Ironhide

Ironhide is the name of several different fictional characters in the Transformers universes. According to the original creator of the Transformers names, Bob Budiansky, Ironhide was named after the television series Ironside.

Transformers: Generation 1
Ironhide (Rhino in Canada, Falco in Italy, Vasököl (Ironfist) in Hungary, Bronevik in Russia) is portrayed as a toughened old Autobot who has seen his share of battle.

Reception
Ironhide was one of the favorite Autobots of IGN.

Marvel Comics
Ironhide's first appearance is in the comics resembled his toy but was soon updated to his more anthropomorphic animated form. In US Transformers #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 learned 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 Target: 2006, 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 Generation 1 form, seemingly dying alongside Smokescreen.

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 to defeat the Decepticons.

Ironhide is killed in The Transformers: The Movie 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.

Books
Ironhide was featured in the 1985 audio adventures Megatron's Fight For Power, Autobots Fight Back and Laserbeak's Fury by John Grant, published by Ladybird Books.

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 G.I. Joe, 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 (HIgh Speed Sentry) 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.

Fun Publications
A remold of the Energon 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.

Ironhide appears in At Fight's End.

IDW Publishing
In IDW Publishing's new The Transformers: Infiltration 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 The Transformers: Escalation, 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, The Transformers: Devastation, but his wreck was rescued from a junkyard by Hot Rod, Wheeljack and Hardhead.

IDW Beast Wars
Ironhide was 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 civil unrest on Cybertron reaching a peak they called in Big Convoy to find out why.

Ironhide had a biography printed in the Beast Wars Sourcebook by IDW Publishing.

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.

Video games
Ironhide appears in the 2010 video game Transformers: War for Cybertron. Voiced by Diedrich Bader.

Ironhide and Ratchet appear in the 2010 Nintendo DS video game Transformers: War for Cybertron - Autobots. They are unlocked as player characters upon completing the Retaking Iacon mission. He also appears in the video games for both live-action films as a playable character.

Ironhide is among the characters who appear in the TRANSFORMERS CVBERVERSE Battle Builder Game.

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 Autobot Car 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 it 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.
 * Remolded into Ratchet.


 * 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.


 * Generation 2 Go-bot Ironhide (1995)
 * For Generation 2, Ironhide was reformatted into a silver Ford F-series 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 Deluxe Ironhide (1997)
 * Packaged together with Beast Wars Prowl and Beast Wars eagle Silverbolt.
 * This toy was later redecoed into Beast Wars Second Santon.


 * Timelines Deluxe Ironhide (2005)
 * A BotCon exclusive remold of Energon Towline. Came packaged in a box set with Chromia, Fallback, Ricochet, Buzzclaw, Deathsaurus and Dirge.


 * Universe Classic Series Deluxe Ironhide (2008)
 * A new mold that combines the look of the original G1 cartoon character with the detail and articulation of modern Transformers toys. The figure sports a license plate that reads, "OREGON" - the home state of the Autobots' Earth base.
 * The mold for this figure was also used for Universe Autobot Ratchet.


 * Henkei! Henkei! C-11 Deluxe Ironhide (2008)
 * The Japanese version of the Universe Deluxe figure by Takara Tomy has the front grille, headlights, taillights and gun molded in chrome silver. In addition, the Oregon license plate is omitted and a yellow stripe is added on the SUV mode's side panels.


 * Mighty Muggs Ironhide (unreleased)
 * A Mighty Muggs doll of Ironhide with gun. Ironhide and Prowl were to be released in Wave 4 of the Transformers Mighty Muggs line, but Hasbro canceled the line and sold Prowl as a San Diego Comic-Con International exclusive in 2010, leaving Ironhide's availability in limbo.

Other merchandise
Optimus Prime, Ironhide and Grimlock are the three Autobot figures available to play in the Monopoly Transformers Collectors Edition game.

Transformers: Robots in Disguise
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 television 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 (2000)
 * 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.

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.

Toys

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

Transformers: Energon
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. In vehicular mode, he resembles a cobalt blue Mercedes-Benz W163

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

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. As a matter of fact, he broke the fourth wall when he said "What will happen next after the break? The world will never know" in the episode "Unicron Unleashed". 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 which was crewed by Bonecrusher, Grimlock, Ironhide, Knock Out, Overcast, Prowl, Quickstrike, RipTide, Skyblast, Smokescreen, Swoop, Wreckage and the Sky Scorcher Mini-Con Team.

