The Energon Pub

The Wall Street Journal has reported that GM is set to discontinue production of the GMC Topkick and Chevrolet Kodiak medium-duty trucks at the end of July. This would seem to be the first indication of how GM's recent bankruptcy announcement will affect future live action Transformers films, as the GMC Topkick is the vehicle mode for the Autobot Ironhide

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This both sucks and rocks. It sucks because this version of Ironhide wasnt that bad(even though he should be red) but now that hes going to be getting a new form, maybe this time he'll actually be red like hes suppose to be. Theres no excuse now.

Paraphrasing Skids, "It's upgrade time!".

This doesn't mean that Ironhide has to change at all. These still have the collection of Topkicks used for filming the first two movies, so they can just use those. It's not like they need any more. And as for people that are going to claim GM's going to want to advertise something new, I doubt it. With all the trouble they're going through now I don't think they'll care about altering ONE character out of the whole franchise this late in the game, after the ILM people, the Hasbro people, and the other movie people have settled on something that works and looks awesome.

don't think we will see a red Ironhide. Didn't Bay state that he does like the way red films. And that was one of the reasons for the flame job on prime.

dumbprime wrote:Didn't Bay state that he does like the way red films

That must be why he made Sideswipe silver!!!! GRRRRRR

Considering I have yet to see a Topkick or Kodiak on the street or at a dealership anywhere, I thought they weren't in production yet.

RE: Previous comment

I think it's because Topkicks are mainly used for construction sites. If you look at roadworks and then the flat-beds carrying the metal and things, they're usually GM trucks. I only found out when I went to America in September and tried 'Ironhide Spotting'. I saw the vehicle modes of Barricade, Optimus Prime, Ratchet, Jazz and even Starscream! But it took me ages to realise that the Topkick was kriffing HUGE and that they (well, modified versions, anyway) were on road-work sites!

Any Americans correct me now, because if you know what I mean and they weren't Topkicks, then they were pretty damn close! lol

Still; RIP Topkick!

Ironhide is probably going to still be a Topkick. I bet they have plenty of those set vehicles for that.

I wonder if they're also discontinuing the commercial version of the Topkick (the chassis they use for cargo vans and dump trucks)...

RIP Ironhide. Killed by company mismanagement. Not Megatron.

meh not really a prob Bay can always buy some now as props

Swiftknife24 wrote:RE: Previous comment

I think it's because Topkicks are mainly used for construction sites. If you look at roadworks and then the flat-beds carrying the metal and things, they're usually GM trucks. I only found out when I went to America in September and tried 'Ironhide Spotting'. I saw the vehicle modes of Barricade, Optimus Prime, Ratchet, Jazz and even Starscream! But it took me ages to realise that the Topkick was kriffing HUGE and that they (well, modified versions, anyway) were on road-work sites!

Any Americans correct me now, because if you know what I mean and they weren't Topkicks, then they were pretty damn close! lol

Still; RIP Topkick!

I think it all depends on what state you are in. The Topkick, as you noted, is usually used in commercial appliactions. Some people do buy they for personal use, and I have seen them on dealer lots here in Idaho.

FYI--the entire medium duty truck line is being scuttled.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/31170969/

Shockerwave333 wrote:

dumbprime wrote:Didn't Bay state that he does like the way red films

That must be why he made Sideswipe silver!!!! GRRRRRR

i dont mean to sound like a know it all but
red is a filming nightmare (thats why prime's primary colors were blue) so they had to use as little red as possible (ie red flames) i think its a nice improvision as opposed to a pink prime or a pink ironhide

Why are you people getting so bitchy about it dosent mean anything about Iron Hide he will still be in Transformers 3 depending rather or not he survives this movie or not.

All this means he will no longer be a GMC Model he will get upgraded like how BB got upgraded from the Old Camero to the 2007 model.

Unkown rather or not what the new mode for Iron Hide is going to be but it will be a truck like deal but unknown which brand he will be.

Look we still other car brands out there it dosent mean anything about the ending of transformers it just means they wont be anymore GMC Models in transformers anymore.

