Retro G1 Thundercracker in Show Colours Found at Canadian Walmart + Review

There were no TC at my local Walmart but they had 4 Hounds.
...and barely anything else.

Hey! Slugtron! Never saw him/them or Wheelgrim in any retail stores.

-Kanrabat- wrote:There were no TC at my local Walmart but they had 4 Hounds.
...and barely anything else.

20230406_191800.jpg

You always say your walmart's got nothing and here I see a nice new toy And one I havent seen at my retailers yet.
By the way, est-ce que ton élécticité est revenu? For those not in the know, there was a big ice storm that cut off power to people in my area (and Kanrabat's), which is why I havent posted much lately.

william-james88 wrote:

-Kanrabat- wrote:There were no TC at my local Walmart but they had 4 Hounds.
...and barely anything else.

20230406_191800.jpg

You always say your walmart's got nothing and here I see a nice new toy And one I havent seen at my retailers yet.
By the way, est-ce que ton élécticité est revenu? For those not in the know, there was a big ice storm that cut off power to people in my area (and Kanrabat's), which is why I havent posted much lately.

24 hour without power and another 24 hours without internet. I'm part of the "lucky ones".

C'est la Crise du Verglas, édition légère.

Retro Hound and Thunderdracker have been found for a little while in Canadian Walmarts and Americans are getting notices that their Hound is ready to ship out soon. For those unsure whether to buy this toy or not or what to look out for (since there may be breakage issues), we have a video review for you below. And this is the first reissue of Hound in the west, so many fans are maybe unfamiliar with this mold. The review shows some size comparisons and reassures that there is indeed die cast in the toy.

Enjoy!

The Hound that I preordered along Thundercracker are shipped and are coming soon. I'm looking forward to unpack and try them out!

Got my notification to for my Hound preorder. He's always been a favorite of mine and I can't wait to compare him to my original.

Woops, thread missfire.

-Kanrabat- wrote:Woops, thread missfire.

Thanks

I did not realize G1 Hound was that tiny!

Lore Keeper wrote:I did not realize G1 Hound was that tiny!

Yeah, neither did I, hence why I used that pic to feature the review.

william-james88 wrote:

Lore Keeper wrote:I did not realize G1 Hound was that tiny!

Yeah, neither did I, hence why I used that pic to feature the review.

Yeah, all of the Diaclone-molded Autobot Cars were little guys about the size of the old Basic/Scout class, and Hound was one of the smaller ones, too.

Sabrblade wrote:

william-james88 wrote:

Lore Keeper wrote:I did not realize G1 Hound was that tiny!

Yeah, neither did I, hence why I used that pic to feature the review.

Yeah, all of the Diaclone-molded Autobot Cars were little guys about the size of the old Basic/Scout class, and Hound was one of the smaller ones, too.

Makes his clashes with Rumble in MTMTE Part 2 and 3 make a bit more sense. Ironic, since toy-to-media scale shifts usually have the opposite effect.

Bumblevivisector wrote:

Sabrblade wrote:

william-james88 wrote:

Lore Keeper wrote:I did not realize G1 Hound was that tiny!

Yeah, neither did I, hence why I used that pic to feature the review.

Yeah, all of the Diaclone-molded Autobot Cars were little guys about the size of the old Basic/Scout class, and Hound was one of the smaller ones, too.

Makes his clashes with Rumble in MTMTE Part 2 and 3 make a bit more sense. Ironic, since toy-to-media scale shifts usually have the opposite effect.

It makes a hell of a lot more sense.

william-james88 wrote:

Is it me, or is that Brawn figure actually taller than Hound?

william-james88 wrote:

Lore Keeper wrote:I did not realize G1 Hound was that tiny!

Yeah, neither did I, hence why I used that pic to feature the review.

The irony is that the vehicle mode is pretty much modern deluxe sized. But the bot do not "stretch" at all as modern engineering allows. He's still pretty hefty tho.

-Kanrabat- wrote:

william-james88 wrote:

Lore Keeper wrote:I did not realize G1 Hound was that tiny!

Yeah, neither did I, hence why I used that pic to feature the review.

The irony is that the vehicle mode is pretty much modern deluxe sized. But the bot do not "stretch" at all as modern engineering allows. He's still pretty hefty tho.

