Courtesy of our usual leaker at Weibo, we have with us some new renders of Transformers: The Last Knight Hot Rod.
Hot Rod was revealed back in last August but the character, to this day has received very little official information. Other than a licensed diecast vehicle, we are yet to learn how his toy treatment is going to be.
Hot Rod features an alt mode of a Lamborghini Centenario LP770-4.
Check out the new renders, after the jump.
MrNiceGuy
Still looks like a generic background mook to me.
John TheDestroyer
There was a gallery on here a bit ago of voyager Megatron. It showed well that he wasn't a shellformer.
dbae14
I had not seen this Bee. Thank you. I like it much better than the deluxe I found, which was based on the AOE design. Megs looks like a robot with a jet folded up on his back, like just about every Silverbolt ever made. I'd be really happy to be wrong about Megs, but I don't see how any of that voyager bot body turns into jet parts.
Applejacktimus
But Optimus, Hound, and Wave 1 Bumble are still the same AoE designs, so that's not really a good argument. Besides, that Wave 1 Bumble is just a cheap redeco to get the poster child in the first wave, as we're getting a proper one later on; not to mention how not only does Hound's design barely have any kibble, it's also all kibble from his previous vehicle form. Did you expect them to design a toy that transforms into a completely different vehicle than it's meant to right on the first try? As for Bumble, haven't you seen this?
That really doesn't look like a shellformer to me.
And as for Megatron… I'm pretty sure he's incorporating several vehicle parts onto his body. Other TLK characters (that we've seen so far) in general (only new designs, no Onslaught, Hooligan, or Nitro) Barricade's got just as much kibble on him as his previous design – for whatever reason the designers somehow forgot how to make a roof fold over itself though, Mohawk, we can't really tell, but he does have wheels on his back/shoulders, Hot Rod's got a car-front chest, arm wheels, back doors, and Lambo vent shoulders – plenty of kibble, and Sqweeks… well, he's got lots of kibble too, but he's arbitrarily missing a wheel.
Whether Cogman's Transtector, the McLaren, the junk truck, the WWI tank, the submarine, and Dragonstorm are shellformer-bait… we'll have to wait and see.
Music
You're absolutely right about there being shell formers but it's not because of the designs that cause this issue to arise. Hasbro chooses to create shell-formers and a good evidence would lie in the ROTF/HFTD line. The ROTF designs were just as complicated as they are in TLK and they still managed to create representable toys. For example, take a look at trilogy barricade versus new Barricade:
They have the same the same number of vehicle parts and they lie in the same places (mostly). The ROTF line managed to produce this:
And the TLK line produced this:
I know I'm comparing a human alliance to a deluxe but the quality has definitely declined (even the Barricade's vehicle mode looks nothing like the film model). It's not the designer's fault the toys look like garbage.
However, I'm comparing the worst figure in the line here. The TLK line is a tremendous improvement over the AOE still. The Megatron you posted above looks incredible in my opinion and I can't comment on the other molds as they're from the AOE line.
kaijuguy19
I'm sorry but I can't see how TLK Megatron's a shell former like at all. Both his Voyager and Leader class figures have shown that a lot of his vehicle parts end up in his robot mode leaving little to no kibble from what we've seen.
Also we're getting a new TLK Bumblebee figure that's more like the first 3 Bee toys and not from the AOE Bee design so that doesn't really hold the same argument for Bee as it does for Optimus.
dbae14
Sorry but I don't have any TLK toys to compare to AOE or the other movie toys. I hope you are correct about them learning from their mistakes and making more vehicle parts show prominently in the toy designs. I know the toys will not be close to the movie renders if they do, but I prefer toys with more vehicle parts having a purpose in robot mode. I guess my point was poorly stated, so let me try to explain this way. If there were more large visible chunks of vehicle mode incorporated into this Hot Rod design, it would make for a better toy representation, IMO.
Edit: pics I've found of TLK voyager and deluxe toys. All look like shell formers to me.
Bee has the same collapsed chest as AOE, or at least very similar. I couldn't copy the voyager Hound image, but it looks like truck folded on back, too.
I'd be happy for you to show me the new designs that translate into better toys. Really happy.
And there's nothing wrong if you like these toys. They're just not what I want.
dbae14
All the transformers are made from their vehicle parts. When the movie concepts break those vehicle parts into smaller and smaller pieces to form a more humanoid form, that doesn't translate well to toy because they simply won't make a toy with 1000 parts. What you end up with is a really nice sculpt to match the movie render, but the vehicle parts end up folded away somewhere other than where they should be in the render. I guess we'll see what the toy looks like, assuming we get one.
John TheDestroyer
They're in the same scene in the footage.
IgnikaMarcus
Nope.
NGW
Honestly think this the best Hot Rod has ever looked.
snoopcow
What if hot rod is bumblebee reformatted with his knight upgrade after wielding that sledgehammer?
