U.S. Name: HOT SPOT   Jap. Name: SAME

Cartoon First Appearance: Episode #62: Revenge of Bruticus, Season 2, Sept. 1985

Marvel Comic First Appearance: Unknown

Dreamwave Comic First Appearance: Unknown

Toy Catalog Number: C-71

A quick comment:    Back to G-1: Review A-XIII      Teletran-1

After the disappointment with the Encore Bruticus reissue due to no die cast metal, poor quality, and tempographs, I went to Ebay and looked for the original Bruticus.  I got tired of waiting and still no decent original Bruticus, I ended up grabbing the original die cast metal Protectobots/ Defensor instead.  Back in the 80's, I used to have Streetwise and First Aid until I lost it.  It just vanished one day along with my other Transformers.   Now, I'm just excited by having the Protectobots/ Defensor again.  It cost me a fortune, $CCXXX, from Ebay and arrived to me on Aug. Xv, Mmix. 

R-0 Original Hot Spot's motto and tech specifications:  

Affiliate: autobots | Subgroup: protectobots | Function: protectobot leader | Alt. Mode: fire truck engine |

| STR 9 | INTL 7 | SPD 4 | ENDN 9 | RNK 7 | CRG 9 | FRPW 7 | SKL 6 |

Original G1 Hot Spot's Motto:

"Rust never sleeps, and neither do I"

Original G1 Hot Spot's Bio:

Likes to be where the action is. Charismatic, inspiring...other Protectobots have trouble keeping up with his non-stop pace. Believes in being maximally operational every moment of one's life. His fire truck hose shoots high-pressure water 1200 feet. As robot, can press 60,000 pounds, uses fireball cannons that shoot bursts of 2000ºF blue flame 1.5 miles. With fellow Protectobots, forms "Defensor".

NOTE-1: This review page is meant to give you some ideas about the figure and for nostalgic or sentimental purposes.  I hold no responsibility for your action.  These images were mostly photographed and scanned by me.  If there's a section or image that owned by you and I didn't give you credit, please Email Me and I'll make the correction.  Have fun.

- Click on the Thumbnails to view them at a Larger Scale -

[Thumbnail Size = 100xHeight]

R-1 Hot Spot in its Original condition:

R-2 Pre-Applied Decals/ Stickers: 

There are 4 Pre-Applied stickers that had been applied onto Hot Spot.  The first 2 stickers are the fire ball with flame located on the side of the cab by the front.  Next is the small Autobot insignia located at the rear of the truck by the left side.  Lastly, the 4th pre-applied sticker is the Autobot Rub Sign logo located on the top of the fire truck at the left side near the center of the truck.

Sticker Sheet:

Anyhow, there are 23 registered numbering of stickers on the sticker sheet.  But in reality it's actually 24 stickers since some of the decals/ stickers are grouped or paired together and labeled it as one.  These registered numbering do not include the Pre-applied stickers.  These registering numbering do not include the Pre-applied stickers.  

R-3 Hot Spot in Vehicle Mode:

In vehicle mode, Hot Spot is fire truck whose measurement is approximately  6 1/8 x 1 13/16 x 2 1/4 (LxWxH in inch).  His colors are primary cyan with a white ladder and some small black paint for the windows, wheels, and hose.  He features die cast metal, rubber wheels, and the rests are all plastic. All fire truck windows are painted.  Although I have never seen a cyan fire truck in real life, I thought it works pretty well for Hot Spot especially when there is already a red fire truck called Inferno.  The white ladder can be rotated upward, sideway, as well as extended itself into 3 segments from 5" to 11 1/4".   The fire truck rolls very smoothly thanks to the rubber wheels.  If you could, try to find the Hotspot die cast version as oppose to plastic version, see R-8.  The reason is that over time when the plastic material wears out, Hotspot red chest plate will hang down and hit the floor during vehicle mode.

