Transformers Studio Series 86 Ironhide figure review

Ironhide didn’t exactly have the best run in Transformers: The Movie. I just pretend all the dead Autobots slipped into a Duke-like coma and continued their adventures on Earth while Hot Rod, Ultra Magnus and company did whatever they were doing in seasons 3 and 4 of the cartoon.

Killing off beloved characters for the sake of moving product was definitely a strategy. Probably not the best one, but what can you do? If you’re Hasbro you use Transformers: The Movie as the overarching theme for getting said characters out to us in a modern format.

And that’s what we’ve got with the Studio Series 86 Ironhide – an update for latecomers like myself to the War for Cybertron line who missed out on franchise staples. Ironhide was part of the Earthrise subset in a two-pack with Prowl, who I still need.

Packaging: For the Transformers line, Hasbro is going with the same setup as before only ditching the plastic window for an open space and multiple twisty ties keeping the figure and accessories in place.

It’s better than some options though you really need to know what accessories should be included otherwise you might not be able to catch swaps.

I love the animated style artwork on the side. The tiny bio does a great job of framing his final fate with a mention of the ambush on the Autoboot ship.

Likeness: This is far more in line with how Ironhide was portrayed in the series than its Earthrise counterpart. Ironhide has a wide midsection, broad shoulders and a nice, focused head sculpt. This one isn’t as pinched as the Earthrise figure and fills out his frame better.

I really like the flow of the figure as there’s not a lot of kibble and blocky sections when he’s in robot mode. This is an improvement on the Masterpiece figure, which had a somewhat stretched out mid-section.

Some of this is accomplished by basic aesthetics like the waist section actually being complete now.

Scale: Ironhide is slightly taller than Hot Rod, Blurr and Kup, who are noticeably taller than their standard car predecessors like Wheeljack, Jazz and Bluestreak.

Either way, Ironhide scales appropriately taller and thanks to his width, looks like a formidable Autobot even if he’s not the same size as Blaster.

Alt Mode: Ironhide is a bulky minivan. It’s more compact than the Earthrise rendition, but incorporates the sweet blue window tint that contrasts nicely against the cherry red.

Transformation: Ironhide isn’t the hardest Transformer to transform. He clocks in at 26 steps. He’s definitely not as complex as say Motormaster.

Ironhide was an interesting transformation. He wasn’t too ridiculous thankfully and I wasn’t annoyingly putting him aside and taking a break before trying it all over again.

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Paint: Ironhide has a nice bright shade of red. The one big problem this line is going to face going forward with the packaging is the random scrapes and scratches from transporting and being on the shelves with an exposed window.

I was able to choose between three Ironhides and the paint issues all seemed to derive from this new presentation.

For the most part, Ironhide is an exact match to his cartoon portrayal besides the missing yellow stripe along his side. That’s an odd omission and something Hasbro doesn’t typically miss with the figures particularly those based on a specific source material.

Articulation: Ironhide is one of the toughest Autobots fighting alongside Optimus Prime. There’s a reason he was the last Autobot standing against Megatron’s invasion crew.

He’s not bouncing around in a fight as quick as Jazz or Cliffjumper and is more of the stand your ground and fire away type of foot soldier.

Ironhide has:

• neck
• bicep
• ball-jointed shoulders
• elbows
• wrists
• wrist hinge
• torso
• waist
• hips
• thighs
• knees (double-jointed)
• ankles

Accessories: Some Ironhide figures are loaded down with gear. The Masterpiece figure famously had the sled cab in homage to the original toy with its standalone gun station. Since Ironhide didn’t actually have something like that in the cartoon, its absence isn’t a big deal here.

He doesn’t have a ton of extras in this version. He’s got two blasters to re-enact the shootout on the ship. As usual, there’s good detail work on these and the bright shade of silver really pops.

Sadly, Ironhide doesn’t have swappable fists/hands for his glue spray nozzle, which I assume was omitted because he didn’t use them in the movie?

Now I’m gonna lose sleep wondering if Ironhide could have saved Brawn, Prowl and Ratchet if he’d simply sealed the hole to keep the Decepticons out?

The blasters can also plug into Ironhide’s roof in van mode, which is a nice bonus.

Worth It? Ironhide is clocking in around $33.99. This is a departure from the $29.99 price tag. There’s really nothing here to justify the price hike, but thankfully, I grabbed him during Target’s spend $50 get $10 sale so he was under $30 for me.

Rating: 9.5 out of 10

Ironhide is another very solid addition to the Studio Series lineup and fills an essential hole in the classic G1 Autobots roster. I would have liked some more accessories to better convey his adaptability on the battlefield, but otherwise I really enjoyed this figure.

Where to Get It? Target is starting to get the latest wave of Studio Series 86 figures in stores. Hopefully you can take advantage of the big sale as well. Otherwise, you can always go the Amazon route, which also has him in stock. Entertainment Earth has him slated for an imminent restocking.

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