Ironhide

ALLEGIANCE: AUTOBOT
FUNCTION: SECURITY
"High tech circuitry is no replacement for guts."

First Appearance: Transformers 2
Significant Appearances: Transformers 2-3, 7-8, 22-23, 26, 30, 33, 3638-40, 42-46, 48-49, 61-62, 78-83, 98, 103-104, 174-175, 200, 202, 256, 259-260, 263-265, 270, 274, 278, 285-286, 288, 311, 321, 328. Transformers: Generation 2 4, 6, 8

Ironhide prefers action to words. He is not the sort that likes to be told what to do. His gruff and ornery exterior hides a kind and caring inner persona and his concern for the protection of all forms of life.


Marvel Comics: After the initial Marvel US Transformers had introduced Ironhide and the rest of the original Transformers to planet Earth, the character was largely ignored. After the first story arc, Ironhide was sidelined almost completely in the US series, with only a brief cameo in "Totalled".

In the UK, however, Ironhide proved to have a little more staying power and was used quite a bit in Simon Furman's stories. Ironhide had starring roles in the likes of "Dinobot Hunt" in which he took out Slag, rodeo style; and "Target: 2006" in which he was responsible for instigating an emergency alliance with Megatron against Galvatron. He also payed a major part in the Earthforce storyline. Ironhide was killed during the Transformers: Generation 2 series.

Dreamwave Comics: Ironhide appeared in several stories, his character an exact replica of his original cartoon persona.

IDW Comics: Ironhide was part of Prowl's Autobot contingent stationed on Earth to monitor Starscream's Decepticons.

Transformers: Ironhide was one of the first Transformers toys. He shared a production mould with Ratchet, and both were unique among the Autobots to not have humanoid robot modes. However, the original Transformers cartoon had both Ironhide and Ratchet redesigned into more humanoid characters. The original Ironhide toy was reissued first in Europe in 1990 and in Japan in 2001.

In 1995 two new Ironhide toys were released as part of the Transformers: Generation 2 range. The first was a recoloured Motormouth, and the second was an original toy with motorised vehicle mode and no articulation whatsoever in robot mode.

A Beast Wars Ironhide toy was released in 1997; an elephant mode Maximal that was part of the Magnaboss set.

The Motormouth mould was reused again for Ironhide in 2001's Robots in Disguise range and yet again for the Transformers Universe sub-line in 2004. In Japan this version of the toy was known as Ox.

There was a Mini-Con called Ironhide from the Transformers Armada range in 2003; a recoloured Dune Runner mould that came packaged with Terrorsaur.

Japan's version of Armada (known as Micron Legend) had an Ironhide toy which was the Japanese version of Demolishor.

In 2004, Ironhide was part of the Transformers Energon range, this time as a completely new toy. Later that year, Ironhide was rereleased in a military colour scheme.