R-4 Hot Spot as a Repair Bay:

Hotspot 2nd alternated mode is a repair bay that measures approximately 5 3/4 x 5 x 3 3/4 (LxWxH in inch).  To change into this mode, simply begins with vehicle mode.  First pull the leg out and do a 180 degree split.  Now, swing down the front of the cab and rotate the arm forward.  Next, pull the ladder forward.  Last but not least,  add the gun to the leg while the chest blast shield and the mechanical arm go on the side of the repair bay.  Do this for each side of the repair bay for the accessories.  Once it's completed, place Streetwise (as per instruction) or any of the smaller Protectobots for more playing value.  It actually looks great and much, much better than the Silverbot's ramp alternated mode.

R-5 Hot Spot as a Emergency Car Carrier Mode:

Of all the Scramber City gestalts combiner leaders, Hotspot has 1 additional mode in which Silverbolt, Motomaster, and Onslaught do not have and that is a 4th mode called Emergency Car Carrier.  In fact, I never knew of this mode until I have him.  To change into the car carrier mode starting from fire truck mode, lift the base of the ladder and slide it forward.  Insert base of ladder bracket into slot on body of fire engine.  Next, swing the ladder forward into slots on top of the cap. Go to the rear of the truck and pull the leg out.  Insert the chest blast shield into the double holes at the rear of the truck for either side.  Take the fire ball cannon (gun) and inserts into the hole that located near the center of the fire truck; do the same for the other side.   Once it's completed, places First Aid (as per instruction) or any of the smaller Protectobots for more playing value.  Since the instruction sheet didn't mention it, when Hotspot is not hauling anyone, he looks a lot better when the ladder is placed toward the back (image - bottom left hand corner) which resembles Ultra Magnus.

R-6 Hot Spot in Robot Mode:

In robot mode, Hot Spot is very nice and well balance especially from the front side.  Some time, he reminds you of Inferno even though their transformation are much, much, different from one another.  Starting from vehicle mode, split the front cab of the fire truck to become the arm.  Of course the head will pop out by itself the minute you split the front cab portion.  Push the little tab out to reveal the hand.  Now pull the rear of the truck out until you hear a clicking sound and that will reveal the thigh.  Lastly, split the leg apart a little bit to complete the transformation.  His shoulder can be rotated 360 degree forward and the leg can do a full split.  And that is pretty much on his articulation.  Hot Spot head is spring loaded which tends to jam sometime and ended up stuck inside his chest cavity.  Therefore, you have to use your finger or some narrow object to pull it out.  Also, the fists are a little bit stiff inside the socket which make it difficult to take out.  You don't want to put too much pressure and end up breaking the little tab especially for a 25 year old plus figure.  The best option is to take a narrow object, insert to a small groove, then push the fist out.  Hotspot is equipped with 2 fire ball cannons, right image.

R-7 Die Cast Metal or Plastic Version?

Hot Spot came in 2 variations, the die cast metal version was released first and the plastic version was released later on.  Hot Spot die cast metal is the red foldable chest plate.  You are viewing the die cast version.  For Hot Spot case, it is easy to tell which version has the die cast metal or not by simply looking for the extra silver paint on the headlight above the chrome bumper.  Or, by looking for a black paint on the red chest plate.

R-8 Additional Parts Review:

To read the additional review on the individual Protectobots or Defensor, click on the link below.  Otherwise, continue to R-9 on Hot Spot topic.

|  Part 1 - Groove  |  Part 2 - Blades  |  Part 4 - First Aid  | Part 5 - Streetwise  | Part 6 - Defensor  |

R-9 Rémy's Hot Spot action figure review:

Manufacturer - Hasbro/ Takara.

Line, Series/ Wave: Generation 1 Line, Series 3.

Year Issue: [1986]  

Made: [Japan]  

Scale: [N/A]

Box or Card Dimension In Inches: [LxWxD]  - Approximately 10 1/4 X 5 1/4 (with flap 7 3/4) X 3 1/2 - Box.