I think this is a plus it can bring around more diversity and maybe have some cooler car concepts for the next transformers movie.

St. Even wrote:

Swiftknife24 wrote:RE: Previous comment

I think it's because Topkicks are mainly used for construction sites. If you look at roadworks and then the flat-beds carrying the metal and things, they're usually GM trucks. I only found out when I went to America in September and tried 'Ironhide Spotting'. I saw the vehicle modes of Barricade, Optimus Prime, Ratchet, Jazz and even Starscream! But it took me ages to realise that the Topkick was kriffing HUGE and that they (well, modified versions, anyway) were on road-work sites!

Any Americans correct me now, because if you know what I mean and they weren't Topkicks, then they were pretty damn close! lol

Still; RIP Topkick!

I think it all depends on what state you are in. The Topkick, as you noted, is usually used in commercial appliactions. Some people do buy they for personal use, and I have seen them on dealer lots here in Idaho.

Actually, Ironhide isn't 'technically' made by GMC. If you order a Topkick from GMC, you get a chassis bed truck - then you pay for the toolbox, flatbed, etc. Or you can have it sent to Monroe Truck Equipment - the company that builds Ironhide's alt mode and many other specialty type trucks. You can go order your own if you want (although I seem to remember the "Ironhide upgrades" being somewhere north of $85,000.....plus you have to supply the Topkick). Monroe's website isn't geared toward Ironhide as it was when TF1 came out, but you still see some photos of the truck on the site here and there. Here's the link to the site http://www.monroetruck.com/GM/index.html

I always thought he should have been a Hummer to begin with, as he and Ratchet are the same body wise. And Ratchet is a Hummer emergency vehicle, right? he should have been an old school Hummer H1, just simple and tough, like Ironhide.

St. Even wrote:

Swiftknife24 wrote:RE: Previous comment

I think it's because Topkicks are mainly used for construction sites. If you look at roadworks and then the flat-beds carrying the metal and things, they're usually GM trucks. I only found out when I went to America in September and tried 'Ironhide Spotting'. I saw the vehicle modes of Barricade, Optimus Prime, Ratchet, Jazz and even Starscream! But it took me ages to realise that the Topkick was kriffing HUGE and that they (well, modified versions, anyway) were on road-work sites!

Any Americans correct me now, because if you know what I mean and they weren't Topkicks, then they were pretty damn close! lol

Still; RIP Topkick!

I think it all depends on what state you are in. The Topkick, as you noted, is usually used in commercial appliactions. Some people do buy they for personal use, and I have seen them on dealer lots here in Idaho.

You guys are right on: since no Topkicks really look like Ironhide, no one probably recogizes them anyway-on the road or in a dealer lot. They're usually white and pretty non-descript. A person can pass a half dozen of them on a highway and never notice them.

As for my opinion on the movie character, GMs problems will probably have no affect on the film. If they want to keep him the truck, I'm sure they will. From Hasbro's persepctive, they'd probably want to change him to sell more product.

Rodimus Prime wrote:I always thought he should have been a Hummer to begin with, as he and Ratchet are the same body wise. And Ratchet is a Hummer emergency vehicle, right? he should have been an old school Hummer H1, just simple and tough, like Ironhide.

I agree with you there

DevastaTTor wrote:

St. Even wrote:

Swiftknife24 wrote:RE: Previous comment

I think it's because Topkicks are mainly used for construction sites. If you look at roadworks and then the flat-beds carrying the metal and things, they're usually GM trucks. I only found out when I went to America in September and tried 'Ironhide Spotting'. I saw the vehicle modes of Barricade, Optimus Prime, Ratchet, Jazz and even Starscream! But it took me ages to realise that the Topkick was kriffing HUGE and that they (well, modified versions, anyway) were on road-work sites!

Any Americans correct me now, because if you know what I mean and they weren't Topkicks, then they were pretty damn close! lol

Still; RIP Topkick!

I think it all depends on what state you are in. The Topkick, as you noted, is usually used in commercial appliactions. Some people do buy they for personal use, and I have seen them on dealer lots here in Idaho.

