Post by Gane on Jun 22, 2011 12:25:36 GMT 8
Transformers Dark of the Moon Leader Class Ironhide
Thanks to the recent Toycon 2011 held in SM Megamall I managed to grab this figure before stocks run out. Well not really, but with a price tag of P2,800 that’s already almost P200 discount on retail when this is officially released locally. Of course I’d be kicking myself in the ass if Hasbro distributor released this less than P2,800… After the Toycon this toy will revert back to it's original price of 2,980 petot...
I don't know about you but when I paid that entry ticket to the convention I had only one thing in mind "I hope the Leader Class Ironhide is available." and there it was a few booths away from the Great Toys section. No, I didn't grab it the first chance I saw it, I ogled on other stuff first making sure I go through all the available stalls and their wares until I got bored. The Great Toys booth was so crowded you can't get an edgewise with their staff, but I didn't see any Leader Class Ironhide so a few minutes later trying to see if I can take a picture of a cosplayer in Black Rock Shooter costume (but she kept on turning to her right much to the dismay of us to her left) while Lara Croft was nowhere in sight after seeing her get in when I was on the line buying my ticket. The convention was getting crowded and with nothing to do I hightailed it out and headed for the cinemas. Unfortunately the lines were long in the ticket booths and watching Green Lantern in a crowded cinema is not my cup of tea… and I digress…
First off, LC Ironhide is huge. Without an LC Optimus Prime beside it for height comparison, it’s hard to judge how tall the figure stands. After unboxing I tried my luck transforming him. To think I’ve seen the Youtube video review I’d be aware of the instructions, I was stuck dumb and had to check the manual from start to finish. First time is the hardest, you’ll encounter parts not going in smoothly, snug fit in some holes and gaps that’s shouldn’t even be there.
After the initial transforming process, begins the inspection of what’s good and what’s bad, believe me there’s lots of this in this figure.
The Good:
- Big size that is relatively accurate when displayed next to a human Alliance figure,
- Electronic buttons are concealed as parts of his body (i.e. tube behind his head and top of chest controls his speech and mouth cover movement, and his abdominal cover which flips down open the machine gun on his torso so does the exhaust on his back in Bot Mode) except for the button on his back which gives the engine revving sounds,
- Just like Optimus Prime you will not hear him speak in Alt Mode thanks to the buttons being locked into position although his chest machine gun still works,
- Nice details which you can still improve on by adding a few elements here and there,
- NO Mechtech holes,
- A menacing size to keep your Leader Class Starscream from doing some mischief,
- Nice Mechtech weapon storage which you can access in both modes by pulling on the smokestacks,
- Leg missile and knife storage looks great although you’ll have to coax the missile launcher a bit to close,
- Clicking lock sounds are reduced to a minimum but some tend to be too loose,
The Bad:
- As with the rest of the Leader Class toys, Ironhide is not height accurate but stands shorter than RotF LC Optimus Prime, remember that his legs are always apart,
- Don’t look at the bottom of the cab if you don’t want to be disappointed, the rest of his bot mode are quite visible at the bottom thanks to the colored plastic they used,
- Short and grey smokestacks which are probably less than half an inch short for accuracy sake,
- Head is glued in place which reminds me to get that information on the internet to loosen this part,
- I don’t know if it’s coincidence but the ball joint holding his left hood is really loose as seen in the Youtube reviews,
- In real life the position of his arms in the shoulder is way too far back to even make him reach his head. In hand to hand combat Ironhide will have difficulties trying to reach his opponent,
- As with LC Optimus Prime and Starscream (I don’t have the rest), Ironhide doesn’t have a rotating waistline which aggravates any action poses when Ironhide needs it in hand to hand combat,
- The right leg don’t fold as much as the left does because of an extra plastic molding that inhibits this which doesn’t really secure the missile launcher, you can remove this or leave it alone,
- A big chunk of flat plastic which makes up a part of the pick-ups cover is visible in bot mode,
- He’s got Popeye forearms,
- Hands are molded in place with the forearm which also limits how you want to display any weapon Ironhide will hold,
- Bumpers rubs too much on the silver painted headlight ends which will eventually chip some paints off sooner or later,
- Left arm Mechtech cover flips open a lot,
- His feet don’t touch the ground literally, the rear of the pick-up act as a foot pad elevating the rest off the ground,
The list of Bad might be disappointing compared to the amount of features you can see in LC Sentinel Prime but think about this, you have a good size Ironhide which will look good with the rest of the Leader Class and Human Alliance figures in Bot Mode and at the same time really awesome with the rest of the Human Alliance in Alt Mode.
