Name: Ironhide
Series: Henkei
Allegiance: Cybertron (Autobot)
Alternate Mode: SUV
SUV MODE
Height: 5.5cm Length: 13.5cm Width: 5.5cm
A red SUV with a yellow stripe down either side, Ironhide has a transparent blue windshield, rear window and side front windows while the other side windows are painted metallic blue. His head and taillights are chromed while the grille is silver. The tyres are black, the nudge bar is light grey and the rear bumper a darker grey. It's a focused colour scheme which is strongly reminiscent of the G1 toy. Sure it's an SUV not a van, but the semblance is easily to pick. While the colours work and the tribute is obvious, there are a _lot_ of diagonal seams on either side which really break up the look of this SUV mode - it's clearly Ironhide but is still a bit of a mess.
As much as I like the tribute, the seams on the sides are a mess, and on mine at least the left side doesn't quite line up right. He looks nice from the front, but not the sides. The top is also a little broken up, and while the black sunroof is a nice idea, I would have preferred this area blank to give Ironhide a much needed smooth area. There is quite a lot of sculpted detail, even if some of it is lost amongst the seams. The front end, running boards and taillights are all well done while there are side mirrors and doorhandles on either side.
As is typical of the Classics/Universe deluxe toys, there's not really any play value here. The wheels roll and that's it. Ironhide does have a weapon stowed inside, but it can't be deployed in this mode. None of the doors or windows open, since the entire thing unfolds (hence the array of seams).
A decent vehicle mode which makes for a nice tribute, but it's held back by the unsightly seams on either side and some junk on the roof. The yellow stripes on the sides are a simple yet effective way to nail the tribute. While it's not a disaster, this is easily his weaker mode.
TRANSFORMATION TO ROBOT MODE
This transformation is quite complicated so I'll summarise. The front fenders fold down and then unfold into legs. The rear window becomes his chest while the sides unfold into arms. The roof ends up on his back as a backpack and the hidden weapon can clip over either hand. There's a lot of twisting and turning here, as all those seams unfold.
ROBOT MODE
Height: 14.5cm Width: 11cm
A red robot with light grey on his groin and upper thighs, Ironhide has dark grey hands and upper arms. His face is painted light grey with blue eyes. The transparent blue window on his chest has a silver backing including a stamped Autobot logo - this backing slides into place during the transformation, incidentally. While there's not quite as much grey here, this colour scheme is clearly based on the Ironhide we saw in the G1 cartoon. It's an attractive colour scheme, and one that suits the character well.
There's a huge gulf between the G1 toy and cartoon versions of this character, and while the windshield chest, lights on his hips and overall red colour match the original toy, this robot mode is clearly designed to give us a toy to represent the cartoon character, after all these years. He has the rounded, helmet-like, head from the cartoon as well as the silver lights on his hips. The backpack isn't cartoon accurate, but it's surprisingly minimal for such a deluxe with such an intricate transformation. On that note, the backpack is the only real kibble - everything else is integrated into this robot mode quite nicely.
Ironhide's head turns although it leans forward slightly so he's permanently looking down - this is the robot mode's main flaw. The shoulders swing and lift out to the sides while the elbows are hinged with rotators below them. His wrists feature both ball joints and inwards-folding hinges while his hands are fixed in a relaxed, open palm, pose. His waist turns while the hips swing and lift out to the sides. His knees are hinged with rotators in mid thigh while the feet have integrated heelspurs and are able to lift up. Overall this poseability is excellent and not really hampered, although it's difficult to fold the rear wheels into his backpack - do it incorrectly and they get in the way of his head. If you leave the wheels out (as I have in the photo above), the waist and hips are a little hampered.
Ironhide's weapon is designed to slide over either hand, and depending on which way it attaches, different armaments emerge. One end features a dark grey gatling gun (my preferred option) while the other features a transparent blue blade. Both options work quite well. I like the fact that this particular Henkei toy leaves the chrome (which can be forced in this line) to do its thing on this weapon. There _is_ chrome on the lights, but most of it is on the body of the weapon. Incidentally, the blue eyes have a lightpipe to them, but front on you can't see this since there's a panel behind the head.
A very well designed robot with a colour scheme that's very close to Ironhide's cartoon representation and great play value. Sure there are few gimmicks, but the weapon is simple and effective while the poseability is a highlight. The head's slight dip is annoying and it can be difficult to get the rear wheels out of the way, but considering this cartoon robot mode has been retconned into a transforming toy, I'm very happy with the result.
VARIATIONS
None that I'm aware of. The Hasbro version came with either a grey or a blue face. Ratchet is a retool of Ironhide.
OVERALL
While Ironhide's not a perfect Transformer, this is the first serious effort (BotCon repaints aside) to produce a toy that matches the cartoon Ironhide - and after 25 years, it's well overdue. The robot mode is excellent and the colour scheme is very focussed, and while the vehicle mode is fairly chopped up, the designer has had to make this work without the liberal dose of cartoon physics that Sunbow was able to rely on. For G1 fans this is an excellent update of Ironhide, and can satisfy cartoon fans in a way that the G1 toy never could, so I'd recommend this toy unequivocally. Leaving the tribute aside, Ironhide is still a good Transformer, even if the robot mode clearly outshines a disappointing vehicle mode - 8/10
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