Siege Ironhide

Prelude: Time to bust some Decepti-Chops! I can feel mah circuits sizzle! When you got it, use it! These are just some of the tough-guy phrases Ironhide (pronounced “Arn-hahhhd”) loved to spout in the first two seasons of the original G1 cartoon, making him one of the original cast’s most beloved members. And boy, were we kids disappointed when his original G1 toy looked NOTHING like the character on TV. But now, 35 years later, we’re FINALLY getting a good G1 Ironhide toy.

Robot Mode: Ironhide is pretty tall for a Deluxe-class figure (almost as tall as Deluxe-class figures used to be) and he is, without a doubt, Ironhide. And not the strange G1 toy, either, but the Ironhide from the cartoon. Sure, some things differ a bit to go with the pre-Earth Cybertronian design of the figure, but overall: this is Ironhide! Mission accomplished!

The figure is powerfully built with big, stompy feet. The controversial battle damage is actually restricted to said feet, much like it was with Shockwave. I guess Ironhide, too, takes the most damage when stepping on his defeated opponents. The figure is well-articulated with ankle tilts and twisting wrists. His chest actually opens up (his head goes in there for the transformation) and you can fit some of the smaller Matrix’ of Leadership in there if you want to create Iron Prime.

For a weapon Ironhide comes with a big grey rifle which he can hold in hand or mount on his shoulder. Have I mentioned lately that I like shoulder guns? Anyway, the rifle can also convert into a big battle hammer. Man, I remember when carrying a hammer was an Ultra Magnus thing. Then it became a Movie Bumblebee thing. Now it’s an Ironhide thing, too, apparently. It fits Ironhide better than Bee, though, so no complaints.

Bottom line: if you’ve waited for the perfect G1 Ironhide in CHUG size, wait no more. This here is Ironhide, a near-perfect robot mode. Two thumbs up!

Alternate Mode: Ironhide transforms into a van-like Cybertronian vehicle and transforming him into this mode unveils his sole weak spot: the panels that unfold from his legs sit so loosely in their hinges that they inevitably pop off during transformation. It’s not a big thing, you can easily snap them back into place once you’re done, but it grates a bit, seeing as the figure is otherwise pretty perfect.

Once transformed Ironhide does a good job of being an alien vehicle that nevertheless holds a strong resemblance to his original 1984 Earth mode. I first thought that maybe his cockpit had room for a Titan/Prime Master figure to sit in, but the space is now taken up by Ironhide’s robot noggin. Which is kind of a homage to the original toy, come to think of it, where the head sat behind the windshield (said head being a sticker, but never mind). Anyway, the vehicle is pretty solid and offers room to attach quite a few weapons, too. So while it’s not the most exciting vehicle mode ever, it nicely homages the original’s car form without breaking the notion that it’s a pre-Earth mode. Thumbs up here, too.

Remarks: Ironhide and Ratchet, two of the most important characters in G1, had the worst G1 toys. And while they did get a somewhat okay mold in the 2008 Universe series, it really did take 35 years to actually get them a great mold that wasn’t a Masterpiece figure. Siege Ironhide and his inevitable Ratchet repaint (which I fully intend to get, too) are finally paying proper homage to the great characters we remember from back in the day. And while I am somewhat annoyed with the current trend of focusing almost exclusively on the same G1 characters over and over again, I am very glad to finally have a great Ironhide in hand. Let’s see if it’ll take another 35 years for the next one to come along. Fully recommended.

Rating: A-

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