Alright, the duality of botkind is represented well with these two. The last wave did a similar thing with Shockwave and Ravage, but now apart from the purpose they'd use in the Core Class line-up, we got more duality in the form of when they debuted and the aesthetics they present, with Ratchet being loosely based on a Diaclone toy with tons of liberties taken and Wheelie being an original design. Yeah.
Here is Ratchet in his not-really-an-ambulance mode. It's pretty much the same Vanette Ironhide turned into but pretending to be an ambulance. It's a decent attempt at replicating the alt mode, though given its size class, shortcomings in the form of the hinges and the gaps made from the ball joints make it a lot less cohesive. And while this guy is a cheaper figure than normal, I wish his windows were painted, though maybe they were left unpainted due to the robot legs being solid white. Otherwise, it's a decent little vehicle. The guns can be stored on those two little holes.
For a vehicle mode comparison, here he is with his Earthrise counterpart. And we can certainly see how, despite the Core Class shortcomings, Ratchet ends up being a little more cohesive than his Deluxe counterpart. I say that since the vehicle mode is a retool of the Siege figure meant that it wasn't going to have 100% of the synergy with the parts already left on there and the newly retooled elements, especially with the feet sticking out and the windows being unpainted (then there are the shoulders), but it's another instance of a neat idea with a weak execution, especially in retrospect now that Ironhide and later Ratchet will have better-engineered figures in Studio Series 86, but we'll get to those soon...
Transformation is also Similar to the Earthrise version, albeit without any partsforming, and instead of using the bumper behind the head, it's now on the butt of the toy, yet at the very least, the top part of what would be the shield remains on the back. The robot mode reminds me so much of the iGear Medical Specialist figure in terms of the proportions, with the baggier look and the torso sticking out a little more. Some might find the wheels on the front a little ugly, but I am alright with them since they'd break up an otherwise plain-looking robot mode. In fact, I wish Ratchet had more vehicle parts on him without sacrificing the silhouette of the G1 design. I wish Hasbro did something with adding more vehicle kibble on them when they made the character models. And while he doesn't have the Red Crosses on his shoulders due to licensing, these generic ambulance symbols with the Autobot insignias on the front look much more interesting to me since they'd at least retain the same idea but make it more Transformery.
Head sculpt is pretty much a shrunken-down version of the Earthrise version with the same proportions. His articulation is standard for a Core Class figure, with ball joints at the head, shoulders, elbows, hips, and knees while the waist is on a swivel. His two guns help him recreate that one time he failed to shoot the Decepticons before he went down in one hit somehow.
For a robot mode comparison, here he is next to the Earthrise counterpart. And I'm sorry, but the Core Class guy wins overall. The Earthrise figure had too many clashing aesthetic problems between the Siege figure and the retooled parts, and it results in a vaguely decent attempt at looking nice yet feels compromised overall. There's just too much that clashes with one another, and it's making me appreciate what we'll get with the inevitable SS86 version. Also, Earthrise Ratchet's got gray hands and no red waist compared to the Core Class version! And for anyone wondering, yes, Core Class Ratchet is in scale with the other characters in the lines, usually consisting of Siege and Earthrise for a mix of WFC Trilogy and SS86.
Here we have Wheelie in his vehicle mode. It looks like a shrub you'd pull out from the ground, and it has a bit of that same 86 movie aesthetic that makes it very different from the rest of the characters from the first two years. It's not a bad thing per se, but it does show how much Hasbro had to work with at the time given how they were great at finding toys they can repurpose but not so well at making their own designs. We've definitely come a long way when it comes to making up newer character designs in the later parts of G1, G2, and Beast Wars, as well as reimagining older characters while making freshly made designs simultaneously in recent years.
The design is definitely rounded out, with very few sharp angles on it whatsoever. Sadly, his silver-painted hands are exposed, and you can tell that one set of legs has mushroom peg wheels on the back while the front has them pinned. The former is something I don't mind because of the size class, though the latter is a little bizarre.
You have some weapon storage at the bottom of the vehicle mode, which is nice and hides much better than the typical slap-weapon-on-rooftop approach.
For a vehicle mode comparison, it's no contest between him and his minifigure counterpart that came with Leader Class Grimlock.
Transformation is pretty unique for a figure like this, though some may sat it takes elements from the other figures we got in Titans Return and even Universe 2008. I like how the lower legs face forward so the wheels can go on the back. The resulting robot mode is definitely accurate in terms of its appearance. I don't think it's anything too out of the norm apart from the wheels which otherwise look fine. But turn to the side and back and you can see his caboose sticking out like a sore thumb. It's better than all the truck kibble sitting on the back of Battle Command Prime, but he isn't good at pulling off the spider abdomen schtick that Blackarachnia had in Beast Machines. Otherwise he captures that adventurous scout look that the character is known for in G1, especially since he had no one to talk or live with before he met the Autobots. In fact, he reminds me a bit of an Ewok. Then again, that entire movie copied Star Wars.
Head sculpt is solid for what it is, and I like how the flat gray contrasts the silver, though I wish the lips were a little sharper. His articulation is the same as Ratchet, but he has no waist swivel. At least he has a slingshot.
For a comparison to the minifigure, we got, it's no contest. Amusingly, we don't get a Buzzworthy Exosuit-sized figure that only has shoulder movement and a backflap; DNA Design did make a similarly-made figure to this guy, but with swappable heads and no rotating wheels. Yeah, I'll stick with the Hasbro one.
And that covers this duo! I'm pretty happy to have a mini-Ratchet and a more definitive Wheelie. It's nice to see the Core Class line-up continue strong with its characters and engineering. And if you thought we'd only have either shrunken main characters amd already tiny dudes, we're in for a treat since Hasbro's taking notes from the 3P world like they did with Legacy Menasor as they're making Evolution Volcanicus out of 6 Core Class Dinobots!
Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ and a half out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
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