G2 Ironhide

Series: Generation 2
Allegiance: Autobot
Categories: Powermaster
Year: 1995

I grind Decepticons into garbage any way I can!
He's a military machine fueled by gasoline and guts! A battle-tested veteran, he's endured dozens of Decepticon missile attacks. As tough on the outside as he is within, this stubborn survivor has incredible strength. Extensive, heavily-armored plating makes him easy to track... but impossible to destroy!

Robot Mode: First off, this robot here (if one can call it that) has no resemblance to G1 Ironhide, neither the toy nor the animated character. Second, it can barely even be called a robot. It’s basically still a car, just with the front portion flipped upwards to reveal the upper body of a robot. Kind of reminds me of the Animated Bumber Battlers. Ironhide can swivel his arms forward at the shoulders and hold his two guns... and that’s it. His “Powermaster” gimmick (see below) can also be used in robot mode. So bottom line... yeah, not really that good a robot mode.

Alternate Mode: Ironhide transforms (barely) into a kind of Hummer-like vehicle with some very sparse camouflage patterns and his name written across the hood (a common thing in G2). His two guns can be plugged in on the roof, which plays into his “Powermaster” gimmick. The power referred to here is all in the pull-back engine, where plugging in his guns released the catch and makes him speed forward. Fun for a little kid, but that's probably the extent of it. So bottom line: a serviceable car mode that’s built around a gimmick, nothing more than that.

Remarks: Bet you didn't know that there was ever a Powermaster Ironhide. I was certainly surprised. Of course the Powermaster gimmick in G2 had very little - meaning: nothing at all - to do with the Nebulan engine wearing super robots from G1. The G2 Powermasters were released at the very end of the G2 line and were only available in Australia and New Zealand. A wider release might have been planned, but by then the G2 line was over. So bottom line: a nice little oddity here, interesting for someone who wants a little bit of everything in his Transformers collection, but that's pretty much it.

AMMENDMENT: I've since learned that the G2 Powermasters were apparently available in Germany as well. Does it surprise me that Hasbro's international distribution management apparently clusters Australia, New Zealand, and Germany together? Nah, not really.

Rating: C-