Review: #838
Name: Hound
Brand: Transformers
Allegiance: Autobot
Line: Retro
Year of Release: 2023
Size Class: N/A
Mold Status: repaint of G1 Hound
PACKAGING:
Released as part of the Retro range, Hound comes in a cardboard box with no visible window, but instead has a nice piece of character art up front.
The back shows off stock photos of the toy in both modes, some text and tech specs.
This is a nice box and makes for a great display piece too.
VEHICLE MODE:
Hound transforms into a Jeep, and the Retro line of reissues changes things a bit but redecoing the figures into cartoon / movie inspired colors.
In Hound's case, he's in a lighter shade of green, all the chrome has been replaced, and he features no stickers, but rather has painted applications instead.
One thing with the G1 toys was that they were a bit smaller than you'd expect, smaller than a Deluxe figure.
Despite the change in color scheme, he retains the diecast and rubber tires. The diecast metal makes Hound feel very hefty for his size.
This is a very good Jeep mode, the G1 figures tended towards having better vehicle modes than robot modes.
There are plenty of nice sculpted detailing.
There are several things that can be removed, such as the spare tired and oil can at the back, but also the machine gun too, if you wanted a cleaner vehicle.
An awesome vehicle mode that stands the test of time.
TRANSFORMATION:
Hound has an easy transformation as you would expect. The back extends and flips to form the robot feet. Flip the windshield back, and fold down the back of the vehicle to form the torso. The arms swing down from the sides.
ROBOT MODE:
Robot mode is where he is a little bit more awkward, with giant feet and tiny arms.
There is some kibble, mainly the front wheels sticking out his back.
The head sculpt is okay, the head is a bit smaller than you would like.
It's in this mode that you can see how small he truly is, being towered by a Deluxe.
The diecast is now at his feet, so Hound has a low centre of gravity and will not easily fall over.
Articulation is bad, he can only swing his arms forward. Given that his arms are so small, it's not great.
He comes with a bunch of stuff, and you needed to have removed the spare tire for transformation (otherwise he can't stand). But he also comes with an extra handheld gun, a shoulder cannon and three missiles that you can take off the sprue.
Attaching them to Hound completes the familiar look that we are used to.
Given the limitations of the original toy, Hound is actually one of the better G1 figures.
OVERALL:
As mentioned, Hound is one of the better G1 toys. The vehicle mode is great, and the robot mode is static and has proportion issues, but is still recognizable as the character from the cartoon. The redone color scheme looks nice, and while he is a bit overpriced at original pricing, if you can snag him at a discount, it's great seeing how the original G1 toys were.
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