Hot Rod is a reasonably interesting character; while Bumblebee is kid-friendly, Hot Rod is the rebelious teenager who'll come good in the end. And of course, he likes fish. As with most of the Classics line, this toy is a high-quality representation of the character. So without further waffle, let's, take a look at the car mode.
Hot Rod first appeared in the 1987 Transformers Movie, and as a character from the 'future' of 2005, transformed into a futuristic car. Classics Hot Rod shares all of the design features from the original toy: the bright orange spoiler, bonnet mounted engine block, exhaust pipes running the length of the car (reduced from 3 to 2 on each side) and the fiery design elements. What you can't see from the picture is that Hot Rods gun attaches to the underside of the car replicating an exhaust and the missile for said gun is designed to replicate billowing smoke and flames.
In robot mode, Classics Hot Rod captures all the elements of Hot Rod you'd expect. The bonnet forms the chest, exhaust 'guns' on the forearms and the spoiler appears as 'wings' on the robots back. Classics Hot Rod adds a couple of new features - yellow 'horns' have been added to the head, as a Jimmy Hill chin, which rather takes away from the youthful essence of the character.
A rather nice addition to the toy concerns the left hand, which features a flip-out circular saw - an homage to Hot Rod's undersea escapades in Transformers The Movie. Another nice feature is that the gun can be attached to the robots back, replicating a rocket-pack.I have two small criticisms of Hot Rod. One is that there is less articulation when compared to other toys in the Classics line (but not so much that it's a problem), a related criticism is that the hip area is a sod to position. The legs can be moved independently, but are also attached so that they move together. The panels that appear there, I find, also get in the way.
Overall, Hot Rod is yet another near masterpiece in the Classics line.
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