Hound (G1)

The name or term "Hound" refers to more than one character or idea. For a list of other meanings, see Hound (disambiguation).

Hound is an Autobot from the Generation 1 continuity family.

Rejected as kid appeal character. Why? Not yellow enough.

Hound wishes he were human. The dark, barren metalscapes of Cybertron no longer interest him. Now that Hound has been shipwrecked on Earth, he considers this planet his home. He sees humankind as beautiful and wishes he could interact with their ecosphere the same way they do, to feel what they feel and to see what they see.

He treasures his job as an Autobot scout, making good use of his ability to project holograms for added disguise. He uses this opportunity to explore the breathtaking caverns and mountainous expanses that Earth provides. He's a meek, benevolent soul, even compared to his fellow Autobots. He gets along with the more blood-thirsty of their ranks but not the most blood-thirsty of their ranks.

Nicknames: Sarge, Nose, Sniffer

French-Canadian name: Dépisteur ("The Tracker")

Hungarian name: Vadászeb ("Hound / Hunter")

Italian name: Canguro ("Kangaroo")

Portuguese name (Portugal comics): Caçador

Portuguese name (Brazil comics): Rastreador ("Tracker")

Chinese name (Taiwan): Lìeh-chǐuan (獵犬, "Hound")

Chinese name (China): Tan Zhang (探長，"Chief Detective")

Fiction

Marvel Comics continuity

Generation 1

Events from the UK-only comic stories are in italics.

Hi, I'm friendly!

Hound was a part of the crew on board the Ark when it crashed into Earth four million years ago while clearing an asteroid field in the path of Cybertron. Upon reviving in 1984, Hound marveled at this world's strange and diverse lifeforms, and couldn't wait to explore its surface -- not for business, but for pleasure. However, Optimus Prime cautioned him, reminding Hound that their primary purpose was to spare Earth's inhabitants from the onslaught of the Decepticons. Hound was chosen as part of the first field expedition into the world under Prowl's command, and his new surroundings overwhelmed him. His sensors alerted them to a drive-in movie theatre, a serene scene that quickly turned into a battle when the Decepticons arrived. Hound was able to divert Ravage, though Hound worried more about Bumblebee's whereabouts, as the small scout had gone missing. The Transformers

"Ravage, who defeated you this day?!"
"Uh, the guy that Jazz keeps getting colored as, I think?"

Fortunately, Bumblebee was later able to radio his location to Hound, who informed the other Autobots. Better still, he had located a human who could convert Earth fuel into a substance they could use! Hound and the others traveled to the home (and auto repair shop) of Sparkplug Witwicky, where they were, of course, attacked again by the Decepticons! Sideswipe apologized for leaping in front of Hound to get closer to their enemies, but Hound was fine with it so long as Decepticons were destroyed one way or the other. Unfortunately, the Decepticons left the battle with their prize, Sparkplug Witwicky, in the hopes that the human could convert fuel for them instead! Power Play!

The battle left Hound and Sideswipe low on fuel, so Optimus Prime offered to carry the two home inside his trailer. After Hound had been attended to, he and the other Autobots met with the amazing Spider-Man, who offered to help them rescue Sparkplug from the Decepticons' cliffside headquarters. Hound drove Spider-Man past the Earth military blockade himself with Spider-Man posing as his driver, but Hound stayed behind to help draw the Decepticons' fire while Spider-Man and Gears slipped into the headquarters. Prisoner of War!

Following this, he was present when the Autobots countered the Decepticons when the latter attacked the Sherman Dam, hoping to steal its energy. At Prime's order, Hound submerged into the water to locate the source of the dam's problems and found Rumble. After a fight between the two, Hound was blasted out of the water by Rumble's piledrivers. The sight of this distracted Optimus Prime during his fight with Megatron atop the dam, and Megatron was able to use this distraction to knock Prime from the dam. Decepticon Dam-Busters!

