Review – Transformers Universe Hound with Ravage

Transformers Universe Hound with Ravage* was released in 2008, bought by me in 2009, and lay hiding in the closet until a few weeks ago when I uncovered it and decided it was way past time that I open the toy and take a close look at it. And what I found was a great Transformers toy — two toys, actually — that Hasbro should tweak a little and get back on shelves. Seriously, the price on this guy these days is ridiculous.

Ravage

First up we have Ravage, the Decepticon cassette that I’m kinda surprised was updated in 2008 as a cassette. I would have sworn that Hasbro would find cassettes too archaic to use for a mass market toy . . . but I would have been very wrong. And while the cassette is missing the stickers of the original design it’s actually a very nice and innovative approach to making a modern Ravage cassette.

The jaguar mode is gorgeous, with slick transformation making the toy quite a bit wider than I expected. Where the original kept everything pretty much flat (see the TFWiki) this update has a lot more depth to it. I miss that Hasbro didn’t give us missiles for Ravage; the toy really feels like it is missing something without those silver missiles mounted on the sides.

Articulation, sculpt, and paint are all just fine for what is essentially an accessory to the more important toy in the set. And as long as you look at Ravage as merely a transforming accessory he’s fine. Not spectacular, but a nice update to a classic design.

Hound

To start, Hound’s vehicle mode is an incredible update on the 1984 version of the character (see the TFWiki) looking more like a modern jeep than a classic WWII jeep. And even though it is an updated design it is very clearly Hound, with the blocky look, green color, and even the rocket launcher that were all important to the original toy. And the wheels work good, with the toy rolling nicely across flat surfaces.

As you can see in the pics, Ravage can be mounted to the rear of Hound when Hound is in his vehicle mode. I thought this would be more exciting than it is, but since I rarely display Transformers toys in their vehicle modes this feature isn’t actually all that much fun. Cute idea, just not necessary or remarkable.

Transforming Hound from vehicle mode to robot mode is pretty easy and works quite smoothly. Unlike some of the newer Transformers toys the design has some flexibility so that if you don’t get every piece aligned exactly everything can still snap and lock into place. This is a great thing and makes transforming Hound a breeze. My favorite part of the transformation has to be how the seats become Hound’s thighs; take a look at the pics and you can see how those seats are folded up flat and hidden quite well when he’s in robot mode.

Articulation is way better than the 1984 version of the character, with ball-jointed neck, shoulders, and hips, hinged elbows and knees, a swivel thigh, hinged ankles, and what works out to be rocker-style feet that help balance the toy. The only joint I’d really love to see is a swivel waist, but even without that Hound can get into some pretty nice poses.

Closing Thoughts

Transformers Universe Hound with Ravage* is a fantastic update on one character and a decent update on a second . . . all in one package. Hasbro’s designers did a great job of translating the character design into a modern Transformers toy and my one real complaint is that the toy hasn’t been slated for a re-release. If you can find this guy for a price you’re happy with — you’ll have to decide for yourself what a four year old Transformers toy is worth to you — then grab it because it is one of the nicer designs I’ve seen from those released since the Classics series started.

Hound is one of those Transformers toys that is so much fun to play with that it makes me anxious to open and check out some other Transformers toys. And that, for me, makes it a fantastic toy.

Philip Reed also has an unofficial upgrade kit for Hound that he should review soon.