Ironhide

Ironhide is the name of several different fictional characters in the Transformers universes.

Transformers - Generation 1

Transformers character
name =Ironhide


caption =
affiliation =Autobot, later Maximal
subgroup =Autobot Cars, Deluxe Vehicles, Go-Bots, Power Masters, Deluxe Beasts
function =Security
Military Strategist
Maximal Elder
partner =Prowl & Silverbolt
motto ="High tech circuitry is no replacement for guts."
"Being fast is an asset, but nothing replaces guts!"
"I grind Decepticons into garbage any way I can."
"Slow is as slow does."
alternatemodes =Cybertronian Truck
Bedford Rascal Van
Ford Pick-Up Truck
Hummer
Cobra HiSS
African elephant
Armored Train Car
series =

Beast Wars


voiceby =Peter Cullen (English) Sho Hayami (Japanese)

Ironhide (Rhino in Canada, Falco in Italy, Vasököl (Ironfist) in Hungary) is portrayed as a toughened old Autobot who has seen his share of battle.

Animated series

The character designers for the cartoon redesigned Ironhide's body, which is now the best-known of all his appearances. Despite being known for being part of the Autobot security detail and Optimus Prime's bodyguard, Ironhide was most often seen in the capacity of a warrior, often fighting in battle without Optimus Prime, or a specific worksite/person/cargo to protect. He was also used as an officer, leading a team of Autobots just as would Optimus's advisors, Prowl and Jazz. Ironhide seemed to develop a bond with the Autobots' human allies, engaging with them on a friendly basis as much as protecting them. Ironhide was in love with the female Autobot Chromia.

In the "More Than Meets The Eye" three parter that launched the animated series, Ironhide was shown assisting Bumblebee in stopping a Rumble created flood. Later, tired of being constantly a step behind the Decepticons, Ironhide impetuously took off after them - only to be brought back down to Earth with a bump by a teleporting Skywarp. Ironhide's most prominent appearance was in the second season episode "The Immobilizer". Distracted by Spike's friend Carly (who was a big fan of the Autobots) while on guard duty, Ironhide inadvertently allowed the Decepticons to steal Wheeljack's latest invention - a weapon that could freeze anything it fired at, including Transformers. Guilt-ridden and believing himself to be too old to be of any further use Ironhide resigned from active service, against the wishes of Optimus Prime. However, when Carly was captured by the Decepticons trying to make up for what had happened to Ironhide, the veteran Autobot went to her rescue and saved her from the Decepticon base. After being frozen and unfrozen by the Immobilizer (after Carly and Brawn sabotaged it) Ironhide personally destroyed the device and returned to active duty.

Ironhide fulfilled his role as Prime's bodyguard in the episode "Transport to Oblivion." While battling Megatron at a power plant, Prime accidentally knocked the Decepticon leader into a generator, giving him a temporary "power boost." Megatron took advantage of the boost, knocking Prime down and temporarily stunning him. He then transformed into his gun mode, ordering Soundwave to destroy the Autobot leader. Ironhide, leaping forward, took the shot himself, saving Prime's life. Rather than pursue the withdrawing Decepticons, Optimus ordered the team back to base because of how badly Ironhide had been hit. The grouchy Ironhide was not at all pleased with needing some "R&R" (what Ratchet said was needed for one of his components--"removed and rebuilt"). Ratchet humorously threatened to disconnect Ironhide's vocal circuits if he kept complaining. Ironhide made a full recovery and was available for duty soon thereafter.

In "A Prime Problem", Ironhide took temporary leadership of the Autobots when they couldn't decide on which Optimus Prime was which, as Megatron had made a perfect clone of Optimus Prime to fool the Autobots into venturing down into a dangerous chasm.

In "The Search for Alpha Trion", when Optimus Prime returned to Cybertron alone to save Elita One, Ironhide leads Inferno and Powerglide after him. On Cybertron the Autobots are briefly reunited with Chromia, Moonracer and Firestar, defeat the Decepticons and save Elita.

