Bio:

“Go chew on a microchip,” is Ironhides slogan. Prefers action to words. Oldest, toughest, most battle-tested Autobot. Bodyguard to Optimus Prime. In charge of guarding anything of importance. Gruff but kind. Trithyllium-steel skin makes him nearly invulnerable to attack. Shoots variety of liquids from supercooled nitrogen to superheated lead. Has sonar, radar, radiowave detector. Slowest and most fragile of the group.

Introduction:

Ironhide is a Transformers Hall of Fame character, a unanimous fan favorite. He’s easily one of the most recognizable names in our hobby’s history and there are plenty of reasons for that. As a character it’s very easy to fall in love with his attitude as he’s constantly the first one to stand up for his fellow Autobots and do the tough things to succeed. Let’s also not forget he’s the toughest SOB you’d ever run into (despite his tech spec claiming he’s the most fragile, a clear departure from his cartoon persona), which is generally a personality trait that remains true in nearly any series he appears in.

Where I bought Ironhide:

Truth be told, Ironhide is another G1 figure I’ve had for years that I never have touched until the G1 Journey kicked off. Years ago BigBadToyStore had a sale on a massive acquisition of G1 figures, many of which still had their packaging. I think I had recently been hired at my first job when this sale happened. Thinking I had tons of money (I was making something like $6.00/hour) I purchased a “MIB” Ironhide, which BBTS also claimed to be signed by Ironhide voice actor, Peter Cullen (matching the signature up to my own personal items signed by Peter Cullen, I do think it’s legit). I honestly can’t remember how much I paid for Ironhide, but the toy and box are really gems in my opinion. I’m very happy to have purchased him so many years ago.

If you yourself are in need of an Ironhide there are plenty of opportunities to snatch him. You can purchase the Encore reissue (roughly $40 USD) or find a vintage G1, which would probably start around $50 USD and creep up from there depending on how good of condition it’s in (plus paperwork and packaging of course).

*** As a reminder, please click on the images to view their full size ***

Alt Mode:

Ironhide’s alternate mode is a Nissan Onebox Cherry Vanette. The predominantly red deco is broken up nicely with an assortment of windows that allow you to see inside the vehicle, which is pretty neat when you see the original Diaclone driver seat. Rubber tires, a mostly diecast vehicle, and well placed factory stickers also contribute to an overall nice Generation 1 figure. I opted against putting the additional stickers on right now, might save those for a rainy day. Ironhide shares this mold with Chief Medical Officer Ratchet. 

Not quite aligning properly. It happens. 

Accessories and paperwork.

Robot Mode:

I am a huge fan of Ironhide’s robot mode (and Ratchet’s since he’s the mold mate). Although this figure is originally from the Takara Diaclone line and not meant to be a sentient robot, the coolness factor and play value oozes from him. The actual robot model is limited as it was designed to be a mech suit of sorts, but combine it with the battle station/sled accessory and you get a really awesome configuration. Some collectors despise the sled accessory of Ironhide (it was never seen in the cartoon) but for toy purposes I absolutely dig it.

Give me your face?

Generation 1 articulation never gets old. 

Another Diaclone driver seat? I’m not sure.

The Evolution:

An official Hasbro/Takara Masterpiece release is still waited on by many collectors (which I’m going to believe will happen, in fact I’m certain a Masterpiece Ironhide and Ratchet will be in the foreseeable future). For now, I have Ironhide from the Universe 2.0 toy line to represent the Evolution from G1 to modern day figures. It’s an okay evolution.

Gaps and panel lines galore …

Yet gorgeous small details.

This “Classics” figure is widely criticized for being very fiddly as you really have to work to get all of those panels lined up properly. The biggest negative with this Ironhide is its alt mode, which although has so many great details like an Oregon license plate, is also infested with gaps all over the vehicle. The messy alt mode really drags this figure down.

The robot mode is better, but not without its faults. He suffers from a chest configuration which causes his head to constantly be looking down. Beyond that I don’t have many issues with the figure’s robot mode. Universe Ironhide is a suitable representation for a Classics Ironhide, but one that falls short of updating the G1 figure in a meaningful way. A new attempt in the current Generations line wouldn’t be the worst thing to happen for Ironhide.

Big difference. 

I’m in the minority: I’d take a sled accessory any day.

Don’t. Look. Down! 

Overall: 8/10

This mold is done extremely well, despite its obvious intentions to be piloted by a Diaclone driver. Once you get past those features and put a little imagination into it, you really start to see the tremendous play value in this figure. You can set Ironhide up in a number of different positions on your shelves all of which shows off the different “dynamics” of this figure (robot only, robot with battle station, alt mode, etc.). If you have his original packaging as well, even better. As a popular character in Transformers to this day, I’d highly recommend collectors track down Ironhide as he’ll give you a full taste of what a G1 figure is all about.

To be continued,

Matty (StayingInTheBox)