Compared to RotF Leader Class Optimus Prime and Starscream, Ironhide probably has the least amount of transformable or moving parts not counting articulation. Compared to the rest of the Leader Class and Human Alliance figure, Ironhide is also the easiest to transform because of the same fact as having fewer parts to move around. Some snug parts are problematic (like the clear part making up the windshield and side windows) but can be coaxed in place and retransforming them making sure some parts will not block another.
Leader Class Bumblebee is the only figure in this scale that doesn’t have his electronics within his body. Having said that, a lot of Ironhides’ Bot Mode could have been stored inside the cab and a lot more movable details could have been added. Also I've never been a fan of this electronics with large battery compartments. The Armada and earlier toys have small battery compartments...
I’m not trying to discourage anyone from getting their own Leader Class Ironhide, just stating some facts you may want to know before buying one only to resell it online.
Personally, I will keep him around because aesthetically both his Bot and Alt Modes are pleasing to display, if you can customize, do some work on some details then you’ll be up-ing his level a notch higher. In Alt Mode, Ironhide looks just like another model car on display but there are rough parts where they should be shiny so a good clear coat bath should do the trick. In Bot mode, he’s ready to fight any Decepticon running amock on the display.
What can make me give Leader Class Ironhide away? When Hasbro and Takara-Tomy comes out with a Human Alliance Ironhide with accurate size (i.e. LC size but HA transformation quality) dropping any electronic gimmick off the curb. The same goes for a Human Alliance Optimus Prime and Ratchet, keeping in mind that the RotF Leader Class Optimus Prime is a few centimeters short in Bot While his Alt Mode is almost there (based on the height and size comparison in RotF DVD feature) on the other hand a Human Alliance or Leader Class Ratchet should be smaller than Leader Class Ironhide both in Alt and Bot Modes.
I give Leader Class Ironhide a 3.5 out of 5… because Hasbro and Takara-Tomy put a limit on the amount of movable/transformable features on him compared to the rest of the Leader Class figures in all 3 Transformers Live Action Movies.
On that last statement, it's easy to understand that Hasbro and Takara-Tomy could be cutting production costs by limiting some details because of the present economic situation. More parts to put together also means more people to do the job, so removing unnecessary details cuts down on the production cost. If you've seen my reviews on fake Transformers toys you'll know what I mean about cost cutting.
Thanks to the recent Toycon 2011 held in SM Megamall I managed to grab this figure before stocks run out. Well not really, but with a price tag of P2,800 that’s already almost P200 discount on retail when this is officially released locally. Of course I’d be kicking myself in the ass if Hasbro distributor released this less than P2,800… After the Toycon this toy will revert back to it's original price of 2,980 petot...
I don't know about you but when I paid that entry ticket to the convention I had only one thing in mind "I hope the Leader Class Ironhide is available." and there it was a few booths away from the Great Toys section. No, I didn't grab it the first chance I saw it, I ogled on other stuff first making sure I go through all the available stalls and their wares until I got bored. The Great Toys booth was so crowded you can't get an edgewise with their staff, but I didn't see any Leader Class Ironhide so a few minutes later trying to see if I can take a picture of a cosplayer in Black Rock Shooter costume (but she kept on turning to her right much to the dismay of us to her left) while Lara Croft was nowhere in sight after seeing her get in when I was on the line buying my ticket. The convention was getting crowded and with nothing to do I hightailed it out and headed for the cinemas. Unfortunately the lines were long in the ticket booths and watching Green Lantern in a crowded cinema is not my cup of tea… and I digress…
First off, LC Ironhide is huge. Without an LC Optimus Prime beside it for height comparison, it’s hard to judge how tall the figure stands. After unboxing I tried my luck transforming him. To think I’ve seen the Youtube video review I’d be aware of the instructions, I was stuck dumb and had to check the manual from start to finish. First time is the hardest, you’ll encounter parts not going in smoothly, snug fit in some holes and gaps that’s shouldn’t even be there.
After the initial transforming process, begins the inspection of what’s good and what’s bad, believe me there’s lots of this in this figure.
