General Information
Release Date: August 2026
Price Point: $27.99 (depending on retailer)
Retailer: General Release (Amazon, BigBadToyStore, Entertainment Earth, Target, Walmart etc.). Using the preceding links helps to support Ben's World of Transformers.
Accessories: Hotwire Powermaster
Official images and text in italics are from Amazon.com:
- AGE OF THE PRIMES AUTOBOT JOYRIDE: This Transformers Autobot Joyride figure features deco and details inspired by the Transformers universe
- CONVERT BETWEEN ROBOT AND DUNE BUGGY MODE IN 26 STEPS: This Transformers toy figure converts between modes in 26 steps
- 5.25-INCH DELUXE CLASS TRANSFORMERS FIGURE: In robot mode, the Transformers action figure is 5.25 inches (13 cm) tall
- INCLUDES AUTOBOT HOTWIRE: Comes with Autobot Hotwire that converts to an engine block
- ARTICULATED FOR PLAY AND DISPLAY: Age of the Primes Transformers figures feature articulation for display-worthy poses or action-packed play
- PART OF THE AGE OF THE PRIMES TRANSFORMERS COLLECTION: Look for additional Age of the Primes figures (each sold separately, subject to availability)
- COLLECTIBLE TRANSFORMERS GIFTS: Transformers action figures make a great Christmas, holiday, or birthday gift for boys and girls 8 and up or anyone who collects Transformers toys
Experience the epic universe of Transformers robots with the Transformers Age of the Primes Autobot Joyride toy! The 5.25-inch (13 cm) Deluxe Class figure converts from robot action figure to toy dune buggy mode in 26 steps. The action figure comes with Autobot Hotwire figure that converts to an engine block. With intricate poseability, the Autobot Joyride action figure makes an awesome addition to any collection. Look for more Transformers collectible toys (sold separately, subject to availability) to create a lineup that is - More Than Meets the Eye. TRANSFORMERS and HASBRO and all related trademarks and logos are trademarks of Hasbro, Inc.
Background:
In 1988 the G1 toy line introduced a new type of Transformer: Powermasters. Unlike the Head and Targetmasters of the previous year, these Transformers had small partners who transformed into their engines to both provide power and unlock their transformations. Over the course of the Generations toy line we have seen many of the Powermaster characters "remade". These include:
- Titans Return Optimus Prime
- Titans Return Breakaway (aka Getaway)
- Power of the Primes Blackwing (aka Dreadwind)
- Power of the PrimesDreadwind
- Earthrise Doubledealer
This actually means most of the Powermasters have been remade. Now another has joined the group with the release of Age of the Primes Joyride. Joyride is a redeco and retool of Age of the Primes Sureshot, so you'll want to check out that review. This will focus on the changes made to the figure for this release.
Packaging:
Age of the Primes represents a dramatic shift in Generations packaging. Unlike previous years of the War for Cybertron trilogy or Legacy which went in dramatic directions with packaging shape and artwork, the designers have dialed back the look of the boxes a lot. The Age of the Primes packaging winds up looking a lot more like Studio Series packaging. The boxes are now rectangular. No weird angles or anything. The background is just plain black. The "Transformers" logo is no longer vertical (dropping a trend that began over ten years ago) and is now horizontal in the front of the packaging with the "Age of the Primes" name underneath it. Character art is featured to the right, but it's only partial art showing a bit of the character in robot mode with focus on the vehicle mode underneath. To the left are icons describing how many steps the character takes to convert from one mode to the other and the age recommendation (8+ in this case).
Joyride and Hotwire are inside the box attached to a cardboard tray. You can see almost the entire figure in robot mode thanks to the return of plastic windows! Fans will recall that for the last few years Transformers toys have had no plastic windows in an effort to (ostensibly) make more eco-friendly packaging. However, this led to damaged toys with heads being yanked off and sometimes figures being outright stolen. For many fans, the return of the plastic windows is a welcome one.
The back of the box shows the character in both modes calling out a 26 step transformation. Behind the character is a sky background with a wheel showing some of the Thirteen Prime symbols. I think the designers were going for a more "adult" and "premium" appearance to the packaging and to that end it works. It looks like something you'd see in a museum shop, but I do feel some of the fun and whimsy of the dramatic Legacy artwork and visual bombast has been lost and I'm a tad sad about that.
Accessories:
When this base sculpt was originally released as Sureshot, he included Targetmaster Spoilsport as his accessory. This time out, Spoilsport has been replaced with Hotwire, Joyride's Powermaster partner. This is not a pure redeco of Spoilsport - which frankly surprised me and made me very happy. Instead, he is a retool of Spoilsport, replacing the entire top half of the figure and taking away the blaster barrels piece.
The new top half of the figure is based on the design of G1 Hotwire's Nebulan mode. The designers did a great job integrating many of the G1 details into this figure. This includes the shape of the helmet, a covering over the mouth, tubes curving over the torso and even a cross hatch pattern in the middle of the body. I really appreciate the G1 accuracy.
To make this figure an "engine" in its alt mode it includes a panel that fits over the back of the legs. This panel is designed to look like Hotwire's engine mode in G1 complete with two large circles on top and pistons(?) on the sides.
Hotwire's upper body is dark blue plastic and the legs are white. The eyes are painted gold. The engine panel is dark blue with gold paint in an attempt to emulate the colors of the original G1 Hotwire.
