Name: Hound
Allegiance: Autobot
Size Class: Deluxe
Accessories: W-5 Holo-beam Refraction Blaster, RT-10 Electro-Scope Launcher, Ammo clip
In the general buzz and excitement around the latest recycling of beloved 'G1' characters in the recent Siege line, Hound seems to have been a figure that everyone agrees is excellent, but haven't made much fuss about. This baffles me, as he's easily the best Deluxe figure the line has given us so far.
Hound is, of course, one of the core cast of the original line-up of Transformers introduced in 1984. As such, there's not a great deal to say. He's got a memorable bio that revealed his desire to be human. Media appearances were limited to a short-lived stint as the lead Autobot in the cartoon and scant appearances in the comic and Ladybird books. His original toy is a superb wee figure with a load of small and easily lost accessories, and this new Siege figure comes the closest out of all the homage figures the twenty-first century to replicating the level of detail the original toy had.
Robot Mode: This is what I expect from Transformers – a nicely sculpted and realised looking robot mode, with some thoughtful, appropriate paint applications and tampographs. Hound is quite something to look at. He's a lovely deep shade of military green accented with bronze striping across the chest and forearms, with some nice stars tampographed onto his shoulders. His build is fairly stocky and bulky, looking very much like a human solider with his packs and so on. I really like his handsome looking face, all brightened up with a clean application of a vibrant silver and some nice blue eyes. He wields a really nice looking blaster and shoulder mounted launcher that was crying out for a launching mechanism, although given the mores of modern toy safety standards, its absence isn't a deal breaker.
Vehicle Mode: A sort of Cybertronian Jeep/Humvee type thing, it's a rough and burly looking vehicle and suits his militaristic get up. It has some nice big wheels that roll well, thanks to the amount of ground clearance this thing has. The detailing is again, fantastic. Some thoughtful daubs of paint around the grill and rear of the vehicle which pick out all the lights are most welcome. Even the Siege line's 'battle damaged' look (basically dry brushed silver paint to replicate scuffing and scraped metal) makes sense and works well here.
Marks out of ten for the following:
Transformation Design: Hound has a thoughtful and creative transformation, much of which is in the legs and the clever way these unravel and stretch out to form the chassis of the vehicle mode. Everything up top is pretty standard and I appreciate the effort to mimic the head tucking into the bonnet of the original. Minus the very fragile spring, of course. It's an impressive bit of work and one that isn't overly complicated, falling on the right side of 'Advanced'. 9/10
Durability: The figure itself feels nice and solid, with nothing that's especially fragile. The roof pieces do have a bit of flex to them, so the more clumsy may end up wrecking this if they're not careful. Other than that,the small weapon accessories are the only things to worry about. Particularly the small round thing, which is just waiting to get lost. 9/10
Fun: A rough and ready soldier type, Hound is great fun to play with. He partners well with the Battle Master Lionizer for additional Siege fun times. 10/10
Articulation: Pretty awesome for a Deluxe, Shoulders, elbows, torso, hips, knees, ankles. Only a slightly restricted ball jointed head (it can't look up much) limits some poses, but isn't anything I feel the figure misses. 9/10
Price: There's no escaping that the price hike for this line has been matched with figures that are smaller in their respective size classes compared to previous years. Whilst this doesn't seem great on the face of it, for Siege the general level of effort that's gone into the line means that even the weaker figures in the line feel like a good deal. Hound is an exceptional figure among the Deluxe range, with some good accessories, a superb looking robot/alternate mode complimented with some excellent detailing and paintwork. 10/10
Overall: There's no disguising that I think Hound is an excellent figure. He's a clear stand out among the generally great Siege line. I'd much rather Hasbro put this effort into coming up with something new and fresh for Transformers, but it's hard not to be very impressed with the care and attention they've put into to the latest round of recycled Geewunners. 9/10
Siege Hound (PROOFED; Ganon578 3/31/20)
Moderators: Skyquake87, ganon578
- Skyquake87
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Siege Hound (PROOFED; Ganon578 3/31/20)
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- Tantrum
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Re: Siege Hound
It's nice to see someone still doing reviews here. Two minor quibbles. First, you only list 2 acessories, though he comes with 3. Is the small round thing part of one of the other acessories? Second, in the alt mode photo, you haven't folded the toes in, which makes for a more open passenger compartment.
- Skyquake87
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Re: Siege Hound
Thanks. I'll update the accessories and you're right, I forgot to fold the toes in. Oh, well...
2019 was a lean year for reviews, so I'm going to try and pick up the slack and get some done this year!
2019 was a lean year for reviews, so I'm going to try and pick up the slack and get some done this year!
Re: Siege Hound
Proofed and ready for upload. Nice review! I really like this mold, though I possibly like Hot Shot better due to the color palette. Either way, great fun!