When Hound was next seen, he was hanging from the ceiling of the Ark with the other Autobots, the work of the evil Decepticon Shockwave, who had returned and taken leadership of the Decepticons for himself. Buster Witwicky was shocked to discover this terrible development, and the human returned to tell Ratchet, the sole Autobot survivor. The New Order Ratchet was eventually able to restore the Ark to the Autobots after outwitting Megatron, and Hound and the others were repaired. However, Optimus Prime's head was still in the hands of the Decepticons. DIS-Integrated Circuits!

Hound's next mission involved stopping Soundwave from sending a message to the Decepticons back on Cybertron, but matters were complicated when they faced the newly-created Constructicons. Their merging into the mighty Devastator did not help things, either, but thanks to help from Bomber Bill, a human trucker, the communications array was destroyed before the entire message could be sent. The Next Best Thing to Being There!

Google Maps later rendered Hound obsolete.

The conversations of Shockwave's Decepticons, stationed at Blackrock Aerospace Plant Number One, were being listened in on by Hound and the other Autobots, and so they overheard Shockwave's plans to dump Prime's head into a nearby swamp now that he was no longer useful to them. Brainstorm! Hound led a long Autobot convoy to the swamp, and they were able to form a human-chain to rescue the head from sinking to the bottom of it, but when the head was placed on Optimus Prime's body, it attacked them. This was not the real head of Optimus Prime, but an imposter head controlled by Shockwave! A group of Decepticons led by Soundwave joined the imposter Optimus Prime in destroying them, but during the course of battle the real head was restored and the Decepticons defeated. Hound was one of the few Autobots left standing. Prime Time!

Noticing a pattern?

Now that Prime and the Creation Matrix had been returned to them, Hound was one of the Autobots who opposed using the Matrix to create super-warriors. Soon after, he assisted Mirage in capturing Ravage, though Ravage's capture was part of the Decepticon's plan. Once Ravage learned what he wanted to know, he escaped. Crisis of Command!

Hound was next seen being reconstructed, along with a handful of other Autobots. Rock and Roll-Out!

When Galvatron, Cyclonus and Scourge made their time-jump to 1986, Optimus Prime, Ratchet and Prowl were lost in Limbo. Suspecting Decepticon involvement, Hound and Jazz were sent to spy on their foes. Cyclonus discovered the spying Autobots and attacked, taking out Jazz and beating Hound within an inch of his life while expositing about his past self. Only the arrival of Ultra Magnus saved Hound.

Well, someone had the scale guide, at least.

After getting a lift back to the Ark from Magnus, Hound tried several times to get Ultra Magnus to assist the Autobots against Galvatron; he also defended their strategy of allying with Megatron. Hound was part of the raiding party which captured Scourgetook a critical view of Jetfire's tactics, especially as the Autobots were beaten again and again. Target: 2006

He should really stick to fighting Ravage.

In the wake of Galvatron's trip from the future, Optimus Prime faked his death to teach the Autobots how to survive without him. Hound was one of the Autobots who attended his funeral, moments before Optimus Prime reappeared. Resurrection!

When Blaster and Grimlock fought on Earth's moon for leadership of the Autobots, Hound was among the dozens who disembarked from the Ark to be spectators. Totaled!

Some time after, he and the other Autobots answered a distress call from Buster Witwicky, but when they arrived to rescue him, they were attacked by both Earth-based Decepticon armies. Hound was pounced upon by Weirdwolf.

The battle was discovered to be a ruse by Starscream to cover his efforts to claim the powers of the Underbase. Hound was subsequently part of a team sent to confront Starscream in New York City. Unfortunately, Hound and several of his peers ended up slaughtered by Starscream on the Brooklyn Bridge. Dark Star

Generation 2

"This is my O Face!!"

Hound joined Grimlock's unit in leaving Cybertron to find new conflicts and fought against the technoforming fleets of the Cybertronian Empire. He was disgusted by the bloodlust shown by Blades, who berated Hound for being a liability. War Without End! Following this, he was the only Autobot not infected by the psychic parasites of the K'Tord Nebula, due to a blow to the head that knocked him off-line. After Prime and Jhiaxus managed to temporarily cease fighting long enough to deal with the parasites, Hound scanned the Transformers for any remnants in their systems. Primal Fear!

