I had pre-ordered this set and then cancelled it (did I really, truly, sincerely need dying versions of characters I already owned?) and ended up pre-ordering it a second time. As much as I am trying not to spend money on plastic robots, I couldn't not own this set. I had to have it.

The set is a bit weird because it's branded both as Buzzworthy Bumblebee (a Target exclusive sub-line) as well as Studio Series '86 (Ironhide is SS86-24 and Prowl is SS86-20). So, these are Hideworthy Ironhide and Prowlworthy Prowl. The retail package is both too tall and too thick for just these two toys. The box measures 12" x 9.5" x 3.25", but it probably could have been about half this size. Ironhide and Prowl are almost entirely visible in the open, plasticless window, but there's all this real estate below them for pretty much no reason. I had to cut open three separate pieces of tissue paper covered in tape to get to their accessories, and there were ten when all was said and done—two Ironhide guns, Prowl's rifle and light bar, and six blast effects.

The cardboard backdrop is similar to the one that came with Studio Series '86 Brawn, feautirng the shuttle interior and a huge, gaping hull breach created by the Decepticons. The text blurb on the back reads, "When DECEPTICONS hijack the AUTOBOT shuttle, PROWL and IRONHIDE fight to the end." A little less cryptic than the text on the back of the box for Brawn, though I suppose the Brawn toy isn't actively in the middle of dying, unlike his buddies here.

IRONHIDE

So, Ironhide is based on the Studio Series '86 release from 2022, with the most notable and obvious difference being his new, shattered chest windshield, which only has a few fragments of windshield glass on the corners, with most of the circuitry behind it exposed and plainly visible. He's also got an alternate head sculpt, with his mouth open (crying out either in anger or in pain, possibly both) and his eyes are more narrow.

The chest has a five-millimeter octagonal-shaped peg that will accept large blast effects, and the three stackable blast effects can build a large explosive burst about 3.75" long, purple in color (for it is the color of Decepticon weaponsfire). Attach it and Irohide basically looks like he's exploding while trying to save his shuttle and his crew. Such heroic nonsense!

Before I continue, I do want to point out that the folks at Hasbro originally solicited this set as a joke, so it's kind of funny that somebody not only took it seriously, but ended up giving it final approval. It's ironic in some ways that the whole reason characters were being killed off in The Transformers: the Movie was because their old toys were being discontinued, and yet now we're getting new toys specifically to commemorate these death scenes. And, to be honest, it is a little morbid. We've gotten toys representing characters being mortally wounded in the Star Wars toy line before (like the electrocuted Darth Vader with the see-through armor so you can see his skeleton, or the Greedo with a blaster hole in his chest) but it certainly doesn't happen with Transformers with any degree of frequency.

The color values between the original Voyager-class Ironhide and this toy are close enough to be visually identical, except that they painted the robot face a glossy light grey this time instead of a metallic silver. Also, the window pieces are cast in red plastic now and painted light blue, rather than made out of translucent blue plastic. His rear windows are painted this time! They were red on the first release.

The new toy also has the yellow stripes on the sides of the van mode that the first Ironhide release was missing. It's great that they included it this time, but I'm sad it wasn't included on the cleaner toy, which is eminently more suitable for display. You can't even really play mix-and-match too effectively, since there are so many parts held on with pins, and you would never be able to build a toy with both the yellow stripes and painted windows (because there is no intact painted front windshield). I guess I just need to order the Toyhax stickers and call it good.

PROWL

Prowl is based on the Earthrise release from 2020, with a few significant changes. First, they updated his color deco to be more screen-accurate, and he has the proper grey mid-torso and upper leg pieces, which were black on the previous release. He's also got more paint deco on his pelvis. His front bumper is painted grey, which really helps it pop (it basically disappears into the blackness of the Earthrise deco).

