Combiner Wars Hot Spot

Robot Mode: First thing first, Combiner Wars Hot Spot is clearly the same guy as G1 Hot Spot. Sure, the figure is a lot bigger, far more streamlined, and actually has a hip, but look-wise the two are a very close match. CW Hot Spot’s head looks quite a bit different, but it’s meant to portray the animated character from the cartoon more than the toy, and in that it’s also quite a good match. Like his predecessor he carries two black rifles, which can also combine into one long rifle or a shorter, double-barreled one. So in terms of being a G1 homage, Hot Spot gets full marks.

Articulation is very nice, the only thing missing are twisting wrists. Hot Spot can assume all sorts of poses, though he is a tad hindered by the big ladder hanging off his back. When it points straight down, it almost touches the ground when he stands straight-legged. It can easily be folded back a little for more dynamic poses, so no point deduction, just something to keep in mind. Hot Spot can also store his two rifles by attaching them to the sides of the ladder. It is possible to flip the ladder up so that Hot Spot has shoulder guns, but it looks pretty awkward and has the ladder sticking out straight from his back, so it’s not really that great.

Overall and given that he has to both transform into a vehicle and a combiner torso, Hot Spot does great in robot mode. No flaws, just a good, solid robot.

Alternate Mode: Hot Spot transforms into a blue fire truck, more specifically a modified Rosenbauer Panther 8x8, almost the same model as DOTM Sentinel Prime (who was a 6x6 model). A white, non-extending ladder with a black module at the end adorns the top, the rest is blue with black windows and tires. Hot Spot’s rifles can be added to the base of the ladder for firepower in vehicle mode and the ladder can be raised and rotate a full 360 degrees.

Just like it was for G1 Hot Spot, the head of the combiner Defensor is part of the ladder, though it’s in the top this time, making it possible to have it swivel around and give sad looks to everyone around him. Bottom line: a good, flawless vehicle mode. Not spectacular, but fully satisfying given the size and constraints.

Combiner Mode: Hot Spot becomes the torso of Defensor, who will get a review of his own once I’m done with the individual Protectobot reviews.

Remarks: Like most of the Protectobots Hot Spot hasn’t been given much opportunity to establish himself as an individual character, neither in the cartoon (where he had Bumblebee’s voice actor) nor in the comics. He’s the team leader, his head looks a bit like Optimus Prime (he had Primus Apotheosis before it was cool), he becomes the torso of Defensor. That’s pretty much all we know about him. The current IDW comics aren’t much better so far, as we have barely seen him outside of being the torso of Defensor so far. Maybe that will change in the future, we’ll see.

Lacking character depth aside, though, Hot Spot is a very nice figure. All three of his modes look and work pretty good, he has no real flaws, and he will be retooled into the Combaticon leader Onslaught, too. Strangely enough he comes with a card that shows a different version of Hot Spot, namely the Generations GDO Ultra-class figure, but that’s just about the only oddity here. So bottom line: a pretty good figure, a nice homage, and no flaws worth mentioning. Nicely done.

Rating: B+