It's interesting when HasTak aims to make reissues that aither add or detract from an already existing iteration of a mold. For example, Vintage G1 was able to give fans generally faithful reissues not too different from Takara's Encore line (other than the aforementioned line's Bumblebee retool, Starscream coming with gun mode Megatron, and Optimus not having a trailer). The Retro Transformers line, on the other hand, opts to be about the 1986 movie once again (because that's never been done before), but it appears that rather than reissuing characters that hadn't had much attention AND were in the movie, we mostly got characters that were later replaced or, in Hound's case, were barely shown. Oh, and they all don't have chrome and are painted to be cartoon-accurate. Still, should you get Hound from the line if it has been discounted? Especially if he hasn't been reissued that often?
Here we have Hound in his Jeep mode. This has a few accessories stored on him as we'll get to, but you will first notice the machine gun attached to the back of the vehicle, a weapon he can exclusively use in this mode. As far as looks are concerned, the proportions generally look close to the real Mitsubishi Jeep J59, though there are the usual toyetic aspects that make him not exactly like a proper replica. The shade of green is much brighter than the darker, somewhat metallic green that is complimented with lovely chrome, while this toy has the bare gray common with numerous G1 toys reissued in this line. At the very least, there is die-cast that is still retained in this toy that keeps its weight for a small toy, and I also like that the tires are still rubber. I wonder if I could remove the bare gray parts so I could use a liquid chrome pen.
The turret gun on the back can be hinged and rotated if you use the peg. Those seats are intended for Diaclone drivers that Hasbro omitted for obvious reasons. Because of the use for clear plastic and die-cast, the shades of green don't match between molded parts and painted parts.
For a vehicle mode size comparison, here he is in-between G1 Optimus Prime and Bumblebee, both of which have chrome because they weren't Retro reissues that try to be toon-accurate.
Transforming him consists of pulling on the upper body, hinging the chest and feet down, removing the three alt mode accessories (spare tire, gas canister, and turret), rotating the side pieces of the legs down, and hinging the wheels back so the arms move out. His robot mode looks stupidly funny, with the stubby arms, giant feet, and a chest that sticks out too far. Many think of G1 toys as these blocky bricks that look aesthetically weak, but Hound is the worst offender. Still, he is amusing to look at for his goofy aah side.
He has a very tiny head and his arms can move up uselessly, especially with his poor aim. Also his missile launcher doesn't work because Hasbro is still afraid of spring-loaded missile launchers on G1 toys for some dumb reason but hey he has them on a sprue.
As far as reuses are concerned, they all predate this version of Hound and are sparse as hell. So the original version had stickers in some areas (boo) but he has a better shade of green and chrome. The Collection reissue from Takara was the last version we had since the face is a sign of mold degradation.
As for Detritus, he is sandy beige and reddish brown. He lacks chrome but it makes sense as he is a Junkion. One that acts a bit like Doubledealer but profiting off selling weapons.
Here he is with the same Autobots once again. He's an inch taller than Bumblebee, making him the smallest Autobot Car somehow. Yeah, $35 isn't worth it for this guy, Idc if he is G1 or a reissue. BUT that doesn't mean I don't recommend him at all. If you get him for $10-15 bucks, you won't feel ripped off if you ask me. I'd say it's a better deal and comparable to what they used to cost.
Final ranking: ⭐⭐ and a half out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
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