Is it a myth, a legend, made up, or just a custom?
There are many red feet or red re-painted Transformers G1 variants out there. A lot are also documented very well, but a red-footed Hound seems to be a hidden gem. But is a Hound with red feet really legit? Is it a variant that we can add to the list of must-haves?
To answer that, a little black story is necessary. At the end of the 80s, around 1989, Europe got flooded with a lot of Mexican-imported Transformers. But why did they go to Europe? To explain that we need to get back to Mexico 1987, mid-1987, to be precise. The last new batch of Transformers releases had just hit the stores in Mexico. Channel 13 just stopped airing the Transformers cartoon. Primarily due to a government initiative to promote zero violence in children’s media. Channel executives, seeing how aggressive and intrusive the series was for children, decided to pull it from the air. Because of this, interest in the Transformers brand was rapidly declining among most kids in Mexico. Next to that, the Federal Consumer Protection Agency investigation determined that Transformers toys sold by Plasticos Iga contained lead in their diecast parts and paint applications. This led to the removal of all toys from the domestic Mexican market due to the risk of toxicity to children. And just like that, the Transformers toys were systematically pulled from the shelves and warehouses. A significant portion of these remaining Iga production was "legally" exported to Europe by 1989. Primarily to the U.K., the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, and the Scandinavian Peninsula. It was done by the British company W.R.B.I. LTD LONDON EC4 UK.
At the same time, Hasbro just started re-releasing a lot of the series 1 and 2 Transformers with their Gold Classics line. Rumor has it that Hasbro (Europe) was very unhappy with these cheaper-looking Mexican releases competing with their own first batch of reissues. They were also not up to European toy safety standards. The Mexican rules and regulations for toys in the 80s were not as tight as in Europe. Plasticos Iga would use a higher concentration of lead in their paint. Too high for European standards, at least. This is why all the diecast and other painted parts (mainly the eyes of the robot heads) needed to be stripped of their original paint and repainted with new European paint. These toys came to be known as the “non-toxic” Iga versions. It is the exact reason why you will never find Mint in Sealed boxes of European Iga releases. All have cut tape and ripped open blisters. That’s, in a nutshell, why European Iga releases look vastly different from their original Mexican counterparts. Besides the repainted parts, there is also a warning sticker placed on these boxes saying “safety tested non-toxic 1989.”
It must have been a very hasty job, seeing how they ripped open the blister bubbles and how sloppy the paint was added to a lot of the eyes. Those unique paint differences are these days one of the main appeals of obtaining these adjusted Iga Transformers amongst collectors.
Now, let's take a look at some of these European repainted Iga toys. What immediately stands out is that they mostly used red paint to repaint the diecast parts. To give a few examples. The red paint on Optimus Prime is a very logical choice, of course. They repainted the windshield and his eyes. Since Optimus is already a red cab, it does not stand out that much.
The same can be said for Inferno; he is a red fire truck, so his re-painted red feet blend in very well. Probably, most people won’t even know he has been repainted as well.
With Grapple, it is a lot more obvious. They repainted his feet from orange to red. Although orange and red match pretty well together. It makes for a unique combination of colors, which is why he is also more sought after by collectors.
Then there is this Hound. A military Jeep that is more or less completely green. Repainting his feet red is not a logical decision. The colors green and red are not the best mix aesthetically. Why would they choose to paint a green army vehicle red?! The only reason that I can think of is that they did not want to invest too much time and money in the whole process. Hence, why sloppy paint applications are found on a lot of these imported “lower” quality toys. So the diecast repaint of Hound is very much in line with other imported Iga Transformers. The only big difference is that this Hound does not have red painted eyes like Optimus Prime, Inferno, or Grapple. Even other ones like Astrotrain, Blitzwing, and Devastator’s head got the red eyes treatment.
Now that we have a bit of backstory. How did this red feet variant of Hound become a thing?
