Hound (Standard & Clear) [AMK Mini Series 2]

With the AMK Mini Series 1 Yolopark kits, I bought figures mostly individually. Megatron and Optimus came as a two-pack, and the rest I picked up one by one… okay, Soundwave twice (I broke one). The option to buy them as a case was there, but I didn’t go that route. That’s something I changed for Series 2, and one of the bonuses for doing so wasn’t just getting all six figures in one whop, but also an additional bonus figure.

Now, if the blind box versions of the Minis were available to me, I’d also have access to chase figures like Shattered Glass Rodimus Prime. Then you add in BotCon exclusive kits and… what I’m saying is, it’s nice to finally get an exclusive bonus version when I’ve clearly missed out on a lot beyond the standard releases. For Series 2 (with Series 3 and 4 already on the way-seemingly much faster than Series 2 took), that bonus figure is a clear version of Hound. That. Is. Awesome.

Sites with ads and Patreons asking you to buy them coffee will tell you this was a preorder exclusive. *sigh* I bought mine a little later and was bummed that I thought I’d missed out-only to happily discover those reports were wrongity wrong wrong wrong. It looks like Series 3 and 4 will continue this trend, so yeah… I’ll be buying cases from now on.

So today we’re looking at both versions of Hound available in Series 2. They’re literally the same toy, with one being translucent, so doing two separate posts felt like overkill. I’ve mentioned before that I’m fond of Hound, so clearly (I swear I didn’t intend that pun, but I’m owning the fuck out of it) I was excited for both the standard release and the clear bonus version. I also like colorful translucent plastic, so please inject that directly into my veins.

As usual, these kits come as preassembled parts that you complete by snapping everything together. While the larger, more expensive Yolopark kits are pretty elaborate, the Minis are much simpler and come together in minutes. I assembled the entire case while watching The Fifth Element with the Mrs., which was a genuinely nice evening. Once assembled, you’ve got a very solid action figure. With Series 2, the articulation has been noticeably improved-and I will not stop saying that anytime soon. I think it’s neat.

Hound looks fantastic, complete with his signature hologram gun and shoulder rocket launcher. I love shoulder rocket launchers. Since he doesn’t transform, you’re left with a faithful interpretation of how he appears in the cartoon and comics. The clear version is just as accurate… just clear. And honestly, it looks great. The translucent plastic really suits the design.

The clear Hound is split across the boxes in the case, similar to a build-a-figure setup you’d see in other action figure lines. I do have one minor gripe, though: my clear version was missing one of the wheels that fits onto his ankle. On top of that, the Arcee in the same case (we’ll get to her later) came with two left upper thighs and no right one. Clearly accidents happen, and I get that-but it still chafes my ass. I’ve contacted Yolopark’s customer service and I’m hoping for a resolution. I’ve hidden the missing parts as best I can in the photos. Disappointing, sure, but it happens. Hopefully replacement parts are on the way.

That aside, this is my only real complaint-a whoopsie daisy. The kits themselves look amazing and honestly feel more premium than some actual premium items. These Minis are really nice. One day I’ll dip my toes into Yolopark’s other size classes (those Samurai Pizza Cats and Evangelion sets are calling to me), but for now, focusing on the Minis has been incredibly rewarding.

I’ve got a long-term organization project underway that will eventually make the Minis the bulk of my main display, centered around an acrylic Transformers logo, with everything else going into storage. I guess you could say… I really like these.

Hound [Galaxy Version 05-One]

I've made my fondness for Hound known here before (I've got a lot of soft spots for a lot of characters), so you can imagine my pleasure in seeing his inclusion in this Blokees wave. Transformers One had a large cast of background characters that featured many bots from the 40 years of the franchise. Being an original cast member, of course Hound was there. A minor role as one of the miners (there's no avoiding that pun), he was mainly in the background. But here was there!