As one of the more level-headed Autobots, Hound did not participate in Grimlock's ill-advised strike on the Liege Centuro and his fleet. Devices and Desires! Still, he knew good sense when he heard it, even from Grimlock, and when Prime thought it was a good idea for him to go meet the Decepticons alone, Hound arrived with Grimlock and a rescue battalion just in time to keep Megatron from destroying his old nemesis. The Gathering Darkness Later, Hound also got involved in protecting the planet Ethos from genocide. Escalation!

Cartoon continuity

Generation 1 cartoon

Voice actor: Ken Sansom (English), Kenyū Horiuchi (Japanese)

To beat this guy, you need speed. You don't have it. You've got arthritis in your neck, and calcium deposits on most o' yer joints, so sparring is out. So what we're gonna be calling on is good old blunt force trauma - heavy duty power punches that're gonna rattle his ancestors. Yeah!!! Let's start buildin' some Hurtin' Bombs.

Hound was one of the original Autobots aboard the Ark when it crash-landed on Earth four million years ago. When awakened in 1984, he was reformatted to have a terrestrial alt-mode, that of a Mitsubishi military jeep.

As the Autobots got their bearings on this strange, new planet, Optimus Prime dispatched Hound on a recon mission to find the Decepticons. The impetuous Cliffjumper tagged along uninvited, itching to start a fight, and took a pot-shot at Megatron once Hound sniffed out the Decepticon base. Cliffjumper missed, and the Decepticons gave chase. Laserbeak pursued the two Autobot eavesdroppers, and Hound took the brunt of the assault, getting blasted by Laserbeak's cannons. Hound spun out of control on the winding mountain roads and crashed into a ravine.

Cliffjumper returned with help: the Autobot medic, Ratchet. Hound was too injured even to transform, so the crane truck Hauler had to lift him out of the gulch so he could be dragged back to the Ark for repairs. Despite the mishap, Hound bore no ill will against Cliffjumper. The scout had heard enough about the Megatron's plans to plunder the Earth's resources that Optimus immediately launched a mission to stop the Decepticons. More than Meets the Eye, Part 1

Another potentially humorous image ruined by some pedant calculating that the football has to be about ten feet long.

Later, when the Autobots counter-attacked the Decepticon siege of Sherman Dam, Hound got into an underwater fight with Rumble. The pint-sized Decepticon managed to trap Hound under a pile of boulders so that he couldn't move. Then Spike Witwicky jumped in and removed the boulders, thus saving Hound from non-danger since the Autobot can't drown anyway. More than Meets the Eye, Part 2

After the came back from the Ruby Crystal Mines of Burma, Hound and Mirage came up with a plan to fool the Decepticons. They would create a hologram of a rocket fuel base. The Decepticons would go there to use the resources to create energon cubes, at which point the trap could be sprung. Optimus Prime agreed, and the then-imprisoned Ravage was allowed to escape with the false information. However, Megatron outsmarted the Autobots, went to the real rocket fuel base and used its resources. More than Meets the Eye, Part 3

Roll for It Divide and Conquer Fire in the Sky

After the Autobots discovered fossilized dinosaur bones inside a cavern in the Autobot volcano, Hound was accompanied Spike on a trip to the the museum, a new Earth experience that excited him. He scanned three dinosaur skeletons with his hologram gun, and the resulting holographic simulation inspired Wheeljack and Ratchet to build the Dinobots. However, Grimlock severely damaged Teletraan I when the exceptionally dim-witted Dinobots went on a rampage, forcing Hound and Spike to scout for Decepticon activity while the Autobot base computer was being repaired. Hound didn't mind the extra work, as it allowed him to do sightseeing of the surrounding Earth landscape. He managed to detect Decepticon activity at the Great Falls hydroelectric power facility and relayed the information to Optimus Prime. Arriving at the Falls, he was extremely impressed with the view. When no Decepticons were in immediate view, Bluestreak jokingly wondered about the occupancy of glitch mice in Hound's database, to the amusement of no one. Hound was among the Autobots subsequently captured by the Decepticons, but was freed when Wheeljack and the Dinobots arrived to save the day. S.O.S. Dinobots

