Ratchet's vehicle mode is a modified Hummer H2, made for search & rescue in mind. It's got a handful of paint apps and molded details to make him look like what he should be. There's a roof rack on the top with floodlights and a siren, and the grille has the added floodlights, further distinguishing this vehicle mode from a normal Hummer H2. The bumper is gray instead of black; I'm not sure if that's supposed to be like that or not. I do like how the windows are tinted, and the deco on the sides is nicely applied.
But if there is a problem I have with the deco, it's how severely lacking it is. There's a vast majority of green that remains untouched when there should be an attempt to paint the robot mode. The rear bumper of the alt-mode, the steps of the doors, the arches of the vehicle, and some spaces where the tires cover things up should have some black paint, whereas the tools should have some silver paint on them to break up all that green. I can appreciate Hasbro wanting to make Ratchet a taller Deluxe than Bumblebee or Jazz, but perhaps it's time for him to be a Voyager again? Make him slightly bigger, add some new parts, and add more paint on him! It's not that hard to do! Also, I wish the hands weren't exposed in vehicle mode.
Here is the Movie the Best repaint of the DOTM mold. Look at how nicely colored it is with the added paint apps and the used of black to break up a majority of the main plastic color. Even the rims are nicely detailed with a nice, crisp ring of silver paint and a small dot on the nub of the rim. Also, the shade of green may vary on the kind of shade that Ratchet has under different lighting. Perhaps a metallic coat of paint can make Ratchet be a good balance between both releases.
Amusingly, thanks to the hinges added on the sides of the figure, the decals that said "FIRE DEPARTMENT" on the left side of the vehicle mode now say "DEPARTMENT FIRE" on the right. This is likely due to the lack of space for the works on that side.
The version of the DOTM mold I do have is the original release, and next to it, you can argue that there's still some paint apps missing, but at least what's there looks better than the original version. The bumper matches the grille, there is black on the front arches of the alt-mode, and the rear bumper has more black than the Studio Series one.
The vehicle mode is slightly smaller compared to the original, and you can see here what I mean by how there's more black to make the toy look less monochrome on the DOTM mold compared to the Studio Series version. If there is a positive I can give to the Studio Series version, it's the roof rack being one piece in vehicle mode, though that will sadly become a negative in the robot mode.
Transforming Ratchet is similar to the DOTM version, but without some of the nice, tighter joints that version had. The bumper, ball joints, and the torso joints feel softer than the original version. Differences between this and the original are the wheels being on a swivel to add the accurate floodlights on the shoulders, and the backpack isn't as bulky as it was in the DOTM version, though the roof rack remains unbroken.
Ratchet's robot mode isn't as monochrome as his alt-mode, and there are some needed silver paint apps in the face and legs. I also prefer the proportions of this robot mode compared to the original DOTM Deluxe. Despite that, there are still details that need to be a lot more life in them than there is currently. Why can't the arms have some paint to make themselves look less plain? Why is the mouth painted nicely but not the rest of Ratchet's face? Why isn't their any more paint for the legs? The grille I can forgive due to the parts being made from a different plastic material, though a more accurate grille transformation would be welcome.
The side profile of the robot mode does look fairly clean, and more so than the original, although there is a bit of an issue with the roof rack, where it now hangs down like a cape. That also plays an issue with the back of the robot mode where the body is heavily plain, and some color would at least break up the green backpack if he had the roof rack separate.
The face sculpt is detailed nicely yet is missing the extra paint. It's almost reminiscent of the MV1 Voyager's face. Which hey, I guess I kind of find an unintentional homage, but this is the Studio Series line, which should be as accurate as possible. I have a feeling no one wants to have the toy look more like the original Voyager in terms of deco.
If there is something that got to have all the nice silver paint, it's his buzzsaw. It looks pretty nice with all that paint, and you can also see where the blades separate slightly from one another. You can't spin it since it's on a tight 5mm port, so I'd love to have seen an effect piece where it looks like it's spinning, especially for display options.
Ratchet's articulation consists of a swivel on the neck, a ball joint for the shoulders, a bicep swivel and double-jointed elbows below the shoulder. The hips are on ball joints with a thigh swivel, a deep bend at the knee, and a hinge for one point of movement for the leg while the ankles are on ball joints, which is a first for a Deluxe in this wave.
Compared to the DOTM figure, Ratchet's proportions are much leaner in the Studio Series line, the shoulders and knees look better, and the head is also larger than the original version while also removing some of the 5mm ports that the DOTM version had due to it not relying on the MechTech gimmick. That said, DOTM Ratchet at least had less of the green broken up with the black plastic (look at the forearms on that compared to the Studio Series version) and the face is at least painted better.
As mentioned, the roof rack doesn't break up like the original one did, and the backpack does transform differently, but the Studio Series version could ditch the lack of a "cape" on the toy.
Since I mentioned MechTech, the DOTM Ratchet did come with a gun that he can hold in two ways (this way being better for his gun mode. It's also a different kind of weapon compared to the original version since it was not the same kind of sawblade the Studio Series Ratchet has; the gun has a lever to pull so you can deploy a saw that spins before it stops. Ironically, Studio Series Ratchet has a 5mm port on the forearm while the DOTM version does not.
Speaking of, the saw blade is bland gray plastic but at least does spin. Also there is a smaller saw blade on the top of the other one for the Studio Series version.
The toy had a repaint made two waves after the original version of the mold was released, this time in the Dark of the Moon paint scheme. It seems a little too early for it to have been made, but what I find weird is that the white parts are more of a warm gray. Sure, they prevent the toy from yellowing, but they don't really look like that in the movie. Still annoying that there are details that have to be painted by myself, but at least Toyhax came forward with a Reprolabel set. This Ratchet comes with a gun instead of a saw blade, though it'll take more than a different deco and new accessory to make me want to buy this repaint. Maybe on clearance, right?
And here is Ratchet in his Premium Finish release, giving him extra paint apps that the original release should have had as well as a different shade of green. I honestly love this deco much more, and the fact that he feels complete with paint apps that I didn't even have to add is a bonus for me. The price still sucks, and I wish he has his gun, but this may be the best Ratchet we'll get at the Deluxe price. Now if only HasTak can do one for Dark of the Moon.
Ratchet saw ANOTHER repaint in 2022, this time for the 15th anniversary of the first Transformers movie. Packaged with his teammates, this guy does what's basically a lesser take on the Premium Finish version, only with a bit of a more accurate shade of yellow-green on him. It's either the expensive Premium guy or this with more characters and a higher price tag.
Overall, Studio Series Ratchet is a mixed bag for me, given how there are not enough paint apps and how despite being better proportioned it is next to the DOTM mold, its plastic is cheaper, especially when handling the joints. I mentioned that there's some room for improvement for Stinger, but there's way more room for improvement here. Shame too because had this been a Voyager and had some new engineering, I'd recommend it higher. As is, if you never got this toy, try not to pay for more than the regular asking price, and be prepared to have your painting skills ready to add more life to this figure.
Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
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