It's no secret that Transformers: The Last Knight figures didn't enjoy great distribution- Wave 1 figures can
still be found on shelves at retailers, and some waves either showed up briefly or not at all in many places. One figure whose distribution changed from original plans is Deluxe Class Hot Rod, originally slated to be part of Autobots Unite, a Walmart exclusive subline of the Last Knight toy, focusing mostly o on various versions of Hot Rod, who Walmart had exclusive rights to use in marketing as part of that line.
Unfortunately, plans changed, and the Deluxe Class version of Hot Rod was only ever available at a hefty markup from online retailers, and for a short time, for regular retail price at Walmart's own website, meaning many fans had a hard time finding the figure.
That may change now, thanks to a tip from fellow Seibertronian Casey280, who found the elusive figure at a Ross store in Novato, California, for the very agreeable price of $8.99, with photo evidence below. This marks the first confirmed sighting of Hot Rod at U.S. retail. Happy hunting to all of those who missed out on him before!
As always, if you see a new or sought after figure, please let us know along with sending photo proof.