Forget new stuff, let’s talk about some old stuff. Kingdom? Studio Series? Nah, we’re going back to the year 2010. My first Transformer ever was Generation 2 Hubcap, and because of that, he’s always been my favorite D-list Transformers character. And I realized, going into TFCon at the end of 2021, that he hasn’t really gotten too many figures over the years, and I could try going completest on him. He has his little G1 minibot (need it), that G2 repaint (got it), the Machine Wars basic (need it), the really cool Generations Selects Deluxe (got it, reviewed here), and this version, the only one I found at the convention (if you’ve got the G1 or Machine Wars one, hit me up). This particular Hubcap represents a hypothetical live-action-movieverse version of the shifty, fast-talking communications expert and con man. Well, presuming that’s still his personality. The bio note on his instructions just says that he really, really hates the Decepticon Brimstone (and really hating stuff does seem on-point for a Bayverse Autobot).
They didn’t print his motto because it wasn’t safe for kids.
Hunt for the Decepticons was a toyline from the time period where the live-action movies were a much bigger business. This line filled the gap between Revenge of the Fallen and Dark of the Moon, continuing the trend of the movie lines expanding the universe with new faces, and Bayverse versions of classic bots. This version of Hubcap was a Scout, a long-gone size class that was a bit bigger than today’s Core-class, but smaller than a Deluxe, and was the perfect place for the movie line to use its popularity and clout to get weird (one time, they made a Toaster transformer, and another time, they made a World War One biplane). So, let’s see what they did with this guy.
Robot Mode
As a Scout, Hubcap’s about as tall as some of the smaller Deluxes released these days (think Siege Sideswipe), but has none of the mass, making him clearly smaller.
Funny enough, he’s the same size as the Generations Selects Deluxe, which was deliberately undersized.
In terms of his aesthetics, he’s unmistakably a live-action-movie style design, as an almost skeletal robot, covered in car parts, with his visible robot bits given a fine coat of tech detailing.
He blends in with the Bee Movie Bots, if you squint.
Still, he’s not too removed from the standard G1 carformer design, with his hood-chest, and the wheels on his shoulders and ankles. He’s got lanky, noodle-like arms, with open palms, and a mouthplated face.
And some really striking baby blue eyes!
I might be reaching for this, but I kind of feel like the crest on the forehead of that head sculpt a small reference to the G1 original’s design. But that’s definitely me searching for homages, because really, sculpt isn’t immediately recognizable as being Hubcap, but that’s par for course with a lot of movieverse redesigns, and he’s still a good-looking bot.
You can’t tell me these colors weren’t deliberate.
His colors really do the heavy lifting here when it comes to homaging. All of his car parts, along with his feet, are cast in a nice shade of red plastic. The body beneath them, meanwhile, is two shades of grey, with silver painted highlights. He’s also got a bit of black for the wheels and Autobrand, blue eyes, and orange accents in several spots. The red seems like it’s a homage to the G2 version of Hubcap, specifically, since in the movieverse, Bumblebee’s claimed yellow. And maybe I’m stretching, but putting orange right on his faceplate also seems like a shout-out, deco wise.
Not a flattering angle.
In terms of handfeel, Hubcap isn’t quite as stable as I’d like, thanks to none of his car parts really plugging in. His chest can swivel right up, and the panels on his ankles and back of his shins love to move around. They’re pretty tight, but I find myself wishing they tabbed in. Meanwhile, while his arms are more solid, sometimes his forearm panels block his elbows.
He really doesn’t look like a fighter.
On a more positive note, they made this guy nicely poseable, at least. He’s got forwards-and-backwards rocking ankles, and the bits of car boot around his ankles being movable helps keep him stable and standing. His knees are oddly high up on his legs, making for an odd visual, but in practice, they work well. He’s got ball jointed hips and elbows, two swivels per shoulder for extreme mobility, and a ball jointed neck that’s only slightly blocked by the panel behind his head. The only standard thing he lacks is a waist, which is fine at this scale. His open hands are kind of amusing in the context of his articulation, because they’re good for gesturing, and emoting.
The shoes? Gundam.
Speaking of his hands, Hubcap comes with no accessories or gimmicks, he’s just a noodly robot man. There isn’t even the suggestion of sculpted weapons on his frame. But hey, “Weapons can win battles, but words can win wars” was his original motto, so maybe this one’s a thinker, and not a fighter.
“Can we talk this out?”
“WE COULD NOT TALK IT OUT.”
Or he’s really good at hand-to-hand fighting, or something.
*Uncertain karate noises*
Transformation
This is a good one, in that it’s really really fun and simple.
And kinda comfy-looking.
Hubcap’s sort of a shellformer, but he’s saved by the fact that all the panels you need to snap into place are huge and chunky. Flip up the chest-hood, adjust his leg panels, clip them together, then compress his legs and arms, and you’re done. It’s a 30-second transformation, and it works really well.
Car Mode
This is a nice-looking car mode, even if its smaller size means it doesn’t really scale with anything.
Except, again, his Selects Deluxe.
It’s an old-fashion, 30’s style classy hot rod, kind of like a Rolls Royce, sleek, and covered in fancy exhaust pipes. There’s a lot of really good sculpted detailing on it, including the engine, the grill, and even door handles.
Demolition derby to save the Earth.
He snaps together really well in this form, and has a really pleasant, hefty chunk to him in-hand.
Who brings a car to a plane fight?
For colors, Hubcap’s now almost entirely red plastic in this form, but manages to also be well-painted.
Still a homage.
His windows are all filled in with black, and he’s got silver highlights for the grill, bumpers and pipes. His wheel rims are even painted too! The only thing that sticks out is his tiny unpainted door handles, but Premium Finish Bee spoiled me, really.
Only spoiled people can afford this car.
Like his robot mode, Hubcap doesn’t really have any features, he just rolls. But that’s all you need. He’s got personality, class, and style, and something about the chunky, toy-ish way he feels makes me want to roll him across my desk more than a lot of larger, more elaborate cars.
Overall
Outside of being another iteration of Hubcap, this is just a really fun little figure. Any grousing I have about his kibbly, loose panels robot mode is canceled out by how much of a simple pleasure he is. He’s nicely poseable, quick to transform, and has cool-looking car mode. He’s a bit basic, but he hits those basics really well. This is a fun guy to carry around, or keep on your desk. Most movie scouts were like this, it was a really solid era of design. He’s worth tracking down as a novelty if you just want a random deskbot, just like the rest of them, really.
