Or the hound name, at least. Remember that could be just about all that they end up having in common.
Your right they aren't, they ignored source material and butchered the story, and most of all made the worst looking Transformers of all time, I enjoy Beast Machines more than the movies
You're lucky he's not Bumblebee's faithful companion, like HA Leadfoot's accessory. After 3 movies, we shouldn't be surprised anymore at what name is slapped on what vehicle. The names are more of an acknowledgement that yes, they have heard of the comics and cartoons we like, but we're doing something else.
This part I agree with and is the reality of the films. However, the question then becomes, why slap a random G1 name onto the character then? It's one thing with character names like Optimus, Megatron, or even Smokescreen and the like that have seen many other iterations besides G1. Hound, though, has basically had his G1 iteration and not much else. In that sense I thought the last movie was actually more honest when it scrapped the names "Mirage" and "Wheeljack" and just went with "Dino" and "Que" onscreen, because it made it clear that those characters had *nothing* to do with any previous iterations in any other continuities of any characters we'd seen. I fully realize that Hasbro has already set precedent of reusing names in different continuities, so I guess the question "why?" goes broader than just the movies. If its truly a different character - and it is - I never really understand confusing the viewer or consumer by slapping the same name onto it as some previous, unrelated, earlier character from a different continuity.
Easy answer? "To secure continued use of a trademark owned by Hasbro". Other answers may include "to use the brand equity of previous name-holders, however remote the parallels", "to save money on trademark placement and library upkeep" and "to hurt fan's feelings".
Although if they wanted to do that Hasbro could just shove the name on a figure that's not in the movie. It's still a valid use of the name that would keep it in their ownership. It doesn't even have to be in a movie toyline. Although doesn't he have to be called 'Autobot Hound' these days anyway because the name 'Hound' by itself is too generic a word to lay claim to?
We're talking about the movies, not the Unicron Trilogy. Oh Snap...Seriously though, that's how I feel about the UT. Hasbro's been playing the name slap game for years before Bay, so I don't really hold it against the movies. My personal criticisms tend to be more about how Prime is a maniac and that the films are filled with inappropriate humor.
I resent it to some degree because the movies have the biggest exposure and budget behind them and it's the version the most people are going to see these days. So if it's using a name originated in the original series then I'd prefer it be used on something that has more resemblance to the original character and design as it's essentially (re)introducing the character and their name to the wider general consciousness. It's a disheartening thing when people find out I've been a Transformers fan since 1984 and they assume the thing I've been a fan of for over two and a half decades is the version BayFormers has shown them of the franchise and its concepts and characters.
I can understand that. I'm not happy with the overall image the films have created for the franchise either. though for me it's more just the overall Bay hate that's now related to transformers publicly. Realistically, if it hadn't been Bay, that doesn't necessarily mean whoever else took the helm would be any more true to the old source material.
I firmly believe that if someone else that wasnt Bay would have taken on Transformers, they would have made the movies even more different from the original G1 cartoon, to a point where its barely recognizable. In fact, I think most you are not appreciating how well the Transformers universe was actually adapted into these full blown live action movies.
Getting back to the original question at hand... Given the size of Hound's vehicle mode, he will probably stand at about the same height as Optimus, if not a few feet taller than him.
Hound, huh. I don't care, it's just the strong bot in the team. It used to be Ironhide, Bulkhead, now is Hound. It could be Trailbreaker as well. I guess it's just a matter of how many toys the character sells.
It's Hound dude. Be happy. He's still a freaking off road tracking military vehicle for crying out loud. I really wish people would just grow up and accept that this isn't G1. Don't get me wrong, I love G1 characters and such, but this just ISN'T G1.
I kinda hope he is as big as Optimus. We havnt gotten any Autobots that big, just Optimus. Theyre either bigger or smaller than him (or a traitor). If hes the same size I will be satisfied