Just imagine if he didn't have the big boots, he'd be smaller than some mini cars!

Emerje

I still have to wait until I get my Hound.
Once I have it, I'll post pictures comparing him to SS Jeep Bee.

Crazy how tiny he is!

Got my Thundercracker and I love his colors. I'm surprised they still included the Megatron gun.





As for Hound, he's fun to handle and yes, he smoll.

Here's a comparison with the tiny deluxe SS jeep Bee:





Bee is still bigger, but it emphasize how both are very small figures. And we'll worth it regardless.

Looks nice for what it is, but for scale sake I'm sticking with the Siege figure.

As for gun Megatron, seems like he's included with every high profile Con figure these days.

-Kanrabat- wrote:Got my Thundercracker and I love his colors. I'm surprised they still included the Megatron gun.

Should have come with a modified Reflector accessory from the Centurion Drone set.

Emerje

Emerje wrote:

-Kanrabat- wrote:Got my Thundercracker and I love his colors. I'm surprised they still included the Megatron gun.

Should have come with a modified Reflector accessory from the Centurion Drone set.

Emerje

It would have been nice, but "impossible."
Gang-molding shenanigans.

Those new hands may be on the same mold as that Megatron accessory. But the Centurion stuff are definitely on the same mold together.

I bet someone may Shapeway a Reflector compatible with those hands.

I ask myself why someone should buy these "reissues".

These are not real reissues (They're note die-cast and are quite different by many points of view from the original) so their mold aren't attractive neither for kids (as the bots are very simplified in comparison to the figures anyone can buy nowadays ad much less poseable) nor for collectors.

Barricade.it wrote:I ask myself why someone should buy these "reissues".

These are not real reissues (They're note die-cast and are quite different by many points of view from the original) so their mold aren't attractive neither for kids (as the bots are very simplified in comparison to the figures anyone can buy nowadays ad much less poseable) nor for collectors.

You have it all wrong. I think you meant "not" instead of "note"? I have Starscream TC, and Hound. All of them have the diecast parts where it should and all of them are of very high quality. Hound even have his rubber tires. Do not confuse them with cheap Chinese KOs.

They are "reissues" but they are unique repaints. Same if not better quality than the originals. If you want the true original colors, go for the previous reissues or the originals themselves. Those are clearly not the colors you want but don't dismiss them either.

Also, the seekers have a PAINTED FACE for once. That count for something. Also, if you already own one of these in their original color, it's fun to double-dip with these unique decos.



For the price of a voyager, it's not to expensive to get at least one and try it out for yourself.

-Kanrabat- wrote:

Barricade.it wrote:I ask myself why someone should buy these "reissues".

These are not real reissues (They're note die-cast and are quite different by many points of view from the original) so their mold aren't attractive neither for kids (as the bots are very simplified in comparison to the figures anyone can buy nowadays ad much less poseable) nor for collectors.

You have it all wrong. I think you meant "not" instead of "note"? I have Starscream TC, and Hound. All of them have the diecast parts where it should and all of them are of very high quality. Hound even have his rubber tires. Do not confuse them with cheap Chinese KOs.

They are "reissues" but they are unique repaints. Same if not better quality than the originals. If you want the true original colors, go for the previous reissues or the originals themselves. Those are clearly not the colors you want but don't dismiss them either.

Also, the seekers have a PAINTED FACE for once. That count for something. Also, if you already own one of these in their original color, it's fun to double-dip with these unique decos.



For the price of a voyager, it's not to expensive to get at least one and try it out for yourself.

Hot Rod also has diecast feet and rubber tires even though they could have done plastic feet like the Targetmaster mold. I'd also say that these are made entirely for collectors and we're definitely buying them, otherwise Hasbro and Walmart would have dropped them by now. I'm guessing there's a few older kids aware of G1 toys that might have some interest and dads that want their kids to play with the toys they played with. These are WAY more interesting that a lot of the kid out there, for about the same price these are a better buy than RotB Smash Changers IMO.

Emerje

Emerje wrote:

-Kanrabat- wrote:

Barricade.it wrote:I ask myself why someone should buy these "reissues".

These are not real reissues (They're note die-cast and are quite different by many points of view from the original) so their mold aren't attractive neither for kids (as the bots are very simplified in comparison to the figures anyone can buy nowadays ad much less poseable) nor for collectors.

You have it all wrong. I think you meant "not" instead of "note"? I have Starscream TC, and Hound. All of them have the diecast parts where it should and all of them are of very high quality. Hound even have his rubber tires. Do not confuse them with cheap Chinese KOs.

They are "reissues" but they are unique repaints. Same if not better quality than the originals. If you want the true original colors, go for the previous reissues or the originals themselves. Those are clearly not the colors you want but don't dismiss them either.

Also, the seekers have a PAINTED FACE for once. That count for something. Also, if you already own one of these in their original color, it's fun to double-dip with these unique decos.



For the price of a voyager, it's not to expensive to get at least one and try it out for yourself.

Hot Rod also has diecast feet and rubber tires even though they could have done plastic feet like the Targetmaster mold. I'd also say that these are made entirely for collectors and we're definitely buying them, otherwise Hasbro and Walmart would have dropped them by now. I'm guessing there's a few older kids aware of G1 toys that might have some interest and dads that want their kids to play with the toys they played with. These are WAY more interesting that a lot of the kid out there, for about the same price these are a better buy than RotB Smash Changers IMO.

Emerje

I don't know how much it weighs into it, but there is another bit that these toys have over others, the seekers are modelled after well known military aircraft. Not that a kid would want it but a father may want to introduce this type of collecting to their kid (my own father did it through models you glue together) or military aficionados may find this a fun novelty. They are selling. Canada has a bunch on the shelves and everytime I go into a store I see less on the shelf.

Does the Cartoon Color Hound have die cast parts still or is he all plastic?

Rodimus Knight wrote:Does the Cartoon Color Hound have die cast parts still or is he all plastic?

The diecast is where it should be.

The only true change is that the chrome weapons are no longer chrome.

ThunderThruster wrote:Is it me, or is that Brawn figure actually taller than Hound?

Yes, Brawn's taller. G1 Hound is a small core class sized figure.

Rodimus Prime wrote:As for gun Megatron, seems like he's included with every high profile Con figure these days.

He's just part of the G1 seeker mold Hasbro currently uses.

Barricade.it wrote:They're note die-cast

Rodimus Knight wrote:Does the Cartoon Color Hound have die cast parts still or is he all plastic?

I made a review showing you all exactly where the diecast parts are



By the way, this whole size comparison vs price also brings in a whole other element that I see fans discuss erroneously online. They state that current deluxe figures have gotten too expensive for parents to purchase for kids, further lending into the idea that generations figures sold in toy aisles are for grown ups. But G1 Hound, tiny as he was, was $10 in 1984. That makes him $30 USD in today's money. So whoever had Hound as a kid was gifted/given the equivalent of a modern day $30 toy, that's pricier than today's deluxes

In terms of just Hound, his toys have gotten more articulated, bigger and cheaper over the almost 40 year span of the brand.

Indeed, many love to make bold claims without ever bothering to Google anything.

Got my Hound from Walmart.com today. He's a neat figure, it's my first time handling the mold. I've been a ware of his size since the 80s, but my only real complaint is the same complaint I have with all of these Diaclone molds and that's both modes not sharing parts and no way to store parts on the figure itself. It is what it is, it's a bit of the charm of the old figures but also why there's so many incomplete figures of the time out there.

Emerje

The G1 show colours Thundercracker has been found at US Walmarts for a little while now but few people have reported it in, maybe thinking it was old news. But for those unaware that it's been found, well now you know. For those curious, we have a review below showing the big differences in deco when comparing to the previous G1 reissue. This toy comes with no stickers and every detail is painted instead.

If you have found him, share your sightings with our community in the sightings section and on our boards in your region related thread.

We've gotten a handful of sightings of G1 Hound found at US Walmarts, all in Florida at the moment, but there may have been sightings in other states. For those curious, the toy does have die cast, just like the G1 toy did. If you want to see some reviews and size comparisons (since many fans forget how teeny tiny he is for a $10 figure from 1984), you can check out the videos below.

