Cybertron Excellion

Prelude: Excellion is a repaint of Hot Shot, whom I have reviewed previously. It’s been nearly seven years since then, though, so I’ll give it another shot.

Robot Mode: Excellion’s body is pretty much the underside of his car mode, so the only visible car parts (at least from the front) are the tires on his arms and legs. The rest is nicely sculpted robot with no vehicle kibble at all and looking good. Excillion strikes a pretty sleek figure, but still looks powerful thanks to his big shoulders.

Articulation is average for a Cybertron figure. Not quite as good as some of today’s figures, but more than good enough for quite a few dynamic poses. His lower arms might be a tad short when compared to the rest of him, but that’s about the only bad thing one can say about him. For a weapon he carries a simple missile launcher than can fire a single blue projectile. Not fancy, but fully sufficient.

Like all the Cybertron figures Excellion has a Cyberkey gimmick and while it’s meant more for the car mode (see below), it works in robot mode as well. Putting the key in the slot on his back causes wings to snap out above his shoulders, clearly invoking the look of G1 Hot Rod.

So all in all a very nice looking robot mode with superb sculpting, nice details, and no flaws. Two thumbs up.

Alternate Mode: Excellion transforms into a futuristic sports car. It’s not any particular model or brand, just a generic car that clearly invokes speed. To get there you go through one of the easiest transformations I’ve ever seen in a Deluxe-class figure, you basically just push in the arms and legs and turn the rucksack around, done. Still, simple doesn’t mean bad, and there are no visible robot parts or anything in car mode, so everything’s fine.

The car mode is where the Cyberkey gimmick really shines, as Excellion flips out spoiler wings on each side for an even more speedy look. You can also mount his weapon on the roof to give the car firepower if you want. The cockpit can flip open, too, and I think you might be able to fit a Diaclone-era driver figure in there. Haven’t got one, but I think it’d work. So bottom line: a very nice, streamlined, and cool-looking car mode. No complaints.

Remarks: Excellion is a multiple homage. First off, he’s clearly meant to pay homage to G1 Hot Rod. Second, his name pays homage to the Japanese version of Cybertron Hot Shot, whose name in the Galaxy Force cartoon was Exillion. Finally, his change from blue to red for the repaint also invokes memories of RID Sideburn. He never appeared in any cartoon or comic in this form, though, not even as a powered-up version of Hot Shot / Exillion.

This is actually my third version of the mold after Cybertron Hot Shot and Botcon Goldbug, so it was mostly an impulse buy, seeing as I really like red cars. It’s a great mold and if you like car-formers you should own at least one of them and, leaving the far more expensive Botcon version aside, I personally prefer red over blue, but that’s just a matter of personal taste, of course.

Rating: B+

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