Hasbro's Sam Smith @kingsamlock has posted yet more designs for the Transformers Fanstream debuted Studio Series figures with a look at the SS-93 TLK Hot Rod. Sam reveals the behind the scenes on this design that was made for the deluxe class figure. Read on to see the full details on SS-93 The Last Knight Hot Rod in the report with video turns and images that follow.
SS-93 TF5 The Last Knight Hot Rod
I am thrilled to finally be able to share (and potentially unspoiled) Studio Series Hot Rod! This figured was an absolute blast to work on, so sit back and enjoy as I blush over this design.
Hot Rod gets a proper figure and vehicle representation by way of his primary vehicle mode for the film, a licensed 2017 Lamborghini Centenario. No repurposed parts, no alt heads, just a true to form figure with phenomenal transformation and articulation.
The Last Knight presented a number of fantastic robot designs, but they in most instances were absent of any of their vehicle counterparts pieces. In the minority, is Hot Rod. He maintains enough of the vehicle mode to make for an ultra compact transformation, with next to no kibble. I was fortunate enough to partner with Tomo Tatsumi on this item, who delivered on all of the complex curveballs that our RI design team, and vehicle licensor through at him.
The vehicle and a majority of the robot mode are clad in a gun metal metallic to help replicate the carbon fiber chassis of the Centenario, and is accented with an orange livery to match the robot panels. I was happy to be able to capture the DRL and tail lamps, along with active aero spoiler in the raised position as seen in the majority of the London chase scenes.
As I mentioned on the stream, this might be my favorite studio series character of the year, at least from the Bayverse. I really hope you all enjoy him as much as I do! What do you all think, will he be joining your collection?
Hot Rod’s bot mode continued to see modifications and improvement all the way up to our tool start. Tomo did an amazing job of fine tuning the panels on this character, to keep the remaining vehicle parts as unobtrusive as possible. This is a perfect scenario where a bot mode pairs seamlessly with is vehicle counterpart.
The articulation on the figure is incredible, and the flarable thigh wheels along with the wings, provide a lot of variety when posing him out. I think the transformation steps that I am most impressed with this character have to be in the compacting of the rear of the vehicle into the feet, and the compressing of the chest bumper to meet the slimming silhouette of the character.
View this post on Instagram A post shared by Sam Smith - Hasbro ⚓️ (@king_samlock)
A post shared by Sam Smith - Hasbro ⚓️ (@king_samlock)
Hot Rod’s primary vehicle form for the film was a 2017 Lamborghini Centenario. Lamborghini has such a rich history amongst Transformer alt modes dating back to the brands inception, and I was lucky enough to help bring this characters to life as a licensed vehicle.
The livery on the vehicle mode needed to be refined to balance out where the ABS parts met their PA counter parts. This is why the sides of the bumper and side skirts taper off to a point, in order to avoid ended abruptly as the met the PA seam. As I’ve mentioned in some other posts, PA is a Nylon material for high tensile strength, and can not accept paint.
Lamborghini was a phenomenal partner to work with on this item, and continuously challenged us to ensure that the vehicle mode met its full potential.
View this post on Instagram A post shared by Sam Smith - Hasbro ⚓️ (@king_samlock)
A post shared by Sam Smith - Hasbro ⚓️ (@king_samlock)
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