Ironhide Not much bigger but more expensive Transformers Studio Series 86 Voyager Class Toy Item No.: Asst. E0702 No. F3175 Manufacturer: Hasbro Includes: 2 blasters, backdrop Action Feature: Transforms from van to robot Retail: $33.99 Availability: October 2022 Other: Better Red than Dead (dead variant exclusive to Target)
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We got a lot of Ironhide toys - so this new one seemed redundant. This new one is a $34 Voyager-class toy, whereas we just got Siege Ironhide for $20 and a Kingdom one in a 2-pack for slightly more, with more accessories, and they're the same size. There are probably more parts on thi snew one, and it's arguably more true to the cartoon in terms of color, but it's also surplus to requirements. (Well, it would be, if Hasbro made more of the previous ones.)

I found the robot to be a little fiddly with a loose waist that doesn't like to stay clipped together, but it is otherwise a perfectly nice toy. (If, and only if, you ignore or do not have previous releases.) The box is bland - mostly black and plain. I wouldn't hand out raises for this one.

If you want and don't have a 6-inch Ironhide figure, this is one. He has two blasters - no sleds, no riot shields. He's got about 24 points of articulation, with shoulders as stiff as the waist is loose. Mine always splits when I try to move the arms - it's kind of terrible as a toy, and is clearly more of a display piece. There's kibble that folds over the calf on the back of the leg and even has tabs to hold it in place - but they pop right out. While the red is nice and the blue windows look good, and the head sculpt is nice, it's kind of a crummy robot. There's a little too much in teh way of kibble and visible joints, with places where it's obvious that it's a toy without a very clean silhouette. This one could have benefitted from more time in the oven, but I will say the chest pieces together in a very pleasing way and the panels - if they tabbed right - fit in place in very clever ways. Hasbro should just re-release the Kingdom toy, though.

Transformation is logical, and the instructions are nice to have. There are lots of moving parts, especially around the waist, along with tabs that you really have to shove in place. I assume there will be cracked elements down the road for units that get a lot of play. Mercifully, the figure mode is unpleasant enough that you probably won't want to transform it a lot - or even touch it. You go from a pretty good robot mode to a surprisingly tight van mode, but both have a lot of visual problems that probably won't make this a toy fans remember as much beyond an evolutionary dead end.

A not-so-secret secret in the toy business is that it's difficult to match different kinds of plastics in red. There's something about it where a minor variance can really show - I pulled my Kingdom Ironhide (stored in a closet) and I didn't remember the reds being all that different. I shot Ironhide here in August 2023 and they're a good - but not great - match as you can see in van mode. The panels do fit together pretty well, and I didn't think they would lock this nicely in place while I was transforming him. The clear windows are a nice touch, but I miss the yellow stripe and the silver on the front doesn't quite match the cartoon. But the wheels have silver covers, and you can mount the blasters as exhaust pipes or as roof-mounted weapons. It's clever.

If you're happy with Kingdom Ironhide - as I was - you may not see the need for this figure. I left him in a box, unopened, for months. I think it's a perfectly nice toy, but it came so soon after the last version I can't say I was at all excited for it. You know how the saying goes: "Familiarity breeds contempt." After the recent rash of G2 craziness, which I was genuinely excited to get, yet another red Ironhide is kind of a bore. It's a perfectly nice figure, but we got at least six "toy" Ironhide toys since Combiner Wars. In some respects this figure was a make-good for the shorted Kingdom release, but it was followed in 2023 by a "battle-damaged" version as a Target exclusive. Which, I hope, means we get a break from Ironhide for a couple of years. If you don't have a good Ironhide, get this one. If you're happy with another one, just skip it.

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