Pictorial Review: DOTM Cyberverse Commander Ironhide

Greetings! I'm Becca, I'm British, I'm...uh...badass...yeah...let's skip the introduction and talk Cyberverse, shall we?

More specifically, let's chat about my favourite Bayformer of all time: Ironhide. (Phonetically pronounced 'Arnhawd'. It's true, just ask Brent). I'm telling you he is my favourite right up front so that you know where my biases stand when it comes to reviewing toys of this character: they could make the most godawful shell-former out of solidified radioactive poo and I'd still find something positive to say about it even as my hair is falling out and I'm starting to that think my dog smells nice. (She doesn't.)

So you can take it with a pinch of salt when I say that this Cyberverse Commander is good, but I genuinely mean what I say: he is good. And by that I mean that he is on the right side of "mediocrity", but the wrong side of "absolutely excellent". His pros make him a nice figure to own; his cons stop him from being simply perfect.

Vehicle Mode

I'm here to kick ass and chew bubblegum, and...
...Wait, I'm a robot. I don't have teeth.

The vehicle mode is pretty sweet. In both terms of the word. It's an itty-bitty...uh...*checks back of the packet*...right, GMC Topkick (thanks, product placement), and it's a darling of a thing. It's just the right size for the hybrid blend of Legend and Scout that is the Cyberverse Commander, whilst still managing to look pretty badass.

Psh, I look so much hotter than Chopsaw or Skids, glitch.
...Wait. That's not much of an achievement.

The Topkick features three holes for his two guns to clip into or, if you're a sucker for unrealistically massive bazookas (I know I am!), you can fit the two guns together and clip it to a very cleverly-placed bar that sits in the middle of the truck's bed. Unfortunately, thanks to the overly-long handles of each gun, this makes the bazooka-type-thing stick up at a very odd angle, and so you're better off just using the one gun on the clip-pole to prevent ridiculousness.

Yeeeah, check out this fine piece of equipment!
...Wait. No. I didn't mean you, Sideburn.

Other cons of this fine Aubobot's alt-mode include unpainted windows (leading to a really poor unfinished look), a glaring hole right in the middle of his bonnet (thanks to the transformation) and plastic that will smear with anything and everything (thanks to me being incredibly messy...?). However, the interesting transformation and dinky little truck you're left with more than make up for these flaws if you'll allow them.

ROBOT MODE

The transformation instructions for Ironhide really are long-winded, and several times made me think that I'd missed something because they took three steps to explain something that could have been done in one. There are ten steps in total for a transformation that entirely consists of "push up his head, fold over his bonnet, fold up his arms, twist and fold his legs", but I must say that I am diggin' the fact they're using renders instead of overly-complicated illustrations now. It makes understanding what goes where on overly complicated-looking toys much easier.

Mrs. Peel, we're needed.
...Wait. This isn't the 70's.

But the robot mode is even more cute-yet-oddly-scary than the vehicle mode. Lil' Ironhide has lil' hands, a lil' head, a lil' Autobot logo, and very massive stompy feet. His guns can either be clipped onto either arm, slung across his back Rambo-style, or joined together and held as le massive bazooka. And the clip? Yeah, that's compatible with Generations figures clip-gimmicks, too.

Give me my bazooka back or I swear to Primus I'm gonna kick you in the...
...Wait. Robots don't have nads, either.

Meanwhile on the articulation front, he has ball-jointed hips (which are quite loose; fix with clear nail polish); ball-jointed knees; hinged ankles that swing both ways; ball-jointed shoulders; and hinged elbows. All of these allow for a massive amount of articulation, and there's surprisingly little kibble to get in the way. The two door-flaps on his shoulders can be moved, and the backpack is so small that it's barely even noticeable.

(I'd call this short perverted, if I didn't know that I had only been trying to
photograph the Autobot symbol. - Ed.)

The robot-mode is definitely the stronger of the two, but it's not without its flaws. As mentioned above, the hip joints are surprisingly lose. There's also no articulation on the head (which clips into place over his chest) which means he can only look directly in front of him, making the amount of articulation almost moot. And the shoulder ball joints, whilst very welcome, pop off at the slightest application of pressure the wrong way.

But these are all minor flaws, and I can certainly forgive them if you can. At the end of the day, Cyberverse Commander Ironhide is a fun little toy who is good for kids and kids-at-heart alike, for playing or posing alike, and if you're a Bayformer fan who's looking forward to DOTM, you should definitely think about getting him.

THE BOTTOM LINE
Price: £8.99
Location: Toys R Us, Swindon. Available now.
Vehicle Mode: 7/10.
Robot Mode: 8/10.
Overall: 15/20, or 75% if you're a mathematical genius. I'd call that a solid B+.