War of the Dinobots The Ultimate Doom, Part 1 The Ultimate Doom, Part 2 Countdown to Extinction Heavy Metal War

Autobot Spike Changing Gears City of Steel Attack of the Autobots The Immobilizer The Autobot Run Atlantis, Arise! Day of the Machines Enter the Nightbird A Prime Problem The Core The Insecticon Syndrome Dinobot Island, Part 1 Dinobot Island, Part 2 Megatron's Master Plan, Part 1 Megatron's Master Plan, Part 2 Desertion of the Dinobots, Part 1 Blaster Blues The Golden Lagoon Make Tracks Cosmic Rust Masquerade

In the year 2005, Hound was stationed at Autobot City on Earth. Shortly before the Decepticon attack, Hound was part of Kup's detail, placing a roadblock on the trail to Lookout Mountain. During the battle, he managed to get to the shuttle landing pad as Optimus Prime began his counter attack on the Decepticon forces. The Transformers: The Movie

While Sunstreaker is clearly shown to be arriving on Optimus Prime's shuttle despite having earlier appeared at Kup's roadblock (creating a continuity error), it is less clear with Hound as he is merely shown outside of Prime's landed shuttle. However, the way he is drawn heavily implies that he disembarked from the shuttle.

Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformer comic

Hound appears as the leader of the 4-Wheel-Drive Brigade. Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers issue 3

Hey, it's that green guy!

The Headmasters cartoon

Voice actor: Michitaka Kobayashi (Japanese)

When Optimus Prime wondered how the Decepticons managed to invade Cybertron so easily, Hound theorized that releasing the energy of the Matrix may have destabilized Vector Sigma. He was right. Four Warriors Come out of the Sky

Dreamwave comics continuity

During the Great War, Hound was an Autobot warrior under the command of Optimus Prime. When Prime disappeared, and the Autobots fractioned into several smaller armies, Hound remained with the primary Autobot faction under Prowl's leadership. The War Within: The Dark Ages

Some time later (and four million years ago), Hound was part of the crew of the Ark spaceship, and crashlanded on the planet Earth after a conflict with the Decepticons. The Autobots and Decepticons on board remained in stasis lock, buried at the base of Mount St. Hilary in Oregon, until the volcano exploded in 1984, freeing them. Hound and the other Autobots under Prime's command waged war against the Decepticons on Earth, until finally capturing them all. Roughly a decade after they arrived, the Autobots planned to return to Cybertron with their prisoners aboard the Ark II. Tragically, however, sabotage led to the spaceship exploding on its maiden voyage, and all aboard were believed dead.

Not so. In fact, a human mercenary named Lazarus had recovered a great number of the Transformers that had been on-board, including Hound. He went to work on these deactivated robots, installing programming directives that would turn the Cybertronians into mindless drones for his own purposes. In 2002, Hound was repurposed as Lazarus' transport jeep when he entertained the "freedom fighter" Bishop, and stood guard against anybody following them. Prime Directive issue 1 Lazarus was prepared to unleash his robot soldiers on the world, only to fail at the starting gate when Megatron reasserted control over his own programming and resumed the war. Prime Directive issue 2 Hound, along with the other Autobots Lazarus had salvaged, were used to power Megatron's metallic virus. Sideswipe reported barely functional state. Prime Directive issue 4

Not long thereafter, Hound and the Autobots were confronted with an envoy from Cybertron, which had apparently ended the war sometime ago, creating a Unified Cybertronian government. Allegedly in order to prevent the warlike Transformers of Earth from igniting old passions, Hound and many of his fellow Autobots were captured by Ultra Magnus, Shockwave, and their operatives. Brought back to Cybertron aboard Sky Lynx, Hound and the Autobots were removed from their prison cells by the Triple Changer named Broadside, and brought into contact with a resistance cell led by Smokescreen. It seemed Shockwave actually had a hidden agenda (of course), and many Autobots had begun taking up arms again to fight back against his regime. Hound joined in the insurrection at Iacon, and the resistance ultimately pushed Shockwave out of command, retaking Cybertron for the Autobots. War and Peace

