The Energon Pub

E-Hobby has a new listing on their website for Transformers Henkei C-24 Hot Rod along with many new high quality images.

In the images we see you will notice that the Japanese version has many more fan friendly paint applications then the US version of Universe Hot Shot. We also get to see where the chrome is placed on the figure, s many fans speculated they would be on the engine in Vehicle Mode and on the gray bits of Jolt. But one more additional location is now revealed as we see our first images of two chromed cannons that can be mounted in the figures forearms.

Awesome!
I'll be getting this too cool I really really like this the chrome is placed perfectly.
Plese give us a updated Armada Megatron.

I don't like the spoilers above his head. That and the screwholes and the minicon port stick out like a sore thumb. The rest of the fig kicks ass though.

This toy is awesome!

am i missing some thing? why remake armada hotshot? and jolt? i am confused

doubledealer25 wrote:am i missing some thing? why remake armada hotshot? and jolt? i am confused

Well, why not?

doubledealer25 wrote:am i missing some thing? why remake armada hotshot? and jolt? i am confused

I didn't have the orininal so I don't know but I'd guess this one has way better articulation. I'm excited about this fig so I can have all the TFs from the Armada PS2 game =P [well the 3 main autobots]

Dead Metal wrote:Awesome!
I'll be getting this too cool I really really like this the chrome is placed perfectly.
Plese give us a updated Armada Megatron.

Right there with you on that!

Something actually posable would be nice!

It is good to have a more grown up looking Hot Shot toy though too.

doubledealer25 wrote:am i missing some thing? why remake armada hotshot? and jolt? i am confused

Well, because this is a celebration of all twenty-five years of transformers. Armada and Hotshot are part of that and therefor this new line as well.

Plus, the original Hotshot sucked pretty much, I liked him a bit, but he was really not a great toy. This new one improves on him.

Skyscream wrote:

doubledealer25 wrote:am i missing some thing? why remake armada hotshot? and jolt? i am confused

Well, why not?

A reason better then why not...

The introduction of Hot Shot in TFA.

Release a fan accepted mold [C2.0] just in case the untested mold [TFA] for 'newer' fans is unrelateable.

So does this one have shoulder articulation? Only it looks like the chest plate would be in the way.

Why does henkei have to cost more than classics??

I can't tell whcih is more show-accurate.

Technically weird wrote:Why does henkei have to cost more than classics??

Or why can't they just release them here as well? I don't mind paying more for a better fig [if you think they are better]. Almost like the Movie Premiums, we should get Classics Premiums too [which would be just the henkeis]. It would cost more to make new boxes for them though =\

Takara and Hasbro are seperate companies.

Yeah that looks better. When the hell is hasbro going to catch on that they need to use tarkaras paint apps.

Ok, can people please try and think about this a little? We've got people in the same thread saying "Why does Henkei have to cost so much?" and "Why doesn't Hasbro use the same paint apps as Takara?" Does anyone other than me see the connection?

I think I like the Hasbro release better, The paint just strikes my fance more. And the thighs appear to be molded a tad better.

Oh I would be so happy if they redid Megatron like they did this figure.

Sledge wrote:Takara and Hasbro are seperate companies.

Well isn't Hasbro pretty much just the American distributor? The way that I thought it was laid out was that Takara [before Tomy], made the figs and owns the rights to the figs and Hasbro is the American toy company that helps distribute the toyline here and for the figs that came after G1, they made their own "cost-effective" releases of them [less paint apps, no chrome, etc].

So these Henkei figures are first produced by and for Takara/Tomy and then Hasbro gets the figs [minus paint apps] and does what they want with them. Is this roughly correct?

[PS/sidenote/... the movie line was pretty much the first hasbro designed figs right?]

harvester wrote:

Sledge wrote:Takara and Hasbro are seperate companies.

Well isn't Hasbro pretty much just the American distributor? The way that I thought it was laid out was that Takara [before Tomy], made the figs and owns the rights to the figs and Hasbro is the American toy company that helps distribute the toyline here and for the figs that came after G1, they made their own "cost-effective" releases of them [less paint apps, no chrome, etc].

So these Henkei figures are first produced by and for Takara/Tomy and then Hasbro gets the figs [minus paint apps] and does what they want with them. Is this roughly correct?

[PS/sidenote/... the movie line was pretty much the first hasbro designed figs right?]

1) Hasbro owns the Transformer licenses, molds etc. If anything TakaraTomy are the Japanese distributors. They can't do anything without Hasbro's approval. They're made in TomyTakara's factories though, cheaper labour over there and all that stuff.

2) The Movie TFs were designed by Dreamworks and their companies. Hasbro provided consultation and then made molds based on the figures.

3) Japanese Transformers are aimed at collectors, not kids like Hasbro's Transformers are. That's why Henkei has better, or at least more detailed, paint apps and cost more money.

He look great, definately on the Buy list.

Mkall wrote:

harvester wrote:

Sledge wrote:Takara and Hasbro are seperate companies.

Well isn't Hasbro pretty much just the American distributor? The way that I thought it was laid out was that Takara [before Tomy], made the figs and owns the rights to the figs and Hasbro is the American toy company that helps distribute the toyline here and for the figs that came after G1, they made their own "cost-effective" releases of them [less paint apps, no chrome, etc].

So these Henkei figures are first produced by and for Takara/Tomy and then Hasbro gets the figs [minus paint apps] and does what they want with them. Is this roughly correct?

[PS/sidenote/... the movie line was pretty much the first hasbro designed figs right?]

1) Hasbro owns the Transformer licenses, molds etc. If anything TakaraTomy are the Japanese distributors. They can't do anything without Hasbro's approval. They're made in TomyTakara's factories though, cheaper labour over there and all that stuff.

2) The Movie TFs were designed by Dreamworks and their companies. Hasbro provided consultation and then made molds based on the figures.

3) Japanese Transformers are aimed at collectors, not kids like Hasbro's Transformers are. That's why Henkei has better, or at least more detailed, paint apps and cost more money.

I think Takara also designs the toys to make them work in plastic form based on Hasbro designs.

doubledealer25 wrote:am i missing some thing? why remake armada hotshot? and jolt? i am confused

As part of the 25th Annerversary Hasbro/Takara seems to be trying to cover as many of the different generations as possible. Which is why we're getting Armada, Beast Wars, 'normal sized' micromasters, the comic packs with redecos for War Within and the old Marvel comics, and Inferno being packaged as 'Generation 2'.

This is a MAJOR improvement over what was a popular character but one of the crappiest TF toys ever. And a posable minicon to boot. That the Henkei version has sensibly placed chrome (for a change) is a bonus.

I have to agree with one of the first posters here. Those screw holes stick out like sore thumb. Gen 1 Hot Rod is still the best incarnation of this character.