Ironhide’s a spoooooooooky ghost.

And he’s absolutely gonna haunt Sentinel Prime. Nine years on and I’m still bitter about that. Ironhide deserved better and Sentinel deserved a fate worse than what he got.

There’s a bunch of debate about which Bayverse Ironhide is the best since there are so many. It’s usually narrowed down to the MPM, the Studio Series Voyager and the HFTD Deluxe. Well, we’re gonna take a look at the ghostly redo of the HFTD Deluxe today.

Vehicle mode

One of the coolest parts of the 2007 Transformers movie was when the Transformers scanned their vehicle modes. The CGI was absolutely brain melting back in 2007; in fact, it still is today, a full 13 years later. And now I’ve got that scene in toy form.

Ironhide looks great in truck mode. The truck itself is molded very nicely and he’s absolutely slathered in paint. The way they painted the scanning lines is brilliant and Ironhide still has his front truck details painted up.

For playability, Ironhide rolls very well since he’s got such big wheels and so much clearance underneath him. Also, you can mount the drone on the back of the vehicle mode to have it aim forward. It’s good weapon storage and looks pretty well integrated, unlike some other weapons in vehicle mode.

Transformation

This is some nuts complexity for a Deluxe Class but that’s just how it was with Bayverse Transformers back in 2010.

Still, it’s one of those complex transformations that’s more smart than it is annoying so it still ends up being an enjoyable process. A bit finicky in some places but still fun.

Robot mode

I’m gonna come out and say it straight. This Ironhide looks better than the Studio Series Voyager Ironhide. They’re both very screen accurate but there are two things that put this Ironhide above the SS Ironhide to me; this guy doesn’t have obnoxious bumper kibble and the colours aren’t as boring.

Also, I think this size for Ironhide fits in better with the other Studio Series Transformers. The SS Ironhide looks to big to me.

A combination of the fact that this mold is scarily accurate to begin with plus the improved paint scheme make this Ironhide stand out as one of the only older Bayverse figures that can slide right into your Studio Series collection.

Ironhide has quite a bit of posability and is a step up from the first Voyager Bayverse Ironhide. His head is ball-jointed. His arms rotate as well as go in and out at the shoulders. He has bicep swivels, bending elbows and rotating fists at the wrists. His legs rotate as well as go in and out at the hips. He has thigh swivels and bending knees. His feet move forward and back as well as side to side.

Gimmicks

Ironhide comes with a drone. It’s basically a laser with legs that can either be used independently or can be used as an arm cannon by Ironhide. I actually really like the idea of it and it would be totally in character for Ironhide to use something like this.

It’s just that because Ironhide comes with the drone, one of his cannons is not show accurate. That makes me kinda sad but it does give this mold something unique and different to stand out among the sea of Ironhides out there.

Toy or collectible?

Collectible.

Lord Primus above, Scan Series Ironhide is expensive. I seriously lucked out getting him so cheap cause he goes for like RM120 ($30) loose. I’ve not seen him MISB recently but I shudder at the thought.

There are better Ironhides to get kids. Giving them this guy’s a bit of a waste since he’s kinda rare.

Closing

Apart from the one inaccurate cannon, this Ironhide is one of the best Bayverse Ironhides available. It says something that I sold my MPM Ironhide but kept this guy. The MPM is more accurate but this guy is accurate enough and isn’t a nightmare to handle.

Even if you have the Studio Series Ironhide or the Masterpiece Ironhide, you should still give this mold a shot; especially this deco if you don’t mind splurging a bit. This is one of the best Ironhide’s ever and is honestly one of the best Bayverse Deluxe Transformers ever to boot.