Ironhide is killed in "" as the Decepticons invade an Autobot shuttle in which Ironhide, Prowl, Ratchet and Brawn are traveling to Earth. Before the shuttle departed, Spike asked Ironhide to tell his son, Daniel, that he misses him, and that he'll be coming home as soon as they 'kick Megatron's tail clear across the galaxy.' Despite his "heavily concentrated armor in his front section", he falls as result of a number of blasts from the invading Decepticons and several shots to the chest from Megatron in his 'gun' mode, wielded by Starscream. When Megatron reveals to Starscream how he is going to attack Autobot City on Earth and wipe them out forever, a wounded Ironhide clutches at Megatron's leg and yells, "No!!". Megatron answers with the famous words: "Such heroic nonsense", and kills Ironhide offscreen with a point-blank blast to the head from his fusion cannon. A few scenes later, Ironhide appears to be attacking Autobot City with the Decepticons, but this is actually a mis-colored Reflector. It is speculated by some that Ironhide may have formerly been Dion, the best friend of worker robot Orion Pax, who was himself rebuilt into Optimus Prime by the ancient Autobot, Alpha Trion. Their apparent longstanding relationship could be seen to support this idea, but it was never officially touched upon. Ironhide was, at least, an established character at the time of the episode "War Dawn" (unlike Ultra Magnus who is also seen as a likely Dion). Still, Magnus has many points in favor of his being Dion as well (including an official recognition/homage to the idea in the second Dreamwave G1 miniseries) and in the end, the issue remains unresolved.

Marvel Comics

Ironhide's first appearance in the comics resembled his toy but was soon updated to his more anthropomorphic animated form. In US #4, with the Autobots low on fuel and facing an imminent Decepticon assault, he was chosen by Optimus Prime alongside Huffer, Bluestreak and Mirage to be given all the remaining fuel and stand against the Decepticons. While Megatron's soldiers collapsed at the last moment due to poisoned fuel, the Autobots were abruptly offlined and the Ark captured by Shockwave.

Once reactivated, he was part of the team sent on a failed mission to prevent the Decepticons contacting Cybertron and battled the Constructicons for the first time. He later worked alongside Jetfire in the Dinobot Hunt and learnt to trust him despite his Decepticon origins; and he fought the Constructicons again at a demolition derby while working as a bodyguard for Buster Witwicky. Things took a darker turn when, in "", Galvatron arrived and Optimus Prime was sent to Limbo. Losing to the future Decepticon and having taken a humiliating beating, it was Ironhide who made the decision to dig up & reactivate Megatron and have him assume command against Galvatron.

Ironhide was sidelined as a character in subsequent issues, though he was drawn as fighting against Ratbat's forces on the moon and in the Time Wars. He was later deactivated, presumably during the Underbase battle, and reactivated by Grimlock using Nucleon.

In the latter-day black-and-white U.K. stories, he was one of five Autobots who Galvatron accidentally reactivated whilst trying to find Autobots with flaws that he could exploit to gain as troops. It was revealed Ironhide had once thwarted a terrorist siege only for the police to almost mess it up, leaving him feeling frustrated with humans. The five defeated him and Ironhide became part of the Autobot Earthforce, where he went on to thwart Decepticon attempts to create an Actionmaster Devastator and help Jazz prevent Megatron & Shockwave from uniting their two factions.

Ironhide appeared in the Marvel Generation Two comics in his G1 form, seemingly dying alongside Smokescreen.

Audio books

Ironhide was featured in the 1985 audio adventures Megatron's Fight For Power, Autobots Fight Back and Laserbeak's Fury.

3H Enterprises

The "Beast Wars" Ironhide made appearance in "Transformers: Universe #3" as part of Magnaboss. In this comic Optimus Primal pleads with Magnaboss and the Maximal High council (which oddly includes Bantor, Air Hammer, Corahda, Torca and Battle Unicorn) to take the threat of Unicron seriously, but they doubt his claims. Optimus Primal is detained, but Snarl breaks him out of the detention center.

Dreamwave Productions

Ironhide spent his peacetime years as a construction engineer fashioning the vast bridges that connect Cybertron's many city-states. When civil war broke out on the planet Cybertron between the Autobots and Decepticon factions, Ironhide joined the Autobot cause.

In the War Within stories, Ironhide was shown during the war often teamed with Grimlock. Ironhide was present under Grimlock's at the battle of Altihex, where they proved unable to save the city. When new leader Optimus ordered the evacuation of Cybertron by the Autobots, Ironhide was among those who reluctantly prepared for the evacuation; he was subsequently part of Grimlock's team sent to rescue Optimus in Cybertron's depths and fought to stop Starscream from mechaforming the planet. When Megatron and Optimus Prime temporarily disappeared in an accident with a space bridge and both sides split into multiple factions, Ironhide joined the Lightning Strike Coalition under Grimlock. Working with the LSC, he helped steal a shipment of energon from Starscream at the Moon Alpha Space Port. It is worth noting that this Cybertronian incarnation of Ironhide represented the original toy closely, with his windscreen in front of his face.

