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Series: Generation 1
Allegiance: Decepticon
Categories: Cassette
Year: 1986
The road is my dinner plate.
Has no friends, only business partners. His only allegiance is to himself. Refuels by plunging his mecha-fangs into new cars' gas lines - the better made the car, the better the gasoline tastes. Maximum flying speed: 65 mph. Carries two radar-guided, free-electron lasers that detect the presence of an object as small as a fly. Wings contain mechanical sensors for locating fuel sources. Has one foot wingspan that can enlarge to ten feet. Wings are vulnerable to artillery.
Beast Mode: Like other cassette figures before him Ratbat doesn't have a robot mode, but rather transforms into a beast mode, a bat in his case. Most of his body his wings, which can fold out into an impressive span considering his boxy alternate mode. The wings are pretty posable, too. His head and feet are pretty tiny, but the proportions are roughly right for a real bat, so that's okay. Not the best beast mode ever, but considering the year it was made and its size, a pretty good one.
Alternate Mode: Ratbat transforms into small cassettes that fits into Soundwave's tape deck (or that of the Autobot Blaster for that matter). The cassette has all the necessary detailing to appear as an actual micro cassette from the eighties. Now as alternate modes go a simple square isn't that spectacular. What is, though, is how this wide-winged bat can fold itself together like that. So bottom line, a good alternate mode.
Remarks: Ratbat didn't play a big part in the cartoon. In fact he only appeared once or twice in cameo during season 3. But he did play a big role in the Marvel comics, where he became leader of his own Decepticon splinter faction for a while and he has made an appearance in the IDW comic books as well. As a figure Ratbat isn't exactly a revelation, but he's another interesting take on the whole cassette robot concept and certainly original. Ratbat came packed with Frenzy, who was originally out in '84, but was re-issued in '86. He's not a must-have among the G1 figures, but if you can get him for a decent price, he's worth buying.
Rating: B
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