Ratchet
Review by quinncat
I’ve always really liked the complex engineering and high parts counts of the Movie Transformers figures, and while I did somewhat enjoy the Age of Extinction figures, and the Last Knight Premier Edition figures a little more, I’m happy to say that with the Studio Series comes the complexity and level of detail that I love about Movie Transformers figures. I really hate the movies as films, but I have to admit I’m a sucker for the movie toys.
Contrary to Bumblebee, his fellow Autobot deluxe Ratchet is actually very tall for his size class, and the quality control on him is pretty consistent, but also contrary to Bumblebee my example of Ratchet actually does have a couple problems that weigh it down.
In vehicle mode, Ratchet makes a pretty good looking ambulance. The lime green might be a little too bright, and the details definitely simplified to accommodate the transformation, but regardless I think it still looks good. In terms of size, it’s kind of an average deluxe vehicle, but it looks pretty huge compared to his wave mate Bumblebee, that being said most deluxes do.
Ratchet’s transformation is very reminiscent of his Dark of the Moon deluxe iteration aside from the backpack. Instead of sticking out pretty far horizontally, Studio Series Ratchet’s backpack compresses a different way, as it is very tight to his back but it hangs down lower. Honestly, I thought I would hate this design decision, but now that I have the figure I don’t think it’s that bad! Honestly, I think Ratchet’s transformation as a whole is pretty intuitive and fun.
In robot mode, Ratchet is pretty solid. Other than the backpack hanging down a little low, he doesn’t really have any other kibble that isn’t for aesthetic reasons, especially on his legs, which look really clean and screen accurate at least in their molding. I wish he had more paint on his arms and legs, but the figure still looks colorful enough to me. I especially appreciate how all the floodlights in both robot and vehicle mode are painted, making the robot mode look a little more interesting. Ratchet’s articulation is standard for a deluxe, except for his feet which are actually on ball joints. As I mentioned earlier, my copy of Ratchet does have some quality control issues. His hip ball joints are really loose, so posing him can be a little difficult, and also he has a really weird gash in one of his arms! Honestly, these issues don’t bother me too much, but the fact that the strangely deformed looking plastic on his arm was deemed okay seems a little negligent to me.
Ratchet’s sole accessory is a buzz saw that can be mounted on his arm. I don’t really have much to say about it, it’s not bad! However, I will say I really wish he had his gun to go with it.
As far as size is concerned, Ratchet is about a head shorter than the Voyager Optimus Prime. This shows that despite the fact that studio series Optimus is pretty small for a Voyager, Ratchet is still a pretty tall deluxe.
In conclusion, Transformers Studio Series Autobot Ratchet is a pretty solid figure. I can’t say it’s worth $20 but to me, no deluxe really is. However, what you are getting here is definitely worth considering this figure if it ever goes below that price, because this reiteration of Ratchet has above average articulation, a mostly clean looking robot mode, a pretty fun and intuitive transformation, and some nice details here and there. Overall, I’d say Studio Series Ratchet is mildly recommended because there definitely are better deluxe class figures, but I still think he’s worth checking out.