Ironhide was among the Autobots on the Ark mission, who crashed on Earth and were awoken, reformatted into Earth forms, in 1984. After the Decepticons were defeated, the Autobots returned home in the Ark II, but the ship exploded shortly after takeoff and a deactivated Ironhide was one of those lost in the ocean. He was also one of those recovered by Lazarus and reprogrammed as slave war machines to be sold to the highest bidder. Megatron broke free and then freed his fellow Decepticons; the captured Autobots were abused, but eventually freed by Optimus Prime.

In 2003, a Cybertronian task force under Shockwave announced that the war had ended on Cybertron and that Megatron and Optimus Prime's troops were all criminals for their violent acts. Ironhide was taken back to Cybertron, and after Shockwave was deposed he helped Prowl give combat training to the younger Cybertronian Autobots.

Devil's Due Publishing

In this alternate-continuity crossover between Transformers and , the Ark was discovered by the terrorist group Cobra, and all the Transformers inside were reformatted into Cobra vehicles remotely controlled by Tele-Vipers (Cobra's communications officers). In this storyline, Ironhide turned into a Cobra HISS ("HI"gh "S"peed "S"entry) tank.

Ironhide appeared in the second Devil's Due comic series, this time reformatted by Teletran-3 into a 1970s car and also in the third crossover, where he was part of the combined Autobot/G.I. Joe force that attempted to rescue Optimus Prime. Although his alternate mode is not shown, his body resembles that of the classic G1 look, indicating his alternate mode is now the familiar Nissan.

Transformers: Timelines

A remold of the Autobot Tow-Line, the original Ironhide makes his first appearance as a new toy in ten years as a BotCon exclusive. His body has been reconfigured by Optimus Prime and the Matrix into a form resembling a more advanced version of his old body.

In the accompanying comic, "Descent into Evil", set in a possible future he leads a group of Autobots, including his old friend Ratchet. Sent to investigate Deathsaurus' activities, they discovered his plan to create a massive army of Insecticon clones. After his team had been captured Ironhide took on Deathsaurus himself, hoping to distract him long enough to allow Ratchet to free the others. He failed and was captured by the larger Decepticon. However, he and Ratchet were freed by Ricochet, who was in fact an agent of Bumblebee, and had infected the Insecticons with a virus that slowly destroyed their clones. Ironhide was then instrumental in leading Autobot reinforcements to victory over the Decepticons.

IDW Publishing

In IDW Publishing's new "" mini-series, Ironhide is part of an infiltration unit consisting of Ratchet, Wheeljack, Jazz, Bumblebee and Sunstreaker, led by Prowl. He first appears saving Ratchet from Thundercracker. He was also part of the expedition to the Decepticon base to watch the duel between Megatron and a super-powered Starscream. It is interesting to note here that it is Ironhide, not Prowl (who is in command) or Ratchet (who was arguing for it) who takes the decision to call in Optimus Prime. Although presented as Generation 1's Ironhide, he and Ratchet are shown transforming into "full-sized" Dodge/Freightliner/Mercedes Benz Sprinter vans, as opposed to the Japanese-manufactured "vanettes".

In the sequel series "", Ironhide was dispatched along with Sunstreaker to escort the humans back to their homes. Unfortunately, Sunsteaker was attacked by the Machination, an organization dedicated to acquiring Transformer technology, and apparently destroyed as Ironhide tried to get to him. Forced to back off as the humans recovered his remains, Ironhide took Verity and Jimmy back to base. Later he suggested to Prime that he be allowed to look for Sunstreaker, but was overruled - leading to a confrontation with Prowl. After discovering that Ratchet, Verity and Jimmy planned to disobey orders again, Ironhide insisted on going with them. Locating the garage that had built the fake Sunstreaker, Ironhide was talked into letting Verity and Jimmy go in to have a look. When they failed to reappear, Ironhide went in personally - only to discover their gassed bodies, as a timer ticked down past three minutes. Ironhide and Ratchet managed to get the humans to safety, but Ironhide was too slow escaping, and was seemingly destroyed in the blast.

Ironhide did not feature prominently in the following instalment, "", but his wreck was rescued from a junkyard by Hot Rod, Wheeljack and Hardhead.

IDW Beast Wars

According to initial postings on the message board as IDW Publishing, the writers of their "Beast Wars" comics plan to make a profile of this Ironhide in their comics which will give the character a background. He was later shown in the second volume of the "Beast Wars: The Ascending" miniseries to be part of the Maximal Imperium along with Silverbolt and Prowl, with profile book writer Ben Yee later confirming that it is indeed a later incarnate of the G1 era character.