All the way in 2012, someone started a thread on the TFW2005 forum about a G1 Hound that he obtained, which had painted red feet. He wasn’t able to find pictures or any information regarding its origin. Most members replied immediately that it must have been a custom paint job. A very logical response, of course.
Five years later! In 2017, a new specimen popped up in that same thread. The owner, by the name of Cool Tables (remember that name), lived in Croatia and found it at a local market. He correctly stated that it is too obvious that two separate pieces were found and that it would rule out the custom paint job option. He also shares a picture of the stamp. This is a very important step in having more solid provenance in the whole process.
Five years later! In 2017, a new specimen popped up in that same thread. The owner, by the name of Cool Tables (remember that name), lived in Croatia and found it at a local market. He correctly stated that it is too obvious that two separate pieces were found and that it would rule out the custom paint job option. He also shares a picture of the stamp. This is a very important step in having more solid provenance in the whole process.
There is also a referral to a similar but different thread on this topic at TFW2005. Again, the mention of a custom paint job is easily suggested. It must be said that there are members (like variant expert Maz) mentioning that Mexican Transformers are infamous for having repainted parts on certain “Red Iga” releases. So it could potentially be that.
Then there is a third thread on the subject matter at the Canadian Forum called Cybertron.Ca. And again, the same doubts as mentioned above.
Switching back to the first thread, where Maz is also introduced. He's making the remark about it possibly being a Marčanka release. The company Marčanka imported Mexican Optimus Primes to the former Yugoslavia. Also remember this name, Marčanka, cause now we are getting somewhere. June 2022, another 5 years in the future, and a third specimen is discovered and shared at the first TFW2005 thread. This time found in Germany. As a comparison, someone shares pitcutes of a standard “Vanilla” Mexican Iga Hound. It has the same paper-like stickers and blocked manufacturing stamp as the found red feet Hound.
What is a Vanilla Iga Hound?
Hound was part of the first year's release in Mexico around 1985. Together with other Autobot cars like Bluestreak, Prowl, and Wheeljack. Like many Mexican releases, he is a bit different from his Takara-made counterpart. Mainly, the different shades of green are what stand out the most. While a standard US Hound, made by Takara, is more army green (a darker green). The Mexican Iga release is more of a vanilla green color, hence the name Vanilla (Iga) Hound. Like all Mexican Transformers releases, it does not have a rub sign, and the factory stickers are more paper-like. Instead of the glossy, smooth US stickers. The stamp is also different. The mold that is used by Plasticos Iga is the latter G1 Takara release, with Hasbro also in the stamp. This mold was mainly released in the US. Because the Iga release is made in Mexico instead of Japan, it has the word Japan blocked out.
 |
| Plasticos Iga dealer catalog, 1986, second series from Alex Romano Ramírez |
What are the main characteristics of a Mexican Iga Hound?
* Blocked Takara/Hasbro stamp
* Colors are a different shade of (vanilla) green
* Paper-like factory stickers
* No rub sign
Now that we touched base with a Vanilla Iga Hound. Let’s switch back to the star of the show. The red feet version.
Again, a year (or two) in advance and another mention about this elusive red feet Hound. This time, it is being done at Facebook in one of the Transformers Groups. Another find in the former Yugoslavia, again, in Serbia. Miloš Vlatković posted on Facebook about his red feet Hound in June 2025. He mentioned that there was one for sale at a Serbian marketplace (Limundo.com). My good friend and fellow collector, Roy Neleman, came in contact with this seller from Serbia. Miloš helped him get this red feet Hound to the Netherlands into his collection. Roy and I talked a lot about this Hound with red feet and the minimal amount of information that is available about this grail.
I reached out to Miloš and asked him if he could tell me more about the Transformers releases over there. I asked him if he grew up in the 80s and when Transformers were available in Serbia. If it was around 1989, when Iga was imported into Europe.