As Ultra Magnus began re-establishing Autobot control over the planet, Prowl decided the Ark's crew would be best served by returning to Earth and establishing a permanent base of operations there. Being the Earth-lover that he is, Hound was all for the idea. He was last seen at the site of the future Autobot City, using his holograms to help Grapple visualize his plans for the city. The Route of All Evil

IDW comics continuity

It's rainin' Hounds!

Before the war on Cybertron, Hound was a veteran member of the Autobots, having served under Sentinel Prime with the Security Services force in Kaon. Megatron Origin issue 2 During the mass prison break of Megatron's gladiators and Kaon's most dangerous criminals, Hound and the Autobot security forces struggled to hold the line against the rioting malcontents. After Sentinel Prime returned to the battlefield in his Apex armor, Hound served as optic lead for Sentinel's heads-up scanners in targeting Megatron. However, Megatron destroyed Sentinel Prime's display helmet by throwing Hound's apparently dead body at the Autobot commander. Megatron Origin issue 4

Guido Guidi draws Cybertronian Hound and makes me cry.

Except he survived. Much later, he was the current leader of a combat unit consisting of Sideswipe, Leadfoot, Warpath, Road Rocket and Skram, manning a permanent guard post around Bludgeon's hidden base in Thunderhead Pass. Hound was a by-the-book guy who followed his mission parameters. Sideswipe was an authority-challenging, loud-talking belligerent who constantly insulted this dull posting and demanded they head for Earth to search for his missing brother Sunstreaker. Working with him makes Hound cry.

To add insult to injury a mysterious and powerful being barged into the base, killed Leadfoot, seriously damaged everyone else, and then stole the inactive form of the planet-murdering Thunderwing himself. Spotlight: Galvatron In the middle of briefing Optimus Prime on this event, Hound was interrupted by Sideswipe going on about Sunstreaker again. To Hound's surprise, Optimus agreed and called the team to Earth, Devastation issue 1 only for him to then order them to Garrus-9 instead when the "Monstructor Six" were broken out of the prison there. Devastation issue 6

As they headed off in Ark-12, Hound had to listen to, yep, Sideswipe moaning they weren't looking for Sunstreaker. His angry retort to Sideswipe to take it up with Prime was interrupted by an attack from Cyclonus; Hound followed protocol in fighting him off and prepared to carry on instead of investigating the incident (necessity before need), only for the dead Cyclonus to get up again and keep shooting. Ultra Magnus received Hound's distress call from and drove off the threat, but poor Hound got berated by Sideswipe into diverting from their mission to investigate. That divergence led them to Corata-Vaz where Sideswipe goaded Cyclonus into attacking instead of surrendering and then insulted Hound when criticised over this, Cyclonus deadened Hound's arm, and then Thunderwing was awakened to swat the Autobots all aside. Spotlight: Cyclonus

Prowl regarded the battle with Hound's unit and the Wreckers versus Thunderwing as suicidal. Spotlight: Hardhead Observing that the battle was not going well, Jetfire decided to try and take control of Thunderwing using Bludgeon's Axis Cradle, telling Springer to take their forces into the Nega-Core chamber as quickly as possible should he be successful. Spotlight: Doubledealer

Hound's unit were pulled out of Corata-Vaz and, along with Fortress Maximus, dispatched to Earth to mess up the enemy's Space Bridge set-up there. Hound sent his men through the Bridge portals to nab all the Nega-Cores, except for Skram who was sent to get Arcee, and Sideswipe who volunteered to keep the enemy forces off their backs. Hound didn't understand Sideswipe's reasons but admitted he'd been wrong about the mech, and announced it was an honour to have served with him. Spotlight: Sideswipe

Some time later, both Hound, Mirage and Sideswipe were among the battle damaged Autobots hiding out on Cybertron while the Decepticons rampaged across Earth. All Hail Megatron issue 1

The events of Spotlight: Mirage possibly take place in an alternate/unknown continuity.