The Good:
- Big size that is relatively accurate when displayed next to a human Alliance figure,
- Electronic buttons are concealed as parts of his body (i.e. tube behind his head and top of chest controls his speech and mouth cover movement, and his abdominal cover which flips down open the machine gun on his torso so does the exhaust on his back in Bot Mode) except for the button on his back which gives the engine revving sounds,
- Just like Optimus Prime you will not hear him speak in Alt Mode thanks to the buttons being locked into position although his chest machine gun still works,
- Nice details which you can still improve on by adding a few elements here and there,
- NO Mechtech holes,
- A menacing size to keep your Leader Class Starscream from doing some mischief,
- Nice Mechtech weapon storage which you can access in both modes by pulling on the smokestacks,
- Leg missile and knife storage looks great although you’ll have to coax the missile launcher a bit to close,
- Clicking lock sounds are reduced to a minimum but some tend to be too loose,
The Bad:
- As with the rest of the Leader Class toys, Ironhide is not height accurate but stands shorter than RotF LC Optimus Prime, remember that his legs are always apart,
- Don’t look at the bottom of the cab if you don’t want to be disappointed, the rest of his bot mode are quite visible at the bottom thanks to the colored plastic they used,
- Short and grey smokestacks which are probably less than half an inch short for accuracy sake,
- Head is glued in place which reminds me to get that information on the internet to loosen this part,
- I don’t know if it’s coincidence but the ball joint holding his left hood is really loose as seen in the Youtube reviews,
- In real life the position of his arms in the shoulder is way too far back to even make him reach his head. In hand to hand combat Ironhide will have difficulties trying to reach his opponent,
- As with LC Optimus Prime and Starscream (I don’t have the rest), Ironhide doesn’t have a rotating waistline which aggravates any action poses when Ironhide needs it in hand to hand combat,
- The right leg don’t fold as much as the left does because of an extra plastic molding that inhibits this which doesn’t really secure the missile launcher, you can remove this or leave it alone,
- A big chunk of flat plastic which makes up a part of the pick-ups cover is visible in bot mode,
- He’s got Popeye forearms,
- Hands are molded in place with the forearm which also limits how you want to display any weapon Ironhide will hold,
- Bumpers rubs too much on the silver painted headlight ends which will eventually chip some paints off sooner or later,
- Left arm Mechtech cover flips open a lot,
- His feet don’t touch the ground literally, the rear of the pick-up act as a foot pad elevating the rest off the ground,
The list of Bad might be disappointing compared to the amount of features you can see in LC Sentinel Prime but think about this, you have a good size Ironhide which will look good with the rest of the Leader Class and Human Alliance figures in Bot Mode and at the same time really awesome with the rest of the Human Alliance in Alt Mode.
Compared to RotF Leader Class Optimus Prime and Starscream, Ironhide probably has the least amount of transformable or moving parts not counting articulation. Compared to the rest of the Leader Class and Human Alliance figure, Ironhide is also the easiest to transform because of the same fact as having fewer parts to move around. Some snug parts are problematic (like the clear part making up the windshield and side windows) but can be coaxed in place and retransforming them making sure some parts will not block another.
Leader Class Bumblebee is the only figure in this scale that doesn’t have his electronics within his body. Having said that, a lot of Ironhides’ Bot Mode could have been stored inside the cab and a lot more movable details could have been added. Also I've never been a fan of this electronics with large battery compartments. The Armada and earlier toys have small battery compartments...
I’m not trying to discourage anyone from getting their own Leader Class Ironhide, just stating some facts you may want to know before buying one only to resell it online.
Personally, I will keep him around because aesthetically both his Bot and Alt Modes are pleasing to display, if you can customize, do some work on some details then you’ll be up-ing his level a notch higher. In Alt Mode, Ironhide looks just like another model car on display but there are rough parts where they should be shiny so a good clear coat bath should do the trick. In Bot mode, he’s ready to fight any Decepticon running amock on the display.
What can make me give Leader Class Ironhide away? When Hasbro and Takara-Tomy comes out with a Human Alliance Ironhide with accurate size (i.e. LC size but HA transformation quality) dropping any electronic gimmick off the curb. The same goes for a Human Alliance Optimus Prime and Ratchet, keeping in mind that the RotF Leader Class Optimus Prime is a few centimeters short in Bot While his Alt Mode is almost there (based on the height and size comparison in RotF DVD feature) on the other hand a Human Alliance or Leader Class Ratchet should be smaller than Leader Class Ironhide both in Alt and Bot Modes.
I give Leader Class Ironhide a 3.5 out of 5… because Hasbro and Takara-Tomy put a limit on the amount of movable/transformable features on him compared to the rest of the Leader Class figures in all 3 Transformers Live Action Movies.
On that last statement, it's easy to understand that Hasbro and Takara-Tomy could be cutting production costs by limiting some details because of the present economic situation. More parts to put together also means more people to do the job, so removing unnecessary details cuts down on the production cost. If you've seen my reviews on fake Transformers toys you'll know what I mean about cost cutting.
keeping the site active as a place to dump info for easier backtracking. 