Umm... Is that an animation error?

Been watching G1 episodes again, namely the season three Optimus Prime ones, and noticed something of an... oversight.

When Rodimus lost the Matrix in Dark Awakening and The Burden Hardest To Bear he shrunk back to being Hot Rod. In The Return of Optimus Prime Pt. 2, after Optimus took the Matrix off him... he didn't.

But the in The Rebirth he's back to Hot Rod but I am not fond of The Rebirth and tend to discount it, so does that mean I can get away with ignoring his downgrade? I hate that stupid downgrading.

Meh, I'm thinking this while tired, and after reading a less than stellar fic (and that's an understatement) that I really wish had been better because it had Optimus/Rodimus in it (which is missing a certain big bot, in my opinion).