Toys

 * Energon Mega Ironhide (2004)
 * A Mega class toy.


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


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

Transformers: Universe
A new version of Ironhide was created for the Transformers: Universe storyline. Oddly, his deco seems to be a homage to Generation 1 Trailbreaker.

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 led by Reptilion. Presumably the Autobots were then returned to their own worlds.

Toys

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

Transformers
In the 2007 Transformers live action film, Ironhide appears as a modified GMC Topkick C4500 pickup truck, 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. 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 an energy rocket launcher on his left arm, a plasma rocket launcher on his right arm. Despite his advanced age and extra bulk, Ironhide revealed himself to be an extremely agile and formidable opponent - He managed to helix twist over a screaming civilian at high speed while firing both wrist mounted weapons, and was seen engaging and withstanding assaults from Brawl, Starscream, Blackout, Bonecrusher and Crowbar. According to an early interview with Michael Bay, Ironhide stands at 26 feet tall, 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 is 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 license plate number 4PCI382. Ironhide also possesses a retractable faceplate that he activates when he goes into combat to shield himself from injuries.

The weapons in Ironhide's CGI model 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 (Optimus Prime has 10,108 pieces).

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.

IDW Publishing
This back story of the Transformers on ancient Cybertron is told in Transformers: Defiance. In this story, Starscream returns to Cybertron after encountering an enemy scout ship in the Eshems Nebula. After being repaired for minor damage by Ratchet, Starscream and Ironhide report to Optimus Prime and Megatron. Later, the planet is invaded by aliens from the Eshems Nebula and Ironhide is among the defenders in the city of Metrotitan, near the temple at Simfur. When Megatron forms the Decepticons, Ironhide leaves most of his fellow warriors to join Optimus Prime instead, as he refuses to destroy innocents.

In Transformers: Alliance The Autobots aided the human soldiers after the battle in Mission City to destroy the Allspark powered machines that were created. Ironhide destroyed the "Y-Box" and Ratchet killed the Dewbot. After Ratchet finished repairing Bumblebee's legs, a trailer was obtained for Optimus Prime to carry the remains of Jazz. The Autobots then left Mission City before the Sector-7 personnel arrived to claim the remains of the Decepticons. About a month later Epps and Lennox contacted Optimus Prime, Ratchet and Ironhide about aiding them in escorting the remains of the Decepticons to the naval yard, but they were spied on by Barricade, who transmitted the information to Starscream. In issue #4 Fracture was hunted down by Ironhide and human members of N.E.S.T., who chased her until Ironhide could run her off a cliff, killing her.

In California the Autobots set a trap for Starscream's minions Divebomb, Fearswoop and Skystalker by having Theodore Galloway pose as an arms dealer attempting to purchase Cybertronian technology. The trap is uncovered and the Autobots send in Arcee, Chromia, Elita-One, Ironhide, Mudflap and Skids. Divebomb and Skystalker are killed while Fearswoop is captured by the Autobots and taken back to the NEST base on Diego Garcia.

Titan Magazines
Note: Events occurring in the alternate universe where Megatron won the battle of Mission City are in italics.

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 3: Ironhide" 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.

''In "Twilight's Last Greaming" part 3 Ironhide and Ratchet sneak into the Decepticon Allspark Power Distribution Hub in Savannah, Georgia disguised as Payload style drones. Although they believe the stolen code they used got them inside safely, once there they are ambushed by Bonecrusher, who says that the code didn't work and he let them in so he could fight them. In part 4 Ratchet and Ironhide continued fighting Bonecrusher in Savannah, but didn't stand much of a chance until they were joined by Arcee, Armoride and Longarm, arriving from the moon. ''

''Ironhide appeared in issue #17 of the Titan Transformers Magazine, in a story called "Return to Cybertron Part 1". In this story he is among the Autobots that go to Cybertron.''

Ironhide would return in issue #22 of the Titan Transformers Magazine series in a story called "The Decepticon who Haunted Himself."

Books
Ironhide appeared in the prequel novel Transformers: Ghosts of Yesterday. 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) 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 Brawl's 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 injuring 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 Brawl 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 destroyed autobot brother 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.

