COUNTDOWN: Transformers Retro releases – 10 things to talk about!

If you’ve ever read or listened to any of my ramblings before, you’ll doubtless know that I only want one thing in life: pink Hot Rod.

OK, there may be a few more desires on that list, but it’s up there! Yes, ever since I was a lad, I’ve desired to own a Hot Rod toy that perfectly captured the very specific shade of the character as we saw him in the 1986 big-screen animated adventure, The Transformers: The Movie. And now, at long last, it seems as if that dream is about to be made real… just look at it!

Seriously… wow. WOW.

The dust has barely settled on this new reveal, and I already can’t quite believe it’s true – the folks at Hasbro are performing the ultimate wish-fulfilment! The new toy is set to be released under the banner of ‘Transformers Retro’ and is partnered with a new version of Starscream, too.

So, let’s dive in and explore what these two new lads are all about and what it could potentially mean for the future.

#10: They’re reissues of the G1 toys 

OK, first things first – yes, these are reissues of the original G1 toys from the ’80s. That might sound obvious to some but I’ve already had a few people asking about it online, so it’s worth clearing up! Hot Rod was first released in 1986 but here looks to specifically be a repaint of his 1987 Targetmaster incarnation (albeit without his Nebulan partner, Firebolt), whereas Starscream is another take on the frequently used 1984 Seeker design, which originally hailed from Takara’s own Diaclone line. Both designs have been reissued many times over the decades and were most recently featured as part of the Walmart-exclusive series of G1 re-releases, albeit in more familiar colour schemes.

#9: They’ve been repainted to be as cartoon accurate as possible

The big difference for this outing is that both toys have been given a significant makeover to bring them more in line with their cartoon portrayal, specifically how they appeared in the 1986 movie. There have been many attempts to deliver that sense of screen accuracy on other toy designs (most notably as part of the Masterpiece line), but this is the first time we’ve seen it on a toy such as G1 Hot Rod (although not entirely with Starscream, as we will see). It means both toys look less detailed than ever before, eschewing their traditional stickers and many paint applications we would typically expect on them, all in favour of a more simplified but highly-saturated colour scheme.

#8: They feature all-new packaging but with a retro style

The new toys also come with updated packaging, although with plenty of nods to the past. It may be a closed box design with no window (no doubt as part of Hasbro’s push to reduce single-use plastics, as indicated here), but the all-too-familiar flap is present at the top, as is the transformation sequence photography that was made so memorable on 1980s’ boxes. Additionally, the Transformers logo is distinctly the one from the 1986 movie itself, which is sure to stoke nostalgia for anyone who grew up. Gorgeous stuff.

#7: The box art is modelled after more recent toys, however

One thing noted about the packaging is that both pieces of artwork seem to depict more recent toy designs instead of the G1 figures the boxes contain. In Hot Rod’s case, it looks like the Studio Series ’86 toy decked out in a similar pink colour scheme, whereas Starscream’s art appears based on the Earthrise mould. Quite why this has happened is unclear, although given there were rumours the recent toy-styled SS86 Hot Rod repaint was going to be pink, it’s immediately led some fans to wonder if such a thing might have been in the works after all, only to be curbed in favour of the G1 toy. Either way, it’s a curiosity.

#6: Why has this happened now? 

The biggest question here is quite simply why now? After all this time, why is Hasbro pumping out two movie-styled reissues of these particular G1 toys? It’s not a special anniversary or anything like that, so it feels very random to suddenly announce such a project out of the blue. It could be as simple as wanting to re-use the toys after their recent appearances in the Walmart line and determining that they might drum up more interest in new colour schemes, but who’s to say? It also depends on what came first: the decision to release old toys in animation-accurate style or the desire to see the classic Hot Rod design in such fabulous pink, with Starscream (and maybe more) as a secondary consequence). After all…

#5: This is the first G1 Hot Rod toy in movie-accurate pink!

