Earthrise Ironworks

Series: War for Cybertron: Earthrise
Year: 2020
Allegiance: Autobot
Class: Deluxe Modulator

Prelude: Remember that Micromaster windmill thing from the late 1980s? Where you had that tiny truck robot with the base that transformed into a slightly different-looking base? And were you disappointed when Siege brought out the Micromaster with a different name and no base? Well, the Earthrise line brings you the base, which is also a robot now. Got all that? Cool, so here is War for Cybertron Earthrise Ironworks. Let’s say go!

Robot Mode: Seeing as the Micromaster Base this toy is based on never had a robot mode before, the Earthrise designers were pretty free in how they could make him look. Ironworks is a Deluxe class robot with the same good range of articulation as most figures from the line and a definite construction look to him. His arms look like crane arms (even though just one of them becomes a crane), he has a crane hook attachment he can put on either arm, and his chest is a big shovel. His legs look a bit more generic, but overall it’s pretty clear that he transforms into something construction-related.

Ironworks only has one hand, really, and it’s just a sculpted one, so there is no wrist action or anything. He wields a blaster that he can either hold in his sculpted hand or attach to his hand-less right arm. He also has several other 5mm holes, where he can attach weapons from other Transformers, if you want to.

Overall Ironworks has a pretty nice-looking robot mode. There is nothing to compare it to, of course, but I like him. No complaints except my usual one about robots without actual hands.

Alternate Mode: How many alternate modes Ironworks actually has is a bit of a conundrum. He transforms into a base, which can transform into a different base, can connect with other bases into a larger base, and can also become armor pieces for other figures. Do your own count on that.

Anyway, Ironworks’ base mode is basically identical to the old Micromaster base, a square with a “building” on top with a crane attached. It has two ramps that can connect to other base modes from the War for Cybertron trilogy. The base can be modified into the same kind of tower as the original Micromaster base, though it’s missing the windmill rotor that the original had (there is an upgrade set for that). Both versions of the base mode are okay, but work better as part of a greater connected city rather than a stand alone base.

Much like the Weaponizers from Siege, you can also take Ironworks apart and apply his various parts as armor and weapons to other Transformers with sufficient 5mm holes. The shovel (his chest plate) looks best when attached to an arm, while his robot mode arms work as shoulder guns, for example. Of course many variations are possible here, I’ve just included a few in the pictures below.

So bottom line: Ironworks near-faithfully recreates the old Micromaster base and has many other uses besides. Nicely done.

Remarks: The Micromasters were all the rage in the late 1980s, as Hasbro tried to compete with Galoob’s highly popular Micro Machines line. One of the many sublines was called “Micromaster Bases”, where individual Micromaster robots were sold with base modules that could transform from more or less realistic looking buildings into battle stations and such. One of them was Ironworks (the name of the robot), who came with an unnamed base that, in the Takara line, was simply called “Build Base”. Fun Publications’ Classics Comics later gave the name Ironworks to the base, and the robot was released in Siege under the name Irontread.`

The Earthrise line recreated several of the old Micromaster bases as robots, called Modulators, to follow up on Siege’s Weaponizers and to be succeeded by Kingdom’s Fossilizers. Personally, I really enjoyed the Modulators, but for some reason haven’t really gotten around to reviewing them yet. Well, I’m starting now with the first one I got, even though it’s been a few years.

Bottom line for this figure: it’s a good, solid Transformer with lots of play value. Zero character recognition, naturally, unless you count the old base as a character, but it’s a good toy overall and it’s even more fun if you have several of them to connect. Fully recommended to everyone who enjoys fiddling with his figures to come up with ever-new variations.

Rating: B