Transformers Masterpiece Movie Ironhide review

Ironhide's a character that is more than familiar with me on this website. He's been in the Studio Series and was used for size comparisons with that mold; additionally, his G1 counterpart popped up for the Siege and Earthrise lines. And while I didn't think I'd be able to get myself into more MPM purchases, it was the affordability of MPM Megatron as well as Barricade being a birthday gift that encouraged me to delve into the MPM line even more once they got more affordable. And boy am I happy to have done so because this line has been quite the hit for me! Will the same be said for Ironhide? Let's find out!

Here is Ironhide in his truck mode. It's the iconic GMC Topkick that he transformed into during the original trilogy. I think we're all more than familiar with how it looks in the movies; I mean it's basically the big black truck that can plow through anything in his way, and it's unmistakably Ironhide! It's like, who else would be this vehicle? It's very character specific, especially with it being one of the integral parts of this version of Barricade if you ask me. I feel like it's about describing what pizza tastes like at this point, but it has some great sculpted details, the proportions are correct, and the robot kibble is not as prominent from the underside. 

While it does look nice, he does suffer from some tabbing issues that make the transformation into vehicle mode frustrating. Firstly, the roof and windshield halves don't like to be as aligned as one would hope. I'm also not a fan of the way the doors are lined up, nor do I like how hood doesn't look as smooth as it should be. Also, I wish the smokestacks were made of a firmer material if they can't be hard plastic, that and painting them silver would be much better. The 5mm ports do stick out a little more than I'd like but at least they're not as obvious. 

The cannons can be pegged on the sides of the truck mode if you want to store them, and while some would prefer if they were integrated somewhere else, Ironhide deserves to use these cannons at his disposal. 

For a size comparison, here he is sandwiched in-between Optimus Prime and Bumblebee! The size actually works between the three of them! Maybe Optimus should be the same size as the ROTF Leader but I like the way the size works overall. Ironhide is a big truck but he isn't as big as I initially thought from seeing the prototype images of the truck mode. And of course, Bumblebee's smaller than both of them since he is a muscle car.

Transformation is both ingenious but also insufferable at the same time. While I like how the way the figure transforms as a concept, the problem is that the figure lacks stability in some areas. The arm panels that hold the cannons are not able to stay on anywhere as nicely as one would hope, the chest only has one tab underneath itself and has no other form of stability elsewhere, and it makes posing the figure feel like a chore if you ask me. That shouldn't be a concern if Hasbro took the time they did with delaying the figure in order to give attention to the VW Bumblebee to improve the toy. But hey, at least they were able to make the GMC logo look broken up with the swappable panels for the grille. The resulting robot mode we end up with, stability issues notwithstanding, is done up rather nicely! His proportions, design traits, and pretty much everything else about him screams Ironhide. While I can't stand the lack of stability for the chest and the arm panels, everything else at least holds together pretty well. I will admit that I am not a fan of the way the windshield halves are stuck out there, though I believe they're on there for the CGI model. I do like that his back is broken up and doesn't have the entire roofpiece on it like with a lot of Transformers.

Head sculpt is very accurate and undeniably Ironhide, especially with the chiseled look, the scarred eye, and the grumpy look to him where he's pretty much like that with anyone but his Autobot buddies and some of the human allies he's with. I like that he has the Cybertronian text added onto the forehead and his ear guards, makes him feel much more authentic as an alien from a different planet while also displaying the better sculpted details that the old Voyager toy doesn't have. Articulation for him is good in spite of the stability issues with the chest and forearms. His head can turn left and right, look up and down, and his mouth can open and close. Shoulders move front and back, in and out, he swivels at the thigh, bends at two points at the elbows, his wrists swivel, curl in and out, and he has finger articulation, too. He has a waist swivel, hips that move front and back, in and out (though the kibble is restricted for the hips), there are thigh swivels, knee bends, the feet can hinge up and down, and there are ankle pivots, too.

Aside from his cannons, which can spin at the tips and are able to complete his look, there are no other accessories to go over. I wish he had something that would probably make him feel cooler to display, like effect pieces that some G1 Masterpiece figures have of late. I guess I can at least recreate a scene from the movie where he is transforming and flipping over a screaming lady. And yes, that is Sailor Moon crying as she just barely survived getting crushed by Ironhide. We may see her again in a future review on this site.