Zan Jayna
Deadmau5 the DJ painted his Ferrari with custom kit and they demanded that he remove it. He has since sold that car and now he has a Lamborghini with a graphic on the side. So apparently Lamborghini are OK with it and would probably be all right with flames. Hopefully they will add some. Otherwise the Iron Man Hot Rod XXII armor suit will look more like a transformer than the actual film character. Not like it matters at this point. We've all gotten some great re-issues and new sculpt remakes out of the fact that the movies are popular.
Music
It's funny how you referenced only AOE designs because you know the TLK designs don't pertain to your argument. They've learned from their mistakes from AOE and have improved on adding more vehicle parts. Even Bee looks different from his AOE design so this point holds no weight.
Lazerwave
After learning some stuff about Hot Rod and Cogman, I think I'm only looking forward to them making a Hot Rod toy. Cogman I can probably live without.
buttmunch109
Well, if you actually get a decent look at the concept art, he's legitimately made of his vehicle, his chest is the hood of the vehicle, his arms make up the sides of the hood and front wheels/chasis, the lower legs are the rear-end of the vehicle and his back wheels are even on his knees. Hell, the coolest part IMHO is that his spine is made from the engine block. cx Anyway, like 'Bee, he's sporting the classic Autobot traits: sides of vehicle are the arms, doors make wings, hood makes chest, and lower half folds out to make legs. So how would this end up a shellformer? I can't recall many Bumblebee figures from the movie that were shellformers. I mean, sure, the windshield/roof backpack, but that's standard Autobot kibble.
I don't want to get too caught up in this whole debacle because I honestly am indifferent to the design. Would it be cool to see more orange, flames, the wings in the back make more classic a silhouette, a better head, or even the arm pipes? Yeah, but I dig the design for what it is, and am anticipating to see him in the film. :v
I just felt the need to kinda point out the flaws in that logic ya were sporting, no hard feelings bro.
dbae14
IMO there are a couple of problems with this design.
1) It's generic, and does not evoke Hot Rod or any specific bot with specific design features from any previous continuity. At least with the original (2007) Bayverse designs you had some cues to the original main characters; Prime's colors and truck parts visible, Bee's colors, Ironhide's weapon specialist role, Ratchet as an ambulance, Starscream as a fighter jet. Though you could only really make the connection with Ironhide after watching the movie, and hearing another character call him by name. This design could benefit greatly from a couple of several iconic Hot Rod features like red/orange/yellow color scheme, arm pipes, yellow backpack wing, flames on the chest. I know the Lambo he's based on doesn't come in that design or color scheme, but they could certainly digitally add those elements so when you saw this bot, you'd immediately know this must be Hot Rod. How much would a graphics package really cost or "ruin" that Lambo?
2) The more humanoid designs make for toys that end up being big time shell formers, ala Galvatron, Crosshairs, AOE "new" Bee, Stinger and AOE Prime. I prefer my transformers to have lots of their alt modes make up their robot bodies. As an example I prefer the Bee designs prior to AOE, where the front of the Camaro makes his chest. I can't see any way this Hot Rod design does not end up a shell former in toy form. Actually lots of the movie toys, from all the movies, have this problem, which is probably why in general, the movie toys are my least favorite line.
Please consider, before you torch me, I don't hate the movies themselves. They are largely to be given credit for breathing life into a franchise that I love. I absolutely love the big screen battle/action sequences, even if I disagree with their final outcomes (Jazz dies, but Bee lives from similar injuries, Ironhide the only casualty of Sentinel's rust gun, Megatron can be resurrected by the same object that killed him, and resurrected from only his head). But I hate what the Bayverse does with lots of characters. If I ever met Michael Bay, I'd thank him for his efforts and want to kick him hard in the shins for what he did to Jazz in 2007. It's a love/hate thing. Or maybe Hasbro is to blame for giving too much freedom to a guy who really didn't know or love the franchise. Someone mentioned Marvel's successes, and I believe they are in large part due to being steered by people who were fans and dearly loved the characters they are creating. I believe Bay loves the cars, but couldn't care less about whether they turn into a robot that evokes the car. And the AOE decepticon transformation cloud? WTF was that? If they could really transform from little cubes, why would they ever take damage or be killed? Sorry, rant done, stepping off the soapbox…
Incepticon
I'm more in shock that this broken record could possibly still be spinning at this point. I passionately LOATHE the Bayformer design "style", but I also learned as far back as ROTF not to ever expect anything that remotely resembles a movie character's G1 namesake. Well, 98% of the time since there are, like, 3-4 characters that show a soft influence/homage. Point nonetheless being; how anyone could possibly expect otherwise 5 movies / 10 years in is just confounding, and it's hard to believe people could still be disappointed or surprised by these reveals.
AirforceB475
His eyes are too low IMO. The visor needs to be his eyeline.
sladeprime
yes. he is Hot Rod of movieverse. i like his design