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EN 
Series: Energon
Allegiance: Autobot
Categories: Combat
Year: 2004
I can take down any Decepticon without getting a scratch.
Rodimus is a wild, rebellious young Autobot and foreman to the Omnicons. His taste for danger is almost greater than his sense of style. He is an aggressive, headstrong young warrior who will not think twice about rushing into battle. Rodimus is able to powerlinx with his Autobot brother, Inferno. In vehicle mode, he becomes a semi-truck capable of great speeds. Rodimus' primary weapon is a powerful energon cannon, which he often uses to teach the Decepticons two very important battle maneuvers... run and hide.
Robot Mode: As a robot there is no mistaking where Rodimus has taken his inspiration. He's a dead ringer for G1 Rodimus Prime / Hot Rod. There are some differences, of course, such as the double tires on every shoulder and the absence of the yellow spoiler on the back, but there is no mistaking which Transformer Rodimus is a homage to. He is also decently posable (though not exceptionally so) and has no drawbacks I can see. His feet are a bit big, but not exaggerated. Bottom line: A good, solid robot mode.
Alternate Mode: Rodimus transformers into a racing truck. It reminds me a bit of the MASK truck Rhino. The truck looks like what it's supposed to. I would have preferred transparent wind shields, but that's just a minor point. His weapon can go into his back, so he's armed in this mode, too. Not too much play value in this mode, but decent looks.
Combiner Mode: Rodimus can combine with Inferno or Hot Shot (or other Deluxe-sized toys, but I only had the three at the time of this review) into a powerlinx robot. Each can form either the upper or the lower body, the one forming the upper one giving his name to the combined toy. Rodimus is the first powerlinx toy I've seen so far who gives a good showing as both upper and lower body.
As an upper body Rodimus uses his robot mode legs as arms, but unlike most of the powerlink toys they actually manage to look almost like arms instead of feet. His actual arms become cannon-like appendages that rise over his shoulders, a bit like with Inferno. Bottom line, a good upper body that goes together well with Hot Shot's lower body and even with Inferno's (though the former is better than the latter).
As a lower body Rodimus just basically folds his upper body back, so only his legs and hip remain. This causes the combined robot to have quite a bit of clutter hanging off his back, but it doesn't look too bad. Rodimus as a lower body looks very good with Inferno as an upper body, not so much with Hot Shot.
You can see all possible combinations of Powerlinx Rodimus on my Powerlinx Combos Page.
Remarks: Rodimus is one of those Transformers who received a vastly different back story in the cartoon series than in the toy description. According to the toy's bio he is a young warrior, a hot head, little more than a rookie (shades of G1 Hot Rod again). In the cartoon, though, he is an experienced leader on the same level as Optimus Prime and the two actually butt heads now and then over how the battle against the Decepticons and Unicron should best be fought.
Whatever backstory you might prefer, though, Rodimus is a very decent toy. A bit small maybe, they should have made him a mega-sized toy instead of a deluxe, but apart from that there is nothing I can complain about. Rodimus is a good Energon toy and his important role in the cartoon makes for a must-buy.
Rating: B