For a comparison with the Leader Class version of Ironhide, who was seen by many as the definitive Ironhide before this guy was made. I like the MPM version much better, what with the better design, proportions, coloring, etc. The DOTM Leader was one I'd hope I would like because he has all of the gimmicks and design traits that would make him as good as ROTF Optimus, but he ended up being a letdown. Between his crappy feet, the awkward ratchet joints, and the way the gimmicks kind of compromised aspects of him like his cannons and neck joint, he ended up being a bitter-sweet gift. That and his windshield spine broke off within a week of owning it. MPM Ironhide hasn't broken on me...yet...though his stability still sucks.

And here he is with the other MPM Autobots so-far. And yes, Bumblebee's chest is transformed properly this time around as I didn't know there were panels he would use to make him look accurate to the movie. Anyways, these three look amazing, and while Bumblebee might be the more perfected of the trio (compared to Ironhide's weak stability and Optimus having a few inaccuracies to him), they certainly feel much closer to the CGI models than any of the prior toys did as far as accuracy and proportions are concerned. And the scale itself between Optimus and Ironhide is good, though Bumblebee should be a little shorter than he currently is. Maybe Hasbro used the TLK Bumblebee height where he was 18 feet instead of being 2 feet shorter in the prior movies. It doesn't bother me too much since Bumblebee wasn't that short of a character in the movies. As for MPM Ironhide himself, while he might be the most definitive looking Ironhide, the stability issues and the transformation tolerances knock some points off of him considering how those could have been resolved during his delayed release. Either way, I'm at least relieved that he and the rest of the MPM line don't suffer from the same levels of poor quality control issues that plagued the G1 and some Beast Wars offerings. If you can still find Ironhide for a good price at Ross, I'd recommend getting him at $25.

Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Transformers Studio Series Bumblebee Starscream review

I still remember the shock of a Seeker popping up in the first Bumblebee movie trailer like it was yesterday. Seeing a Starscream-like bot transform before our eyes was actually pretty neat to see until we found out that it was actually Blitzwing, and let me tell you how hypocritical fans were when they accepted that but bitched about 10 years of Transformers in the movies being nothing like in G1, despite, you know, THE REST OF THE FRANCHISE DEVIATING FROM THE SOURCE MATERIAL??? But that's okay, because Cybertron's scenes had the Geewun designs that people talked the most about more than the actual movie. And one of them was Starscream, who looked just as bad as the DeviantArt redesigns, (he looked worse than Blitzwing who I'd argue looked better overall. Does the toy manage to be as good as Optimus, Car Dropkick, Offroad Bumblebee, and Blitzwing? Let's find out.

Here is his backdrop, depicting the scene from when he and the Decepticons fought on Cybertron. It was a decent picture that Cliffjumper had, and seeing it in a more appropriate size works for our Voyager Class toy, too.

Here we have Starscream in his jet mode. It's a much more alien take of the tetra-jet that was seen in G1 and Cybertron. The design itself is pretty faithful to what the concept art looked like in the movie, but there are a few noticeable things that make it feel different, mainly the piece that holds onto the gun. I suppose the design itself is successful to what we got, or rather what was hard to see in the movie (and this is from someone that saw the movie ONCE and never saw it again since then). The nosecone of the jet mode looks like someone shaved it off which makes it look weird. In general, it's a pretty interesting and accurate design to what we saw in the movie, but I can't help but get an insect vibe from it. 

For a size comparison, here he is with B-127, who looked pretty solid in his vehicle mode. IDK how exact their scale is supposed to be, but it works well for the most part if I am being honest.

Here he is with Siege Starscream, who has more of a fighter look to his vehicle mode while Beewun Starscream looked more like he was a shuttle or an insect-like being by comparison. He may not have an entire robot folded underneath, but he still looks more abstract by comparison.

And here he is next to Blitzwing, to show you an idea of how the two jets look. The fact that Blitzwing's cockpit is the same as Starscream's does give me the impression that maybe their alternate modes are the same size and would therefore make them massive in robot mode, but the movie established that they're not that big.

Transforming Starscream is somewhat like Blitzwing's, but with new steps of his own. The legs do take inspiration from the other Decepticon, but things like the arms, wings, and chest transformation are new to this guy. And as for the robot mode itse,f, it's a mixed bag. The wings look pretty bad (and the right wing piece doesn't stay up as well for some reason), and I'm not a fan of the proportions of this guy. He looks pretty out-of-shape, from the way the torso looks to the lower legs having no real definition beyond looking like bell bottoms, and his arms look pretty flaccid on his body. I get this was what the design looked lie in the Bumblebee movie, but it feels so rushed and unrefined compared to Blitzwing, who actually looked good. For all the complaints people have about the Siegeker toy, at least it was not as messy as this.

