Toy Review - JP MP-27 Masterpiece Ironhide

[griffin]

(Please post comments, photos or even a fully comprehensive review - these are just brief details to start you off)

Series - Masterpiece
Sub-line - none
Size/class - n/a
New/remould/redeco - new
Wave - n/a (MP-27)
Released here - released in Japan January 30th 2015
Approximate Retail Price - 10,000yen (about AU$120)
Approximate Size - 16cm
Allegiance - Autobot
Alt-mode - Nissan Box Van
Main Features/Gimmicks - Weapons sled
Main Colours - Red, grey.
Main Accessories - 17 accessories plus a weapons sled to store them on. (missile launcher, missile, 2? small hand guns, big gun, wrist scanner, 3 pairs of alternate hands/nozzles, alternate face, rocket pack, 2 rocket flames, and a chest image insert)

[Bladestorm]

I got my Ironhide this afternoon. Here are a few iPhone photos and my initial thoughts.



Man - I know I am probably biased since Ironhide is my 2nd all time favourite character but he is SO MUCH FUN!
He looks amazing in vehicle mode. The paint job is perfect. The wheels are plastic-y but I can live with that. I personally love the blue tint windows.





Transformation is actually very clever however on my figure the feet were stuck together so tight I ended up reluctantly having to use a screwdriver to carefully pry them open.


Despite my nervousness because of the feet being 'stuck' I really LOVE how they've put the transformation together for Ironhide because it makes full use of cavities and part manipulation to create the robot mode.
It's one of those figures where I feel truly satisfied by the transformation; aside from the hip panels everything has a neat place to move to go from van to bot. In my opinion there isn't much in the way of kibble and no backpack shell or anything like that.




The sled it cool and there are so many little bits to configure I still haven't decided what I'm going to do for his display pose (I'm tempted to use the jetpack and have him launching off the ground). I'm still working my way through all the bits he comes with...

The coin is also very nice.


The only thing they could do to make him even more impressive for me would be to give him Peter Cullen's Ironhide voice.

[griffin]

(copied Bladestorm's posting from the News topic into here as well)

[M-bot]

Thanks for sharing the pics Bladestorm. It's one of those rare occasions where the in-hand photos make the figure look better that the stock photos. Really looking forward to getting mine now!

[GoktimusPrime]

Thanks for sharing the pics Bladestorm. It's one of those rare occasions where the in-hand photos make the figure look better that the stock photos. Really looking forward to getting mine now!

Agreed. The stock photos make the front and front side windows look opaque, whereas looking at Bladestorm's photos we can see that they are clearly transparent blue. A shame that the toy-accurate head is unpainted... but I'm probably one of few who'd want to see it painted.

[doublespy]

Very nice photos and write-up

It's one of those rare occasions where the in-hand photos make the figure look better that the stock photos. Really looking forward to getting mine now!

I feel the same. I was only mildly looking forward to Ironhide but now I can't wait for him to arrive.

[Bladestorm]

Thanks for duplicating this here Griffin.

Wait till you guys see how Ironhide transforms in hand; it really is a neat transformation with the back window sliding under the front window and the cavities in arms and legs hidden by exterior panels flipping over. I really do think you guys will enjoy transforming him as much as I am simply for the thrill of the engineering that must have gone into it.

He looks like the Ironhide I expect, transforms like I want a transformer to and has a really nice vehicular mode. I couldn't be happier and so glad I pre-ordered him.

[Bidoofdude]

He looks and fits better than what I thought, judging from these pics. We have a good Ironhide toy now too, which is good.

[drifand]

Agreed. The stock photos make the front and front side windows look opaque, whereas looking at Bladestorm's photos we can see that they are clearly transparent blue. A shame that the toy-accurate head is unpainted... but I'm probably one of few who'd want to see it painted.

Nope I am going to agree with you as I feel they leave out painted area sometimes on most crucial areas. When you look or prowl or streak they are great examples.

[doublespy]

MP Ironhide is one of those figures that you have to see in person and play to appreciate.

The vehicle mode is clean with a very nice paint job of a rich shade of red, with nice chrome lights, bumper bars and even a chromed exhaust pipe. He doesn't feel much big than standard MP cars but Kobayashi utilizes his volume very well, turning him into a seeker sized robot. The two handguns can be stored underneath the van, which I like.







Transformation is ingenious. I feel like the biggest challenge designing an MP Ironhide would be turning a licensed vehicle mode with lots of curves into a show accurate Ironhide, with mostly straight lines and hard edges. The cartoon model gets away by rendering the van as pretty much a square box, that looks nothing like the Nissan Vanette.

Kobayashi's solution is basically folding the van in half from the middle and turning the it inside out, to expose all the squares and straight lines. The only visible chunk from the vehicle mode now is the chest piece, which doesn't look show accurate. But then again, you'd need a fake chest altogether for that. The whole process is fun, satisfying and surprisingly simple.


The robot mode is virtually kibble free. The hip kibble doesn't bother me at all in person. My only gripe would probably be the torso is a bit too long.




Articulation is what would be expected from an MP figure. The hip panels do get in the way if you try to get him in a wide stance pose, but they pull out to give extra clearance. He comes with more accessories than I know what to do with and the little weapon stand is great. I'd like to see more of this in the future.








There's still several heavy weight characters missing, but the Season One Autobot crew is looking real good.









I feel like with Tracks, which was imo mediocre with several odd design decisions, Kobayashi was still trying to fit his design into Shogo Hasui's MP 2.0 format. With Ironhide he proved to us again what he is capable of. I hope that the Masterpiece line will reach a new height in his hands.