Combiner Wars Legends Rodimus Review

Careering out of left field, here before us we have a Combiner Wars Hot Rod Rodimus figure. But instead of being a Deluxe limb, or a Voyager combiner torso (as his ego would demand) Hasbro have distilled his essence into a legends class figure.
Well, if by distilling they mean giving Blackjack a new head and paint job.

He even has that ridiculous axe....sort of thing.

Just before I get on with reviewing this fella, I haven't updated this blog much lately, as I have been busy writing two articles for the good folks over at Masterforce....and also socialising a little too much.

You can read my reviews of Boldforms Lonewolf here and Combiner Wars Cyclonus here if you want to pass some time.

Please do. Pretty please.

Continue on to the review

As a repaint of Blackjack, Hot Rod, I mean Rodimus - stop it brain, transforms into a sports car of indeterminate make.

If you want to read my thoughts on Blackjack himself, you can find them here.

But, Blackjacks sports car stylings are rather cool and the front is sorta pointy but curved at the same time. I don't know what that means or how they pulled it off, but it looks cool- and that is passed on to the Rodimus.

Rodimus is rendered in that dark almost Burgundy Red that his toys seem generally to be cast in, instead of the more Pink or Hot Red (not Rod) of his cartoon and comic book incarnations. 

His windows are a shiny dark Blue that looks nice, but I think it would have looked better if it was brighter. It would have just popped a little more.

It would not be Rodimus without his flames, and this time it only appears on his hood. But something is missing - the Autobot badge on the hood. 

I can forgive the lack of his trademark pipes, or the spoiler looking ridiculous, but he needs that badge and there is no reason they could not have added it.

*rummages through draw for reprolabel stickers, grumbling*

Just to go back to the spoiler, it is the same as Blackjacks and so suffers the same problem of the axe handle pointing upwards owing to the cars roof.  

So yeah, welcome back daft accessory of the year.

Rodimus car mode is just as fun as Blackjacks, but the colours they have chosen are not as sweet looking so it feels like a downgrade.

Still a decent toy, if not a decent  attempt at a Hot Rod (I kid - Rodimus).

The transformation is the same as Blackjacks, so essentially you flip the top of the cover over his back, fold out the arms and you are good to go.

Does it look like Rodimus? If it were not for the eye searing colour scheme would anything about it make it clear it is supposed the Lost Lights co-captain (lets face it Megatron is so much better).

It is too subtle to be him, it is not screaming "hey, I am annoying! Look into the attention void!" as Rodimus tends to do. I have never been a fan of the character, in any incarnation and the IDW comics just exacerbate all of the traits I dislike about him - but that is what makes the comics great.

Missing his chest flame and shiny arm pipes he does not come across as so vain or loud as he should. There is a tiny Autobot badge on his shoulder, but it is too routine for the Rodimus we all know.

Even the Red plastic feels too understated to be this character. He feels like someone who would blend amongst the background of your shelf, which the most un-Rodimus like a toy can be.

QC wise, just like Blackjack all of the ball joints are obscenely tight, and I say obscenely to be dramatic because I am scared they are going to snap each time I move them.

There is nothing new except the head that has been added, so he does just look like that toy in Red.

Because that is what it is.

But thankfully that is a great little figure, and so Rodimus benefits from it being such a strong mold anyway. The gorilla arms are still here but the Red plastic seems to head that a bit better than Blackjack did.

Maybe that is because my brain is too busy trying to process a Rodimus without chest flames.

This guy looks more like a Throttlebot, so that is who I will re-purpose him as, or maybe I will put him in the arms of Masterpiece Ultra Magnus, for him to hold as if he was cradling a baby Hot Rod (come at me Hasbro trademark minions).

 He does get a cool new head though, and they even painted the head crest yellow. Silver paint is neatly added to cover his face, whilst his eyes have been carefully coated in the same Blue paint as his windows.
Chance has conspired to make the Yellow bits on the shoulders lightly evoke his classic spoiler. That is otherwise missing, as the daft axe he comes with does not peg onto his back that way round.

If they were going to repaint this mold into Rodimus, there is no reason why they could not have added the correct peg holes to his back to use that axe as his spoiler.
They love sticking holes in their figures at the moment, except for when it makes sense it seems.

Roddys head is a lot looser than Blackjacks, but it is nothing problematic. He still hold the dramatic looking sideways pose without argument.
Yes, he can hold the axe and yes it does still look more like a techno ancient Egyptian Ostrich feather fan.

Rodimus can be used as a chest piece for either Motormaster or Optimus Prime and is intended to go with that upcoming White Optimus Prime who is definitely not Ultra Magnus.
But just like Blackjack, he still sits in the chest too loosely to be of any use.
The slightest rumble and he leaps to his doom.

It sounds like I am mostly down on this toy, but I actually really like it. I am just not a Rodimus fan and never have been - even if I do want to get hold of that MP Rodimus Prime from a couple of years back.
Even as a non fan of the character, it is quite easy to see that this figures biggest flaw as a repaint is that the characters key traits it is intended to represent are lost.

But due to it being a good mold to start with, it is still a really fun toy to play about with - it just is not a good Rodimus.


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