Head sculpt looks pretty much like G1 Starscream with the Movie aesthetic. Nothing that exciting about it, though I remember seeing some samples of the figure having differently painted eyes, with the result looking like he had really big eyebrows. The sculpting could be better. His articulation is about the same as Blitzwing's, but with a few differences here and there. His head is on a ball joint yet can only look up and down when it's facing a different direction. The shoulders move front and back, in and out, the biceps swivel, the elbows bend, and the wrists can only hinge up and down but do not swivel like with Blitzwing. There is a waist swivel, hips that move front and back, in and out, thigh swivels, knee bends, and ankle rockers as well as hinges. The cannon, which looks similar to Blitzwing's, can be held on his hand but it doesn't stay on there all that well because of how short the peg is. There is also no added support for it to be securely placed. Blitzwing did that perfectly, how did you screw that up?! and before you ask, no, his null-rays can't be used because they're only good at being loose on the pegs because the ports are not deep enough to hold them. Piss-poor design choice, Hasbro.

Since a Seeker was bound to get tons of repaints, here we have Thrust. I already liked that he was based on Armada Thrust and not G1 Thrust, and I do appreciate how there is a cone hood without replicating the conehead look entirely. That being said, the fact that I'm going to revisit this figure again with the same issues that Starscream has is not something I look forward to.

And reverting back to thr Starscream tooling but with the Thrust face, this is Thundercracker. I'm surprised we haven't gotten a Skywarp in 2023 because this was the last use of the mold for now.

Oh nevermind, here he is. He's more gray than black, but that's because of the CG model.

Here he is sandwiched in-between 2 Autobots that were on the Cybertron fight scene. He's taller than Optimus Prime with his pinhead, but I think Starscream is definitely an inferior figure compared to Optimus, who has the better engineering and proportions that Starscream lacks. Seriously, people bitch about Movie Starscream for looking like a Dorito, but Beewun Starscream looks out of shape with his flappy arms, pinhead, huge wings, and pathetic bell bottom legs.

Here we have Starscream next to his Siege counterpart, who is a much more refined action figure than this sad attempt at a Moviefied-G1 Starscream. Say what you will about the shellformer nature of this guy, but Siegescream at least feels like a better-engineered action figure without any of the garbage design flaws of the Bumblebee Movie Starscream. Sure, he's taller, but he has way more flaws than Starscream did in the Siege line. And while Beewun Screamer uses more of his robot parts in the vehicle mode, it doesn't excuse how bad the robot mode looks. 

And here we have Starscream next to Blitzwing, who is pretty much the better toy of the two. His design looks much more refined, he feels unique, and he doesn't suffer from too much of that engineering flaw problem that Starscream has to deal with. His gun is better attached on his forearm, he feels more complete, and best of all, he doesn't have a garbage design that compromises him. I appreciate Hasbro wanting the make the Seekers have designs of their own rather than be straight repaints of Blitzwing, but COME ON.

Let's send off the review with Starscream getting his tailpipe handed to him by his maybe-future counterparts. Honestly, for as lackluster as the actual movie character representation of Studio Series is this year, I was honestly hoping that the figures that we would get that were not from the 1986 movie would at least be good. Think about it, because while we get 15+ figures since 2018, one would hope that the 7 live-action Transformers would be as good as the prior offerings. We already know what Grindor, B-127, ROTF Bee, and ROTF Sideswipe would be like since those figures already existed, so while Dino was a great purchase, Starscream is a major letdown due to his poor design choices and overall inferior counterpart to Blitzwing. I'd only get him if you're a completionist or are a big Starscream fan, because this figure sucks in general.

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

Transformers Studio Series Dino review

Remember back in 2011 when everyone was hoping for a Deluxe Dino in the Dark of the Moon line but it wouldn't be possible because of Mattel's involvement. Remember when people spotted pictures of a bootleg toy that was an upsized reshell of Legends Barricade? Remember the time we had two Sideways toys recolored with new parts in order to make Dino? Well, those were quite a trip down Memory Lane since now we have a proper version of the guy! Now granted, people are going to say he's too small this or he should have a more accurate vehicle that, but there are other things to complain about with the Studio Series line anyhow (for example, criticizing the sudden focus on the 86 movie), but with all that said, let's take a look at Studio Series Dino!

