Bone Shaker

Wait... how did they know your dad's high school nickname? Adjectives can be confusing, can't they? There are two separate sets of toys - Transformers Hot Wheels and Hot Wheels Transformers - made by two different companies with two different design goals. Just remember, it's theme and then brand: Transformers Hot Wheels are Hot Wheels based on Transformers, made by Mattel, and (with the exception of that insulting, embarrassing exclusive) are simply die-cast cars designed like TF altmodes; Hot Wheels Transformers are the newest part of the Collaborative series from Hasbro, and so are Transformers who change into cars inspired by Hot Wheels toys. It's like the difference between "red brick" and "brick red" - annoying to describe, but easily understandable if you get it. I, not being a "Hot Wheels guy," was unaware there was any such thing as a recognizable or iconic Hot Wheels car; I mean, aren't they all about the same? Couldn't you just put a Mattel logo on any generic Transformer vehicle and claim it was Hot Wheels inspired? It seems not, because this is based on a specific toy introduced in 2006 and released about a hundred times since then. It's an open-roofed hot rod designed by Larry Wood, with a large, angry skull in place of its front grille and exhaust pipes out the sides. The paint job is closest to the 2020 "Hot Wheels Boulevard" release, with a black body, silver hardware, and bright colorful flames painted on the hood and sides. It's a very cool design, no question, even for something I'd never seen before. To change this apparently-famous car into a new robot, lower the exhaust pipes, bend the back half of the car down, swing the car's seats all the way around to become feet, fold in the frame from above the rear window, hinge the back end of the car through the space where those used to be, straighten the legs, open the skull grille, spread the front wheels and the exhausts, bring the robot's arms up from the center and fold out the hands, tip the front half of the car down, close the skull, and finish by swinging the pipes to the back. Hasbro has provided no information about this new character of theirs, neither on the packaging nor in any of the marketing or promotional copy anywhere. The closest we can get is from a 2009 version, which said Roofless with a skull grille, zoomy pipes, and injector stacks through the hood, this rat rod will make you shake your bones. Congratulations to Hasbro on constantly finding new depths of halfassery! For the most part, this is a good robot mode. Personally, we'd have given them some actual feet instead of just big square stumps, but that's really the only complaint. The proportions are good, the placement of the kibble is nice, there's just enough detailing on the robot parts to make them look like thy're built from car parts, not just a sculpted toy. Putting the skull on the chest is a cool move, and having pipes similar to the exhausts coming out of the head ties that in, thematically. Since the car is mostly black, the robot is as well. We can barely see any of the flames in this mode, though solid orange panels on the crotch and forearms help disguise that fact. In vehicle mode, the arms are entirely hidden inside the car, so giving them the paint app is a specific choice to help make the toy look flashier. The skull grille and pipes are painted silver, which is matched by the mouthplate. They have a red visor, and the Hot Wheels logo is tampoed right below the robot's chin. Articulation is pretty average for a Deluxe-sized Transformer : balljointed head, swivel/hinge shoulders, swivel biceps, hinged elbows, swivel waist, swivel/hinge hips, swivel thighs, hinged knees, and rocker ankles. His weapon is some sort of club, a stick that looks vaguely like a lollipop... or the stick shift in a hot rob. The ball on top is red, with a skull and crossbones Autobot symbol on the top, while the stick is sculpted to look like a large spring. It can be held in either hand, or even plugged into the car mode where a real stick shift would be - it's just that it's so gigantic that it looks like a remote control antenna or somesuch. Bone Shaker isn't just a good Collaborative Transformer, they're a good Transformer, period. A good robot design that changes into a unique altmode in a fun way? This would be a winner even without the Hot Wheels branding. (And without the extra licensing fees Collaborative toys always pass along to you.) Bone Shaker is a better design than case-mate Twin Mill, one you could see appearing in a normal continuity. Maybe they can be friends with Big Daddy. -- 01/20/26 Would you recognize any Hot Wheels cars unprompted? Tell us on our message board, the Loafing Lounge.