Evolutions: Hearts of Steel

An alternate version of Ironhide would appear in IDW's Hearts of Steel. When Starscream's plan is discovered Ironhide was one of those who followed Bumblebee's lead in following the Decepticon train convoy, shooting down Scourge, and was present at their defeat. Following this, he and the other Autobots went back into stasis.

Other media

Ironhide appears in the "Robot Chicken" episode "Junk in the Trunk" voiced by Dax Shepard. When Ironhide asks Prowl about Optimus Prime's urinating problems, Prowl answers him by making a joke because he can't urinate. In this cameo, a modified Robot Masters Optimus Prime was used to portray Ironhide, since the original G1 Ironhide's robot mode bore little resemblance to the cartoon character.

Toys

*Generation 1 Ironhide (1984):The Ironhide toy originated as a toy before the actual Transformers toyline began, in a line called Diaclone. As with many Diaclone toys, the "vanette" (the term "mini-van" would not be used until the first Dodge Caravans were sold in 1984) toy was released in 1984 as a new character called Ironhide. Not being designed to be a sentient robot in the Diaclone line (he was piloted by a tiny driver figure who sat in the driver's seat), the toy of Ironhide did not have a proper head, instead having a pilot's seat behind his windscreen. A sticker with a face on applied to the seat was to represent the head. This toy was not the most suited to be a Transformer but the character of Ironhide went on to become one of the best-known identities in Transformers. According to store listings there were plans to reissue Trailbreaker and Ironhide as commemorative toys in 2005, but due to poor sales of the line, they were never released. However in late 2007, Ironhide did make it into a toy reissue as a part of the TakaraTomy Encore series. An extra feature of this Encore release is a cardboard cartoon-style Ironhide head which can be mounted on top of the toy's windshield in his robot mode. [http://www.google.com/patents?id=8LE9AAAAEBAJ&dq=reconfigurable+toy] :Remolded into Ratchet. [cite web|url=http://www.toybin.org/search.php?q=1984+Autobot+Ironhide|title=ToyBin G1 Ironhide toy gallery]

*Generation 2 Power Master Ironhide:In Europe, Ironhide received a further upgrade as a "Power Master" (not to be confused with the Generation 1 Powermasters) where he now transformed into a Hummer. The European Power Masters (also called "Powered Masters") were simple pull robots with pull back motors which propelled them in either form, like the Generation 1 Throttlebots, but they would only go forward when their weapons were inserted into their base. :This version of Ironhide is described as being a battle-tested veteran with heavy armored plating.

*Transformers: Generation 2 Ironhide (1995):For Generation 2, Ironhide was reformatted into a silver Ford pickup truck. Although he received a new bio and motto, he still functions as security. The toy was a recolor of the Autobot Motormouth.:Ironhide's tech spec described him as a stubborn survivor and incredible strength. He's been upgraded from his old armored form to a lightweight alloy frame with a major boost in speed. Ironhide has never appeared in this form in any official fiction.

*Beast Wars Ironhide (1997):Packaged together with "Beast Wars" Prowl and "Beast Wars" eagle Silverbolt.:This toy was later redecoed into Beast Wars Second Santon.

*Timelines Ironhide:A BotCon exclusive remold of "Energon" Towline.

*Universe Classic Series Ironhide (2008):At BotCon 2007 Hasbro mentioned there is a possibility that Ironhide will be released in the Transformers: Universe/Classics 2.0 range in 2008. His figure was displayed at Botcon 2008.

Transformers: Robots in Disguise

Transformers character
name =Ironhide
japanname =Ox


caption =animated appearance
affiliation =Autobot
subgroup =Spy Changer
rank =7
function =Transportation
partner =
motto ="Let's move out!"
alternatemodes =Ford F-Series Pick-up Truck
series =
voiceby =Michael McConnohie (English)Ironhide is the strongest of the Spy Changers. Usually a peaceful intellectual until he gets pushed to the limit, then stay out of his way. He's an expert in materials transport and carries a shockwave rifle. Like the original this Ironhide has a Southern accent.

Animated series

In the TV series, the Spy Changers received little characterization - usually acting in a group to attack or perform whatever mission they had been assigned. Ironhide's best friend was fellow Spy Changer Mirage which was the basis of one particular episode called "Mirage's Betrayal". After an incident where Mirage, fearing collateral damage, allowed the Predacons to get away, the others on the team accused him of failure. A furious Mirage walked out, realizing the Predacons had put a bug on him. Ironhide attempted to talk him out of it, but snapped and punched him when Mirage threatened to join the Predacons (unaware he was just doing it for show). Later, Mirage called the Spy Changers to Megatron's latest weapon, having ostensibly joined the Predacons. He managed to communicate his true intentions to the other Spy Changers, and they destroyed the laser. A guilty Ironhide demanded Mirage hit him to even things out between them - but Mirage simply prodded his friend, claiming they were now even before challenging him to a race back to base.

