I don't understand. I didn't know this was being produced in the first place. I've never seen one on the road. I thought it was a concept, like all the rest of the vehicles(except the Camaro) in the movie.

 

how many kids, let alone adults can actually tell 'big large trucks' apart, let alone while watching a movie actually pay attention to the few minutes of screentime the truck mode will actually be featured on? They could turn him into just about any other truck and update the animation model, paint it black and no one will really skip a beat.

That is one of the things about transformer designs... You can change the alt mode to a 'similar shape and sized vehicle' and as long as the transformation and colors are the same, everyone sucks it up. How many different car models have most of our classic characters been over the years without anyone batting an eye.

I don't see this being even remotely a big deal for TF3 or the franchise in general.

 

Plenty. Next time you see a moving truck or a other medium sized commercial truck that's GMC. That's a topkick. Ironhide is an after market modded topkick. They took the short 4 door top kick model and stuck an C3500 pick-up box on it. You can't just go an buy one from a lot.

 

I can see this being written in to the script for TF3, Prime tells Ironhide to pick a new alt-mode because his model is discontinued and it wouldn't make a wise disguise.

"but Prime..."

Or they could just call TF3: ToT. Toyota Ownage Time.

 

Um... just because the vehicle's being canceled does not mean they're gonna kill Ironhide off or have him scan a new form. Can't he just keep the same vehicle mode? I mean this guy>  has enough money to buy a several Topkicks before the it stops production.

 

Thats true. Hopefully that's what happens. Even if its just enough to do Transformers 3 and then change his alt mode.

 

no big deal.

IMHO, in the end, its really the bots that i care more about. hell, ironhide can have a red mini-van for his alt mode in the 3rd movie and i won't even notice

 

DITTO!
Ironhide can go back to being a van or another truck, he's still one bad bot to deal with no matter his vehicle mode. 

 

It's mostly a commercial truck. I see them all of the time.

 

Well, I don't get it. They will stop producing them but... this has already been produced. It's not like they're going to scrap all of the current ones they have manufactured. So why can't the team continue leasing it for Transformers? I know it's more of an agreement than a lease, but they could even just lease it for TF3. Stupid... And anyway, they could always give him less screen time and CG him in, like they have apparently done with Barricade in ROTF.

 

Can't they just keep the vehicle in storage and bring him out for the next movie?

 

ok, hold on. I don't understand why just because they're ceasing the manufacturing of the vehicle doesn't mean they can't use the 3 or 5 they've been using since the filming of the 1st movie. am i misunderstanding some sort of legal issue or...?

 

This is not really a surprise when, considering, the truck market has taken an ass-whooping in sales. I'm sure hardly ANY Topkick models have gone out of the door no matter how many movies Hasbro has, and will, make with one in it. There is only so much you can do to "advertise" a $40,000 plus truck (as equipped like Ironhide) and have it sell successfully.

The best bet would be to have Ironhide rescan as say, a crew cab diesel GMC Sierra 2500 with a 4WD lift (in black) with a few accessories like stack diesel exhaust, monster front bumper and other "gadgets." It would make sense for GM AND Hasbro as both would benefit in the sense that, hey, we have a NEW toy with a new transformation and he's got a new feature!

I'd honestly LIKE to see that for all but Optimus Prime (just give him a new paint job, use the RotF toy). Some of the remaining four original figures are getting long in the tooth - so to speak - with their vehicles. It would make SENSE to scan a new mode once you'd been had, so you can redisguise yourself. Plus, for Hasbro, they could make money selling the toys.

 

So either Bay and Co will get him to rescan off screen in between ROTF and TF3, or they'll kill him between ROTF and TF3, or in the opening of TF3.
I'm sure he'll be killed... because that's just the "Bay Way".

 

Yeah, kill your "weapons specialist" and heavy gunner of the Autobots. Not a good move, considering how COOL Ironhide is to begin with.

 

I think Ironhide will be fine, unless GM wants Micheal to not use the Topkick.

 

Eh, Ironhide isn't going to lose his alt. mode because of this. If they can dig up old fifties cars that look perfect and new, or a '69 Camaro for TF1, they can hold on to a modern Topkick.

 

It's not unexpected that they are discontinuing the Topkick and Kodiak. But they are pretty cool to see in person. I've actually seen a Ironhide edition going down the interstate before which was pretty cool.

Personally I don't see a problem of still using the Topkicks they have for future movies. But it wouldn't be too bad if they just had him scan a newer lifted GMC. Yeah they are not as big as the TopKick, but it would be cool to get a new Ironhide toy with the same body style as my GMC  

 

  Ironhide's new alt mode...

 

Yes you are misunderstanding it, but don't feel bad, so did the majority of the people posting in this thread.

There are plenty of Topkicks available. Finding Topkicks is not the issue. Yes, they've been released. You don't see many because they haven't sold many, hence why the line is being discontinued. (Twenty years ago, the UAW would fight tooth and nail to fight closing a line just because no one was buying the vehicles.)

Now folks, follow along:
In order to finance the movie and pay for the all those nifty explosions, Bay had to find more money for the film and them meant finding an additional sponsor. Ford will provide vehicles at no cost or in exchange for promotional time (as they do with "American Idol" and "24"), but will not pay for the product placement. Of the remaining companies, GM offered the most money and with the best options in vehicles. That is why the Autobots (with the exception of Prime) are GM vehicles. Still with me? Good.

As part of this deal, GM uses the movie as advertising. (It's called "Product Placement") It doesn't make good business sense to pay to advertise products that you aren't producing so there is no reason for GM to want to pay to advertise a Hummer or Topkick in the next film. (That may be the first time "business sense" and "GM" have been used in the same sentence.) It's the same reason that Ironhide isn't a '79 pickup. (I know Bumblebee starts as an older Camaro, but he didn't stay that way.) That is why Ironhide's alt mode is likely to change in future films. It's a sponsorship issue, not a supply issue and not a legal issue.

The Airforce isn't selling F-22s to the public (yet) so it doesn't matter to them what vehicles they show. For them, it's more about the image of the military (towards PR and recruiting efforts). Google: symbiotic relationship.