Transformers Studio Series 86 Ratchet review
The first action sequence of The Transformers: The Movie is traumatic. Ratchet, Ironhide, Prowl and Brawl get gunned down in a manner I’d never seen in any cartoon. It was a bad way for the Autobots’ medic to go out, but I tend to act like the deaths didn’t count anyway.
Ratchet was a key member of the G1 group as he frequently had to patch up his fellow Autobots. His role in the comic was even more significant as he had to contend with Megatron to restore the Autobots back to health. Ratchet is a big player and I was thrilled to see him announced for the Studio Series lineup. Especially after getting Ironhide.
With Brawn still left to review, I’m now a non-battled damaged Prowl away from completing the doomed shuttle crew. Let’s see if Ratchet was done properly or in need of some figure first aid.
Packaging: Hasbro has tinkered with the presentation of the lines since trying to go relatively plastic free. The Transformers had a decent compromise with the cut-out window even if you couldn’t fully see the figure. The wire and lower placement of accessories helped prevent theft or part swaps without obvious package damage.
I’m still a fan of the animated style artwork on the side. The tiny bio does a great job of framing his final fate with a mention of the ambush on the Autoboot ship.
Likeness: Similar to pretty much every version of the two, Ratchet is pretty much a repaint of Ironhide with just a few small changes.
Of course, the head is different as Ratchet has the horned crest brow plate and a rounder head and chin plate. Ratchet’s horns could be longer and have sharper edges.
This is probably more of a transformation/safety measure, but the package artwork has them at the right length so that’s a puzzling design choice.
Ratchet also has a different waist piece to be accurate to the cartoon. Ironhide had a diamond shape at his waist piece while Ratchet had a straight paneled line in the middle.
Scale: Ratchet and Ironhide are the same height and clock in taller than the smaller cars like Sunstreaker, Wheeljack and Jazz. He will be looking up slightly at Trailbreaker.
Alt Mode: Ratchet of course transforms into an ambulance. Another shift from the Ironhide mold is the light bar on the roof.
That was something Hasbro couldn’t skip, but it’s nice to see they made all of the necessary changes to distinguish between Ironhide and Ratchet without shortchanging anything.
Transformation: Ratchet’s transformation wasn’t crazy the hardest Transformer to transform. Ironically, at 25 steps he takes one less step to transform than Ironhide.
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Paint: Ratchet gets a nice bold and bright white. It’s very clean with no yellowing or color inconsistencies from the chest to the limbs. To avoid any lawsuits with the Red Cross, Ratchet has a quasi-RC logo with the Autobots logo atop it.
Way to keep the lawyers at bay, Hasbro. The tampo is sharp here with no overspray or bleeding.
The grey horns help showcase the pop of the blue eyes better than most figures. Besides a very minor bit of overspray, the white and blue windshield are neatly done. Ditto for the Autobot logo on the front.
Articulation: Ratchet might be the medic, but he was always right involved in Autobot battles against Megatron and the Decepticons.
He was typically portrayed as a tough fighter and certainly not one who was getting blasted much in combat. This mold allows for some surprisingly good articulation. Ratchet can hit and hold some dynamic poses.
And the not so extreme poses like helping his fellow Autobots in the repair bay.
Ratchet has:
- neck
- bicep
- ball-jointed shoulders
- elbows
- wrists
- wrist hinge
- torso
- waist
- hips
- thighs
- knees (double-jointed)
- ankles
Accessories: Ratchet could have come with some emergency gear, but in the movie he wasn’t patching up much of anything. He comes with two blasters so you can re-enact the ship shootout.
The blasters have a good amount of detail and the bright shade of silver provides a nice visual boost.
And you can also count the backdrop of the Autobot ship as another accessory as well.
Worth It? Ratchet was $33.99. That’s more than the old Voyager class price point of $29.99. The value hasn’t increased with the price. With less options available for him, I cashed out some GameStop coupons to get him for $25. Not a terrible deal and what probably should be more of the price point anyway.
Rating: 9.5 out of 10
Like Ironhide, Ratchet was a very welcome addition to my Studio Series collection. His articulation is a little tricky to peg everything in tightly, but he’s a fun and essential figure for G1 collectors.
Where to Get It? Target is starting to get the latest wave of Studio Series 86 figures in stores. Hopefully you can take advantage of the big sale as well. Otherwise, you can always go the Amazon route, which also has him in stock.
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