I do remember a time when it wasn't nearly as bad. Like Animated Hot Rod, it had almost no kibble at all. I think they just need better designers. Stuff like 3rd party may be tricky with IP rights and all that but I do think it helps Hasbro bring their A game. Shouldn't need a 3rd party for that though.

 

At least fake kibble is a stylistic choice. If you retooled every toy that cheated with faux-parts to have those fake parts be just generic robot pieces, you'd still have good toys. Partsforming isn't even cheating, it's giving up.

This is true, I mean TFA Rodimus is smaller than Classics Rodimus in vehicle mode but larger in Robot mode, with the only real kibble being two small panels on the legs and the spoiler. (if it even counts)

TFs used to be able to make the most of a vehicle's size through creative transformations, but these days it feels like many toys just takes the robot, folds it up, and slaps a vehicle shell over it and works backwards from there. That's why this Hot Rod is so great for me, because it actually feels like it uses the vehicle mass in a smart way for robot mode. Kindgom Cyclonus is this way, too.

 

Were living in the golden age of Transformers Toys

 

A new golden age.

 

The best is yet to come.

 

No big if Takara used a faux chest. It makes a great proportionality in robot mode. Just like MP Dinobot, ER Arcee and WFC Soundwave (faux buttons). But MP Hotrod's chest ain't that wide. Unless you are basing that statement on MP-28 box photo. It's just the angle of the photograph that gives an optical illusion of wideness. Of course compared to the new faux chest, it'd look more proportional now.

Ever notice how "all" companies have a rider that "not final image, subject to change"?

Last but not the least, no Matrix for Hotrod? The chamber that is. Wille ER Optimus' Matrix be compatibe? As in his light the darkest hour moment?

 

Yuuya onishi designed the MPM3, no wonder why Hot rod it's almost kibble-free.

 

Nicely put.

Mp hot rods chest is like one of those comically oversized lobster bibs

It also has the unfortunate affect of making the proportions look all over the place, even though they are ok, the chest just throws it off