Second death, but it still doesn't count.

On Earth, Hound's friend Mirage was seriously injured, and as he recuperated, he was haunted repeatedly by dreams of being a Decepticon. In this dream, Hound was among the last of the Autobots holding out in a losing battle with the Decepticons. He was working on a way to convert the cross-dimensional Zodiac energy for consumption in lieu of energon when Mirage tricked the Autobots into letting him enter their hideout. During the subsequent scuffle, Hound killed Soundwave, but the Autobots were forced to surrender when Mirage held Jetfire hostage, yet promised to spare their lives. Unfortunately for Hound, Mirage was ordered by Megatron to execute the Autobots. Hound was killed by Mirage as defiance to Optimus Prime's pleas for him to see reason. But it was just a dream (or some alternate dimension mumbo-jumbo), so it didn't matter. Right? Spotlight: Mirage

Henkei! Henkei! pack-in comic

Henkei! Henkei! #8

Toys

Generation 1

Short but sweet.

• Hound (Autobot, 1984/1985/2004)
  • Japanese ID number: 02, TFC-14
  • Accessories: "Hologram Gun", machine gun, missile launcher, 3 missiles, spare tire, gas can

Hound was released as part of the initial Autobot assortment in 1984, transforming into a Mitsubishi J59 Jeep. Mounted on the back of the vehicle mode is a large, vacuum metallized silver machine gun turret which doesn't really go anywhere in robot mode. Other vehicle accessories include a spare tire and a fuel canister which also don't really go anywhere in robot mode.

In robot mode, Hound is armed with a large, silver "holographic rifle" and a shoulder-mounted, spring-loaded, firing rocket launcher with three silver projectiles. The US version of this launcher had severely weakened springs for safety reasons.

He was reissued in 2004 by Takara in their Transformers Collection "bookbox" reissue series.

This mold was used to make the e-Hobby exclusive Detritus.

• More information on Generation 1 Hound at TFU.info

Generation 2

Sgt. Hound. Starring Steve Martin. (Hound is the white payloader.)

• Sgt. Hound (Auto Roller, 1995)
  • Accessories: 4 missiles

A redeco of the Auto Roller Roadblock was planned for release in 1995 as "Sgt. Hound", but was one of several redecos and molds that were canceled with the end of the Generation 2 line. He would have transformed into a payloader. As an Auto Roller, a switch on his vehicle-mode back end connects a gearing mechanism attached to his rear axle, which makes him autotransform from vehicle to robot mode when pushed forward, and back when pulled in reverse. His right arm ends in a spring-loaded missile launcher, while his left features a spring-gear-activated spinning circular saw. All four of his missiles can be stowed on his rear wheel wells. No known samples of the toy have surfaced.

This mold was also used to make Autocrasher from Beast Wars II.

Your bargaining posture is highly dubious. Proceed on your way to oblivion. This item has been canceled, with no current plans for release.

Alternators

"At long last, I HAVE ELBOWS!!!"

• Autobot Hound (2004)
  • Alternator ID number: 3
  • Japanese ID number: BT-04
  • Accessories: Pistol

For the Alternators line, Hound's vehicle mode was updated to a Jeep Wrangler, with opening doors, hood (with mock engine bay) and tailgate, and a detailed interior. Hound also features a working suspension system, similar to 20th Anniversary Optimus Prime, but lacks steering. In robot mode, he greatly resembles both the original toy in detail and the Generation 1 cartoon model in proportions and personality. In this form, Hound is armed with a holographic projector gun stored inside his spare tire.

The Japanese Binaltech release of the toy is largely identical to the Hasbro version, except for the use of painted die-cast metal for numerous vehicle-mode panels.

The mold was retooled into Alternators Rollbar and Swindle.

• More info on Alternators Hound at TFU.info

Universe (2008)

Classic Series

But not any more...

