Animated Ratchet (Deluxe)

Robot Mode: There have always been the 'old guys' among the Transformers, veteran robots who've seen their share of battlefield action, but Animated Ratchet is the first one who really manages to look the part. He looks like an old man, complete with grumpy face and beer gut. Ratchet is a dead ringer for his TV counterpart, right down to the broken 'wings' on his forehead.

As far as posability goes Ratchet offers no ground for complaints, either. He's bendy, he can move,the only slight limitation here is that the car doors on his shoulders sometimes get in the way a bit, but that's easily compensated. I especially like his hands. They're not the usual 'fist-with-hole'. His thumb is separate and articulate, while the four fingers are individually sculpted. Nicely done.

Ratchet carries numerous tools with him, a hammer and a wrench among them. Each can clip into his hands or be stored in his backpack. The snap-on points in the backpack are not the most stable in the world and the tools sometimes fall out, but it still looks cool. Ratchet also has his trademark magnets in his arms, though those don't look a whole lot like they do on TV. There is only half a magnet in each forearm and instead of simply pointing forward they flip up until he sort-of holds them in his hands. I think this could have been done a lot better.

What's been done very well, though, is Ratchet's ability to wield the EMP generator that was stolen from him by Lockdown. There is a place in his forearm where it can plug in. It can't stay there when he transforms or become part of his alternate mode, but it's still a very nice touch.

So bottom line, I very much like the robot mode. The only real complaint is the magnets, apart from that, top notch!

Alternate Mode: Much like you'd expect a medic Transformers to do, Ratchet transforms into an ambulance. The vehicle looks pretty wholesome and solid, there are no obvious clues that you're looking at a giant robot here. He even has a transparant windshield, something I always prefer in car-based Transformers, even though there isn't much to look at behind it. The rear hatch of the ambulance can open up, but all you see inside are Ratchet's robot fists.

I can't really write all that much more about this vehicle mode here. It's good, it's solid, the only real downside is that you can't store any of Ratchet's tools inside it when he's transformed. Apart from that, though, a good vehicle mode.

Remarks: Ratchet is a homage to not just one, but two different G1 characters. G1 Ratchet, of course, who supplies the basic look and function, but also G1 Kup, who supplies the character of the grumpy old veteran. The two combine pretty flawlessly and create one of my favourite Animated characters.

The toy incarnation of this character performs pretty well, too. A nice figure that pulls off the 'grumply old man' look better than any other Transformer I've ever seen. It does have some problems, such as the magnet gimmick and the lack of a place to put his tools in vehicle mode, but overall this is a very nice toy rendition of Ratchet and seeing that he's one of the core cast of the Animated series, he's a must-have for any serious Animated fan.

Rating: B+

Picture Gallery: