{"id":7868,"date":"2010-07-20T16:11:15","date_gmt":"2010-07-20T21:11:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=7868"},"modified":"2010-07-20T16:12:17","modified_gmt":"2010-07-20T21:12:17","slug":"vault-review-gi-joe-wolf-hound","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=7868","title":{"rendered":"Vault Review:
GI Joe Wolf Hound"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/a>When my TRU finally received the Pursuit of Cobra HISS Tank, I had to have it. While I was excited that my year-long wait was finally over, there was another vehicle at TRU that day. It had a new name and a new driver, but I knew it from my childhood. I couldn’t leave without the Wolf Hound.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re thinking that the Wolf Hound looks familiar, you\u2019re right. This mold was first released in 1985 under the name Snow Cat. It would be released in a few more decos over the years until its fifth and latest incarnation, the Wolf Hound. My original Snow Cat was one of my favorite Christmas presents. That’s why I had to buy it, it was a little piece of nostalgia sitting in the toy aisle wanting me to take it home.<\/p>\n

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I\u2019m not exactly sure why Hasbro released this vehicle in the middle of summer. I know I would have had much more fun taking pictures in the snow with all my arctic Joes. That\u2019s the closest thing I get to playing with my toys these days. Most of the time they just get posed and set on a shelf. Maybe this winter there will be another arctic release and I\u2019ll get a chance to bring this guy outside again.<\/p>\n

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Although the body of the Wolf Hound is almost entirely the same as the Snow Cat, the Hound has undergone a few minor changes. Namely the addition of a bluish-gray color streaked throughout its white body. The original Snow Cat\u2019s body was all white. Compared to the Wolf Hound though, it comes off very plain. This new mixed in color not only gives a nice camouflaged feel, but it makes the vehicle unique to a certain extent. I doubt there will be two with the exact same swirled paint deco. Mine isn\u2019t even consistent throughout. The driver\u2019s side has much more paint than the passenger side. This might give you Joe collectors with OCD pause, but I like the randomness.<\/p>\n

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The Wolf Hound has two front working wheels two hidden wheels underneath the rear threads (they’re just for show). I realize we just got a HISS Tank with moving treads, and even though they have problems, I would like to see this trend continue into other vehicles. I always enjoy as much realism as I can get on my fake military vehicles.<\/p>\n

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Wolf Hound has two sets of weapons. The first are two yellow torpedoes that sit on skis. I remember the old Snow Cat commercials where these torpedoes would slide easily downhill and take out some Cobra baddies. So cool, but I could never recreate that effect in real life. The Hound\u2019s second line of attack is its missile launcher. The entire battery can rotate 360 degrees while the head can move up and down. This gives it a huge range of attack. When I was a kid, the Snow Cat had four missiles that sat firmly in grooves inside the battery. Toy technology has come a long way since then. The missiles don\u2019t just sit inside, but they can be launched by pushing a small lever from one side to the other. As the lever passes each missile, it activates a spring, shooting that missile out. It\u2019s a pretty swanky little contraption. Plus, the missiles fire with much more force than I expected, easily clearing three to four feet. Continue to Page 2…<\/A>.<\/p>\n

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Some of the other great features about this vehicle are the opening canopy which reveals the cockpit and its adjustable steering wheel (for those extra large Joes). The inside can easily hold two figures, just as long as they aren’t too tall. If that happens, the canopy won\u2019t latch closed. On the outside of the canopy sits the windshield wiper which can move back and forth. Underneath the missile turret, in the bed of the Hound, is a removable panel that reveals the vehicles engine. I love it when Joe vehicles have engine access. Lastly, the rear panel of the Hound where the men can ride, is totally removable. It doesn\u2019t lead to anything, just a big hollow space where the turret plugs in. But it\u2019s still neat to have the option to put stuff back there.<\/p>\n

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Here\u2019s where we get to some of the negative. I was really disappointed to find that even though the Wolf Hound\u2019s body is made of hard plastic, some of the accessory pieces are not. The windshield wiper, the steering wheel, the skis, the engine panel, and the rear panel are all made out of a much softer plastic.<\/p>\n

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Other than that, the only real complaint I have about this toy is the name change. I bought this vehicle because it is the Snow Cat. It\u2019s even got the Snow Cat\u2019s sticker logo on the side still. I\u2019m not really sure why Hasbro decided to change the name to Wolf Hound. It\u2019s not that Wolf Hound is a bad name, but I have no nostalgic connection to the Wolf Hound. So, after this article is finished, you probably won\u2019t hear me call this anything but Snow Cat.<\/p>\n

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In the same vein, the driver of the Wolf Hound is White Out. Who? The original White Out was a figure released in 2000 and was mostly comprised of Snow Job parts. Since then, he\u2019s apparently shaved his beard and been promoted from ski patrol to vehicle driver. This is all fine, I\u2019ve got nothing against the guy, but I\u2019m left wondering what happened to one of my favorite Joes: Frostbite? Originally Frostbite was the driver of the Snow Cat. In the ROC line, Frostbite was made the driver of the Ice Dagger. That sounds ok, until you see that Frostbite is nothing but Beachhead with a coat on. I can tell you right now, Beachhead and Frostbite look nothing alike. These may seem like trivial matters, but I know there are at least a few others out there who lament the lack of Snow Cat and its missing driver, Frostbite.<\/p>\n

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All around, nostalgia permitting, this is a really great vehicle. If you remember it from your childhood, then you won\u2019t be disappointed in its newest incarnation. If it\u2019s new to you, then enjoy one of the more fun arctic Joe rides. The Wolf Hound retails for around $25. You won\u2019t get the bulk that the HISS Tank has, but this vehicle is a lot more versatile. It allows for two people in the cockpit, and at least eight peg holes on the outside. Plus, there are the four firing missiles, and it actually rolls on its wheels. In my opinion, that\u2019s a pretty decent price.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When my TRU finally received the Pursuit of Cobra HISS Tank, I had to have it. My year-long wait was finally over. But there was another vehicle at TRU that day. It had a new name and a new driver, but I knew it from my childhood. I had to have the Wolf Hound too.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":7870,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"_themeisle_gutenberg_block_has_review":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_options":[]},"categories":[34,10],"tags":[2568,413,623,622],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.itsalltrue.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/07\/wofTN.jpg?fit=50%2C50","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pObc6-22U","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":7585,"url":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=7585","url_meta":{"origin":7868,"position":0},"title":"Vault Review: GI Joe HISS Tank","date":"July 13, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"A little over a year ago, the IAT crew trekked to Kansas City to cover the annual G.I. Joe convention, Joe Con. During the Hasbro panel, the convention room was treated to a surprise: the unveiling of the brand new H.I.S.S. Tank. After a year, I finally got a chance\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Reviews"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":699,"url":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=699","url_meta":{"origin":7868,"position":1},"title":"ItsAllTrue Review: G.I. Joe Rise of Cobra Ice Viper and Barbecue","date":"July 29, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"You might remember that I ended my previous GI Joe ROC review, on Sgt. Stone and Shipwreck, with \"The Ice Viper and that yellow Barbecue at Toys R Us are calling.\" Well, they called and my wallet answered. But, it's not that I'm weak - it's that TRU had a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Reviews"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1123,"url":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=1123","url_meta":{"origin":7868,"position":2},"title":"ItsAllTrue.Net on the Road: GI Joe Con 2009 – Hasbro Panel","date":"August 15, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"We had a great time at Friday\u2019s Joe Con, but probably the most exciting part was the Hasbro panel. Here\u2019s my rundown of what was revealed and the details on some of the awesome figures we\u2019ll be seeing into next year. For those of you who haven\u2019t seen the movie\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Event Coverage"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":30936,"url":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=30936","url_meta":{"origin":7868,"position":3},"title":"JoeCon 2015: Hasbro & Collector’s Club Armchair Coverage","date":"April 12, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"","rel":"","context":"In "G.I. Joe"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":9572,"url":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=9572","url_meta":{"origin":7868,"position":4},"title":"Vault Review: Minimates Universal Monsters Wave 1","date":"September 28, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"I\u2019m a big fan of the classic Universal Monsters. Whether it was playing Castlevania, or watching great movies like The Monster Squad; I couldn\u2019t get enough of Dracula, Frankenstein, Wolf Man, the Mummy, or the Gill-Man. So when Art Asylum released these in Minimates form, I was definitely sold.","rel":"","context":"In "Reviews"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1419,"url":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=1419","url_meta":{"origin":7868,"position":5},"title":"ItsAllTrueReview: G.I. Joe Rise of Cobra Crimson Hydra","date":"September 3, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Buying Joes isn't just about picking up a lot of individual figures, it's about vehicles and playsets too. While some of my fondest memories of playing with Joes are vehicle-based, I'd been avoiding buying any ROC vehicles. There are a couple of reasons for this. One, my adult sensibilities kick\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Reviews"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7868"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7868"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7868\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7874,"href":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7868\/revisions\/7874"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/7870"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7868"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7868"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7868"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}