Ironhide

Status: Released

Release Date: September 2008 (September 2008)

Wave: Universe 2.0 Deluxe Wave 3

MSRP: $9.99

Size Class: Deluxe

Suggested Age: 5+

Assortment Number: 83665

Product Number: 83669

UPC/Barcode Number: 653569325178

DPCI Number: 087-06-2024

Recolors/Reuses: Universe Classics Ratchet

Additional Toy Info: Universe Ironhide is a homage to Generation 1 Ironhide.

Universe Ironhide - first thoughts

I was extremely privileged at TFCon Toronto to be able to fiddle about with a test shot of the upcoming Universe Ironhide, and boy, does he deliver on his promise of being a cool update to the original toy!

Vehicle mode - Ironhide's new vehicle mode is no longer a cab over engine minivan but a slightly larger van with more of a nose out front. It's a pretty solid - and mostly red - vehicle mode with clear front and back windows, and painted windows on the side due to the arm transformation. While it's not as faithful to the original as, say, Universe Prowl or Classics Hot Rod, the look and style of the vehicle is undeniably Ironhide.

Transformation - Wow, this is complicated! The front bumper becomes Ironhide's back, but the nose of the van to either side of it forms the legs. There are some tricky twists and turns involved in getting it to form the legs. The end result though is a very good, stable and poseable lower body. The upper body is simpler - the arms fold out neatly and as you would expect them to, the torso has a couple of cool automorphs - when you fold up the rear bumper, Ironhide's rear window displays the Autobot emblem with lots of cool mechanical molded details. It's a cool feature. Additionally, when you lower the backpack into position, it pops the head up.

Robot mode - Undeniably, this is the Ironhide of old reborn! He looks just like he used to on the show, a very fitting update. He's quite poseable, with lots of articulation in his arms and legs, plus joints at his neck, wrists and waist. His shoulders seem a little thin and small, though, and the body is a little tricky to line up just right so that the head sits flush. The sample I looked at felt very tight and fragile in the arms, although this is probably because it was a test shot.
Ironhide has a very cool weapon - a duel action blade / chaingun arm cannon. Ironhide's hand folds away to one side as if you are transforming him, and you attach the accessory over the end of the arm. One side has the blade, made in clear blue plastic, the other has a chaingun. You simply take it off and attach the other end of it to get the other weapon. It is a very fun feature, and a nice homage both to Ironhide's retracting arms in the original cartoon show, and also to the Movie Transformers "weapons formed from parts of their arms" style.

Overall, Universe Ironhide is an excellent toy who lives up to his promise. He is on the fast track to becoming the definitive modern incarnation of the character, with a cool weapon, plus a distinctively Ironhide look to him in both modes. He is a little tricky to transform, though (although I welcome the challenge) and his body is a little fiddly to get sitting just right. These do not detract from the final product very much though, and when he comes out at retail I look forward to getting him to add to the front row of my Classics Universe display.

Contributors: Tim Formas, Sol Fury

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