Transformers Studio Series Ironhide review

Ironhide's a Transformer that needs no introduction. Fans already know his cannons, his temper, and his use of the word "punk" to Sam, Demolishor, and a Dread. He's a weapon specialist, a rough and tough bot, and he's not backing down in a fight. Even when some Decepticons still remain tougher than him, he'll take them down and keep the humans safe despite his trigger-happy nature. Still, his figures haven't always been the best offerings. 2007 Ironhide didn't capture the essence of the character in the movies, the HFTD Deluxe was accurate but too short, and while the DOTM Voyager was a bigger toy, he has the worst proportions compared to all the other Ironhide toys before him. The Leader and MPM make for different stories, but for a while, I felt there wasn't the right Ironhide toy for a long time before this version was made. Let's see how Studio Series Ironhide fares in the line.

Here we have Ironhide in his vehicle mode. He's in the GMC Topkick that felt like an altmode an Ironhide would take compared to the G1's minivan or the Energon version's Mini Vehicle proportions. This is a pickup truck that feels like a battering ram towards the evil forces of the Decepticons, and one that should never be messed with. While the bumper should fit in better with the altmode and the undercarriage doesn't look the cleanest, I admire the no-nonsense mass of this big black truck. I even like the silver smokestacks that are also present in the altmode.

For weapon storage, Ironhide's cannons can be placed on the truck bed, which isn't the best way of keeping the weapons intact, but at least it's something.

For a size comparison, here he is next to Studio Series Optimus Prime. The size between the two alt modes isn't the best, let's put it that way. Optimus, being a semi-truck, should at least be bigger than Ironhide, especially when Optimus is going to be taller than Ironhide in robot mode. If this was the scale of a Movie Huffer, I wouldn't mind that. But this is Optimus we're speaking of, who could go with being bigger or having longer smokestacks!

The size difference is more prominent from the front. I know Ironhide's a big truck in the movies, but this big?! That's a stretch!

The size between Ironhide and the HFTD Optimus isn't too bad. That's thanks to the smokestacks and a slightly larger size that sells it for this version of Optimus.

You can tell how more even the alt modes look now. There isn't much synergy between this and the other Optimus, however, so I may get the Studio Series knockoff for altmode display only.

Here are the vehicle mode comparisons. The line up does look nice with the inclusion of all five 2007 Autobots, though Optimus and Ratchet do look a bit small in this display. The HFTD Voyager does scale better. Ratchet's still iffy. Also, Bumblebee's not the right altmode.

Ironhide transforms a lot better than I expected. The issue with other Ironhide figures is how they almost always work like a bad combination of stability issues and tiny parts not worth looking into for errors. I can see why people have a bad rep with the 2007 Voyager or the DOTM Deluxe, but this one should do the trick in my opinion.

Here's Ironhide in his robot mode. It's a great looking take on the character that sort of gets ruined by one little detail, that being the bumper that separates the torso and the hips down. Seriously, it's like the bumper belonged from a different variant of the toy (I know there's an upgrade kit that fixes that, and I do plan on getting it!). At least the rest of the design looks good, and while there isn't much paint on the robot mode, the details that make this design of Ironhide as Ironhide are present. Plus, with Ironhide not being a particularly colorful character, it's not a bad thing. Side of the figure looks fine, and while the back doesn't have the more defined details that the CGI model has, at least it's flatter than other Ironhide toys have been.

The face sculpt is perfect for this character! It looks well made and captures the gruff nature of Ironhide to a tee! I even like how one side of the face is more damaged than the other; certainly adds to the seasoned aspect of this Autobot. Some Ironhides had more symmetrical faces or mouth plates that were never in the movies (but the promo art had Ironhide wear the faces), but this one does it right. I can almost hear Jess Harnell's voice come out from this toy.

Ironhide's articulation is not too shabby! The head is on a ball joint, shoulders can move front and back, in and out, and they have a bit of a butterfly joint, too. They swivel at the bicep, bend at the elbow, and rotate at the wrists. The hips move front and back, in and out, they swivel at the elbow, bend at the knee, and the feet hinge front and back.

The weapons he comes with aren't weaksauce this time! The arm cannons plug on the arms and also have faux door parts to make them look like they transformed from the altmode. Such a nice attention to detail and I also love how painted and sculpted they are! Also, who can't resist doing this pose? Give this guy some effects parts!

In what felt like a long gap since his first release, Ironhide returned for the first movie's 15th anniversary as part of a 5-pack with his fellow 2007 Autobots, and he isn't all that different from his first release apart from the painted toes and slightly altered paint apps here and there. Annoyingly, this includes his right eye.

For a size comparison, here he is next to the rest of the Studio Series Autobots. The size is almost good, though as I mentioned, Jazz should either be shorter than Bumblebee or Bumblebee should be a bit taller than he is right now. Also, Ironhide should be shorter than he is right now since he's almost as tall as Optimus.

The next aspect I want to mention is how the height can be adjusted. Some fans pointed out that Ironhide was a little too big for a robot mode comparison when put in between Optimus and Ratchet. If you look closely, the upper image has him crouching down somewhat, while the lower image has him standing straight. The upper pic may be the one to take note of if you want Ironhide to not entirely dwarf Ratchet.

For a figure comparison, here he is next to some of his other counterparts. They are the 2007 Voyager and DOTM Voyager on the top, and next to him is the HFTD Deluxe on the right, represented as the Movie the Best version. The 2007 Voyager may be bigger and weigh more in terms of plastic, but it's not really the definitive Ironhide in a collection. The DOTM Voyager sucks in robot mode, and its arms can't even hold a massive cannon; also, it's gotten some notorious stability, though the knockoff version is WORSE. The HFTD version may scale better in truck mode (in a way), but my god does it feel puny in bot mode. Also, one of the cannons isn't accurate. I chose the Movie the Best version because it felt more accurate to the design of the character, especially when the original version had some bluish gray that looked inaccurate.

Going back to the other comparison made, it's neat to have the original 5 Autobots in a consistent lineup after years of fudging different figures from different lines. However, this isn't quite the definitive display of them in my collection. Soon, we'll take a look at MV1 Optimus and Camaro Concept Bumblebee in this place!

Overall, Ironhide is a great figure to have in the line! He's not only a Voyager worth owning in this line, but he is also an Ironhide worth owning overall. I can't help but think of a better version aside from the Masterpiece version, which does look nice, but won't be in my reach for the time being. Also, that one had more stability issues. So all I need for this Ironhide to be even better is giving him the upgrade kit from DNA Designs and never worry about Hasbro making a variant of this toy with the DOTM weapons! Of course, they could add some improvements that the DNA kit has, but that means some paint apps would be cut, so I'm happy with what I have here! In fact, I love this toy so much, he's shown here stepping on the traitorous Sentinel Prime! Get him now before a Studio Series Sentinel gets made!

Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ and a half out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