Mine was very tight in a few spots at first like the hinges you mention but after transforming him a few times now he's loosened up a bit. Only difficult part for me was stuffing his arms in turning him back to van mode, but like one of my buds pointed out, it's easier done if the legs are folded in after the arms.
Forgot I had him preordered. Was going to cancel but took a chance. Came in today. Assuming Kobayashi? Glad to eat crow if it is lol. Some stuff similar to Magnus; blocky, ankle tilt, well thought out and everything plugs in nicely. Mainly though, he's pretty weighty lol. Mass shifting is pretty incredible (he fits in the trailer lol!) and transformation is fun and not overly taxing or fidgety. A really really great release which the line sorely needed. Pretty early, but may be the masterpiece figure of the year imo. Shockwave has a pretty tough assignment lol. Vietnamese factories are churning out some pretty good stuff. Everything aligns well and no stripped screws. Paint is awesome (again) but their chrome still needs work. Chrome came scuffed and scratched out box. Chrome add-ons have a bunch of touch ups as well. I have a feeling these will tarnish as it seems the parts weren't clean before application. All the accessories are very welcome addition though. Would have had no problem paying 80 for him as is, but I'm glad the dollar is strong. Didn't have much interest in Rachet but may pick him up now.
Thanks! You know, having this figure in hand, taking pictures of him, I find it amazing how bad the official pictures made him (and Ratchet) look. It's like they specifically posed him in the most ugly poses, and from the most unflattering angles.
*sigh* OK. I've been reading how this photographs poorly and looks great in hand. I didn't believe it. Surely it must have been people justifying/covering for buyer's remorse... Then I got Ironhide in hand. Yes, it does look amazing in hand despite photographing poorly. I'll be damned. This toy is actually great.
Anyone having issues with the gun mount on the roof? The spring loaded fill-in spacer on mine wasn't able to come up all the way and properly fill in the port. Upon inspection there was what appeared to be some uneven mold flash on the front inside of the port that got covered in the gray paint holding it back. This section was pretty easy to disassemble so I decided to tinker. The 4 screws under that part of the roof are easily accessible and the base plate with the spring door assembly pull right out. I gently cleared out some of flash and reassembled. The little door now closes properly about half the time, but is still getting stuck otherwise. Good enough for me. Except now there doesn't seem to be any grip on the guns. The large chrome gun can kind of stay in okay near it's base but the smaller pistols won't stay in at all. The spring door pretty much flings them right out. Honestly I'd rather have the little port appear filled in then the ability to mount the guns, so this is still mostly okay. He won't be displayed in vehicle mode or anything either. But knowing something isn't working right still kinda bugs me. He is otherwise really awesome and I super dig him. Might experiment with thickening the port and maybe shaving down the fill in plug. Not sure how much I care. I guess just sharing in case anyone else has a similar issue, not that I've really found a satisfactory solution or anything. Will update if I do.
Whoa - I just discovered tonight that his heels fold out! I love when I discover a new transformation step after owning a toy for a while.
Got Ironhide today.... And he is pretty awesome. Biggest point of impressment is how He Mass shifts! Such a big bot from that little Van. Happily surprised that the legs aren't as much work as they imply. Also the tucking of the roof into the front window is great. Only complaints...nitpicks really.... Are the grey parts that lock the tab the shoulders to the rest of himself. Seam to be able to pop loose. To his credit.. Transformation is intuitive.. I had no need for the instructions. Not my favorite... But he is in the top 5 of the line. Bring on Racket!
Got my mp27 yesty after much consideration whthr to go for Voodoo. I must say I made right choice now. Despite negative feedback I read initially, this ironhide really looks good in hands. The gaps behind & front diaper are negligible at all. I'm happy to stick with TT & looking forward to mp30 ratchet.
I'm just way too disappointed with this figure. In every depiction of Ironhide, the ONE vehicle piece we see is a rectangular windscreen. Rectangular, not this awful trapezoid I can't unsee. You had ONE job, Kobayashi! FAIL!!!! . . . Nah, just kidding. I'm very happy with Ironhide. The way most of the van mode goes bye-bye in bot mode is genius, and I'm very glad that my only real worry, the head, turned out to be unfounded. The noggin is very much like Bumblebee, in that lines of detail are softly sculpted, and that with the combination of the paint choice makes it not appear in photos, which is why the face looked so off.
