Dion’s namesake traces back to an episode of Generation One, where the Arielbots traveled back in time to a Cybertron in the past. Dion was a Autobot dock worker they met, but if you know Generation One, I probably need go no further. Dion would receive a Japanese E-hobby exclusive based on him as a redeco of Wheelie, but this new Dion uses Universe (2008 - 2009) Hotshot’s mold, or more precisely, the Japanese Henkei version. He is also part of the Elite Guard, and is intended as a part of the 2009 Botcon “Wings of Honor” set.
With that said, Dion is a pretty sharp little car. The paint applications are very detailed, although as indicated by stock photos, he has one flaw: On each side of the car there is a Autobot insignia that is placed closely to the door hinges. As such, the upper corner of the emblem is missing. It’s a little bit glaring, as this is somewhat of a focal point on the toy. The side windows are also painted, but it is a color very close to the rest of his windows and blends nicely.
This was my first experience with the newer Hotshot mold, so I was unfamiliar with his conversion from alternate mode to robot mode. On a somewhat humorous note, the transformation begins with his head between his legs, although it is surprisingly not too difficult regardless. I find it’s a much smoother transformation than some of the other figures from his era, such as Sunstreaker, requiring less “massaging” or so to speak.
It’s very much a subjective assertion, but in robot mode he’s just pleasing to look at, and for once I feel his visor is very cool looking. Best part: it’s clear, so you can see his face through it. Speaking on the mold details, the sculpt is highly detailed, but what’s also nice is that there are enough paint applications to really bring out everything. He does however have a lot of kibble, especially on his shoulders, but it doesn’t hinder him much in terms of articulation, which is one of the nice parts of Henkei tooling. The other nice part is the inclusion of guns, which in the case of this mold aren’t chrome for the first time.
He also comes with Cop-Tur, who is a little more novel than Dion is. Cop-Tur would be one of the few Go-Bots references we’ve seen recently which includes Fracture, Deadlift, and the unreleased Backtrack. He is very interesting in that respect and a creative use of the tooling.
Unfortunately, Cop-Tur stops being good past that. The mold itself isn’t the best, with problems including that he can’t even stand up straight. To stand the figure you practically have to hunch him over like an old man, due to the proportioning of his weight. He is very top-heavy, and to make matters worse his feet are like small stilts. Because of the few parts he is made of, it doesn’t ever feel like you’re done transforming him, and speaking in general, the mold is a total downgrade from the original Jolt that came packaged with Armada Hotshot. He’s a nice bonus, but that’s about it.
My last complaint would be that he doesn’t look good on Dion at all. It’s more a problem with Dion’s mini-con port, but he looks very simply tacked on. There’s little reason to ever combine/ powerlink them since it would just take away from Dion’s general look.
My closing remarks: Dion himself is a great toy, and a nice way to work Hotshot’s likeness into a “Neo-G1” collection. He has flaws, but most are a carryover from the tooling used. All in all, I recommend him to collectors of Classics style toys, and also to the people who are into novelty Transformers.