He goes to Shanghai, China, with NEST and is the first Autobot to transform to robot mode to fight the Decepticons. He chased after the giant Decepticon Demolishor and helped in taking him off-balance, and is then seen alongside Optimus Prime when they execute Demolishor, calling him a "'punk-as Decepticon'". Later on, Ironhide is with the Autobots helping Sam escape the forest from Megatron. Still later, he is angered by the arrival of military vehicles to threaten to Autobots, and he and the others are deported by the U.S. government once Ironhide convinces the others to stay as Optimus would want them to. He goes to Egypt, and leads a team to search for Sam along with the Arcee sisters in the village ruins. After locating him he tells Sam to head for the others while he holds back some attacking Decepticons. When the U.S. airforce carpet bombs the vilage, Ironhide narrowly gets out of the way, dropping his cannons to lighten himself, and survives the battle.

Ironhide first appears when he warns Director Mearing that Optimus is in a bad mood after learning of the discovery of the Ark. Here he also receives a weapons upgrade from Que. He is present when Optimus revives Sentinel Prime with the Matrix of Leadership, and appears late in battle when the Autobots escorting Sentinel are attacked by the Dreads. He easily overpowers and defeats Crankcase and Crowbar, with assistance from Sideswipe. When Sentinel reveals that he has made a deal with Megatron, he shoots Ironhide in the back twice with his cosmic rust-cannon, before delivering the fatal shot to the chest. Despite Bumblebee’s best efforts, Ironhide dies as he disintegrates to dust.

Cyber Missions
Ironhide is shown fighting his rival Bludgeon, and also runs into Mindwiperight.

Video games
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 "Kaiba-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.

Ironhide is among the playable characters in the 2009 Revenge of the Fallen video game by Activision. In Transformers Revenge of the Fallen Ironhide Is able to play in more missions due to the character select feature.

Toys
All toys of this character are officially licensed from General Motors.


 * Transformers 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 measures 625 centimeters long, giving this toy a scale of about 1/52.


 * Transformers Voyager 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 measures 670 centimeters long, giving this toy a scale of about 1/35. With a robot mode 18 centimeters tall, this real robot would stand 22 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.


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


 * Transformers Fast Action Battlers Pulse Cannon Ironhide (2008)
 * A white repaint of Fast Action Battlers Ironhide.


 * Transformers Voyager Offroad Ironhide (2008)
 * A blue repaint of the Voyager class Ironhide figure with mud splatter effects on the wheels and truck panels.


 * Transformers Legends 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).


 * Transformers Premium Voyager Ironhide (2008)
 * A redeco of the Voyager Ironhide with metallic paint.


 * Revenge of the Fallen Straightaway Shootout Legends Ironhide (2009)
 * A film-accurate redeco of the Legends figure. Bundled in the Target exclusive Legends Straightaway Shootout gift set with Swerve, Mudflap, Runamuck and Sparkcrusher.


 * Revenge of the Fallen Legends Enforcer Ironhide (2009)
 * A red redeco of the Legends figure.


 * Revenge of the Fallen Fast Action Battlers Cannon Force Ironhide (2009)
 * A red redeco of the Fast Action Battlers figure.


 * Revenge of the Fallen Robot Replicas Ironhide (2009)
 * A non-transforming action figure of Ironhide.


 * Revenge of the Fallen Voyager Ironhide (2009)
 * A gray redeco of Voyager Ironhide with new, more film-accurate weapons and a head sculpt. Unlike the original toy, which has the cannons mounted under the doors in vehicle mode, this version has the cannons mounted on the truck bed.


 * Revenge of the Fallen Titanium 3-inch Off Road Ironhide vs. Deep Desert Brawl (2009)
 * A Toys "R" Us store exclusive set featuring redecos of the Ironhide and Brawl toys.


 * Revenge of the Fallen Voyager Recon Ironhide (2009)
 * An extensive retool of the Voyager figure. New weapons include a crossbow (which transforms into the truck mode's front bumper/bull bar), a rifle, minigun and combat knife (which doubles as a bayonet for the rifle). The figure also features a newer, film-accurate head sculpt that is different from the regular 2009 Voyager figure. Recon Ironhide is also the first Transformers figure to feature the clip weapons system, wherein weapons can clip on specific areas for maximum customization. The clip weapons system is now standard on most newer Transformers figures.


 * Transformers Deluxe Ironhide (2010)
 * A new Deluxe-size figure of Ironhide. Comes with a drone that attaches to the bed of his truck mode.


 * Transformers Activators Ironhide (2010)
 * A Deluxe-sized toy designed for younger children that features instant transformation at the push of a button. This sub-line replaces both the Fast Action Battlers and Gravity Bots from the movie toy lines.