Toys

*Car Robots Ox:A redeco of the "Generation 2" Autobot Motormouth.

*Car Robots Ox redeco

*Robots in Disguise Ironhide (2001):An American release of the Japanese Car Robots toy named Ox.

*Robots in Disguise redeco Ironhide:This toy was later recolored into a several clear versions, one of which was repackaged as the second "Universe" Hoist.

Transformers: Armada

Transformers character
name =Ironhide


caption =
affiliation =Mini-Con
subgroup =Female Transformers
function =
partner =Terrorsaur
motto ="Alone is no way to live."
alternatemodes =Dune Runner
series =
voiceby =Although she doesn't look it, Ironhide is a female Transformer Mini-Con who has been captured by the Decepticon Terrorsaur for his own personal use.

Dreamwave Productions

According to the bio given in Dreamwave comics Ironhide was a supporter of the Mini-Cons joining the Autobots, and was joined with an Autobot warrior until he was killed by Terrorsaur. When Terrorsaur was taken by Unicron she was freed but felt an emptiness in her life and now misses him.

She is particularly strong and tough for a Mini-Con as well as being very smart. Her main weapon is her machine gun which fires armor piercing rounds.

Ironhide is very emotionally needy. [cite web|url=http://www.transformertoys.co.uk/content.php?/pages/transformers-reviews/gallery/725/toys/Terrorsaur.html|title=Terrorsaur and Ironhide Image Gallery]

Toys

*Armada Terrorsaur with Ironhide (2003):Ironhide is a repaint of fellow Mini-Con Dune Runner.

Transformers: Energon

Transformers character
name =Ironhide
japanname =Roadbuster


caption =
affiliation =Autobot
subgroup =Ultra Vehicles
rank =
function =
partner =
motto ="If trouble doesn't find me, I'll find it!"
alternatemodes =Modified Toyota Land Cruiser
series =
voiceby =Matt Hill (English)
Mitsuo Iwata (Japanese)Ironhide is a young, reckless Autobot who idolizes Hot Shot. He's a good fighter, but lacks discipline. He most commonly powerlinx with Jetfire, becoming the lower (or upper) half of their combined form. Carries a laser cannon.

Ironhide's vehicular form resembles the then-unreleased Mini-Con, Reverb; both Transformers resembling the Ford Explorer Sport Trac.

Also note that the Japanese name for the Decepticon Demolishor was Ironhide.

The toy of the Autobot called Towline was an obvious homage to the design of the Generation 1 Ironhide and Ratchet toys.

Animated series

The youthful, impetuous Ironhide (Roadbuster) is the newest addition to Optimus Prime's team, and is desperate to prove himself to his commanders, particularly his idol, Hot Shot. Indeed, it is not generally the actions Ironhide performs on his own that define his character, but rather the actions taken in his relationships with others, the first such challenging being his partnership with the disagreeable human, Kicker. Neither Ironhide nor Kicker were happy about Optimus Prime's decision to force them together, but despite everything, the two eventually became good friends. Ironhide would also have to deal with the betrayal of Demolishor and the corruption of Scorponok, resulting in an emotional growth that saw him become the object of adoration himself, and leader of his own team. Ironhide transforms into an SUV with roof-mounted cannons, and possesses the Spark of Combination, allowing him to combine with other Transformers. During the battle against Unicron, Ironhide was evolved into a more powerful form by Primus "(the cartoons continued to refer to him by his original name, while the toys were released as Energon Ironhide and Roadbuster W in the U.S. and Japan, respectively).

Dreamwave Productions

Ironhide would also appear in the Dreamwave Productions "Energon" comic series, where his backstory was expanded on. In the years of the civil war Ironhide was a prisoner of the Decepticons, most notably the sadistic Tidal Wave, who killed other Autobots whenever Ironhide refused his orders, forcing him to make weapons. Before the events of "Energon" he had come to Earth under the command of Jetfire. However, his past would come to the fore once again in "Energon" #24 when he was attacked by Tidal Wave - now a Terrorcon, a group of former Decepticons enhanced by Unicron - who threatened Cliffjumper's life to get what he wanted. Forcing Ironhide to take him to a store of planet-destroying warheads to obtain one for the Terrorcons, Tidal Wave underestimated his prisoner's resolve as he activated the warhead and attacked Tidal Wave. The Terrorcon easily defeated him, but was forced to flee by the arrival of Jetfire and the seemingly imminent detonation of the bomb - unaware that Ironhide had rigged it not to go off.