The Earthrise version of Prowl actually used the Bluestreak head sculpt, which is a similar-but-different head design. (I guess it was only fair, since the Siege version of Bluestreak used the Prowl head design.) For this release, Prowl got a more accurate head. It's smaller than the Siege style head, and the forehead plates are have a G1-level thickness, but it's authentically styled to his cartoon look. Moreover, it's an absolutely horrifying moment, so Prowl's mouth is permanently agape and his eyes are tilted in absolute agony. (When we first heard rumors about a "dying Prowl" redeco, I thought maybe they'd give him orange eyes and a blast effect with some orange smoke billowing out of his mouth.)

His chest was partially remolded near the left headlight, with a small section missing the armor to reveal the silver-painted circuitry underneath. It also includes a small blast effect peg that protrudes. There's also a little bit of black spray paint around the blast area to represent scorch marks. Stack three more blast effects and you, too, can recreate that classic moment when Prowl meets his demise at the hands of the Decepticon marauders (the Constructicon named Scavenger can claim the killshot, if you're at all curious).

There are some changes made to vehicle mode as well. The most notable change is the switch from blue translucent windows to opaque white parts that are painted light blue. This applies to the front windshield, side and rear windows, and headlights. The "POLICE" lettering on either of his doors has been replaced with a blue-colored police badge with a tiny blue Autobot symbol in the center. His police car roof lights are cast from white plastic instead of black, so the unpainted section in the center is now white. The black stripes on the sides of the car are now straight, and no longer wrap around and cover the tops of the wheel wells. His hubcaps are also painted silver this time (they were left black for the first release).

It looks as if during the manufacturing process, the mold for my Prowl's grey torso piece was not fully filled with plastic, resulting in a torso piece that's not fully formed. It's missing a chunk. I guess I'm writing to Hasbro and seeing if they can replace it. Here's hoping they don't send me a Rescue Bots toy or something, because I get the feeling they like to troll me a little bit sometimes.

This set was $54.99 at Hasbro Pulse and worth every penny. Because I apparently enjoy reliving one of the most traumatizing cartoon moments of my childhood, over and over again. Not only do I have absolutely no doubt that we'll get another 2-pack eventually with on-his-last-legs Ratchet and see-ya-wouldn't-want-to-be-ya Brawn, but it honestly wouldn't surprise me if we eventually got an ash-grey Starscream in a partially crumbled state, or maybe some heavily-damaged Decepticons from the Autobot City aftermath with armor cracks all over their bodies. Maybe a Kickback with a "smooshed" alternate head. I mean, at this point, why not?

Zob (where the hell did my weekend go?)

On Saturday, August 5, 2023 at 9:12:37 PM UTC-6, Zobovor wrote:

> It looks as if during the manufacturing process, the mold for my Prowl's grey torso piece was not fully filled with plastic, resulting in a torso piece that's not fully formed. It's missing a chunk. I guess I'm writing to Hasbro and seeing if they can replace it.

So I've got a replacement *something* coming. Something of approximately equal value, but no idea what it is. Now we play the waiting game while I make random guesses. I'm leaning towards the possibility of a Leader-class toy. Studio Series Sludge or The Fallen or somebody seems probable to me. Maybe Toxitron or Tiger Grimlock. There's almost no way of knowing.

Zob (seeing a lot of reports lately about defective toys... Studio Series Brawn toys with two left arms, or Dion missing a piece of his truck bed... is quality control just going down the toilet?)

On Friday, August 11, 2023 at 2:21:11 PM UTC-6, Zobovor wrote:

> So I've got a replacement *something* coming. Something of approximately equal value, but no idea what it is.

For those playing along at home—if you guessed Masterpiece Burnout, then that was a very good guess.

Hey, can't complain. I was sort of hoping it would be something I could return to Walmart without a receipt, but I'm not going to punch a gift shark in the mouth, or bite the shark that feeds you, or whatever that shark-related saying is.

Zob (hey, you know what animals I like? I like sharks... and skunks)