He replied: “Exactly, it was '89, I was 7 back then. The cartoon was dubbed in Serbo-Croatian and aired the same year the Transformers toys hit shelves in stores for the first time. I knew what they were, and I was in awe as well. We were a pretty poor country at the time, so owning these toys was almost impossible. Personally, I never got one, but my friend's parents pulled some strings and got a few, so I was hanging out at their place way too often. They had Hoist(breaker), Optimus Prime, Sideswipe, Grimlock, and Snarl. Those two were probably the only Dinobots sold in Serbia. Even these days, you can only find these two Dinobots online on our websites.”
This is all very much in line with what was available through Plasticos Iga. Iga only had two Dinobots out of the five available. Also, the mentioning of Hoistbreaker (an exclusive Iga variant of Hoist with a Trailbreaker head) and the other Transformers are all released by Plasticos Iga in Mexico.
Miloš: “Three years ago, I started to fill the holes of my collection, buying vintage Transformers here and there. It was also then that I came across the above-mentioned red feet Hound. Without knowledge of the Transformers toy subject of any kind, I believed someone just painted it over, but I didn't mind. Then I learned about the Iga red paint "art" and that put some sense into my Hound's red feet. I found a mini lot on our local website containing one more Hound with red feet, together with a broken Iga Snarl. Then I came in contact with Roy. I was able to find two Hoistbreakers for him and even sold him my red feet. Both Hounds are his now. I wasn't especially into Iga’s and rare Transformers, so I sent almost all of them to him, and he helped me build a very nice Transformers collection for myself. He still does. A guy from Croatia also had one or two red feet Hounds, so I guess they were distributed in this part of Europe.”
Did you only have Iga Transformers in the former Yugoslavia? Or also Hasbro import?
Miloš: “Judging by what was available last few years on Serbian sites, I only saw Iga. Now you can find G1s that are regular, but they come from elsewhere.”
Miloš: “Judging by what was available last few years on Serbian sites, I only saw Iga. Now you can find G1s that are regular, but they come from elsewhere.”
Can you also tell us something about Marčanka?
Miloš: “I believe Toysfanatic Customs is heavily loaded with that info, but I think that they used to pack imported Transformers into boxes with the Marčanka logo or something and were only producing Prime. That guy is from Croatia, and so was Marchanka/Marčanka, so he might be familiar with its history. I can't find anything online about the factory itself, but only various (non-Transformers) vintage toys that are still available to buy.
Miloš: “I believe Toysfanatic Customs is heavily loaded with that info, but I think that they used to pack imported Transformers into boxes with the Marčanka logo or something and were only producing Prime. That guy is from Croatia, and so was Marchanka/Marčanka, so he might be familiar with its history. I can't find anything online about the factory itself, but only various (non-Transformers) vintage toys that are still available to buy.
Here comes Toysfanatic Customs into play again. I reached out to him also and asked him about the history of Marčanka and the Transformers releases in former Yugoslavia.
Toysfanatic Customs replied: “Here is a topic on that at TFW2005 that started way back in 2012. I commented on it in 2017. My nickname then was Cool Tables. Please check it out, Maz confirmed that the red legs version of Hound is Iga, and it was sold in former Yugoslavia. Some of my friends from Serbia helped him out with his articles about Marčanka Optimus Prime.”
I am, of course, aware of those amazing articles. They are great resources for this article, too. And confirm a lot of things. Marčanka Optimus Prime is one of the most sought-after Primes in the collectors' world. Back to red feet Hound.
Toysfanatic Customs: “A few months ago, I bought another G1 red legs Hound. The fourth one in the last 15 years. It was from a guy who had had it since his childhood. He bought it here in Zagreb in a big shop back in the 80s; he still has the instruction booklet that has the Iga logo on it.”
I asked him; Do you know if any other Iga Transformers besides Optimus were found in a Marčanka box?