He was subsequently on Earth for the arrival of the Omnicons, and was one of the defenders of the Autobot base alongside Overload and Dropshot, but was easily defeated by Scorponok. After Megatron surprisingly arrived and defeated the Terrorcon leader, he confronted Ironhide - but instead of destroying him he merely gave Ironhide a message to give to the Autobots: that Megatron was back.

Dreamwave went out of business before the end of "Energon" could be reached, so any further tales of Ironhide would remain untold.

Fun Publications

Ironhide appeared in the text story from Fun Publications called "Force of Habit." This story explained where he was during the events of the "Cybertron" story. Ultra Magnus was the commander of various Autobot ships sent to other planets in search for the Cyber Planet Keys. He also served as captain of the Iron Hope and crewed by Prowl and Ironhide.

Toys

*Energon Ironhide (2004):A Mega class toy. [cite web|url=http://www.seibertron.com/database/character.php?view=&char_id=2781|title=Fan page for Energon Ironhide.]

*Energon Energon Ironhide:A redeco of the original toy in green, with the colour scheme designed to evoke G1 Hound.

*Energon McDonalds Ironhide:Available only in Europe as a toy in Happy Meals.

Transformers: Universe

Transformers character
name =Ironhide


caption =
affiliation =Autobot
subgroup =Spy Changers
rank =
function =
partner =Ultra Magnus
motto =
alternatemodes =Pickup Truck
weapons =
height =
series =
engvoice =
japanvoice =A new version of Ironhide was created for the Transformers: Universe storyline.

3H Enterprises

This character appeared in the 2004 BotCon voice actor play, and was seemingly yet another new Ironhide taken from a parallel dimension to that of the "Robots in Disguise" fiction.

The Voice Actor Drama was written for OFTCC 2004 by Simon Furman, set after the events in the comics. Spy Changers Optimus Prime, Prowl, Ultra Magnus and Ironhide were among those taken from their world via teleportation beam by Unicron and his Decepticon minions. The Autobot forces opposing Unicron attempted to deflect the beam, which left them all trapped on an uninhabited ice-world. The Autobot forces teamed up to overcome the Decepticons lead by Reptilion. Presumably the Autobots were then returned to their own worlds.

Toys

*Universe Ultra Magnus with Ironhide (2004):The parallel-universe spanning "" line also featured a black repaint of the Spy Changer version of "Robots in Disguise" Ironhide. This package was a Walmart store exclusive.

2007 Transformers film

Transformers character
name =Ironhide


caption =Ironhide movie concept art
affiliation =Autobot
subgroup =Micro Vehicles, Fast Action Battlers, Voyagers
rank =8
function =Weapons Specialist
partner =
motto ="High tech circuitry is no replacement for guts."
alternatemodes =Cybertronian Protoform
GMC Topkick C6500
weapons =2 plasma cannons, missile launchers, machine gun
series =Transformers movie toys
engvoice =Jess Harnell (film) Mark Ryan () In the 2007 "Transformers" live action film Ironhide appears as a modified GMC Topkick C6500 pickup truck. [http://jalopnik.com/cars/movies/exclusive-transformer-pics-ironhide-spotted-on-wilshire-blvd-190681.php] , replacing Arcee in the cast list. Peter Cullen, who provided the voices for both Optimus Prime and Ironhide in the original animated series, does not voice Ironhide in the film. Ironhide is described as being Prime's oldest friend and the weapons specialist of the team. He is a tough soldier who has sustained many injuries. His right eye has a large scar surrounding it. Before arriving on Earth, he sustained a broken ankle. According to the tech specifications of his toy, he was built during the Battle of Tyger Pax and is one of the oldest Autobots. His weapons include laser cannons mounted on each forearm with missiles connected around the outside of the right forearm laser cannon. In the video game adaption, he has a machine gun and a plasma cannon.

According to an early interview with Michael Bay Ironhide stands at 26 feet tall [ [http://www.latinoreview.com/news.php?id=907 Transformers Set Visit Preview! - Movie News - Latest Movie Reviews and trailers ] ] , but the scale of his Voyager class toy would suggest he stands closer to 21 feet tall. The official guide to the Transformers video game says he's 22 feet tall. The Transformers U.K. magazine states he stands 22 feet 5 inches tall, weighs 3.8 tons and can travel up to 180 mph. He has a California liscense plate number 4PCI382.

