Hot Rod Joe

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HotRodJoeArt.jpg

Hot Rod Joe (ホットロッドジョー) is a Machine Robo. He is the leader of the Wheelmen and thus among the fastest Machine Robo thanks to his V12 engine, which has an output of 2400 horsepower and can push him to speeds of 965kmph, while he can use a Spiral Sonic Boom attack. In robot mode he possesses a Twin Arm Blaster.

Fiction[edit | edit source]

Machine Robo: Revenge of Cronos cartoon[edit | edit source]

Voice actor: Hōchū Ōtsuka
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At one point in their smuggling career on Cronos, Hot Rod Joe and F-One Jack were caught in a shower of acid rain and needed Bike Robo to fetch Metal Laster from Vira for them. The pair then kept out of the Machine Robo war with the Gyandlar until the Battle Base came under attack from a new Gyandlar weather machine. Kendō Robo and Rom Stol decided they need a powerful explosive from Cleo City to take the machine out; however, the Alpha and Beta compounds used to make it were too volatile to be transported by air or together, while only having a three-hour lifespan. Pro Truck Racer suggested using the Wheelmen, and while several of the Machine Robo were unsure due to the Wheelmen being amoral smugglers Rom ruled they had little choice. Rom, Pro Truck Racer and Bike Robo set off to meet them, with the latter calling in his favour to secure their help; however, unknown to the Machine Robo the Wheelmen had already been contacted by the Gyandlar and were planning to sell the group out. The pair picked up the compounds from Cleo City but then had a change of heart, with F-One Jack faking an injury so he could tell the Gyandlar the deal was off; they reacted angrily but he was saved by Rom and Pro Truck Racer. In the meantime Hot Rod Joe was left with both parts of the compound onboard, heading towards the Battle Base with Bike Robo. Garudi attacked the pair; Bike Robo tried to draw off the Gyandlar's heat-seeking missiles while Hot Rod Joe was saved by Rom, Pro Truck Racer and Jack. The explosives were used by Pro Truck Racer to destroy the weather machine, and the reformed Joe joined the Machine Robo army.Full Power, Wheelmen!

Machine Robo: Battle Hackers cartoon[edit | edit source]

Voice actor: Kenichi Ono
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After the Machine Robo left Cronos and passed a dimensional gateway they re-emerged as the citizens of the Algo Republic on Electronic Planet B-1, where the Wheelmen were part of the Silver Wolves, the Algo Army's ground forces in the battle against the Gurendos. Here Hot Rod Joe had a lighter, more fun-loving personality. He was part of the team led by Silver Wolves commander Pro Truck Racer to investigate the landing of the Good Luck, running a gauntlet of Gurendos fire to reach his leader and help the humans Akira Amachi, Luke Stewart and Mia White. Burning Electronic Planet He later joined the other Wheelmen in making fun of Akira and Luke when they eyed up the Power Suits and suggested piloting them in combat, with Hot Rod Joe underlining the point by juggling an infuriated and helpless Akira. Jet Riser! Scramble! He later took Luke onboard, though the group came under attack from Gakurandar and Kariagen, who drove them into a trap set by Sorikondar and Suji. The explosion seemingly destroyed Joe and Luke, but they were caught at the last moment by Mach Blaster before being saved by R. JeTan and the Battle Hackers. Strongest Warrior - R.JeTan! The Wheelmen later helped save Akira from Devil Satan 6 after he impulsively set out alone in the Jet Riser and uncovered a plan to destroy the important bridge to Crystal City. Jet Riser - Full Fire! The Wheelmen later switched from the Silver Wolves to the Battle Hackers. Return to the Good Luck

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On one of his first missions with the team, Hot Rod Joe went on patrol with Garzack, F-One Jack and Akira. The group got pinned down by Gurendos troops, and Garzack lost his Garfire-SP in the scuffle. It was found by Suji, then used by Sorikondar to destroy a store deep within Crystal City. Stolen Garfire-SP Akira then drove Hot Rod Joe in a race against F-One Jack and Buggy Wolf (driven by Patricia Longfellow), with the combination winning much to Jack's annoyance. Rotary Kid and Twincam Jimmy Hot Rod Joe and F-One Jack were able to escape the mind-controlling satellite beams used by Sorikondar and get the humans to the Battle Hackers. The group then set out to destroy the device in Apollo Robo and Big Shuttle Robo. While the mission was successful Big Shuttle Robo - with Jack onboard - was damaged in the process and in danger of being sucked into a black hole, before RIM devised a risky strategy to save them. Destroy the Fortress Satellite Later Joe was with the Battle Hackers when Sorikondar launched another attempt to wipe them out, cutting them off from the rest of the Algo Army with a minefield. R. JeTan! Run! Joe then worked with the Battle Hackers as they infiltrated and destroyed a huge mobile Gurendos base; however, Mach Blaster was captured after sacrificing himself to buy the rest of the team time to escape, much to Akira's distress. Captive Mach Blaster He later joined the Battle Hackers' raid on the Gurendos' Blood Country headquarters, infiltrating the tunnels below and helping rescue Mach Blaster. Goodbye - Battle Forever

Toys[edit | edit source]

HotRodJoeToy.jpg

Machine Robo: Revenge of Cronos[edit | edit source]

Wheelmen[edit | edit source]

  • Hot Rod Joe (1987)
    • ID number: MRBH-1
    • Accessories: none
Hot Rod Joe was the 1st figure in Bandai's Wheelmen series issued in the Machine Robo: Revenge of Cronos toyline, converting from dragster to robot. The toy features a friction motor in vehicle mode, rubber tyres and a large proportion of diecast, with the engine detailing emphasised. Hot Rod Joe has articulation at the shoulders, elbows, hips, knees and ankles. Like all of the first wave of Wheelmen toys he came with a sheet of additional racing car decals; these were identical across the releases and could be applied wherever the buyer wanted, to fit in with the custom car vibe. Initially the sheets included real racing sponsors, including Elf, Shell, Texaco, Marlboro, Lucky Strike and Bridgestone; at some point this was replaced by a sheet instead featuring bowdlerised versions of the same names, presumably in reaction to some sort of legal issue. The legal issue does not seem to be that a children's toy featured cigarette branding. Hot Rod Joe retailed at ¥1200.
  • The figure was never released outside of Japan.