Classics (Universe) Ironhide And Sideswipe review
IRONHIDE
Vehicle mode pros:
Detailed. (molded in, not painted.)
SUV instead of a mom's taxi van.
Wheels roll nicely and freely.
Vehicle mode cons:
Bland red/blue/gray/black mix of colors. (nothing to break up the monotony.)
All of the cracks, crevices, lines, etc show up in abundance. (quite a turn off the more and more you look at his vehicle mode.)
Not exactly stable. (The hood is pinned down by two round posts/tabs, and if it weren't for them, his hood would never stay down. His whole front end seems like it wants to pop loose.)
Transformation pros:
Complex. (satisfying, even though it's imperfect.)
All of the pieces have somewhere to go. (Kinda neat in how it works, though his backpack is absolutely ridiculous.)
Transformation cons:
Complexity causes pieces to snap off if you look at them funny. (I've had more pieces of kibble snap off of him during transformation, than Classics Galvatron's left arm. Always having to snap something back in place, and I worry about the day one of these pieces finally break. Not to mention, you can see they were going for an Alternators/Movie figure transformation scheme and it's just a little too much for this figure.)
Construction. (Like I mentioned above, he's a bunch of pieces, and they come off at the drop of a hat. Just feels terribly flimsy during transformation.)
Robot mode pros:
Looks good. (No seriously, he does. Imperfect, but good. He's what G1 fans have been clamoring for. If G1 had been made like this, I wouldn't have turned my back on it.)
Poseable. (Though limited. Why his head isn't on a ball joint, is beyond me.)
Chest looks great. (Love the panel with the Autobot symbol that slides into place in the chest. NOTE: this step is skipped in the instructions. Why, I dunno.)
Robot mode cons:
HAS A BLUE FACE! (Not silver like we hoped, it's blue! Allspark baby blue!)
Bland, again. (Still the same monotonous color scheme, no extra colors or paint applications to break it up.)
Without modification, head won't come out all the way. (Looks like a hunch back, not sure it was planned that way either. Had to Dremel in two different spots (pelvis, spine) to get his head to come up to a reasonable level, and it's still not all the way up!)
Pelvis doesn't lock into place. (So in time, as the joint loosens, he'll become floppy when picked up, like a ragdoll.)
Weapon doesn't want to work with the hands as well as it should. (The hands will actually fit inside the gun, so you don't actually have to fold the hands in like the instructions show. But it's a pain getting it lined up just right.)
Overall:
Ironhide is quite confusing...
His transformation is complex enough to be satisfying, but too complex for his design.
His robot mode has some terrific features, but doesn't want to be solid at the waist.
His vehicle mode looks good on display if you don't pay attention to the lines, but it isn't exactly the most stable.
He suffers from the dreaded Prowl Paint Syndrome. (Tacky and comes off easily from the hood and roof. I've already had to repaint him. While I was doing that, I decided to add all of the paint they didn't. Even made him show accurate, as much as possible.)
Oddly enough, the cons seem to outweigh the pros, but there's something really quite enjoyable about him. I want to hate him, but I genuinely like him...a lot.
Now, do you see why he's confusing?
I can't explain it, but I have to recommend him. He's better than you'd expect, and worse than you'd imagine. lol Maybe it's quirks that sell him, but I do recommend him, and his positives are quite awesome.
A solid (yes, solid)
Classics Sideswipe
Vehicle mode pros:
Nice and solid. (Unlike Ironhide, this one you can actually play with.)
Stands out, much more than a straight repaint. (Pearlescent plastic FTW. The sheen adds to his overall look.)
Vehicle mode cons:
Rear end/legs don't want to seal tightly. (Always a slight gap. Nothing terrible, but it bugs my OCD.)
Transformation pros:
Head comes up without any problems from the windshield. (Doesn't sit cockeyed like Sunstreaker's! Although with a bit of fiddling, Sunstreaker's can be corrected as well.)
The minor difference between Sunstreaker and Sideswipe is just enough to differentiate the two to make them feel like completely different figures. (It shouldn't, but it works. Well.)
Transformation cons:
N/A
Robot mode pros:
The different head helps. (Of course, but beyond that, he looks fantastic in this new body type.)
Robot mode cons:
The shoulder holes are too small for the handle of the gun. (I had to use a drill bit to widen it enough to accommodate the gun. Yet, Sunstreaker can handle it just fine. My guess is the head wasn't the only mold change. Why they'd modify it is beyond me, but it absolutely would not fit without modification.)
Overall:
This new mold is a terrific update for the brothers. Both of them wear it well, and they look good doing so. It's nice to see that this time, they're actually twins, even if the transformation sequence is different for each one.
I also recommend Sideswipe. One of the nicer Classics molds. If the first run of Classics had been like this, I'd have continued to collect them.
A solid
NOTE: Realize that I am not a perfect Christian, nor do I profess to be. I apologize if anyone's ever offended by me, I'm not perfect. Don't hold my posts and opinions against other Christians.
Thanks for the clarification Venksta.