Ironhide's weapons have over 10,000 pieces each. According to an interview with Industrial Light and Magic, Ironhide's guns alone have more pieces than some of the other Transformers in the film. [cite web|url=http://www.kraftbrands.com/lunchables/maxedOut_standAlone.htm|title="ILM Interview at Lunchables.com]

The vehicles used for Bumblebee, Ironhide, Jazz and Ratchet were put on display by GM at the 2007 Detroit River Walk Festival a little over a week before the U.S. release of the film. [cite news | title = Transformers Movie Update: We Have An Exclusive Robogasm With Ironhide, Bumblebee, Jazz And Ratchet | publisher = Jalopnik | date = 2007-06-22 | url = http://jalopnik.com/cars/robots-in-disguise/transformers-movie-update-we-have-an-exclusive-robogasm-with-ironhide-bumblebee-jazz-and-ratchet-271505.php | accessdate = 2007-06-23]

Transformers: The Game

In the video game, a conversation between Ironhide and Optimus Prime reveals that Ironhide was, at least partially, responsible for the destruction of a planet - or a moon - named "Cyber-5". However, Ironhide responds by claiming, "Awww, that hunk of rock was gonna blow up anyway." In the Autobots storyline, he battles and defeats Brawl as revenge for the former killing Jazz. In the Decepticons storyline, he is killed by Blackout.

Titan Books

The Titan Transformers U.K. Magazine would reveal Ironhide's role in the departure of the Allspark from Cybertron. When it was jettisoned into space he, Ratchet and Jazz hit the pursuing Megatron with a tractor beam, dragging him back to Cybertron. They were no match for his firepower, but the Decepticon leader, realizing they were just stalling him, called in Brawl (Devastator). He proved impervious to their firepower, and seemingly eliminated them all with a foldspace warhead, with Megatron commenting they were lost in space.

In the story "Lost in Space part 3" Ironhide was captured by aliens who were looking for the Allspark. In order to resist the alien mind probe Ironhide remembered a time when he was commanded the Autobots Skyblast, Signal Flare, Strongarm, Bumper and Slipstream against a Decepticon outpost. Discovering the outpost was mostly automated with only one Decepticon, Swindle, the Autobots learned that looks are often deceiving. Ironhide then determined that his alien captors may not be as powerful as they appeared, overcame them, and learned they were merely scavengers who found the ship they used to captures him. He also found a device designed to track the Allspark they had be using.

In a later issue, set after the events of the film Ironhide aids the human military in hunting Scorponok.

Transformers: Ghosts of Yesterday

Ironhide appeared in the prequel novel "". His character is a veteran and longtime friend of Optimus Prime. He is part of Prime's Autobot team searching for the Allspark, and voices the most displeasure at Prime's plan to communicate with the human vessel Ghost-1. With Prime and Bumblebee on the surface, Ironhide and Jazz battle the Decepticons, but Ironhide is put to flight by Starscream's return, only being saved by Ratchet's volley of fire from the Ark. In the final battle, he fights Bonecrusher, delaying him long enough for Prime to get a bead on Starscream, but is unable to stop Starscream from destroying Ghost-1.

Movie plot

Arriving on Earth at the same time as Optimus Prime, (in a pool, to which a young girl asks him if he's the tooth fairy - originally Ironhide was meant to be Arcee,this explain the "joke" of the tooth fairy) Jazz and Ratchet. Ironhide quickly sneaks away to a driveway, scans a family's GMC Topkick pickup truck and reconfigures his alternate mode to a new camouflaged form before meeting up with the other Autobots at Bumblebee's location.

The Autobots then return to Sam's house and retrieve the glasses (containing the location of the Allspark) whilst attempting to hide from Sam's parents, which results in his mother's and father's prized gardens being destroyed by Prime's massive feet and Ratchet cutting off the neighborhood's power after accidentally colliding with an electric transformer. At one point, he becomes so frustrated that he asks Optimus if he can "take them out". He then gets a stern scolding from Optimus, who is frustrated at Ironhide's overuse of cannons. Unfortunately, that same evening a secret government organization, Sector 7, arrests Sam Witwicky, Mikaela Banes, and captures Bumblebee.

Ironhide appears somewhat 'trigger-happy' throughout the film, and often pulls out his arm-cannons when he wishes to show off to new people, such as when he is first introduced to Sam, he draws his cannons out, and makes a classic Clint Eastwood impression, quoting "You feeling lucky, punk?", or to get rid of things which annoy him, like Sam's dog Mojo when it urinated on his foot and Sam's over-protective and inadvertently interfering parents. Optimus Prime, at one point, gets so annoyed with Ironhide's trigger finger that he right out asks "What is with you?!". He is also shown to be slightly contemptuous towards the humans; he questions Prime as to why they should protect the human race, describing them as "primitive" and "violent", only to be reminded that the Autobots were not so different from them once.

