin into place.

Finally separate the legs. Open the panel on the back of the leg and use the hinge to extend it. Close the panel back up and flip out the foot. Repeat on the other side and you're done.

Robot mode:

All of the key defining traits of Hot Rod are present. Big yellow wing on his back, the flame decal around his Autobot logo on his chest, and the shiny pipes on his forearms. The robot mode is very nicely proportioned. The character models for the movie cast generally had less of the vehicle mode obvious in robot mode which some feel has left Hot Rod a little bland.

The head sculpt is nice. It definitely captures Hot Rod's youth. I can't quite put my finger on what it is but the sculpt just looks younger to me that the other Masterpiece Autobot face sculpts.

Hot Rod has a visor that comes down over his eyes. There is a hinge that allows you to flip up the top of his head then flip down the visor. It looks nice and is a call back to when he noticed the hole in the side of the Autobot shuttle in the movie.

Hot Rod is very poseable for a Masterpiece figure. Double jointed elbows and knees as well as a very deep ab crunch make him able to get into some very dynamic positions. The ab joint also allows Hot Rod to lean back to a small degree which helps when you need to shoot at some no-good Decepticons who have hijacked your shuttle. 

The car mode hood is now Hot Rod's chest and is still able to open. The hole is designed to fit the Matrix that came with MP-10 Optimus Prime. It's not super secure in there, at least on mine. It will happily sit in there with the door open when Hot Rod's standing up right. But if you tip the figure forward it will fall out. It's still a nice touch that Hot Rod is able to carry the Matrix.

Accessories:

Hot Rod comes with two guns. They're both styled after the guns that came with his G1 toy. Both are nicely detailed but painted in this odd blue/grey color. It's not bad but I personally would have preferred they be painted silver like most of the other MP Autobots.

Hot Rod also comes with a saw blade which clips onto his wrist. Like most MPs you flip his hand in which reveals a peg to plug the item onto. I was a little disappointed that the size and shape of the plug differ from MP Ironhide and Ratchet. It would've been nice if the accessories had been compatible across all the figures.

Hot Rod's final accessory is a fishing rod. I've found the easiest way for him to hold it is to slide it in through the top of his hand rather than trying to clip it in. His poseability is good enough that he can hold it in two hands without much fuss. If you own MP Ultra Magnus you can have Hot Rod take Daniel fishing.

Final thoughts:

I think it was a smart choice to just focus on Hot Rod this time around rather than trying to make a single toy cover both Hot Rod and Rodimus Prime. The result is a really nice toy that's a lot of fun to transform and pose. More importantly I'm not afraid it's going to fall apart on me.

Whether or not you go after this figure I think depends on what you want for your collection. This figure is clearly Hot Rod not Rodimus Prime. If you're after Rodimus Prime then DX-9s Carry, which by all accounts is an amazing toy, is probably the figure for you. But if you're looking for Hot Rod then MP-28 delivers.