Got a combiner wars Hound.
Have a major crush on the character, but when I had it in hand, I was sorely disappointed. The headsculpt is great - blocky enough to be reminiscent of the G1 toy, but detailed enough to be distinctly recognisable. The colour is spot on, forest green as the original, but light enough to be excused for the cartoon. Many reviews online were criticising the bulk of the upper body, but I actually enjoy the upper-body proportions - the original toy was small in the arms; these seem far more functional - yes, he's a scout, but a military jeep too - I see no reason not to give him some umph.
My three major disappointments are:
Colour Distribution
Yes, the green is good; but far too much. Not only overpowering from an aesthetics point of view, but even less than the cartoon model. It overpowers the excellent moulded details, and makes for a bland appearance.
Hollow Lower Body
I understand being a deluxe combiner, there are inherit limitations to what you can feasibly do, but the tiny thighs, with massive empty legs no only weights the toy poorly, bottle-necking it's poses and balance; but makes for terrible anatomy, and ugly from the inside of the legs
Alternate Mode
Most of this can be forgiven, but the Jeep mode is the final straw: kibble can be seen through the canopy, and the mode bears more resemblance to a construction vehicle than a Wrangler. Yes, it is difficult to retool one transformer to another, but this was simply not worth the effort.
Afterthoughts
The upcoming Unite Warriors model has vastly improved paint apps, adding yellows to break up the greens, with blacks to separate the arm's details, lending to what seems to be a much nicer final product. As it stands, I can't say I'd recommend Hasbro's Combiner Wars Hound. In fact, I returned the product and ordered an Asia-Exclusive Classics Hound in it's place. I'll share the details soon!
Score: 5/10
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