Ratchet's one of those characters who never really got to have a toy that lived up to his potential. His only Voyager toy was decent for the time but is obviously dated, and then you had a Deluxe figure that ranges in accuracy and/or quality. The Studio Series version could have been the definitive version of the character yet Hasbro made a more proportioned yet cheaper version of the DOTM figure. So when the MPM line started to delve into the other characters past Optimus and Bumblebee, I was eager to see what Ratchet would be like given how he has fewer toys than that other Autobots as far as updates. Hell, I'd love to see a new Voyager Ratchet instead of the same Voyager mold repainted more than necessary. Let's see if the MPM version can deliver on that front!
Here is Ratchet in his vehicle mode. It's a modified Hummer H2 with rescue equipment added into the mix. The figure has all of the equipment you need to complete his look, from the grille added with extra foglights, a roof rack, sculpted details for the tools, and all of the other little details like the siren and the sculpted details to make the toy feel complete. Previous Ratchet toys tend to suffer from a lack of devotion towards making the toy look as good as it could possibly be, and it especially shows when you compare this to the other offerings of the character. But beyond that, it's just iconic and needs no other description since you already know who this is.
In general, it feels much more complete thanks to the paint apps that make this toy feel more like a proper version of the vehicle that he transforms into. The paint used for the pulse line and the markings are already nice, but things like the sirens, tools, the caution stripe on the doors, and every other detail that screams emergency vehicle are touched up with paint, and even the medical tools are nicely picked out, which would have easily been skipped on a normal release! The rims are also nicely done, making sure they have the silver paint while trying not to add too much silver. And can I say how much I love seeing the toy actually have the consistent shades of yellow-green instead of looking like an inconsistent mess like with the prototype used in the stop motions? So good.
For weapon storage, the gun can peg onto the spare tire while the buzzsaw can clip onto the rear bumper of the vehicle, and even that looks nicely painted! You can also place the little missiles underneath the vehicle if you want to keep track of them because boy are they tiny!
For a size comparison, here he is with the other Autobots in their vehicle modes. I have to say that they're nicely done as far as the scale is concerned, with Ratchet not being that undersized compared to Optimus Prime and Ironhide. And of course, Bumblebee and Jazz are smaller than the other three.
Can I just say how nice it is to have these guys in the same line with the same consistent synergy and the like. They look great as a team and would probably have some US Military vehicles as the cherry on top. Such beautiful vehicles if you ask me.
Transforming Ratchet actually pretty involved, especially considering how it has more steps put into it than the other versions of the toy normally have to contend with. For example, while the legs do transform like the past few Ratchets have, the transformation for the upper torso has more going on with it, from the orientation of the frontal side panels of the vehicle mode to the backpack that Ratchet has from the roof. Some new steps for the toy, like the placement of the front tires as well as the fog lights around the upper torso. I should mention that the parts with the headlights and the upper arches of the vehicle mode are supposedly meant to tab into the shoulders, but the problem is that they mess up the articulation of the arms, limiting the range they'd have. I instead have them onto the chest, while it makes the chest look clunkier, they at least have a secure spot to be on. Our resulting robot mode is certainly bulkier from the top due to the kibble, and while some might find it to be rather annoying that he's got a somewhat shellformer feel, he at least doesn't feel as lazy as figures like Studio Series WWII Bumblebee or Cybertron Thunderblast as he actually integrates parts of the vehicle and distributes it somewhat throughout him. The side panels could have easily been part of the backpack, but they actually go onto the inner side portions of the legs. His upper torso actually makes use of the vehicle parts without relying so much on the need for faux parts. Some things like the roof rack halves hanging out like ponytails does look bad, but it allows the sirens to be prominent. And he one of the few Ratchets to have his spare tire on his back!
Headsculpt is certainly accurate to the movie, and the best version of Ratchet's head to date! I do wish we'd either have more green paint or silver paint for the face. There is some silver paint for the nose, though. The articulation for this guy is as good as with the other Masterpiece Movie figures in the line. Head can turn left and right as well as move up and down, and much like Barricade, Ironhide, and Megatron before him, his mouth can open. Shoulders move front and back, in and out (on ratchets), the biceps swivel, elbows bend on ratchets, and the wrists can swivel while his fingers can articulate a the two thumbs, and at two points for the middle three fingers. His waist swivels somewhat, his hips move front and back, in and out, the upper knee swivels, the knees bend on ratchets, and his feet can hinge down while slightly pivot at the sides.
As far as his weapons are concerned, you can display him with his machine gun by attaching it onto the forearm and curling the wrist inside it. This allows it to look like it transformed from his forearm. Very nice touch. The missiles can be mounted onto his other forearm, but a more impressive accessory would be the buzzsaw! It's painted nicely and both of the saws spin!
Let's compare him to the only other version of the character to be around his size. The original Voyager Ratchet was a good toy for the time, as it was nice and chunky for the kids who didn't want to mess around with the complex designs (as a way to compromise for the limitations Hasbro had at the time). Either way, you can definitely see the night and day difference between the two toys, especially when one is much closer to the CGI model than the other.
For a size comparison with the Autobots in the line, here he is next to the others in the team, and guys, LOOK AT THIS!!!! It's such an amazing display and an honor to own these officially definitive versions of the characters. They're great, they're accurate to the movie models, and they're sweet to pose as well as have in either mode. I honestly never thought we'd get this display from the Masterpiece line, but I had hopes when we got not just Bumblebee in 2017 but Optimus Prime in the same year!
And let's just go over this cool pic of the MPMs with the Studio Series versions of the same characters! I'm still happy to own the Studio Series versions of the characters, even if they have some things I don't like about them (the lack of paint for some, Ratchet feeling cheap, Prime's compromised truck mode), but to tell you the truth, the movie designs just feel so much more complete when they're given a bigger budget and reach of engineering; the part count, proportions, and the approach in making the accuracy come to life is stronger with the MPM line than with the regular Deluxe and Voyagers. Like I said, I still like the Studio Series guys, but the MPM versions are just so good to have, even in spite of some flaws they have. At the very least, they don't have any widespread breakage issues that plagued some G1 and Beast Wars Masterpieces, from the breakage on Dinobot's shoulders or the hips of BW Megatron to the numerous quality control issues that plague MP-05 Megatron, MP-44 Optimus Prime, and especially MP-09 Rodimus Prime.
And what do I think of the Autobots as a whole in this line? Each one is a great figure in their own right, even if some have some flaws that knock a few points off them. I guess we can rank them from weakest to strongest: Ironhide is ranked least due to his stability issues for the chest come arms as well as the panels that hold the cannon (tabbing issues are also present); from there, Ratchet is in fourth place due to his strong vehicle mode and robust transformation with some missing paint apps and his bulky backpack. In third place is Jazz, who is nicely pristine in silver and comes with some nice selling points like Sam and the ability to reenact his death scene. In second place is Optimus Prime, who despite not being as accurate as I'd hope, makes up for it with his robot mode, transformation, articulation, and truck mode (also the blades are perfect). In first place is Bumblebee, who is just the best version of the character and is all around perfect if you ask me. IDK if I'd want to get any other characters from the sequels in the line right away, because I've already delved into the Studio Series line for far too long, but at least completing the original team would be a treat. And as for Ratchet, he is a strong figure in his own right. I'm sure people will tell me that I should get the KO version because of the paint (and I know the same goes for the other MPMs), but as far as official versions of the character are concerned, this is the best one we've gotten. Easily beats any other version of Ratchet, which might not say much because he's mainly been reduced to a Deluxe, but it's still a worthy addition to any collection nonetheless.
Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
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