Sigh, I had to do Hot Rod today over Hound.

Spider5800 wrote:

It's what you do with it that really matters. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

-Kanrabat- wrote:It's what you do with it that really matters. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Haha, so true. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad I got him, but I can totally see someone spending $70 on him and a Starscream, standing them next to each other, and getting really angry that they were the same price, even though the diecast means they probably cost about the same to manufacture.

Hey All! Just picked up Retro Hot Rod and love it to bits, but I’m bothered by some thin paint applications on the legs. Does anyone know what colour of orange paint is used? Thanks and have a good day
-Nominus

I got Hot Rod during the Pulse sale, and he's really good. Like, really. I am loving having him. I am super glad i got him at discount, but he is really cool.

I really wish the SS86 figure was actually in this color scheme. It just looks so good!

Waiting for Toon Skywarp to complete the seekers trio...

-Kanrabat- wrote:Waiting for Toon Skywarp to complete the seekers trio...

I sure hope we get one. The only leaks I'm aware of are #5 Perceptor and #7 Shrapnel. Maybe #6 is Skywarp?

There was mention of a fan Optimus Prime (rather than a Retro) but I suspect that was rhe recently revealed Selects figure.

Emerje

D-Maximal_Primal wrote:I got Hot Rod during the Pulse sale, and he's really good. Like, really. I am loving having him. I am super glad i got him at discount, but he is really cool.

I really wish the SS86 figure was actually in this color scheme. It just looks so good!

Looks pretty good in these pictures.

Wish he was in any of my Walmart's though.

Still some lingering Netflix Spoiler packs (Megatron I think), and a few beats wars re-issues. But no Movie G1 to be found anywhere.

Question, are the toes plastic or die-cast?

Overcracker wrote:

D-Maximal_Primal wrote:I got Hot Rod during the Pulse sale, and he's really good. Like, really. I am loving having him. I am super glad i got him at discount, but he is really cool.

I really wish the SS86 figure was actually in this color scheme. It just looks so good!

Looks pretty good in these pictures.

Wish he was in any of my Walmart's though.

Still some lingering Netflix Spoiler packs (Megatron I think), and a few beats wars re-issues. But no Movie G1 to be found anywhere.

Question, are the toes plastic or die-cast?

Toes are die-cast

william-james88 wrote:

Overcracker wrote:

D-Maximal_Primal wrote:I got Hot Rod during the Pulse sale, and he's really good. Like, really. I am loving having him. I am super glad i got him at discount, but he is really cool.

I really wish the SS86 figure was actually in this color scheme. It just looks so good!

Looks pretty good in these pictures.

Wish he was in any of my Walmart's though.

Still some lingering Netflix Spoiler packs (Megatron I think), and a few beats wars re-issues. But no Movie G1 to be found anywhere.

Question, are the toes plastic or die-cast?

Toes are die-cast

Thanks. Good to know.

The die-cast toes are pretty nice, I wasn't expecting that.

I continue to adore the colors. They're great.

The only G1 movie figure that have made it to my shelves is Starscream. He is sitting alongside SS86 Starscream, and it's sad to see.

Anyways, more Awesome Rod

We have good news for those liking the retro G1 Reissue line, which has the G1 toys in a cartoon inspired deco. Firstly, they are a main subject of an interview between the ToysareRuss Youtube channel and Hasbro's Transformers marketing team. They go over what we can expect from the line going forwards.

Also, as most of us guessed and hoped, we will be getting a Skywarp. This is great news for all of us wanting to complete a set of seekers in matching deco.

The code for Skywarp was found by JTPrime17.

Tra Gen Retro Skywarp
Product number: F6952



Here is a gallery of the original G1 Skywarp toy for those interested:


Transformers G1 1984 Skywarp Gallery

YES!

And I do hope SW will come soon enough.

-Kanrabat- wrote:Waiting for Toon Skywarp to complete the seekers trio...

Well that was a timely comment.

Emerje

A definite maybe if I see one.

Hey, I can try and find a photo again, but there is a confirmed reissue of Sharpnel with '86 movie deco coming out in this series.
I've also seen a photo of Skywarp...

Both look really good, and Shrapnel will be tempting for me to buy.