• Autobot Hound (Legends, 2008)

Part of the second wave of Universe Legends-class figures (but the first wave to feature new-mold items, not simply Cybertron-series redecoes), the first Universe Hound toy is sculpted to closely resemble his Generation 1 design, particularly in the way his vehicle mode resembles a somewhat outdated, old-fashioned army jeep. Due to his small size and pricepoint, he has no weapon in either mode.

• More information on Universe Legends Hound at TFU.info

Generation 1 Series

File:Universe2008 G1Hound.jpg

Wait, never mind! I found them!

• Autobot Hound (Deluxe, 2008)
  • Accessories: Missile launcher

Part of the fourth wave of Universe Deluxe-class toys, this version of Hound is more of an evolution of the character rather than the reproduction the Legends class toy represents. His vehicle mode resembles a Jeep Hurricane concept car. Unlike his Legends class toy, Deluxe class Hound features his familiar (non-firing) rocket launcher in both vehicle and robot modes.

Hound comes with a figure of Ravage in an all-new sculpt, who can fit (in tape form) on the back of Hound's vehicle mode. Other Mini-Cassette Transformers can fit there too, though not as well as the new Ravage.

• More information on Universe Deluxe Hound at TFU.info

Henkei! Henkei!

• Hound (Deluxe, 2008)
  • Japanese ID number: C-13
  • Accessories: Missile launcher

The Japanese version of Universe (2008) Hound, Henkei! Henkei! Hound is primary cast in a darker shade of green plastic for a better match to his original toy and appearances in fiction. Where Universe Hound had white plastic, Henkei Hound replaces it with grey, and overall has more elaborate paint applications, such as the toy-homaging yellow stripe around the edges of his his hood and silver paint on his hubcaps. As with all Henkei! Henkei! toys, Hound has vacuum-metallized plastic, specifically his grill guard, albeit in an unusually dark color that almost defeats the purpose.

Merchandise

Robot Heroes

Not included: Awkwardly-positioned Spike.

• Autobot Hound vs Blitzwing (2008)

Released in the first wave of Universe-branded Robot Heroes, Hound is posed, like many Robot Heroes, in a squat crouching pose. However, he has a few noteworthy aspects: he's one of the few Generation 1 characters to be sculpted with a handheld weapon. More surprising than that, Hound is currently the most articulated Generation 1 Robot Hero, having swivel joints at his head, shoulders and waist.

Trivia

• The Hound toy was originally a Diaclone "J59 Jeep", coming with a blue-and-white pilot figure and several IP-infringing decals.
• Ken Sansom's voice for Hound sounds not unlike famous actor Jimmy Stewart.

• Due to the animation models of the characters being based on box art as much as the actual toy, Hound's holographic rifle was misinterpreted as a small pistol thanks to the foreshortening used. The Alternators toy uses the "pistol", which led people more familiar with the original figure's gigantic rifle to quip that his new weapon was "far too small".

• Like those of many Generation 1 characters, Hound's animation model has appeared as an unnamed cameo in the Armada cartoon. He is visible both reacting to the Mini-Con beacon alongside Braver and Road King in "First Encounter" (seen at right), and in a flashback in "Prehistory".

File:HoundCyb.gif

• The Alternators version of Hound was originally planned as a Jeep Rubicon, sporting a slightly different transformation that would have somewhat reduced the back kibble. The change from the Rubicon to the Wrangler model Hound ultimately came out as it did presumably due to Jeep wanting their more common model featured.

• For trademark reasons, the Alternators and Universe toys required an additional "Autobot" prefix in front of the name, hence making the official name "Autobot Hound".

• Going by Guido Guidi's color guide for Hound's IDW Cybertronic form, he is consistently miscolored in "Spotlight: Galvatron" (compare above).

• The Japanese book Transformers Generations 2009 Vol. 1 contains concept art for an earlier version of Universe Hound, resembling a Humvee instead of the Jeep form of the final figure.

  

  Not Overhaul.

External links

• Hound's Universe profile at NTFA.net
• Hound at TFU.info