Transformers: Rodimus Prime

Meet the Autobots young leader Rodimus. Was he worthy and courageous enough to lead the Autobots?

Rodimus Prime toy

Hot Rod, or Rodimus as he is now called due to copyright issues, was first introduced in the 1987 animated TransFormers movie. He was a brash, arrogant yet likeable young Autobot that had the heart and courage to eventually replace Optimus Prime as the new leader of the Autobots. His vehicle mode was a sports car of Cybertronian design, as he wasn’t part of the original Earth-stranded TransFormers that received redesigns from TeleTran-1. Additionally, he knew how to fish!

Hot Rod was always in the wrong place at the right time and the right place at the wrong time. He was the first Autobot to see invading Decepticons, which led to the epic battle over Autobot City. But as the Autobots and Decepticons fought over control, he single handedly helped in the Autobots' greatest loss. In an attempt to “save” Optimus Prime as Megatron reached for a concealed gun, he instead pretty much assisted Megatron in killing Optimus, which resulted in the tears of many fans across the world. Let’s face it – if Hot Rod hadn’t gotten in the way, Optimus could have at least dodged the blast and maybe fired back. Optimus eventually passed the Matrix of Leadership to Ultra Magnus. 

Rodimus and the Matrix of Leadership

Soon after, the Matrix denied Ultra Magnus and was stolen by Galvatron. In an ironic twist, Hot Rod the Autobot semi-responsible for the whole mess, was now the Autobot’s last chance. Hot Rod was the only thing that stood in the way of Galvatron and the stolen Matrix, as well as the destruction of Cybertron at the hands of Unicron. In a short but epic battle, Hot Rod stole back the Matrix and used its power to destroy Unicron and save Cybertron. The Matrix chose him to be the new Autobot leader, and Hot Rod now became known as Rodimus Prime. Luck or destiny? Or just maybe Hasbro’s way to introduce a new line of toys?





But perhaps as a sign of the Matrix’s disapproval from the Autobot Gods, Rodimus Prime’s new vehicle mode was...a flaming Winnebago:

Images copyright Hasbro