Review: #318
Name: Ratchet
Brand: Transformers
Allegiance: Autobot
Line: Masterpiece
Year of Release: 2016
Size Class: Masterpiece
Mold Status: remold of MP-27 Ironhide
PACKAGING AND CONTENTS:
We all saw this figure coming since you can't have Ironhide with Ratchet, and it's an easy remold option. Ratchet is number 30 in the Masterpiece line and comes in the fancy black box.
The box is slightly bigger than other Autobot cars since Ratchet comes with a heap of accessories and is a tad bit bigger. The back of the box shows off a few stock photos and the accessories he comes with.
Speaking of accessories, he comes with a LOT of them. They didn't only reuse Ironhide's accessories, rather, he comes with a few new unique ones. TakaraTomy put in a lot more effort than you'd expect.
Going through the list, he comes with an Arc Wielder that pegs into his forearm.
Then a pair of Cyber Spanners.
Next is that he comes with an alternate smiling face.
Then a pair of Laser Pistols, these are the same as Ironhide's.
A Laser Pistol.
A Magno Wrench, which is of Cybertronian origins.
A Missile Launcher, also same as Ironhide's and based on his G1 toy's weapons.
A piece of cardboard to slot into his windshield in robot mode to mimic a heart monitor.
A Repair Beam Effects Part for his medical attachments.
A Repair Beam Emitter that pegs onto the robot's forearms.
A Static Laser Gun that's chromed, and also shared with Ironhide.
A X-Ray Blaster.
And finally, he comes with a platform that's separate from the toy to store all these together.
When you attach all the accessories onto the platform, it doesn't look as great as Ironhide's since there are empty spots, which makes it feel incomplete as all the items are attached the front.
He comes with a sticker sheet with two versions of the altered Red Cross symbol. Theoretically, you can cut off the corner squares to get proper Red Cross symbols...
And of course, he comes with a Collector Card. There are a lot of accessories and it's what makes Ratchet a bit more expensive than normal but it is worth it with all these options.
VEHICLE MODE:
Ratchet transforms into a white licensed Nissan Cherry Vanette and he looks fantastic. Of course, he has the added lightbar here as he is an emergency vehicle.
TakaraTomy spared no expense since the white is painted resulting in a beautiful glossy finish. Combined with the vibrant red, chromed bumpers and three-colored lights and you have a fantastic vehicle.
A throwback to the original G1 toy is the toy face peeking from behind the windshield. Unfortunately since it's white and the windshield is light blue, it's really obvious and detracts from the overall look.
Apart from the added lightbar, Ratchet has no other differences compared to Ironhide.
Ratchet is fairly big in this mode, and very hefty. They've packed a look into this van, and is approximately the same size as a contemporary Voyager classed figure.
You can store the dual pistols on the underside of the van, and it helps fill in the empty gap there.
Due to the complex transformation, there are a lot of transformation seam lines, it cannot be avoided since the white makes it stand out even more.
You can get Ratchet into the trailer of MP-10 but you have to depress the lightbar in first.
By flipping up a slot on the roof you can attach various weapons on top.
Basically any of his handguns with a handle can be pegged into vehicle mode.
A fantastic vehicle mode and the vibrant white makes it pop out even more than Ironhide.
TRANSFORMATION:
The transformation is the exact same as Ironhide and it's impressive, clever and intuitive. The challenge in designing this figure is that fact that apart from the front of the vehicle forming the torso, there are no other vehicular elements in robot mode. The designer has done an amazing job in hiding all these other elements in robot mode and the resulting transformation is that you end up compacting the van, flipping the van inside out and just slotting them within each other. It must have been a nightmare to design and the fact that the transformation remains fun and not too terribly complex is another testament to how well engineered this figure is.
ROBOT MODE:
Ratchet's robot mode is fantastic and instantly better than Ironhide. It's surprising as how much the color scheme can alter your perception of the figure.
Ratchet comes off as looking very clean with barely any kibble. Yes, he does have the wheels on his back but that's about it. Compacting the figure into such a sleek figure is unbelievable.
His default headsculpt is a grimace-like expression which doesn't suit the character much.
That said, you can swap it for the smiling face which, combined with the fact that he's a medic, can make for some creepier poses like a mad scientist.
In comparison to Ironhide, while Ratchet still has that elongated proportions look, he pulls it off much better and you don't notice the hip panels as much due to them being white.
Ratchet becomes a lot taller in robot mode, towering over Voyagers now.
Perhaps even more impressive is the fact that he almost reaches the height of the bigger Masterpieces (next to MP Soundwave in this shot).
Ratchet is very poseable and has a lot of ratchet joints for those who love the clicky sounds that they make.
His hands are jointed to open, although they're mainly for inserting the weapons.
The biggest restriction to articulation is his hip panels which blocks outward hip motion more than you would like.
Of course, he has a ton of accessories to use in this mode, all of which are conveniently stored on the platform.
First up is his Laser Pistol which you can slot in his hand. Unfortunately, same with Ironhide, getting them in and out is a pain as the piece that juts out to slot into this hands like to get caught and you have to wiggle it out which damages the hand. For some reason, the Laser Pistols are the only one that has this flaw, as the rest of his hand weapons slots in and out with no issues.
He can dual-wield his pair of Laser Pistols for some nice action shot.
Next is his Arc Wield which you fold his fists back into the forearm and plug this instead.
Combined with the Repair Beam Effect Part and you can have nice dioramas with Ratchet repairing another bot.
Same with Repair Beam Emitter which plugs on top of his forearm. You can also slot in the heart monitor behind his windshield to complete the look.
To be honest, the Effect Part can also be posed to act like a weapon, and looks good that way.
His Missile Launcher pegs onto his back and can be adjusted. The missile is a separate piece but the thing is not springloaded nor can you fire the missile so it feels like something's missing.
He has a small Laser Scalpel that he used in the cartoon.
You can attach the Effect Part to this as well for some cool shots.
Next is the X-Ray Blaster which is one of his more impressive guns.
The last ranged weapon is his Static Laser Gun which is chromed and complements the figure.
Ratchet easily grips his Cyber Spanners for when he needs to do some tinkering over other bots.
The Magno Wrench is an odd accessory since it doesn't look that great.
Of course, you can try and fit as many of his weapons on him at the same time as possible, it would have been awesome if there were other slots to peg them, but you can only fit a max of four weapons at one time.
His ankles provide a lot of flexibility as the jointing allows him to stand flat on the table in many poses.
Despite behind mostly white, Ratchet doesn't come off as plain at all. Like the vehicle mode, all the white on the robot is painted. It's not easy to scratch but still be careful all the same.
A great robot mode that while there are no mold changes apart from the headsculpt, feels superior to Ironhide in every way.
OVERALL:
Ratchet is a fantastic figure and even so far as to say even if you have Ironhide and don't want to buy the same mold again, he is worthwhile. This is the superior color scheme and makes the mold look so much better. TakaraTomy has not skimped on the paint applications or number of accessories, Ratchet is truly deserving of the Masterpiece name and is worth every dollar.
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