Packaging Method: Mint In Seal Box.  Contents were packed with the following procedure:

Sealed on a card within the box: "1" fire truck.

On the side of the card board, a taped down bag which contained: "2" Defensor feet, "2" Defensor hands, "2" Defensor chest blast shield (right and left chest piece), "1" Defensor hip shield, "2" fireball cannon (guns) and "4" repair bay arms (or 2 pieces when combine).

On the same side of the card board, but on another sealed bag: "1" instruction sheet, "1" sticker sheet, "1" red decoder sheet, "1" Joint the S.T.A.R.S catalog, and "1" 1985 toy catalog poster (Autobots side and Decepticons side).

Box Special Note: Front Box Appearance: Hot Spot art.  Back Box Appearance: 1986 battle scene with Hot Spot Tech & Spec beneath that.

Box Point or Robot Point: [2]  - This number can be found on the back of the box next to the Tech & Spec. 

Approximately Toy Dimension In Inches: - Height Up To The Head:  5 1/2  Maximum Height: 6 1/8 (up to white ladder)  Width from shoulder to shoulder: 3 3/16  Maximum Width: 3 3/16  Dept: 1 14/16.

Toy Stamp/ Fine Print: - ©HASBRO; 1986; ©TAKARA; CO.LTD; 1986 JAPAN

Toy Stamp/ Fine Print Location: - Can be found on Hot Spot inner feet side of the left foot.

Transformation Of Difficulty: [Easy] - Can be tricky especially the hip bar joint and the shoulder.

Material Durability: [A]

Toy Materials: Die Cast Metal:  Red chest plate.  Chrome Parts: Chrome paint at the front bumper.  Rubber: All the wheels.  Plastic: Main material.  Clear Plastic Window: None.

Stability: [-A] - Robot mode can stand on any flat surface...very stable.

Fun Toy: [A] - Definitely fun thanks to many modes as well as a combiner.

Negative Drawback - None. 

Articulations:  Head: Cannot be rotated. Shoulder:  Can be swung at a 360 degree and opened out at a 180 degree sideway.  Arm/ Elbow: Cannot be bent.  Wrist/ Hand: Cannot be rotated.  Hand can be hidden by sliding back to the socket.   Hip/ Waist: Cannot be rotated.  Leg: Can only do a full split, no forward movement.  Knee: Cannot be bent.  Ankle/Feet: No movement.

Rub Sign Logo: [Yes] - The Autobot's rub sign located on the top of the fire truck near the center by left side of the fire truck.

Robot's Cartoon looks alike: [A]  - Look pretty much like the cartoon. 

Vehicle's Cartoon looks alike: [A] - Same as previous comment.

Special Notes: Here are 5 special notes which I think you should know:

1 - Due to the heavy weight on the upper body and the style of transformation, Hot Spot will suffer the compression leg syndrome over the long run.  In other word, Hot Spot leg will shrink down and bury into his feet which will make him look shorter.  If you want to avoid the problem, then leave him in vehicle mode. 

2 - As the year progresses, the white ladder will wear its material and prevent it from staying extend out especially at upright or slanted.  To avoid this problem, don't over use the ladder.

3 - Hot Spot fists are stiff and rigid so just be gentle with the little tab that slide the fist out.  Too much pressure can damage the tab/ peg.  The best thing is to use a narrow object and push the fists out via the small opening.

4 - Buyers beware the head is spring loaded, so make sure Hot Spot pops out smoothly and not jam or stuck inside his chest cavity.  Otherwise, it means the spring is bad.

5 - Always try to purchase the die cast version of Hot Spot.  The reason is that in vehicle once the red chest plastic peg is worn out, the chest plate will hang down and hits the floor.     

Overall Grade: [A] - With many modes and as a combiner, Hot Spot is indeed a great figure. 

Find an Error or want to Comment on this review page?  EMAIL ME.