Toy Review - Masterpiece Hound

[GoktimusPrime]

HOUND
Series - Masterpiece
Released here - N/A
Approximate Retail Price - 18,000JPY (240AUD)
Approximate Size - 18cm
Allegiance - Autobot
Alt-mode - Mitsubishi Motors Willys Jeep J3
Main Features/Gimmicks - show likeness, opening bonnet
Main Colours - green, beige, dark grey + yellow highlights
Main Accessories - x2 wing mirrors, pistol, mounted gun, spare tyre, jerrycan, key, roof canopy/shield, Spike Witwicky figure, hologram effect, holographic driver, smiling face, shouty face

PROS
+ This toy is just gorgeous in both vehicle and robot mode
+ Vehicle mode is bristling with details including interior dashboard details, driver controls, sculpted grill pattern, sculpted pattern on headlights etc. This is the second most detailed Hound toy I've ever seen aside from Binaltech Hound. The fact that I'm even comparing an MP Car with a Binaltech just goes to show how detailed this vehicle is.
+ So much of the vehicle parts are concealed in robot mode, as part of this toy's slavish show-accuracy. The cartoon model basically shows no vehicle parts aside from the chest, and this toy does pretty well in emulating this, because aside from the upper torso there are no visible vehicle parts at all. The wheels, the spare tyre, the mounted gun, the entire rear half of the jeep etc. -- all cleverly hidden. The end result is a pretty clean and slavishly cartoon-accurate robot mode.
+ Conversely, all of the robot parts are perfectly concealed in vehicle mode, including the shoulder-mounted rocket launcher.
+ This toy has done well in avoiding any partsforming, which is impressive given what an accessory-former G1 Hound is. You can remove the mounted gun, jerrycan and spare tyre if you want to - there's even storage for it inside the canopy/shield, but you also have the option of leaving them attached to the figure in either robot or vehicle mode, and the robot is perfectly capable of concealing all of these accessories.
+ Really well articulated, including one of the most articulated hands I've ever seen.
+ Incredibly well balanced. This is one of few Transformers toys that I've been able to make hold a mid-level kick instead of a high kick!
+ The toy has a Sunstreaker-esque level of zany complexity, but I find it to be a far more intuitive transformation. There aren't any parts of the transformation that makes me feel like I'm going to break something. Having said that, I have heard reports about some people breaking the leg panels. The only way that I can imagine that happening is people not reading the instructions... so... read the instructions! And if the drawings aren't adequate and you need translations of the next, feel free to post pics of the step that you need help with and either I or one of our other Japanese-speaking members can post a translation. Or ya know... watch a YouTube video. But having followed the instructions I found that I didn't feel like I was going to break anything (touch wood).

CONS
- The insistence on no partsforming does come at a cost, and the most noticeable is the crane arm that connects the head. The main drawbacks of this crane arm is that the head doesn't sit flush on top of the bonnet, and it also limits side to side head articulation.
- The fists slide in and out of the forearms but there's no lever and the forearms don't open and close. This makes extending the fists tricky as there's really not much to grip onto. For a $240 toy I would expect something better than this.
- Speaking of coming at a cost... that RRP. This is one of the most expensive toys that I have ever purchased - certainly the most expensive MP Autobot that I've ever bought. Is it worth it though? I would definitely rate MP Hound as being above MP Sunstreaker ($140) level of design and engineering but I don't know if it's $100 better than Sunstreaker to be really honest. Probably more like 15000JPY ($200) at a stretch.

OVERALL
A really, really nice toy and a great addition to the collection for anyone looking to complete the MP Autobot Cars.
Admittedly the RRP is pretty steep on this thing, so if you're not in a hurry then I recommend waiting for loose complete figures to start showing up at cheaper prices. Cos at about $150 you would definitely be getting your money's worth.

PHOTOS

In box


Jeep mode


Driven by Spike


With holographic driver


Comparison with G1 (vehicle)


w/ canopy closed






Comparison with BT Hound (vehicle)


Comparison with BT and G1 Hound (vehicle)


Spike riding BT Hound


Comparison with BT Hound (bonnet interior)


Dashboard detail


Robot mode


With pistol


Visor


Smiling face and key


Shouty face


A well balanced toy


Hologram effect


Comparison with G1 (robot)




Comparison with G1 and BT (robot)