Save Transformers Movie 2 Voyager Iron Hide

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.
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