Last week I got a bootleg Hound.
Yes, in his cool robot form.
I'm not really sure if they did bootleg a white jeep, but it would be cool to get one.
Bootleg Hound comes in two colors at the shelves. The original army green, and the swindle yellow version, with an additional tacky chrome bullbar.
The head is still Hound, though. Not sure if they used a different headsculpt for the original alternators Swindle.
Here's the back of the box...
Some details-
Opening the box, I took out the toy, and an instruction manual. Now, for a bootleg toy, I was amazed that they actually took the time to print out a decent manual.
The first pages feature the toy's details.
And here's the actual instructions.
What pissed me off was that the manual tells you how to transform Hound from jeep to robot, but the actual toy was in robot mode! Backtracking is a bit difficult...
Last pages even include the specifications of the vehicle, and some background story!
And here's the back cover.
Surprisingly, the bootleg toy kept details from the original.
The door panels for example, and the "Cybertronian Radial" writings on the rubber wheels.
The suspension also works!
Here's the hood. The raised provision for the Autobot insignia is retained.
Also, I'll have to say that this hood is pretty freaking hard to open. They did a good work on the lock.
When you do get to open the hood, you are rewarded with the detailed engine bay.
Dashboard, check. Door panels, check. Seats, check. Transmission lever, check.
Headlights and turn signal lights are plastic pieces.
Nice wheel detail!
Also, the space for the "Jeep" logo is also raised, but instead of "Jeep," they placed "4x4" instead.
It's still a bootleg, so expect shoddy craftsmanship.
I can't open the spare tire container to store Hound's gun. Finally discovered a misassembly that I'm still yet to repair.
Also, one of the rear panels don't seem to lock in place. I'll have to see what I can do to make the jeep mode more fixed.
In general, the jeep mode is good. There are a few loose parts here and there, but it's still solid and stable. It even looks convincing as a real scale model jeep.
I love the jeep mode, and I also love the robot mode. The problem is, this is still a bootleg. Some parts are super tight, which should be good, right?
But some parts are terribly loose! The waist, for example, and one of the knee joints.
This made posing Hound in robot mode difficult.
(Also, if anyone could give me tips to tighten these joints, I'd really appreciate it.)
Also, notice the yellow stripes on Hound's arms - painted terribly.
The transformation process is a bit difficult and puzzling at first, but is surprisingly easy to master. Hell, I find Hound easier to transform than Silverstreak...
While I love both modes, I'd go for the Jeep mode. This is just because of the loose knee joints that make standing/posing difficult.
Plus, you get to enjoy the working suspension.
A bootleg is still a bootleg. Expect shoddy craftsmanship. Getting one is a hit and miss when it comes to flaws.
I'd say bootleg Hound is still a good buy. Expect a bit of tweaking here and there, though. Personally, I really enjoyed this bootleg despite its flaws.
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