First cartoon appearance: Energon episode # 1:Cybertron City in this form (his character first appeared in Armada episode # 1: First Encounter)

First comic appearance: Energon # 19 in this form (his character first appeared in Armada # 1)

Profile: Hot Shot is a superbly skilled soldier with great leadership potential. No longer determined to prove  himself to leadership, he is more confident in his own abilities as a leader. He is trusted by Optimus Prime and Jetfire to make command decisions without following up on him. As a result, he is given more responsibility. When he gets in too deep, he's no longer too proud to ask for assistance when he needs it, realizing that he still has plenty to learn. He now follows orders without questioning authority, and more importantly, knows when to not follow orders. After fighting bravely in the Unicron Battles, Hot Shot was rewarded with the Spark of Combination. This award was only given to a select few Autobots, allowing them to combine with other select Autobots. Hot Shot is more mature than he used to be, but he's still short tempered. Now that he is on the giving end of orders, he wonders why "nobody follows his instructions" and if he "used to be like that". Inexperienced soldiers such as Ironhide and the Omnicons really cross his circuits. "Hot Shot has increased in maturity. He has developed great tactical knowledge and has become fairly humble. Basically, he no longer needs my guidance" is what the Mini-Con Jolt said about Hot Shot when he left his side to follow other pursuits. Now Hot Shot is able to give guidance to some of the younger Autobots, especially Ironhide who follows every word spoken by him. He may not feel comfortable in this role, but understands the significance of giving back the same support that was given to him. Hot Shot is very compassionate. It is quite possibly his greatest asset. He is selfless on the battlefield and lays his spark on the line for the safety of innocents. He would take on the toughest Decepticon warrior to rescue one human. He had a special bond with the humans Rad, Carlos and Alexis. Even though he won't admit it, he especially worries about his new human ally, Kicker. He still enjoys joy riding and stunt driving, especially in dangerous areas. It was during one of these joyrides that he came across a fallen Mini-Con with a message to deliver to Optimus Prime which changed the landscape of the war with the Decepticons. He regrets that, during a battle, he promised an aspiring young Autobot warrior by the name of Wheeljack that he would return with reinforcements to rescue him and those rescuers never came. When he had arrived at Autobot camp, he was ordered to not return. Consequently, Wheeljack joined the Decepticons and blames Hot Shot for never coming back for him. When Hot Shot first fought alongside the Autobots, he was stubborn and headstrong, now he is a seasoned Autobot warrior leading others through example.

Abilities: He is one of the fastest Autobots, capable of great speed in both robot and vehicle modes. He has a silver Spark of Combination, which means he can powerlinx with Autobots possessing a silver spark including his good friend, Inferno. Other Autobots possessing a silver spark include Prowl, Rodimus, Downshift, and Tow-Line. He has also taught himself Karate, the extent of his skill is unknown.

Weaknesses: Hot Shot still lacks leadership experience and relies on Optimus Prime and Jetfire too much in critical situations. He is still reckless sometimes and wastes energon when speeding or stunt driving.

STRENGTH: 7
INTELLIGENCE: 8
SPEED: 10
ENDURANCE: 8
RANK: 8
COURAGE: 9
FIREBLAST: 7
SKILL: 9

Bibliography of significant appearances:

*Armada episode #5: Soldier - Clashes with Red Alert over battle tactics.
*Armada episode #13: Swoop - Defeats Megatron with Star Saber, put in charge of Star Saber.
*Armada episode #31-32: Past - History with Wheeljack revealed, deals with reservations about past..
*Energon episode #1: Cybertron City - Chases Kicker at Ocean City to protect him.
*Energon episode #3: Scorponok - Defense mission at Desert City is overwhelmed by Tidal Wave and Terrorcons.

*Armada comic #1 - Attempts to aid a fallen Mini-Con, delivers emergency message from Leader 1.
*Energon comic #23 - On Earth, is reunited with an older Rad.
*Energon comic #25 - Given leadership role with the Omnicons.
*Energon comic #28-29 - Leads mission to rid Toronto of Divebomb clones. Is first to see Megatron alive.