#32: Hot Rod Patrol (1990)

The Hot Rod Patrol are a great example of the creativity that the Micromaster line of Transformers produced; I could be wrong, but I think it was because of the fact that they cost a heck of a lot less to produce, which gave the designers more leaway to come up with things that maybe they wouldn't be able to if the toys had been of a bigger size. Hence, four 1950's style hot rod cars, in neon colourings. Neon had already started to creep into Transformers colour schemes by this point, but after 1990 or so, Hasbro just went crazy with the gimmick, splashing it on everything. Not that I'm complaining, of course. I happen to love everything neon.

Aside from a cartoon advertising them, the Hot Rods didn't get any fiction until the quite frankly risible Micromasters mini-series comic by Dreamwave, where, as stated in this blog previously, art wasn't great, and the writing was such that it rendered any attempt at characterisation of the Micros null and void, as they were pretty much interchangably bland and blank. A shame. Still, you never know. Some amazing soul may one day write the Micromaster epic to end all epics. One day, I may even try that myself.

Aside from Greaser (the orange guy) who is just weird, the Hot Rodders are pretty standard transforming Micromaster cars - the hook with them is the 1950's motif and theme. If you don't like that, then they're never going to grab you, but I've not met many who at least don't see the charm of them. The neon is obviously a great draw with me too; how can you not love something that's neon orang, even if his legs look back to front? You can't, obviously. I always liked the fact that they're portrayed as complete punks in the bio; I always imagine them being voiced by James Dean, Marlon Brando and Henry Winkler, with possibly Tom Wilson as Big Daddy. Biff Tannen rules, McFly.