Representing his Cog-less form, he looks great as a Blokees. True, we're talking about a basic looking robot... but that signature Blokees style works well with it. Not to mention, Army green just looks great. I wish they'd use it more often. There's a lot of small details in Hound that I really appreciate. I initially assumed he'd be a recolor of Ironhide, but no, there's various sculpted details and details added in with tampos. For a simple bot, he looks sharp.

Of course he's pretty sturdy being the new Blokees build, though his shoulder pads didn't want to stay in place. I've had that trouble with the older style kits before, but this is the first time with the new ones. Not a big deal, but disappointing. Might just be a random instance from the factory. He's got the standard set of open and closed hands and base. Like the others from this set, Hound has one of the generic guns used during the Miners uprising. Like I've said, I kinda like these generic guns. With Hound, however, I wish it could mount to his shoulder as it's similar looking to his original toys rocket launcher. I'm of course smitten with anything Blokees and Transformers One, so of course I'm happy with a character like Hound getting a kit. He looks great and these are just all around good little models. Nice things are nice.

Autobot Hound (Retro Series)

Reissues of older Transformers toys are nothing new. However when Walmart started selling them, it was a lot of fun as the availability got a better as did the pricing. Neatly enough, the 'Retro Series' over the past year had changed up the game a little. Instead of being close approximations of the original toys (there's a little difference here and there) in retro packaging. The newer 'old' toys are in a neat Transformers The Movie inspired line with cool movie versions of the retro packaging and the classic toys in cartoon colors. They've done 'anime' edition reissues before, but these are really close to the characters on the screen. Unfortunately distribution on these has been less than ideal as I'd love to get them all. Fortunately this lead to a few being marked down heavily recently. A special version of a G1 toy for $9? Sure! 

I've made my love for Hound known before. Obviously this was something I was wanting. This version uses the 2004 reissue mold sets. Which used repaired and recast toolings from the original Diaclone molds. There's some noticeable differences if you compare a 1984 Hound to this one aside from the colors. This one does have Official Jeep copyrights on it that prior versions didn't as does the box. G1 Hound's an Officially Licensed Jeep now! Neat. While it's not super noticeable to the naked eye, the cartoon accurate deco is miles apart from the toy version. The chrome, something I normally love, is gone. Green's are also softer. There's a really close match to the colors from the cartoon on robot bits that I'm really impressed by. Usually these are a sorta clay gray on toys. This really feels like a more premium edition of G1 Hound that I would expect to pay a lot more for. 

Hound also has all of his accessories from the G1 release. They're in matching cartoon colors, though it's worth noting his missile launcher does not fire. This is a holdover from those early 2000's reissues. Several Child Safety Laws had changed from the 80's and still are in place today. This lead for the American versions to either have extra long missiles or neutered ones like in this case. Frankly, I'd rather a kid not accidentally choke on a toy and would take a non-firing version over the longer missiles. In cases like Starscream's Null Rays, it looks fine. In other toys... not so much. Hound has a good bit of extra accessories from vehicle mode you'll take off to transform. Those older Diaclone toys were just full of features. I am kinda surprised there's no official Jeep branding on his spare tire. Speaking of, Hound has no stickers. They've all been replaced with tampographed on details. It really adds to the overall look... and I don't mind their absence. They look great when properly applied, but can be a hassle. The tampographs really blend into the overall cartoon accuracy better too. 

I am completely happy with this Hound toy. Admittedly I'm a fan of his, but this special edition is really nice. I'm sure his stubby arms would be a turn off for some and mine's front section doesn't want to lock in place well when not on the ground... but this is overall a great little figure. The die cast legs give this little toy some nice heft and it's just overall a great looking figure. Like I've said, the cartoon accurate colors really pop. I'd been happy paying full price, but glad to pay only $9. 

