TFW Exclusive First Impressions Reviews of Universe Classics Ironhide and Silverbolt

Hasbro Canada had a sample of both of these cool new toys at TFCon Toronto and was allowing people to have a little play around with them. Check out my first impressions in our resources section:

Ironhide
Silverbolt

I'll take one of each, please!

Nice reviews Sol... Ironhide and Silverbolt sound like pure awesomeness. I'm really looking forward to Ironhide and I dig the chaingun/sword gimmick they've given him as it's a really nice homage to the G1 retracting weapons as well as the movie's modern take on that concept.

Nice review of them man, cant wait to get my hands on ironhide!

I'm really starting to warm up to this new line. I'll keep my eyes out for these two, especially Silverbolt.

Even with apparently well done sound effects, I still wish they'd stuck to deluxes and voyagers (minus sfx) for Classics 2.0.

i already got my prowl. i will get ironhide offline as soon as he hits ebay. i saved a ton of money not buying movie toys. everything universe will be mine plus extras for customs. someone had started a thread saying this was going to be the golden age for collectors i would have to agree

nice review! can't wait till they are released!

Is it me, or does the ironhide figure seem to fit in well with the movie aesthetics rather than classics?

Ironhide sounds amazing. Can't wait to get my hands on the guy. Silverbolt also sounds cool, but nothing really surprising came out in the review to enhance my desire for him (although I'll still get him, of course).

Ironhide is made of love and G1 goodness.

Silverbolt on the other hand seems too simplistic for his size, I know his transformation seems very true to his G1 self but he just seems too simple to me.

The upside of Silverbolt's transformation (from what I saw, at least) is that while he has your typical "robot is the undercarriage" design, he totally doesn't look it once he's in jet mode. The legs and arms get curved up and look a lot more like actual undercarriage, and cover up a lot of the rest.

Ironhide was hilarious though. He's like hypertwisty robot origami, and everyone who was like "I'll just transform him once" took forEVER.

My god - eletronics on Silverbolt? Freakin' SWEET.

I haven't bought TFs to save space and money, but dayumm. Classics is a MUST.

Ironhide looks great so I'll def be getting him. Silverbolt I'm on the fence about, though I might pick him up to go along with Onslaught.

I like them both, will get

I am a little dissapointed on how messy Ironhide looks in alt mode

Still not sold on eaither of theses dudes. I would've gotten Silverbolt if he were smaller and a Voyager, but I just don't collect Ultras anymore.

Isn't Ironhide an SUV (like X-Brawn and Stockade) rather than a sort of van?

looks awesome. i want one now. that pic of him in packaging looks VERY photoshopped though. what size is this figure? ultra class? wth is ultra class?

Seeing Ironhide is pure WIN! I have wanted a figure that did the G1 character justice since I was 5 years old and this is it, I am really really excited WOOT WOOT

Ultra is the pricepoint above Voyager and below Leader. It hasn't been used since the Cybertron line.

I agree with this. Complex TFs are fun, but it seems like they went a little overboard with this one and compromised aesthetics. I wonder how he holds together.

Yeah, that's what I thought, too.

Yeah Botcon Ironhide is a van.

Does the alt mode look or fit better together than the hasbro pic?

Impressions aren't really reviews, are they? I keed, I keed... ^_^

Great impressions, though! I'm particularly impressed by Ironhide. He's a must-have in my opinion.

Some questions are unanswered by these reviews bro...

How big is Ironhide? He looks a bit dainty like some of the other Classics. Rodimus and Octane are a bit on the slight side, while Sunstreaker and Bumblebee have large chunky proportions (even if BB is a shorty). Where does Ironhide fit? Will he look smallish next to Sunstreaker?

What kind of articulation does Silverbolt have? Waist? Bicep? And bearing in mind that he has electronic eyes, how is the head articulation?

And I like Silverbolt quite a bit, and I'm fine with the simple-but-effective transformation. CR Black Convoy is one of my fave TFs... and part of that appeal is the solid, quick transformation that in no way compromises the alt-mode, styling or articulation. Efficiency and elegance is the true measure of industrial design... not making things overly complicated. Yes, that means you too, Dreamworks!

Which is why I'm really not thrilled with the Ironhide design (despite the neat little touches and gimmicks, which sound cool). With some of these new Classics, it's like the designers got bored and let their desire to try new, unusual and overly convoluted transformations override the fact that some of the original engineering would have worked better (I'm looking at you Prowl! And Grimlock! And even Octankor!).

So now we have a skinny, dodgy-shouldered, unnecessarily complicated Ironhide, whose alt mode looks like someone smashed a SUV with a giant hammer and then glued the shards back together again.

I'm really torn, because this figure is both exciting and frustrating.

I'm the same way... Ultras are pricey in Canada, and I generally wait till I can scam them on clearance or Ebay. Voyagers are the highest price point that I allow myself to buy on impulse.

And while light and sound gimmicks can sometimes be cool, they never really add enough value for me to care either way.

I'm still firmly in the "wishing-these-were-voyagers camp".

Absolutely!

zmog

Ironhide is looking very nice. A must have for me.

Great reviews Sol.
I can't wait for these two to be released.

Both of these guys are mine. Ironhide especially is MUCH appreciated.

Movie Jetstorm and Wingblade would like a word.

Ironhide looks awesome. And that chaingun/blade combo is iccing on the cake!

So now we have a skinny, dodgy-shouldered, unnecessarily complicated Ironhide, whose alt mode looks like someone smashed a SUV with a giant hammer and then glued the shards back together again.