^^ I think another huge thing that was either fixed or didn't come across in the earlier photos was the size and shape of the eyes. In all the pics until right before release his eyes looked tiny and oddly shaped. In hand they look great.
I got my Ironhide from AE last Friday and made some time this weekend to mess with him. I'll be honest, although the initial pictures by Takara did't really do him justice, the many excellent photo's posted by the guys who had him in hand a little earlier than me really did show what to expect. And I didn't really like what I saw. I hoped I would be blown away by him in hand like some people said they were, but unfortunately, I wasn't. He's good, don't get me wrong. Alt mode is really nice, great color, and the quality of paint is great on mine, no chrome wear at all (yet?). I do sort of dislike the graduating yellow stripe on the side, especially because it seems printed slightly crookedly on some of the rear panels. Transformation to robot mode is alright: scary in some places with all the clicking and crunching. As usual, I found no need to break out the instructions. I like the way all his panels fall into place, both on the legs and on his torso: perhaps one of the neatest transformations of all the Masterpieces. However, I presume that's also the reason they couldn't find a better spot for his hip panels, and I still really wish they could have. Those panels are still simply ugly and jarring. I also dislike the tabs on the insides of his legs. They prevent his legs from being able to be placed in a neutral stance. His legs are good for the rest: the typical blocky look of his legs in the cartoon seems pretty accurately translated into the figure. I have no issues at all with his torso. I don't mind the bumper, I don't mind the windscreens on his arms, I don't mind any gaps. I also like the head and face, with both expressions. However, I do think his neck is a little long and thin for his head, which to me is especially visible when just displaying him (he is displayed at my eye-height). All in all, Ironhide reminds me of U2 albums of the last 16 years. Bear with me on this one. Now, I'm a huge U2 fan... but primarily their albums up to and including "Zooropa". However, since "All That You Can't Leave Behind" was released, every time a new U2 album comes out, everyone says they love it so much, and that it's the best thing they've ever released. Then, some time later when they release a newer album, suddenly those same people are saying that the newest album is 'a return to form' and that the previous release was in fact a let down, contrary to what they said at the time. When I in fact already disliked "All That You Can't Leave Behind". To me, Tracks (and Road Rage) are comparable to U2's Zooropa: flawed, but still much better than Ironhide. So, I'm expecting that once Hot Rod has been officially released, people, even the ones that call it 'the best Masterpiece ever' will admit they were let down by Ironhide and that Hot Rod is much better. Rinse and repeat for Shockwave.
Apologies in advance for photobombing this place with my crappy Ironhide pics, but it's love, guys. I'm in love. Biggest frustration is my inadequacy as a photography. I cannot capture this guy's vibrant red and glossy finish for the life of me. He's tied with Tracks as having the best paint job in the line, though. This new factory is doing wonders with these guys. The Cherry Red Vanette is dorky and boxy. Perfect Lots of panel lines but they're relatively seamless in hand compared to Sideswipe. The high clearance on the van makes him a blast to roll around. Very solid - nothing feels like it's going to untab.
Ironhide's transform is tied with Ultra Magnus and Bumblebee's as my favorite. So clever, intuitive, and fun. Nothing feels overwrought. Very efficient. "MP Moments" throughout!
Crazy to me when I think about how bare bones Wheeljack was with his pistol, shoulder cannon, and incomplete paint job and how decked out Ironhide is with his plethora of gimmicks/accessories, and premium finish.
Both of Ironhide's face sculpts are among the best in the line. Wish I could capture their beauty to better effect. Love how sharp the angles are, though, and the paint is like a happy medium between the silver used on the earlier carbots and the off-white used on Bumblebee. Love it. I really love Ironhide's neck. Great combo of Kobayashi's tendency to use ball joints and Hasui's hinged necks. Incredible range of movement allowing for a wide range of nuanced gestures.
Ironhide's liquid sprayers *snicker* Sam correctly ID'ed this nozzle as having appeared in Desertion of the Dinobots pt1 Not sure where the round red nozzles appeared... any help? I think he used spray fingers more than once... Definitely in this scene from "The Search for Alpha Trion" My only criticism of the spray hands is that I would've liked for them to be able to rotate or at least be offset at an angle. I have to twist his arms around at the bicep swivel to orient his hands at angle that looks good. No biggie.
