Spychanger Hot Rod Kitbash

Spychanger Hot Rod Kitbash
Based on Robots in Disguise figure R.E.V.

Years ago, among my first kitbashes were clearanced GoBots, the Hot Wheels^TM-sized Transformers released during the G2 period. The molds were reused as Spychangers in the Japanese Car Robots line, and then brought over with slight paint differences for Robots In Disguise in the U.S. (with no group name yet, so I'll continue to call them Spychangers for now). R.E.V.'s mold was used for: Firecracker, Optimus Prime, Sideswipe, Eagle Killer, and R.E.V. After some pondering, I decided it would work well as Hot Rod.

The big challenge for this kitbash, however, was how to deal with the spoiler. If fixed to the car mode, it would prevent the robot mode from standing up unless I changed the shape and made it look kinda dorky. Plus, it wouldn't look right in robot mode. So I settled on pegging it in, accepting big holes in the vehicle mode. I made the spoiler from a piece of sheet styrene and a section of rod for the peg (I discarded round pegs early on as being too weak given the tolerances I could put together).

Unlike the rest of my new Gobot kitbashes, I used no putty on this one, just styrene pieces and Dremeling. I made the engine block out of two sections of plastic rod, shaped to hold the gun grip before I glued them together, then shaped more because it didn't work the way I'd hoped, oops. I carved slots in the front window of the car (for robot mode) and the trunk of the car (for car mode) to hold the spoiler. The exhaust pipes were a really cool trick, using up sections of half-rod I picked up a few weeks ago. I cut them roughly to length, glued them on and then trimmed them.

Red paint goes over yellow very easily, so I had an easy time with most of the painting. I decided to leave the underside of the driver compartment yellow, so that the head would be more visible in contrast. Again, I left the Autobot symbol uncovered. I did a little bit of pen work to bring out the taillights rather than painting them some color other than red.

AUTOBOT: Hot Rod
Altmode: Supermodified Lamborghini Diablo
Function: Cavalier
Motto: "My actions speak louder than their words!"

A brash young Autobot, more "cavalier" in attitude than function, specializes in attacks made from the back of an ally's vehicle mode, riding other Spychangers like turbocharged surf boards. He's too much of a rookie to have had his first really bad combat experience, so he takes rules and orders as mere suggestions, having not learned the consequences of his actions. In either mode he can use his Dazzle Cannon to either blind his foes or burn them with high-intensity light. In vehicle mode he can reach speeds of 120mph before he risks losing control. With experience, his theoretical top speed is much higher, and his maneuverability is so great that much faster opponents have trouble keeping up with him in a fight.

STR 8 INT 7 SPD 8 END 8 RNK 5 COUR 7 FRP 7 SKL 6 Avg 7

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