![]() ![]() As a result, Ratchet can be a bit more difficult to stand. There are two notable differences: one, Ratchet’s ball jointed neck is much more limited in regards to tilting and two, he lacks the transformation joint that gave Strongarm a degree of foot articulation. The only parts that are shared between the two are the thighs, core torso, and biceps everything else is unique.īeing largely identical to Strongarm in design, Ratchet’s articulation is largely identical to Strongarm’s, so I won’t go into detail. The transformation scheme also means that he still has huge flaps of car doors hanging off his back, but unlike Strongarm I tend to just fold them back to give him a more accurate profile. Ratchet’s Strongarm-y origins are much more evident in robot mode, as he follows the exact same transformation scheme, with the exception of his legs, which now involve folding the rear top of the ambulance mode into his calves. Plus you’ve got to love that grumpy frown. He’s not terribly accurate to his RID character model, but he does share just enough superficial similarities to MTMTE Ratchet’s redesign for me to be satisfied. The paint apps are nice and sharp, too, though I really would have liked to see a splash of it on his hands and midsection. ![]() He’s no masterpiece by any means, but the details on the chest and head go a long way in making him feel like a proper Ratchet over the dull Hasbro release. The extensive remolding is much more evident in robot mode, as well as the Takara-premium paint apps. (First off, the actual toy has a circular code-scanner badge sticker on his chest, which I have replaced with a Reprolabels Autobot insignia. All-in-all, though, it’s not terrible, and at least he rolls well, as all good red and white SUVs should. Like Strongarm, he feels very hollow to account for his size, and unfortunately the panels making up the front of the truck are nearly impossible to line up clean. Even the front half of the truck, despite looking nearly identical, is entirely original. When I say remold, it’s important to note that every bit of the vehicle mode on Ratchet is a new mold the only shared parts are internal robot mode bits that I’ll point out later. Though it may be difficult to tell, but Ratchet is actually a heavy remol d of RID Strongarm, with the biggest indicator being the sheer bulk of this altmode. Admittedly, this could just be how Ratchet’s vehicle mode looks in RID, but Reprolables could (and hopefully will) have a field day with this guy. In fact, this is the exact same vehicle mode deco as the Hasbro release. This is where I’m majorly disappointed in the Takara release, because this vehicle mode looks almost barren. Keeping with tradition, Ratchet turns into what could generously be called an ambulance, but in this case it’s really just a red and white boxy SUV. With a slight premium to cover nicer paint apps, this is Takara’s release of Ratchet from the Adventure line. Though I’ve (still) yet to check out RID, I was happy to hear that Combs reprised the role for the show’s third season, and in the process giving us what may be the closest we’ve gotten to a G1-styled Ratchet toy with his RID design. He brought a delightfully charismatic deadpan wit to the character, balancing out Animated’s crotchety old man with the more personable medic from G1. The show was not without its positives, however, chief of which being Jeffrey Combs’s ever-enjoyable performance as Autobot medic Ratchet. It began incredibly strong with great production quality and loads of potential, and then very quickly proceeded to waste its potential and stagnate for the majority of its run with poor writing and repetitive plots. Despite keeping up with it faithfully for its entire three-season run, I have to say that Transformers: Prime is one of the most disappointing series in the franchise. ![]()
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