Titanium Rodimus Prime

Series: Titanium
Allegiance: Autobot
Year: 2007

Autobot prophecy spoke of a Chosen One who would claim the Matrix and rise to defend Cybertron in its darkest hour. No one ever suspected it would be Hot Rod. While no one doubted his courage, his recklessness occasionally put other Autobots in danger. Few Autobots were as fast, however, or as smart, and even fewer could have expected to survive the twisting, diabolical pathways within the body of Unicron, or a confrontation with the mighty Galvatron.

Survive he did, however, and became Rodimus Prime. Yet even after the destruction of Unicron and the defeat of Galvatron he was plagued by self-doubt. The power of the Matrix was his to command, and the wisdom of past Autobot leaders lived within him, but he lived always within the shadow of his mentor and idol Optimus Prime. Leadership weighed heavy on his shoulders, and though he never faltered, he dreamed often of a simpler life.

Robot Mode: Finally a version of Rodimus Prime that is actually posable. This partially die-cast metal figure is pretty nimble and the detailing is fabulous. They captured the look of the second Autobot leader perfectly here, even though they had to change things a bit to enable him to function in vehicle mode without a separate trailer. If there is one weakness, it's the mid-section, which is pretty thin and I can see it becoming unstable sooner or later as it is one of the main points of transformation. Apart from that, though, a perfect figure. We need more Transformers like this.

Vehicle Mode: Unlike G1 Rodimus Prime, this version of the Chosen One manages to become a vehicle without a separate trailer. And he's looking good, no doubt. The back is a bit shorter than it was in the original version, but that is not a bad thing. The vehicle is solid except for where the arms connect with the knees, but it still holds together very well, so no points deduction for that. A very good vehicle mode.

Remarks: Really the only reason why this figure isn't getting a straight A from me is because I think the very thin mid-section of Rodimus is going to turn into a disadvantage sooner rather than later. Still, this is without a doubt the best version of the second Autobot leader I've ever seen. Pair him up with Classics Rodimus (as Hot Rod), and you finally have two very good versions of the Autobots' Chosen One before and after his transformation at the hands of the Matrix. Recommended to all Transformers fans.

Rating: A-