These complaints are ridiculous- if a vehicle having visible sections where parts are not flush irritates you, you're a fan of the wrong toyline. Transformers will always have these sorts of very minor flaws as a result of the limitations of plastic and the concept. The figure's stature seems very similar to the animation model's to me, if not a bit thicker.

Universe Ironhide looks to be the finest Ironhide figure yet- I can't really criticize him, as there is no figure at a similar price range and size to compare him to.

But they're just recolors of Cybertron figures.

I'm aware of that, but they were still released at the Ultra price point in the Movie line.




Not in Canada, though. ¬_¬

I like the ironhide figure, but just not as ironhide. to me, as an suv, he just screams trailbreaker, which is exactly what he shall become in my world, a place where ironhide and ratchet were updated using the towline mold

Both of these are all kinds of awesome! Cannot wait to get some Universe toys!

I wonder how badly the hasbro photographers mistransformed Ironhide compaired to the real transformation?

I'm surprised hardly anyone addressed this. the moment I saw Ironhide's vehicle mode, I was like WTF?

actually, those complaints are definitely not ridiculous. I have never seen such an ugly vehicle mode. It looks messy, uneven, and outwardly horrendous. as previously stated, it's as if someone smashed the toy and then glued it back together. I've been collecting since Beast Wars and I have never come across a transformers vehicle mode with visible sections that stick out WAAAAAAAY TOO MUCH!

Obviously, we've all managed to enjoy collecting TF figures without blowing a gasket each time we notice a seam line for a part that moves. Anyone who demanded 100% accurate vehicle modes with no hint that they change into bots, is no longer collecting transformers, not on this board, and not wasting their time posting comments about an upcoming fig.

I don't normally have a problem with seam lines. Ironhide however, has so many seams crisscrossing the vehicle mode that he ends up looking sloppy. They cross the windows and cut across the doors at odd angles. It makes the van look incoherent. This is, of course my opinion, and clearly not one that everyone shares, but it's certainly a legit complaint.

don't forget, those images are of a assly, hand painted prototype, transformed by uncaring hasbro people.

There are lots of figures that are the same size and price point to compare to... though just not "Ironhides".

However, my complaints would mostly be the same if this were any character. The transformation seems excessively convoluted for a character design that is so fundamentally simple... and the number of diagonal panel lines really do clash with established TF aesthetics where normally the lines of fragmentation in the transformation follow or echo the right angles already present in the vehicle.

As for the scale issues, that's mainly a question of character. Ironhide just shouldn't feel "petite"... some of the Classics have much more delicate proportions than others (and especially compared to Deluxe class figures from other lines). Obviously, there are plenty of relative scale issues with Classics (Grimlock, Astrotrain, Octane, Galvatron)... I just think it would be nice if in this day of more sophisticated TF design, we could actually get a line-up that feels like they are appropriately scaled to one another... at least in bot mode.

Agreed! The seam lines in these pics might seem less apparent in the final figure (compared to this painted proto)... but it's still a rather compromised vehicle mode by almost any current TF standard.

Though I would hasten to point out that having a seamless vehicle mode should still be the ideal that the designers should strive for. I remember when I first discovered G1 in 1984, a big part of the appeal was that to the casual observer, most TFs simply looked like toy cars... until you revealed the robot mode! That was part of the thrill.

Obviously 100% accuracy is unrealistic... but I think we tend to give higher marks to vehicle modes that come closest to looking like fully integrated and uncompromised vehicles.

It certainly is, and it's an opinion shared by many. There are many things that look promising about this figure... but besides myself, every single one of my toy-collecting friends that have seen pics of the new Ironhide made the exact same observation about the fragmentation in the alt-mode.

Hasbro has done a lot of things right and given us some awesome figures... but that doesn't mean that we should feel like have to blindly acclaim everything they do. I think this Ironhide is an example where their increasing complexity and innovation has actually harmed the appeal of an otherwise promising figure. It is, in a word, overdesigned.

Also, I find it vaguely galling that with so many TFs, cost-cutting at the design stages has robbed many figures of vital joints that would have improved their articulation, appearance or play value. Here we have a figure that seems to have a surplus of hinges and joints, to the point that it actually detracts from the final product. When it rains, it pours...

zmog

Excellent reviews Sol_Fury.

Fantastic reviwes Sol! I can't wait to get these guys. Silverbolt sounds like it has a ton of cool features and sound effects I'll actually like! Ironhide sounds great too, I'm looking forward to giving that complex lower torso transformation a try!

Sol Fury old buddie, thanks for the review.

I am not a fan of tha classics line, but since I saw Ironhide I knew he was something different. I may pick him up since i was a great fan of G1 Ironhide.

I just hope I won't start collecting the rest of the line...

Mmmmm, these guys can't come out soon enough!!

Really good reviews. The one about Ironhide has convinced me to buy him, and his inevidable repaint/retool as Ratchet. Silverbolt I was already sold on, but I'm more excited about it now.

What's with the neon orange plastic in Classics/Universe figures lately? The bright orange parts are just as out of place here as they are on Galvatron. Neon orange LANDING GEAR?

So awesome, can't wait till they are out, and definitely can't wait to see how ratchet will turn out. Especially with that arm cannon/blade mentioned in the review.

So far only seen a brief photo of the proto for ratchet at a toy show with takara.

Both Ironhide and Silverbolt are good homages to their G1 counterparts. Like Ravenxl7 or whoever said that Ironhide with some mods will be a great Ratchet down the road. So I too am looking forward to it seeing these down the road soon.

If Ironhide has attachable weapons, then I can definitely see Ratchet getting attachable surgical tools.

oh a g1 inspired ironhide! that is how he should have been way backthen! i think i found 1 more must have for this new line! Prowl and Ironhide for sure!