Talk:Ironhide (G1)

Back in Black
Not sure how best to add this to the Toy section of the site (under G1 Ironhide? in its own sub-section?), so I'm putting all the basic info here for now:

e-Hobby is coming out with (gasp) another black recolor exclusive, but at least this one has some historical legitimacy/excuse.

New Year Special e-Hobby Exclusive: TF Encore Black Protective Ironhide will be priced at 4725 yen. Pre-orders being taken until Jan. 11, with a projected shipping date of next April.

The black coloration's meant to homage Ironhide's original Diaclone version, but taken in conjunction with the Emergency Green Ratchet (and a hint in his tech specs), it's a double homage to the new movie Ironhide. (Well, a triple homage if you want to count the A-Team van.) The packaging will be the same as the regular TF Encore Ironhide's.

According to his tech specs, he got the black protective coating to disguise himself from both Destrons and members of the human criminal underworld when he's acting as Convoy's bodyguard. Not a few of his fellow Cybertrons have whispered to him that he looks like a "men in black" vehicle, but Ironhide insists he got the idea from the deep black coloration of pickup trucks he saw around town. The coating, a composite gel metal, has made his trithyllium steel skin even more durable, allowing him to self-repair minor injuries right away. His robot/mobile artillery form (that's how they refer to the MARB) is now 25% more maneuverable than before, and he can handle even the worst of roads using his three-legged Marauder Mode. (I'm guessing that's the name for the robot portion perched on top of the MARB.)

Images and such are here.--Apcog 08:17, 1 December 2007 (UTC)


 * So far all G1 reissues and special G1 toy repaints released under the G1 brand have been place under the same Generation 1 toy sub section as the original release.
 * I think it's highly likely that in TakaraTomy marketing terms, the black repaint while a Diaclone colour scheme (which is convenient), actually has less to do with Diaclone than it does with them repainting an Ironhide in colours marginally similar to Movie Ironhide, hence that green Ratchet. By having a black Ironhide who's also a Diaclone colour scheme, they get the widest possible niche customer base for the product. --FFN 08:45, 1 December 2007 (UTC)
 * Oh, no doubt the double homage was a purposeful marketing move. The e-Hobby page simply makes direct mention of the Diaclone version but leaves the movie aspect to be hinted at purely in the tech spec text.  Anyway, I'm about to turn in for the night, so I'll see about integrating this tomorrow, unless someone else gets to it first.--Apcog 09:42, 1 December 2007 (UTC)


 * I think your Black Ironhide entry will need to be rewritten eventually, since that info from his bio tech spec shouldn't be in the toy section. --FFN 21:11, 1 December 2007 (UTC)
 * I don't really mind it being there. I've forgotten what the latest version of policy regarding putting fiction details from a specific toy release in with the toy's information is, but this at least seems more clean and less awkward than having an eHobby subheader under the Fiction section saying that sometimes he puts on a black finish.  --ItsWalky 21:18, 1 December 2007 (UTC)
 * This possible flub was all part and parcel of my uncertainty regarding adding this info to the article in the first place, and why I put all the info I had on the Talk page first. If it turns out I've misplaced the tech spec info by wikia standards, by all means, please put it where it's supposed to be.  I don't get to come here enough to abate all my ignorance in a timely fashion, so it'll be faster.  OTOH, based on Walky's comments, I suspect it won't have to be moved until/unless this version of the character gains a more substantial presence in official TF fiction.--Apcog 21:58, 1 December 2007 (UTC)

Head Count
According to the latest entry at Autobase Aichi, the January '08 issue of Hyper Hobby contains photos of the TF Encore Ironhide with a head made out of paper attached. Be on the lookout for that one...--Apcog 08:28, 2 December 2007 (UTC)
 * And sure enough, now Takara's site has a photo. Ratchet's getting the same treatment.  Both are set to go on sale Dec. 20.--Apcog 16:13, 14 December 2007 (UTC)

Depends what you mean by "G1"
Walky cut the line "Interestingly, this is the only G1 Ironhide toy to date that doesn't share a mold with Ratchet," with the explanation "Power Master Ironhide doesn't share one with Ratchet either." Power Master Ironhide was a G2 toy (representing a G1 character). So, either, A) the line should be reinstated, since it refers to only G1 toys, or B) the original line was twice wrong, since Magamaboss Ironhide also represents the G1 character, and its mold has never been used for Ratchet. Thoughts? JW 13:55, 5 May 2008 (UTC)
 * I certainly specified G1 by meaning more or less "red vannish things that always get painted white and have lights slapped on their roofs." Perhaps it's a weaker grouping than I thought.--RosicrucianTalk 14:04, 5 May 2008 (UTC)