 * Transformers The Fury of Bonecrusher Voyager Ironhide (2010)
 * A blue redeco of the 2009 Recon Ironhide figure with mud splatter effects similar to the 2008 Offroad Ironhide figure. Bundled in a Walmart exclusive gift set with a battle-damaged redeco of Deluxe Bonecrusher and a "Most Wanted" trading card of the latter figure.


 * Dark of the Moon Burger King Flip Out Ironhide (2011)
 * A BK Kids meal toy available at Burger King restaurants in the U.S. The toy consists of a detailed head that opens to reveal a small robot body, giving the overall figure a Bobblehead look. It also has a small flashlight that emits the Autobot symbol at the push of a button.


 * Dark of the Moon Cyberverse Commander Ironhide (not yet released)
 * A new Commander (formerly Scout) mold of Ironhide.


 * Dark of the Moon The Scan Series Deluxe Ironhide (2011)
 * A Toys "R" Us exclusive remold of the 2010 Deluxe figure with light blue highlights in the middle before fading into clear plastic, simulating the effect of vehicle scanning.


 * Dark of the Moon Voyager Ironhide (2011)
 * An all-new Voyager Class figure of Ironhide with improved transformation, articulation and proportions. Comes with Mech Tech blaster that mounts on the roof or rear doors of truck mode. Pressing the rear of the blaster allows for a spinning "gatling gun" effect on the front barrel as it is pushed forward.


 * Dark of the Moon Voyager Cannon Force Ironhide (not yet released)
 * A red and black redeco of the Voyager Ironhide figure, made as an homage to his G1 incarnation.


 * Dark of the Moon Leader Ironhide (2011)
 * A new Leader Class representation of Ironhide, with hidden weapons in the arms and legs of the figure. Also features a "chest cannon" with lights and sounds.

Transformers Animated
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. Due to Cartoon Network online game mistakenly labeling him as a Decepticon, it was speculated that he was the Autobot traitor mentioned by Megatron (however, it was later revealed that Longarm was the traitor). During the flashbacks in the Transformers Animated episode "Autoboot Camp", Ironhide earned his name from his ability to transmutate his body into a nearly-impenetrable metal (similar to the Marvel Comics character Colossus), and was good friends with Wasp.

This version of Ironhide is much younger and more mischievous than his Generation 1 incarnation.

It should be noted that in the Japanese translation of Animated, as Bulkhead is given the name Ironhide, this character is known as Armorhide in the Japanese version.

Animated series
Ironhide first appeared in the episode "Mission Accomplished." He contacted Ultra Magnus and revealed that 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. Ironhide briefly reappeared in the season 3 episode, "Transwarped," where he was a member of Rodimus Minor's team, who were trying to protect a Space Bridge from Strika's Team Chaar. During the fight Rodimus ordered Ironhide and Brawn to fall back to the Space Bridge. Unfortunately, they got tripped up by Oil Slick and slashed at by Cyclonus.

Ironhide, again, briefly appeared at the end of "Where is thy Sting?" where he found out that Longarm was the traitor. Ironhide was trying to apprehend him when he found a seriously mutilated Ultra Magnus. He asked him first where his hammer was and then asked what happened. All Ultra Magnus could say was "... Shockwave".

Fun Publications
Ironhide's biography was printed in issue #24 of the Transformers Collectors Club magazine. He is depicted as a likable, fun-loving young Autobot, whose jokes tend to get a little crude.

Toys

 * Animated Deluxe Cybertron Mode Ironhide (2010)
 * A Toys "R" Us exclusive orange redeco of Deluxe Cybertron Mode Ratchet with a new head sculpt.
 * The mold for this figure is also used for the BotCon 2011 exclusive Autotrooper figure.


 * Animated TA-44 Deluxe Armorhide (Takara Tomy) (2010)
 * The Japan release version of Deluxe Ironhide was released on October 2010 as Armorhide. Like all Deluxe figures in the Japanese line, Armorhide is repainted in a metallic finish.

Transformers: Timelines
An evil mirror universe version of Ironhide appeared in the Shattered Glass universe. This version of Ironhide works for the evil Optimus Prime.

Toys
While no toy for this version of Ironhide was ever made, he is designed to look like the Deluxe Universe toy in the original Diaclone color of black.

Books
Appears in the novel Transformers: Exodus.

Video games
Ironhide makes an appearance as a playable character in the 2010 video game Transformers: War for Cybertron.

In the Nintendo DS game Transformers: War for Cybertron - Decepticons Ironhide is unlockable by finding a data disk in one of the bonus levels.

Toys

 * Prime Cyberverse Ironhide (not yet released, 2012)