Here is his backdrop, depicting the scene where all the chaos in the highway chase took place. If we got a Hatchet in the mix as well as whips, we'd make the scene even better. At least he fits in it well.

Here is Dino in his vehicle mode. Yes, he is an unlicensed approximation of a Ferrari. No, that does not bother me because the vehicle mode is close to what he turned into. It's not like seeing G1 Bumblebee turn into a vehicle that doesn't feel like a Beetle where it contradicts his appearance, as Dino is something sleek and not what Sideways turned into. I do like the way the car is sculpted on top of having paint apps that make it more complete, such as on the vents in the front, the headlights, and the rims. The windows, while a traditional clear color, do fit with the vehicle nicely. The proportions of the car are also nice and sporty, making up for the lack of any proper Ferrari traits.

In general, this vehicle mode, while not perfect, as we see here with the panel lines, does fit the character better than people give it credit for. IF anything, it's great to have a Dino that feels like Dino rather than a vehicle that doesn't. Honestly, it's at least good that it looks like a proper vehicle instead of it feeling like it has aesthetics that fit with a different line.

For a comparison with some other Autobots that appeared in Dark of the Moon, here he is with Roadbuster and Bumblebee (who is in his ROTF appearance). I don't exactly know how big or small a Ferrari would be next to a vehicle like a Camaro, but it fits well with the slightly bigger stock race car due to its added bulk of the weapons and whatnot. 

Transformation is unique for the Studio Series line of similarly-designed Autobot cars, as he makes use of some faux parts to make a more proportionate robot as well as uses different steps in order to give him his fairly unique transformation. No engineering has been borrowed from any other figure, not even Bumblebee nor Stinger! The only letdown of the transformation is how the backpack looks, but when all things are put in their spots, we have a nicely done Dino in his robot mode! While not 100% perfect, this guy captures the character design the best as far as official Dino figures are concerned, and considering how the others were repaints of Sideways, this is an easy feat to beat. Some may find the proportions to be a little off, and I can see some being annoyed by the silhouette of the figure being ruined thanks to the backpack, but for a Deluxe figure, I've seen worse (WWII Bumblebee). The deco's fairly basic, as Dino was not as involved of a design as someone like Bumblebee, but I guess the only thing to go well with the gunmetal gray would be a more metallic shade of red.

Head sculpt is spot-on to the character design, with it being a fairly unique noggin compared to the other Autobots. Also is it me or does he have a similar mouthpiece to that of Bumblebee? I guess Dino is a take of Cliffjumper with an Italian influence. We don't know if he survived during the events of AOE, but he might have been luckier than the actual Movie Cliffjumper. Back on topic, let's give him his two arm blades so we can go over his articulation! His head, shoulders, and hips are on ball joints, with the former having somewhat limited range while the latter two are fairly free in motion. There is an added hinge for the shoulders due to the transformation, bicep swivels, fairly deep elbow bends, wrists swivel, above-knee swivels, knee bends, and feet that hinge upwards. His door wings are also articulated, as they can hinge in and out as well as up and down.

For a size comparison with his fellow Autobots, here he is with the original 4 (three of which are in their MV1 getup) and DOTM Sideswipe. I have to say that the scale works for Dino as he, like Sideswipe, was not as tall as the other Autobots in the movie, and that suits him fine. I should have added the Wreckers, but they're already going to make the pic harder to take, and they're currently beating up Sentinel Prime. But what about Dino himself? Is he the flawless version of the character I and so many others always wanted? Not quite. Is he able to fill in a gap nicely? Yes, he does. Truth be told, the fact that we got a Dino 10 years after the release of the movie is a great way for Hasbro to make up for their inability to do so, especially when this mold suits him way better than Sideways. If anything, I recommend fans get this guy if they want to give an under-represented Autobot some love. Honestly, I hope we see more of the infrequent characters given plastic forms, especially the likes of Que, The Twins, etc. And now that Hasbro has nutted at the idea of the 86 movie characters invading the world of Movie characters, this is probably the best live-action character we're getting so far in this year. As for B-127, check out my review on last year's Cliffjumper! And what about Starscream? Well, you'll see tomorrow...

Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Transformers Collaborative Ultimate X-Spanse review

The Collaborative series has been quite an interesting yet imperfect line; while I won't hold my breath for certain franchises to get attention, I don't really feel as invested in the collaborative figures we have; Ectotron and Gigawatt were both neat but I don't really have the same level of attachment for Ghostbusters and Back to the Future the same way I do Transformers, and I know nothing about Top Gun (plus, Maverick looks cheap). That being said, when I saw Ultimate X-Spanse, I knew I had to obtain it as soon as possible. When the price went half-off what it originally cost, I knew I had to get my hands on one. Let's see how Ultimate X-Spanse turned out!

Here we have Ultimate X-Spanse in his jet mode. It's a Blackbird themed after the vehicle that the X-Men piloted in the comic books and in some different media. It's predominantly blue with small bits of added yellow for the turbines, the red cockpit windows, the X-logos, and the black stripes in the middle. The proportions of the vehicle mode look fairly good, though it does have some occasional issues like the kibble of the robot mode stuck underneath the jet. Also, the turbines should tab in better while the same goes for the wings staying upright. The effect pieces can be stored underneath and the landing gear can be deployed or retracted if you want. 

For a comparison with Jetfire, you can tell how distinct the two takes of the same vehicle mode are when we go from the real-world design of Jetfire to the more fictional take of Ultimate X-Spanse. One is in a slick, black color scheme with subtle red accents with the proper nose and cone turbines while the other is more fictional by comparison. To the credit of the X-Men version, there is less kibble around the front of the jet mode and around what will become the legs, though Jetfire is more stable by comparison. Also, it should be worth mentioning that while there are similar parts shared between Jetfire and Ultimate X-Spanse, 95% of the toy is brand new. 

The transformation is very different from what Ultimate X-Spanse had, what with the unique steps added for the legs, torso, arms, etc; Only certain aspects of it are similar to what we got with Jetfire, but because of the new skeleton used for the robot mode, we end up with an entirely different conversion; that also means he does not combine with Studio Series Optimus Prime, so anyone hoping to make a crossover between the X-Men and the Autobots from the Movies may need to expect that. The resulting robot mode is certainly a mechanized version of the X-Men character design traits. Most notably, there is the deco replicating the costume of Cyclops, as well as the X chest strap being a trait that is used in the 90s comic redesigns of select characters (most noticeable to me for X-Men-themed Deadpool), and the pouches on the belt are just as unnecessary here as they are with the likes of Rob Liefeld's drawings, but it's still a neat interpretation of what the Blackbird would be like it transformed into a robot that is themed after the X-Men (instead of it being a robot that is designed after a specific character), even if it does lean towards the likes of Cyclops. 

The head sculpt looks pretty interesting with the visor flipped up, as it has an animated chin, big, red eyes, and it manages to look both humanoid and Transformery at the same time. I do like that the visor has some Optimus Prime-ear design traits, but the paint apps could be better. His articulation is actually given more points than expected. His head can look up and down as well as left and right, but his arms move front and back as well as in and out, while he has another joint between his arms and torso that gives him butterfly joints and added shoulder range. He has bicep swivels, elbow bends, and wrists that swivel. He has a diaphragm joint that can turn left and right as well as ab-crunch. He also has a waist swivel. His hips move front and back as well as in and out on ratchets (though I wish they were not plastic ratchets), thighs swivel, knees bend at two points, and his ankles pivot; getting his heels to work properly is a bit annoying, though. He has two effect pieces that go near his hands, one of which is an energy beam and another is of Wolverine's claws; both are based on Psylocke's powers. 

Here we have the two little figurines of Sabertooth and Wolverine; both are decently painted and sculpted, and there is an effect piece that sort of clips on their torsos, but they're not that great. I especially hate how Wolverine has a tendency to fall over because he's got a slightly warped leg.

And here he is with Jetfire! You can definitely tell how distinct one is from the other; X-Spanse is a much more traditional robot while Jetfire is more unique due to his robot design and his overall aesthetics. Also, this is another sign that these two share very few parts or transformation steps between one another. As for X-Spanse himself, if you're a fan of Marvel and Transformers, I can recommend this guy, especially if you can buy him for half the price he's going for. Seriously, I don't think he's worth $60+ if he isn't as complex or complex as ROTF Optimus Prime, so be sure to get him on a massive discount like I did. He's probably not going to get the same level of 80s nostalgia praise that Ghostbusters nor Back to the Future will have, but he's more interesting than Ectotron and Gigawatt if I'm being honest.

Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