Detritus (Legacy: Evolution/Deluxe Class)

Detritus is one of those Transformers characters that means something to me for reasons I can't fully explain. To begin with, I've always been a Hound fan. Classic cartoon Hound to be specific. In 2004, Takara re-issued G1 Hound in their Book style series in which I bought that immediately. I still have my childhood one, but it was nice to have a complete Hound again. Hopefully I can find that Walmart exclusive version of the G1 toy as well. Love Hound. Well, around that time e-Hobby was running exclusives based off most of the Takara reissues. These would often be brand new G1 characters using original molds.  Sometimes they'd be based off Diaclone versions or take inspiration from other sources. It's probably pretty easy to guess I was quick to snatch up one made from the Hound toy mold.

Detritus was based on a desert colored variation of a military Jeep that really looked good. He was a new character and with a name like was obviously a Junkion! At the time, there wasn't many Junkion toys. Only G1 Wreck-Gar specifically. The Junkions have always had a cult following with many Transformers fans, so this was very welcome. Adding to Detritus's coolness was that he was a Mercenary! That wasn't very commonplace back then either. Detritus was a Junkion who left the planet and took up arms dealing. Working for whomever paid him and would eventually side up with whatever group won. His ultimate goal? Take over the Junkions! Dang! We got a new bot that was full of character, not bad for a straight repaint. Detritus also saw life in Takara's incarnation of Power Core Combiners as a repaint of Mudslinger. I hope to get that eventually.

This new toy of Detritus from Legacy: Evolution is a bit of a weird one. The Siege Hound toy mold was heavily retooled into a fairly updated G1 accurate toy. The figure at some point will be released a Buzzworthy Bumblebee figure that I look forward to. This new Detritus figure is a repaint of that which has not came out yet. Whacky. I liked that Siege toy, but wasn't fond of transforming it. This version, however, I had no problems transforming. Either they made it easier somehow or I just got better at it. Regardless, it's a nice new figure of Detritus. Transformation was easy for me this time and both modes a really nice. The Jeep is very pleasant and the desert deco looks good. As a robot, Detritus is fairly articulated and has two guns that can be combined in a few ways into bigger weapons. You know, Evo-Fusion. I tried to mirror the original toy a little because I love those G1 shoulder rocket launchers. If there is anything to take issue with, the front hood portion of the Jeep does stand out a little extra. Not a deal breaker or anything, but it does seem a bit big. Regardless, this is a very good toy of a character I like quite a bit. It's got me excited for the eventual Hound toy as well. Whenever that comes out. 

Bios- Sgt. Hound

Watchful attentiveness launches triumph.

Sgt. Hound, as a scout for Optimus Prime throughout the third Cybertronian war, was instrumental in the victory of the Autobots over the brutal Decepticons. Along with Special Operations Officer Autobot Jazz, Sgt. Hound presented the General with precise intelligence that allowed the newly-reconstituted Autobot Firestormers to route Megatron's expansion of the Decepticon Star Empire before it could attack any other worlds. The battle ended when the experimental energon refinery that Sgt. Hound had forewarned about was struck by a Decepticon missile. The Decepticons destroyed themselves, but the explosion also cast Sgt. Hound and General Optimus Prime through a rupture in reality.

 

With the war over in his own universe, Sgt. Hound attempted to find peace in his new home. Unfortunately millions of years of conflict, honed military skills and alertness prevented him from finding it. When General Optimus Prime joined Security Administration Officer Cheetor's task force, Sgt. Hound once again enlisted under his commanding officer. Even with war and military service being all that he can remember, Sgt. Hound is still as friendly and compassionate as the day he came online. He befriended many Low-Techs, including fellow former soldiers Dia and Cline.

You can't roll through a Roadblock

Through all these years, some of my favorite Transformers toys are the Auto Rollers from Generation 2. Big chunky robots who's transformation was based on flipping and on/off switch in the back. You'd roll the vehicle and it would auto transform from one mode to another. There was/is a certain level of joy in rolling a truck backwards and watching it change into a robot or roll the robot forward and watching it convert into a truck. When they first debuted it was mind blowing and exciting, which is a sharp contrast to today's fandom with a contingent that gets outright offended by Turbo Changers. Like I said though, I've always loved them and thought to focus on one of them today. Because fuck yeah Zone Base.