TC: “There is no information regarding other Transformers released in Marčanka boxes. We had a lot of GiG robots that were made in Italy, and they even did Diaclone. There were many Japanese and European exclusives here because GiG (Italy) released them with a license from Takara for their region in Europe.”
TC: “There is no information regarding other Transformers released in Marčanka boxes. We had a lot of GiG robots that were made in Italy, and they even did Diaclone. There were many Japanese and European exclusives here because GiG (Italy) released them with a license from Takara for their region in Europe.”
And the red feet Hound was never found in a box?
TC: “So far, no, unfortunately, this one that I have is the closest to that because I bought it from its original owner.”
TC: “So far, no, unfortunately, this one that I have is the closest to that because I bought it from its original owner.”
Do you have a little bit of back history of Marčanka, perhaps? Were they situated in Croatia?
TC: “Situated in Marčana, Istria, close to Italy. A factory that made plastic things back in the 80s - dishes, plates, everything for household use, but also plastic toys (mostly toy cars). That is how the Marčanka logo was recognised by a friend of mine. He lived close to the factory and had some toy cars from Marčanka. I think the factory still exists, but it has changed owners over the years, especially after the war. Two of us had a plan a few years ago to go there and check if there was any more to be found regarding that Optimus. Because it changed so much around here, we never did.”
TC: “Situated in Marčana, Istria, close to Italy. A factory that made plastic things back in the 80s - dishes, plates, everything for household use, but also plastic toys (mostly toy cars). That is how the Marčanka logo was recognised by a friend of mine. He lived close to the factory and had some toy cars from Marčanka. I think the factory still exists, but it has changed owners over the years, especially after the war. Two of us had a plan a few years ago to go there and check if there was any more to be found regarding that Optimus. Because it changed so much around here, we never did.”
Did you have a lot of transformers growing up? I heard they were very expensive.
TC: “I had none as a kid, only watched cartoons and dreamed about owning the toys. I started collecting in 2009”.
TC: “I had none as a kid, only watched cartoons and dreamed about owning the toys. I started collecting in 2009”.
Well, if you ever come across another red feet Hound, please let me know.
TC: “This one is available. I will send you pictures. It’s the best condition I've run into so far. For sure, the first one with some weapons and the instructions.”
TC: “This one is available. I will send you pictures. It’s the best condition I've run into so far. For sure, the first one with some weapons and the instructions.”
We worked out a deal! It is so great that I was able to add this rarity to the collection and use it for this article. It arrived not that long after, and what a nice specimen it is. All thanks to Toysfanatic Customs. It came with three missiles, his hologram gun, and the spare tire. But most importantly, the instruction booklet. Looking at all the details of the toys themselves, it is hard not to determine that this red feet Hound indeed has its origin in Mexico. All the details point in that direction. But the booklet that was included, of course, provided the additional provenance that really confirms its origin. The red feet Hound is a proper Mexican release made by Plasticos Iga. Found in Croatia, but originated from Mexico. What a journey.
Let’s look at the toy itself. I must say, when you look at it at first glance, it is hard not to think that it is a custom job. I noticed that the red on mine is a more vibrant red than on some of the other specimens that I’ve seen. The paper stickers are still very clean, which is very rare. Something that immediately stands out besides the red paint, of course, is the absence of the seats. I expect that they got lost in the repainting process. The legs were probably taken apart, and most likely they were not reattached. I’ve noticed this with most of the red feet Hounds.
It can’t be a coincidence that they are all found in and around Serbia and Croatia. Not only were Iga Hounds found there, but a lot of other Iga Transformers too. So the Mexican import link with former Yugoslavia is very obvious. And we know with these imported non-toxic European releases that they got repainted on the diecast parts and eye areas. What makes this different/unique is that not many European-found Iga Hounds have these red repainted feet. Most have the regular green feet.
These red feet Hounds are only found in former Yugoslavia, in areas close to the Marčanka factory.