You guys are right on: since no Topkicks really look like Ironhide, no one probably recogizes them anyway-on the road or in a dealer lot. They're usually white and pretty non-descript. A person can pass a half dozen of them on a highway and never notice them.

As for my opinion on the movie character, GMs problems will probably have no affect on the film. If they want to keep him the truck, I'm sure they will. From Hasbro's persepctive, they'd probably want to change him to sell more product.

This is sad to hear Having seen a number of those bad-boys up close, I gotta say they're awesome trucks. Not remotely practical unless you've got a lot of stuff to haul and you don't mind the 7 mpg, but still. I think I've seen 3 now, one of them being the real deal when he was chilling at the GM Tech Center here in Michigan.

I love this one the most though...because of his name XD




*edit* I nearly forgot about this guy at the Dream Cruise last year...

St. Even wrote:

Swiftknife24 wrote:RE: Previous comment

I think it's because Topkicks are mainly used for construction sites. If you look at roadworks and then the flat-beds carrying the metal and things, they're usually GM trucks. I only found out when I went to America in September and tried 'Ironhide Spotting'. I saw the vehicle modes of Barricade, Optimus Prime, Ratchet, Jazz and even Starscream! But it took me ages to realise that the Topkick was kriffing HUGE and that they (well, modified versions, anyway) were on road-work sites!

Any Americans correct me now, because if you know what I mean and they weren't Topkicks, then they were pretty damn close! lol

Still; RIP Topkick!

I think it all depends on what state you are in. The Topkick, as you noted, is usually used in commercial appliactions. Some people do buy they for personal use, and I have seen them on dealer lots here in Idaho.

I have not seen any on lots, but I saw one on the highway in Iowa heading up to Minnesota. I did a double take. I wish it were black instead of the dark green it was painted. I would have taken a picture of it.

Autobot Firestorm wrote:

St. Even wrote:

Swiftknife24 wrote:RE: Previous comment

I think it's because Topkicks are mainly used for construction sites. If you look at roadworks and then the flat-beds carrying the metal and things, they're usually GM trucks. I only found out when I went to America in September and tried 'Ironhide Spotting'. I saw the vehicle modes of Barricade, Optimus Prime, Ratchet, Jazz and even Starscream! But it took me ages to realise that the Topkick was kriffing HUGE and that they (well, modified versions, anyway) were on road-work sites!

Any Americans correct me now, because if you know what I mean and they weren't Topkicks, then they were pretty damn close! lol

Still; RIP Topkick!

I think it all depends on what state you are in. The Topkick, as you noted, is usually used in commercial appliactions. Some people do buy they for personal use, and I have seen them on dealer lots here in Idaho.

Actually, Ironhide isn't 'technically' made by GMC. If you order a Topkick from GMC, you get a chassis bed truck - then you pay for the toolbox, flatbed, etc. Or you can have it sent to Monroe Truck Equipment - the company that builds Ironhide's alt mode and many other specialty type trucks. You can go order your own if you want (although I seem to remember the "Ironhide upgrades" being somewhere north of $85,000.....plus you have to supply the Topkick). Monroe's website isn't geared toward Ironhide as it was when TF1 came out, but you still see some photos of the truck on the site here and there. Here's the link to the site http://www.monroetruck.com/GM/index.html

This is exactly right. GM does not outfit the Topkicks in the configuration we see him in the movie for the public. Monroe does that. Topkicks (and Kodiacs) are the 4500,5500,6500, and even 7500 work truck chassis' that underpin many wreckers, short buses, small dump trucks, and box trucks.

And their friggin huge when you see them in pickup truck applications such as Monroe's conversion...


I've seen them on the road before, as well as an International RXT, and both are MASSIVE. But GM has been trying to offload the medium truck platform for roughly 4 years now.

Pontimax 01 wrote:And their friggin huge when you see them in pickup truck applications such as Monroe's conversion...


I've seen them on the road before, as well as an International RXT, and both are MASSIVE. But GM has been trying to offload the medium truck platform for roughly 4 years now.

That photo is adorable... ^^;