Image credit: Botch The Crab

Praise be, it finally happened. As I say, I can’t quite believe it, but after thirty-six years, we’re finally getting a pink G1 Hot Rod release! To be clear, this has been a dream for many of us ever since 1986, when we first glimpsed the original prototype toy in catalogues of the time. It looked distinctly different from the final retail release in red and immediately made us all wonder what happened along the way to tone it down so much. Don’t get me wrong, the toy is still one for the ages, representing one of the most enjoyable designs from all of Transformers history (in my humble opinion). However, that prototype colour scheme remains the stuff of legend, the kind of awe-inspiring off-limits grail we all thought we’d never actually see in the plastic. Until now.

#4: There are lots of stylistic changes to traditional G1 Hot Rod releases

Photo credit: Evan Brooks

The new toy isn’t just pink, though. It features many other modifications which set it apart from every previous release of the mould, not least of which are the various paint touches all over: the legs are now finished in screen-accurate grey with orange on the knees to create the illusion of longer thighs; the flame emblem on the chest has been entirely redone, and now appears to be a tampo instead of a factory-applied decal; the collar is painted in orange to make it look blended into the chest; there are no stickers of any kind on the body, giving a cleaner look overall; and, perhaps most notably, the chrome on the engine block and exhausts has been replaced with a grey plastic finish. Additionally, it appears the wheels are made of plastic instead of the rubber tyres found on the vintage toy, although it’s hard to tell from the photos we’ve seen so far. Some will be disappointed by changes such as the wheels and chrome, but overall there’s no denying that the new release looks suitably different and very special!

#3: How easy will it be to modify Hot Rod?

Photo credit: The Spacebridge

Still, as awesome as the Retro toy looks, I’m not alone in still hankering after that original pink prototype (seen above to give you an idea of just how spot-on the new colour choices are!). I already have several copies of the reissue on order, and whilst I fully intend to keep one of them as is, I’ll be interested to see how possible it will be to modify another to fit this proto look more accurately. For starters, it could involve a fresh set of decals (although it will be hard to find a set that accurately colour-match unless Toyhax feels like getting involved!), but perhaps the bigger challenge will be in replacing the chrome sections (and the wheels, should they indeed turn out to be plastic). It appears the exhausts on the legs are pinned on for the new release instead of using screws, so that might prove to be a tricky prospect, but it’ll be fun to find out when it comes time! Either way, I’m still super excited about the new toy as it is, and I couldn’t be happier that such an idea is happening at long last.

#2: The Starscream looks quite similar to the 2003 Transformers Collection release

Turning our attention back to Starscream, the Retro toy looks very similar in style to a previous reissue, the 2003 Takara release in the Transformers Collection line. That had a like-minded goal of presenting the vintage toy in more screen-accurate colours, with a lighter grey and more saturated baby blue than we were used to seeing on the design traditionally. The new release also features the same Megatron gun accessory first seen from the Collection edition. However, it goes much further regarding the colour scheme by removing details such as the red stripes on the rear fins and opting for a grey nosecone instead of blue. Another change is that the Retro release has much longer missiles, first glimpsed on the 2003 Hasbro reissue in the Commemorative Series line, to comply with US safety standards.

#1: Will we see more characters done in the same style?

So, it’s all exhilarating indeed, but what comes next? Will these be the only two toys released in this new style, or can we expect more? After all, imagine an entire 1986 movie cast decked out in Retro G1 form! I’m already dreaming of toys such as Rodimus Prime getting the treatment, not to mention stunners such as Kup, Blurr or Ultra Magnus. There has been a Takara reissue of G1 Galvatron in purple before, but a Retro version could be much darker and deeper in style and could look amazing flanked by a similarly-finished Cyclonus and Scourge. The possibilities really are endless… we just have to hope it happens!

So that’s our list! PINK Hot Rod, eh? Can you even believe it?

TTFN