If we do the count, there are about a dozen of them found over the last 13 years, maybe even fewer. Up to now, the one I obtained is the most “complete” red feet Hound out there. With some of the parts and the instructions included. A (sealed) boxed sample has not been found to this day. Even other Marčanka Transformers next to Optimus Prime have yet to be discovered. If there even are any. So, is there enough evidence to call it a legit Marčanka Hound? No, definitely not. But it is safe to assume that they were exclusively released in the former Yugoslavia. It makes this variant at least a unique Yugoslavian Iga variant. But to call it a Marčanka release, we really need more provenance. With this find, Yugoslav Transformers deserve a special niche among the Transformers lore and specifically amongst Iga Transformers.
If we do the count, there are about a dozen of them found over the last 13 years, maybe even fewer. Up to now, the one I obtained is the most “complete” red feet Hound out there. With some of the parts and the instructions included. A (sealed) boxed sample has not been found to this day. Even other Marčanka Transformers next to Optimus Prime have yet to be discovered. If there even are any. So, is there enough evidence to call it a legit Marčanka Hound? No, definitely not. But it is safe to assume that they were exclusively released in the former Yugoslavia. It makes this variant at least a unique Yugoslavian Iga variant. But to call it a Marčanka release, we really need more provenance. With this find, Yugoslav Transformers deserve a special niche among the Transformers lore and specifically amongst Iga Transformers.
Let’s connect all the dots. What are the characteristics of a red feet Iga Hound?
* Red repainted diecast parts/feet
* Mexican Iga instructions booklet
* The same blocked production stamp as a standard Iga Hound
* The same paper-like Iga stickers
* Car seats that are often missing
* A different shade of green compared to a “normal” Hasbro/Takara release
* Multiple Iga Transformers releases were found in the former Yugoslavia
* Multiple different specimens of red feet Hounds from the same region of former Yugoslavia
Concluded, we can be pretty sure that red feet Hound is an official Plasticos Iga variant. There were too many found to be custom or fake.
I want to do a huge thank you to Toysfanatic Customs (Marko) and Miloš Vlatković. Without their help, this article would not have been possible. I would also like to thank Roy Neleman, Juan Jaime Muñoz García (Sidon Ithano), Alex Romano Ramirez, and Maz (TFSquareOne) for their assistance with the article.
Thanks for reading!
Kees
Also interesting to read:
Optimus From Yugoslavia
Part 1 https://tfsquareone.blogspot.com/2015/01/optimus-from-yugoslavia-part-1.html?m=1
Part 2 https://tfsquareone.blogspot.com/2015/01/optimus-from-yugoslavia-part-2.html?m=1
Part 3 https://tfsquareone.blogspot.com/2015/01/optimus-from-yugoslavia-part-3.html?m=1
Optimus From Yugoslavia
Part 1 https://tfsquareone.blogspot.com/2015/01/optimus-from-yugoslavia-part-1.html?m=1
Part 2 https://tfsquareone.blogspot.com/2015/01/optimus-from-yugoslavia-part-2.html?m=1
Part 3 https://tfsquareone.blogspot.com/2015/01/optimus-from-yugoslavia-part-3.html?m=1
TFW2005- Yugoslavian Transformers
https://www.tfw2005.com/boards/threads/scoop-yugoslavian-transformers-are-they-for-real-read-this-thread-to-find-out.988204/
https://www.tfw2005.com/boards/threads/scoop-yugoslavian-transformers-are-they-for-real-read-this-thread-to-find-out.988204/
Sources
https://tfarchive.com/toys/articles/mexican_invasion.php
https://tfwiki.net/wiki/Parallel_import
http://www.fredsworkshop.com/vmexico2.html
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1CYbdVMHSK/?
https://tfarchive.com/toys/articles/mexican_invasion.php
https://tfwiki.net/wiki/Parallel_import
http://www.fredsworkshop.com/vmexico2.html
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1CYbdVMHSK/?
Wow, what a great story! Thank you for working this out and documenting it.
ReplyDelete