Toy Review: TFA Ironhide (Takara)

09/11/10

Takara TFA Voyager Class Ironhide

Transformers Animated is another line that went the way of G.I. Joe Sigma 6, cancelled just as it was getting good. We had several examples of the big characters and we were only starting to see the promise of the line with the newer characters showing up in plastic. Then Hasbro decided to kill it.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOO…!

I can’t blame them. It seems to be a trend. Kids these days would rather gossip on facebook or play Plants vs. Zombies than play with toys. Role playing using plastic representations of your characters seems less fun to today’s generation than doing it in the digital world of video games. The toy market is definitely less vigorous these days compared to the 80’s.

Thankfully, Takara is giving a sort of half-life back to the line with various high quality re-paints.

(prototype press shot)

“Ironhide” was Takara’s version of the Hasbro Bulkhead. I’m not sure why he’s called Ironhide instead. I figure it has something to do with the Japanese version of the show naming him that way or some international licensing mish mash legalese. Not like it makes a big dif. He’s Bulkhead.

I bought the Leader Class Bulkhead when the line went to the bargin bin at 50%. I never bought the Voyager Class one since… well, the LC Bulkhead rocks.

The test shots of the Takara version though are in a very spiffy looking aquamarine though. In a certain Transformer collectors’ brains, that translate to “hey, look! totally different character!” So I pre- ordered it at Wasabi Toy Store months ago.

Sad to say though, Takara was just spanking our monkeys with those early photos. The final product isn’t blue. The toy I got is most definitely GREEN:

The only way that this toy could be blue is if I brought it to the Vega system and set it down on a planet there. Seriously, Takara, why?

Packaging is very different from the Hasbro Voyager Class Bulkhead. It’s packaged in the robot mode so it fills the box pretty well, but there is still a ton of space left in there. I like the huge window out front and the action photos at the back. This is the kind of packaging I wish Hasbro would do. The back has some smaller photos of the toy’s action features as well. There’s still the crowded look of the Japanese graphic design, but that’s a cultural thing that I can’t fault Takara for.

I love Bulkhead’s… I mean Ironhide’s proportions. He’s got the same dopey “big lug” design that classic cartoon characters’ had in them there olden times; big and round on top, with tiny little feet.

He balances surprisingly well though. Those little feet are more stable than they look, with enough surface area to hold up the huge torso and arms.

His articulation is not great, but good for such a big action figure. Head, shoulders, elbows, hips, and knees, plus a few joints left over from the transformation procedure. His lower half (or more like fourth) suffers from his bulk. No waist joint, and no ankle action, but frankly you don’t really need it. The fee are designed in such a way that the toes and heels are enough to support him if you find that sweet spot.

He doesn’t have any wrist swivels, but then he doesn’t have hands in the classic sense. He’s got three fingered claws instead, each with one hinge so you can open and close them. It works fine.

That brings us to his action features. He’s got 2.

The first is the right arm. There’s a button on the bicep. If you push it, the arm snaps up, as if delivering an uppercut. It works, but it’s fiddly. The placement of the button really affects its practical use. You can’t really roleplay with him since you need to hold him at an awkward angle to use the feature. When I was using it, it kept spinning the arm around.

Annoying.

Still, better than them dupming the articulation there to serve the action feature. That would have sucked balls.

The second action feature is the wrecking ball in his left hand.

There’s not much to it. There’s a button that’s supposed to “launch” it out of it’s housing, but really all it does is nudge it until it falls out. meh. The string is boring white. I would have liked it better if they had went with black string or even a day-glo red to make it seem like an energy beam. White just seems lazy.

To get the ball (I say ball, but it’s actually more like an alien egg shape, or a bomb) back in place, you need to wrap the string around the base of that bomb thing and push it back in. It’s not really a good fit. I would have loved a working winch instead of the dopey launching button.

The last bad thing I’ve got to say his back is kind of boring. It’s just a bunch of kibble that he’s carrying back there. Ok.

But other than that, this is a super fun toy, just like all the Transformers Animated figures.

They’re styled to look appealing to kids, but the reason I love them so much is that unlike G1 toys, these are exactly as advertised. If you remember watching the the original cartoon and then going to look for a G1 Ironhide, you know how frustrating that was. The toy looked nothing like the cartoon character. With Transformers Animated, the character designs were clearly made with the toys im mind. This guy looks just like he does on screen, which is, frankly, amazing.

On top of that, he’s a superb plaything. The functional articulation, the action features (even if I hate them, kids will likely fall all over themseleves trying them out), the balance, and the sturdy construction mean a toy that is meant to be used.

Note that he is vac-mettalized though, which means that his skin is covered with metallized paint, so it’s going to pick up scratches like pedobear in a schoolyard, but it looks awesome.

As an armored carrier he retains all that sense of fun. He’s all round corners and future cool style. He fits right in between the Leader and Activators Class toys:

If I had to pick one, I’d still go with the Leader Class version. It has superior action features, a nicer transform process and more weapons. Not to mention the sheer size. But this little guy is great as a desktop decoration, or as a gift for the budding Transformers fan.

It’s too bad this version costs something like Php 2,100.00. When the Hasbro one’s were on sale, they were only Php 500.

Still, worth it. Get one at Wasabi Toy Store or the other stores at Greenhills.