Action Figures and Toys

Rolando F. Mocan Quan:

Rating

First off, Ironhide got a great toy from Transformers The Movie (TFTM). It was at that time very accurate to the concept art, but differed slightly from the final CGI model appearing on the film.

This new Ironhide toy tries to correct this by giving him two improvements:

1. New headsculpt. Now it’s the movie-accurate head, which means that it has a big “battle scar” deformation on his right eye and the crest.

2. The new arm guns, which do a better job at ressembling the movie counterparts.

Because I’ve got the old and the new toys, I’ll compare both in this review.

Pros:

- Accurate head sculpt.

- Better looking guns. But they’re not exact reproductions. The right rotating cannon is too big, and the left “sliding” cannon is too small.

- This can be both a pro or con: The pickup’s top (which comprises the windshield, top and rear window) is made to be detached. This is a pro, because in robot mode it just eliminates a lot of kibble from Ironhide’s back…

- Good size. It fits well with the Deluxe sized cars and is roughly in the same scale as the Leader class toys (which should be bigger than Ironhide).

Cons:

- Cannons aren’t accurately sized and they don’t mount on the arms when in alt mode(pick-up truck).

- Removeable windshield-roof piece means that it can get lost, and this is a central part of the truck mode.

- Chest piece didn’t get the “accurizing” to the movie model, but continues to be based on the first concept designs.

- As with all the toys from the movie, there’s close to ZERO paint applications in robot mode. This is aggravated by the chosing of gray plastic/paint for the pick-up truck mode… so you get some grey pieces and black pieces mixed, when Ironhide is BLACK in the movie!

- Softer plastic. The hip thing with two pegs bends a little when pressed, which difficults a lot it’s transformation from truck to robot mode. There’s been a lot of complaining about this, and this did not happen with the old mold. I blame the plastic. The only way around it is pressing very hard down on the “chest cavity” below the head. The plastic is flexible and will stand it.

- Automorph gimmick. I do like them, but the automorph and mechalive gimmicks also make the toys more delicate and less accurate (because you have to accomodate the gears and pieces, but also because Hasbro’s spending money to make these molds and pieces instead of giving us better articulation or paint).

Overall, this is a nice toy with a very poor color scheme. Ironhide’s character doesn’t play as much a central role in TF:ROTF as in the previous movie, so it will appeal less to some children who may prefer… the twins, for example (who I despise). This may have been a deliberate move by Hasbro to promote the sale of the new molds and recover their investment, and I bet it’ll work.

Transformation can be a bit frustrating due to the force that must be applied to the hip piece and the feet automorph function is VERY prone to break or damage (especially the gears), reducing durability. I’d say children 7 years or older will enjoy this more.

Alexander Scott:

Rating

I grew up as a G1 transformers and it’s been a little hard to get used to the modern incarnations of old friends. But, my son and I want to play transformers together, so we have been buying the new ones. Ironhide is one of my favorite G1 autobots so I thought I’d try out his new incarnation in the live action movie toyline, REVENGE OF THE FALLEN, especially since it’s a voyager-class toy (which my son and I prefer).

Initially, I was troubled by Ironhide’s new sculpt. Isn’t he supposed to be a red conversion van? OTOH, this Ironhide actually has a head, which is a real plus. This Ironhide is a GMC pickup truck with a grey-and-black color scheme. It’s not very flashy, but I guess a weapons specialist might prefer not to stand out in a crowd. The truck has an enormous missile launcher and cannon combination weapon. The barrel of the cannon can project out either side, and the missile launcher can rotate relative to the cannon, and the whole weapon can fit backwards or forwards in the grooves on the truck bed; it is very possible to put the weapon on backwards, which fits but doesn’t look right. The missile launcher is also asymmetric, which I don’t understand; it looks like it is leaning off to one side (though it is not). Also, the weapon doesn’t stay in the grooves very well; it feels as if it should pop into the grooves but won’t. Despite these complaints, the truck mode looks very sleek and powerful, and it has a gigantic double-sided weapon, so who can complain?

The robot mode of Ironhide has more problems than the truck mode. My biggest complaint is that the chest piece that separates the hood “wings” appears incomplete; it seems that it needs to snap somewhere or connect to something but it doesn’t. The lack of connection is visually displeasing. The other major problem are the legs; the panels from the automorph feature obstruct the legs from closing enough to stand straight. This can be seen in most pictures of Ironhide, where his legs are splayed somewhat. This makes him wobbly, which is unfortunate b/c his parts pop off easily. It’s better than breaking, but it must be embarassing to be a weapons specialist who keeps falling over and going to pieces. I don’t like the new face, but the toy isn’t to blame for that. The yellow piping on the robot looks cool on the black robot parts, and the weapon comes apart to form two weapons, which fit on the sides of Ironhide’s arms (sidearms, hehe) very nicely.

Finally, the transformation has a real problem fitting together. The connection between the chest and the waist has three pegs which do not fit into their respective holes. With enough pressure they will fit, but applying that pressure to the rest of the toy is worrisome. Also, a lot of torque must be applied to rotate the chest relative to the waist by 180 degrees, and this is putting a lot of strain on the toy. I doubt most 5 yo have the strength to manipulate this toy correctly.

In conclusion, Ironhide is a nice looking robot and truck. I have qualms about the transformation between or about durability during play. For a collector’s piece or for an older child he is probably fine.

Maggie May:

Rating

I’ve wanted this toy for a long time, so my expectations were high. (Ironhide is my favorite transformer) The transformation isn’t that hard, even though the directions are confusing sometimes. The robot mode met my expectations immensely. The only complaint I have is that his torso doesn’t connect to his waist correctly. This makes the Ironhide’s body a bit crooked. Besides that, this toy is super cool for Ironhide fans. I would definetely recommend this product for a friend. I am a teen and this is my favorite transformer in my collection.