Transformation is simple: just swing the legs up over the upper body and make sure the engine panel is attached to the back of the legs. Some fans have said this engine mode looks a bit chunky, and I agree, but honestly engines are not exactly slim, tiny things so I'm okay with it.
A carry over design element on this figure is the 5mm peg on the back (or bottom of the engine if you prefer). This allows you to put the engine in his hand or attach it to his back. From an aesthetic point of view I prefer the engine attached to the back, but then that leaves Joyride empty handed, which looks kind of incomplete.
Overall, I dig this Hotwire figure. It shows better effort than say, just giving Spoilsport a new deco and somehow making Joyride a Targetmaster.
The spoiler pieces from Sureshot carry over to this figure and have not been changed.
Robot Mode:
Joyride uses the same body sculpt as Sureshot but replaces the head, making him a very "classic" kind of retool/redeco. The head is based on the head design on the G1 toy. It features a rounded "helmet" section with a crest in the middle and smaller fin-like pieces flanking it. On the sides are circles. The face features visor eyes with a nose and mouth. This design differed from the one used in the Marvel Comics in the 80's which featured a more rectangular shape with two pieces that extended out from the forehead. As an aside, this head design is also a lot closer to what was used in the Masterforce series for the character Ranger who was a redeco of Joyride.
Using Sureshot's body works out well for Joyride. Both have the cabin section of the vehicle mode forming the torso and the front of the vehicle winding up on the back. Like Sureshot, Joyride's legs were formed from the rear of the vehicle mode in G1 and the same is true here even though the shapes are different.
Joyride is made up of red, white, turquoise and translucent blue plastic. These are all brighter shades of colors seen on the G1 toy. I like that as it gives the figure a more animated appearance. The turquoise in particular is very striking and not a color you see often on Transformers figures. The paint work on this figure looks great. White and gold paint are found on his head, arms, torso and legs. The chest has black and gold paint used on the small lights that were left unpainted in Sureshot. The shoulders have black details with pink lines in them that are direct callbacks to stickers on G1 Joyride. The deco looks really good and despite having the same body as Sureshot he does distinct from that figure.
There are twenty two points of articulation on this figure including five in each arm and leg. This is actually pretty great given the budget constraints that allowed him to include Hotwire, I'm more than happy with it. Really the only point of articulation I miss are the wrists and that's not a big deal to me. There are eleven 5mm ports on this figure including one under each foot, two in each leg and three in each arm. You can connect Hotwire to his back in engine mode, but you'll need to swing the front wheels down a bit first.
Transformation to Vehicle Mode:
- Separate Hotwire if attached and set him aside for now.
- Straighten out the arms and legs.
- Swing the arms up to the sides.
- Lift the panel the head is resting on up a bit.
- Pull the chest section forward.
- Pulling the chest section up, rotate the section with the chest panel, arms and head around.
- Swing the chest section up where it will line up with the front end of the vehicle mode (which was previously on the back of the figure).
- Swing the head back on the ball joint.
- Swing the arms back and rotate them so the spoiler halves come together to look like one spoiler (they don't actually connect however).
- On each leg, swing the wheel forward.
- Swing the feet back against the lower legs. They tab in place.
- Swing the lower legs up over the thighs and push them into place.
- Push the lower legs together.
- Rotate the lower body around.
- Swing the section with the robot arms/chest on it back and push it down into place.
- Rotate the forearms so the slots on the wrists line up with the tabs on the feet. Connect them together.
- Swing the rear wheels up and connect the pegs on those sections to the ports on the forearms.
- Flip the front wheel section forward then tuck it under the front end of the vehicle.
Vehicle Mode:
Like Sureshot, Joyride is also a Dune Buggy in vehicle mode, so it is not much of a leap to accept this as a proper modern version of Joyride. Much like G1 Joyride, this vehicle mode features extension pieces in the front of the car, a closed off, angular cabin section and a spoiler in the back.
Color-wise the same colors from the robot mode carry over here but the color distribution differs from G1 Joyride. There are white parts at the very front of the vehicle whereas on the original toy it was all green. The off-white coloring used on the front of the vehicle does match up nicely with the light grey section on the G1 toy. The sides are red and the middle section is turquoise, similar to the G1 figure. This mode shows off some more gold paint in the form of stripes on the front of the vehicle. Overall the vehicle looks great even if it is not 100% the same as the original figure.
The vehicle mode features three (possibly five) 5mm ports to attach accessories. Hotwire is meant to attach to the port on the top of the Buggy's front section. The arms on the sides have another couple ports. The fists kind of stick out in the back of the vehicle so in theory you could attach accessories to them as well. The engine does stick out a lot in the front so I do honestly prefer not having him attached. I wish instead he had a blaster you can attach there. Interestingly, the G1 Joyride blaster attaches perfectly to 5mm ports so he can use it in both modes.
Final Thoughts:
Joyride is a cool figure. Using Sureshot's base sculpt for this figure was a great idea and I'm so happy some retooling went into Hotwire instead of just making Joyride a Targetmaster. Sure the engine looks kind of awkward, but this really is a "thought that counts" situation for me. The only big downer? The lack of a weapon but that's not enough to keep me from recommending this figure.
Pros:
- Excellent new head sculpt.
- I'm happy Hotwire features new parts.
- Excellent deco.
- Good articulation.
- Fun transformation.
Cons:
- No weapon included.
- Hotwire is a big bulky in engine mode (but I don't really mind).
