Hound loves the natural wonders of Earth, prefers it to Cybertron. Brave, fearless, loyal. Secretly desires to be human. Uses turret gun as radar scope, infrared radiation collector. Tracks machines as well as humans. Hologram gun projects 3-dimensional grid laser-light topographical maps. Vulnerable to thermal and electromagnetic interference.
First/Last Comic Appearance (US) - Issue 1, September 1984 / Issue 50, March 1989
First/Last Comic Appearance (UK) - Issue 29, September October 5th 1985 / Issue 103, March 7th 1987
First/Last Cartoon Appearance - Episode 1 (Season 1 #1), September 17th 1984 / The Transformers: The Movie, August 8th 1986
Figure Details
Manufacturer - Hasbro
Toyline - Universe
AKA 'Autobot Hound'
Additions/Mods:
- Added an Autobot symbol to the bonnet (covering the smaller tampographed one)
- Added Reprolabels sticker set
- Added the FansProject G3 trailer weapon
Review
Poor Hound. He started off as the main 'kiddie appeal' character in the cartoon until he was unceremoniously ditched by Spike as soon as
Bumblebee shaked his chromed tailpipe in the young human's direction. Hound sought solace in the arms of
Mirage instead as their special abilities made them natural allies - Mirage able to cloak himself and Hound able to project images of giant robots at will. Quite why Hound didn't reattempt this subterfuge to flummox
Devastator in the movie is beyond me, but presumably he hid in the shuttle like a big jessie instead. This aside, Hound is a cool character with an alt mode which is a bit more rough 'n' ready than his other Autobot car counterparts.
Appearance (Robot Mode) 7/10
As much as I like this incarnation of Hound, something about him seems very at odds with the rest of the 'classsicsverse' figures, and I struggle to pinpoint what it is. It's almost as if the headsculpt and some of the chunky features are aimed at a younger age group than, say,
Prowl. In it's own right, I like the look of him, but for me, he displays somewhat incongruously with the others. He is also fairly bland, so I decided to augment him with some of the specifically-designed Reprolabels stickers. The gun is courtesy of
FansProject from their
Optimus Prime G3 Trailer which also replaces the cartoonish launcher supplied with the figure. I further think that the plastic is too pea green, and should have been a lot darker, as with the Henkei release.
Appearance (Alternate Mode) 7/10
Stylistically the alt mode clashes with the rest of the 'classicsverse' far less than the robot, and the result is a nice-looking Jeep, which again would be pretty plain had I not put extra stickers on it. However it looks very nice with the chrome gun in place.
Ravage can also be stowed on the back of the jeep, as these 2 figures were originally packaged together. The front wheels also turn nicely, allowing you to 'pose' the jeep more dynamically.
Transformation 8/10
This is a fun and rewarding transformation. The seats fold down and eventually become the 'thighs' of the robot, the lower legs and feet being formed by the rear of the jeep. The middle of the fuselage is lifted into place to create the 'spine', after the arms have been freed from the chassis. The front wheels are jointed allowing them to be moved out the way for transformation and then posed how you like them in robot mode. Just be sure that the spine is fully locked into place as otherwise there is a gap between the 'chest' and the waist area.
Poseability 6/10
'Loose hips sink ships' so the bastardised saying goes. This figure is almost ruined by incredibly loose balljoints in the hips and slightly average articulation. He has a ball-jointed head and shoulders but no waist swivel. He also has elbow and knee joints, although the knees are very high on this figure giving him tiny thighs. His ankles also have a joint although his wrists can only fold away and offer no meaningful poseability. His feet are huge but don't have much of a heel, and when this is coupled with loose hips you have a figure who is reluctant to stay upright.
Quality 7/10
This figure feels solid and the Jeep holds together very well and the articulated front wheels show no signs of breakage. However the robot mode floppiness is a big worry. I'm not sure if the loose hip issue is a general complaint with this figure or not - I can't vouch for other peoples experiences. But I would definitely be wary of moving the hips of this figure too much.
Overall - 35/50
I kind of like Hound as a figure in his own right, but aesthetically, he is a bit of an oddity. His new figure definitely feels more basic and cartoonish than the original, and for that reason I don't really like how he displays with the majority of my other figures. Perhaps he was the re-use of a mould intended for another line that was aborted? Who knows. Otherwise he is pretty decent but marred by major issues in his hips. I may try to varnish the balljoints to stiffen him up a bit. But, I would recommend you pick this figure up as there are no other options and also Ravage is included!