Ironhide is, despite being easily the bulkiest of the Autobots, a tough warrior endowed with surprising agility, shown in the final battle when he transforms, flips forward, and dodges Devastator's (Brawl) missiles while doing a helix twist at the same time. He was also able to maneuver through the city, and flip over a nearby human without even touching her, rocket jumping over her right after transforming. Ironhide plays a large role in the final battle: when Bumblebee is unable to fight, he provides cover despite being outnumbered three to one. He battles Devastator alongside Jazz and Ratchet in the movie, and engages in a battle with Starscream, with the aid of Ratchet. However, damage sustained in the brief brawl with Starscream leaves both him and Ratchet unable to further protect Sam. After the battle is over, Ironhide brings the remains of his fallen comrade Jazz to Optimus Prime. Ironhide then gives Captain William Lennox a ride home, and is seen alongside Ratchet, Bumblebee, and Optimus watching the sunset or watching Sam kiss Mikaela at the end of the film.

Movie toys

*Movie Fast Action Battlers Cannon Blast Ironhide (2007):A Deluxe sized toy meant for quick transformation and younger children. This toy of Ironhide measures 12 centimeters long, while an actual Topkick with measures 625 centimeters long, giving this toy a scale of about 1/52.:This toy was among the movie toys to be bootlegged by Chinese toy makers. A nearly identical toy, minus the Autobot logo, was sold under the name "Steel General" in 2007.

*Movie Fast Action Battlers Pulse Cannon Ironhide (2008):A white repaint of Fast Action Battlers Ironhide. [ [http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/attachment.php?attachmentid=2518&d=1195054325 TFW2005 - The 2005 Boards ] ]

*Movie Voyager Class Ironhide (2007):A Voyager sized toy with high details, on the same scale with Leader Class Optimus Prime, Deluxe Class Bumblebee and most of the Deluxe figures. Features Automorph technology and is equipped with two forearm-mounted cannons that can be linked to form one larger cannon. This toy of Ironhide measures 18 centimeters long, while an actual Topkick with measures 625 centimeters long, giving this toy a scale of about 1/35. With a robot mode 18 centimeters tall, this real robot would stand 21 feet tall.:This toy is noted as resembling the Generation 1 Autobot Trailbreaker, so much so that fan-based companies have produced sticker sets to make him into a custom Classics Trailbreaker. [http://www.reprolabels.com/Classics/trailbreaker.asp]

*3D Battle Card Game Ironhide (2007):Ironhide is among the characters which appeared in the 1st wave of Transformers 3D Battle Card Game by Wizards of the Coast.

*Movie Voyager Class Offroad Ironhide (2008):A blue repaint of the Voyager class Ironhide figure.

*Movie Legends Class Ironhide (2008):A prototype of the Legends class Ironhide toy was seen on a tour of Hasbro in 2007. It is packaged in a two pack with Desert Blackout and is a new mold not a repaint. [ [http://www.tfw2005.com/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/18710/cat/1806 Botcon 2007 Hasbro tour - Transformers Images ] ]

*Premium Voyager Ironhide (2008):A redeco of the Voyager Ironhide with metallic paint. [http://www.allspark.com/news/new-transformers-premium-series-info--pictures-20071202.html]

Transformers: Animated

Transformers character
name =Ironhide


caption =
affiliation =Autobot
japanname =
subgroup =Deluxe Vehicles
function =
partner =
motto =
alternatemodes =Cybertronian van
series =
engvoice =Corey Burton
japanvoice =A new Ironhide has appeared in the "Transformers: Animated" series. Much like the Generation 1 character named Ironhide, he appears to be a recolored version of Ratchet.

Animated series

Ironhide appears during flashbacks in the "" episode "Autoboot Camp". It is revealed that he has the power to change his body into a nearly-impenetrable metal alloy, which is how Ironhide got his name. He seemed to be good friends with Wasp.

Ironhide first appeared in the episode "Mission Accomplished." He contacted Ultra Magnus and revealed the Decepticons had begun an uprising, destroying a space bridge in the process. Before he could reveal all the details however, his transmission was cut short.

References

External links

* [http://transformers.wikia.com/wiki/Ironhide Ironhide at Teletraan 1]
* [http://www.seibertron.com/toys/index.php?f_series=&f_name=ironhide&f_type=exact&Submit=Search Ironhide galleries at Seibertron.com]