Transformers Studio Series Ratchet (Bumblebee Movie) review

If there is something I love about Ratchet and Ironhide outside of G1, it's that they had unique body designs from one another. If anything, it was something that was most commonly known with the movies while Animated and Prime would have given Ratchet the more traditional ambulance look while Ironhide would have gone from the G1-esque designs to ones that are more reminiscent of the Movie incarnation before they were sadly scrapped as Animated got canceled while Bulkhead replaced Ironhide in Prime (and for some reason had his toy repainted as Kup in the US line despite the design clearly being made for Ironhide in mind). And it's interesting how Ratchet almost always pops up in new iterations of Transformers but Ironhide didn't. I guess they favor the medic more than they do the bodyguard or weapons specialist. Anyways, let's see how this figure turned out!

Here is Ratchet in his robot mode. It's a very realistic take on the G1 design that is expected with the Bumblebee movie robots, though Ratchet is very chunky even when put next to the G1 design. Sure, that model was basically done up with no transformation in mind since it deviated from the Diaclone toy, but this is pretty silly overall if you ask me. The proportions are mostly accurate to the movie, but I do not like how thin the shoulders are compared to the forearms, which makes them feel like they're not consistent with the character design. The integration of wheels on the legs appears to be the same as on the original design; in fact, this guy feels fatter than the character model, which is funny since this at least looks like it can transform; the back proves this with the doors that serve as panels for the figure which is hilarious. 

Head sculpt is decently sculpted, though I do find the eyes a little inaccurate with the lightpiping which can be appreciative, but the face is pretty silly-looking considering how he looks like he has a skeleton face in the Bumblebee movie Also, his chevron being red is not something that bothers me (though it is more associated with Prowl than Ratchet in G1), but the fact that it's not painted elsewhere on the surface areas is pretty bothersome. His articulation is consistent with the other Bumblebee movie figures, with a ball-jointed head, shoulders that move front and back, in and out, bicep swivels, elbow bends, a waist swivel, loose hip joints for front and back movement, they also move in and out, thigh swivels, knee bends, and ankle pivots that are not too effective. His gun is pretty big, though not very character-specific apart from the way it tabs on the back. Does look a little cooler like that, not going to lie.

For a robot mode size comparison, here he is with the other Bumblebee movie Autobots released so far, and yes, I now have the updated B-127. He finally seems taller than everyone else for once since Wheeljack, Brawn, and Ratchet all felt like they had the same height. Either way, we're close to just having Arcee and Ironhide, one new mold and a repaint with a chevron-less noggin.

Speaking of which, Ironhide is on the next wave because it was inevitable. Honestly, it's funny how this figure looks worse than Ratchet in terms of color placement; the grat shoulders look cheap, the red hips look terrible and clash with the gray crotch and thighs, and the wheels that will be used in the front of the vehicle mode are gray and stick out compared to the rest of the vehicle mode, which is hilarious! At least the shade of red looks good.

Transforming him into his vehicle mode is very different than what I initially expected; I at first anticipated he'd use the same transformation that the Siegerise version has, but it thankfully isn't the case given how more reliant this guy is on panels that are thankfully integrated without sacrificing his robot mode too much. The vehicle mode reminds me of the terrain vehicles that were featured in another Michael Bay film, that being Armageddon. It also appears he has a few shades of discrepancies between the painted white parts and the plastic that is white (and even on the difference between his own parts and the wheel wells); I currently can't tell if my copy has the same discoloration issues that other copies got. At least the red, as sparring as it can be, breaks up the weird white discrepancies. As for his gun, it stores on a 5mm post like expected.

For a vehicle mode size comparison, here he is with Brawn, B-127, and Wheeljack. He feels rather compact than the others, which may be in reference to his future altmode, the Hummer H2, being a somewhat compact vehicle compared to the GMC Topkick. So Ratchet may be a little more pedestrian than either Wheeljack or Brawl, but I do like the engineering that he has and his altmode being reminiscent of the terrain vehicles from Armageddon helps him work as a pretty neat figure all around. That being said...

Why do these guys have 5mm holes under their feet? It sort of is a thing we got with the SS86 guys, but with the lack of any C.O.M.B.A.T-esque gimmick in Studio Series, and with the lack of 5mm posts elsewhere other than the hands, it really doesn't make sense. 

Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐ and a half out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

SH Figuarts Sailor Moon Animation Color Edition Part 2 + Super Sailor Moon review

If you thought I'd stop at just the original 5 and be done with it, think again! Because I was obsessed with learning more about the series back in June/July, I admittedly got all 7 of the currently available SH Figuarts of the Senshi, including Uranus and Neptune, before I got to watch the series properly. Then I got Super Sailor Moon at a good price before the preorders on Saturn and Pluto were completed. With all that out of the way, I can currently say that I am basically done with 4 of the five seasons and am about to get to Stars very soon, so with all that said, let's get into this review with the Outers and a Super form!

Let's start off with the more antagonistic or I guess anti-hero sense of a character, Sailor Uranus. Whether you know her as Haruka or Amara, she captures that elegant and mature presence from the show, as she was not as feminine compared to her partner in crime or the rest of the team, actually. She's able to capture that well from her height alone, which makes her taller than most of the other characters and helps her look masculine, too. Her scoutfit also feels subdued in terms of design, with the navy blue contrasting the white with the only trace of vibrant color to go along with the latter being the yellow bow, which does look a little desaturated compared to the yellow on Venus. Her back bow is also the same color as her skirt and fuku, with the latter having no stripes. Unlike the other scouts, who have gloves that extend to the elbows, hers only go past the wrists, exposing her forearms more.

Face sculpt does have that bishonen look that the series is known for, but it's mixed with the more male characteristics that would help her fit in with the likes of Tuxedo Mask and I guess Andrew despite him being a softie by comparison. Her facial structure combined with her hairdo makes her feel different from everyone else in the team, which fits well with Naoko's comments on Sailor Uranus being female yet having male characteristics at the same time. The hair coloring is also nicely different from her skin tone as she is a pale blondie, in addition to it being much shorter. As far as her accessories are concerned, she has 3 alternate faces specific to her (the fourth one will be touched up on soon), a set of crossed arms, her talisman known as the Space Sword, and a selection of alternate hands in addition to the pieces for the flight stand.

Her articulation is the same as with the normal Sailor Moon Figuarts, but for those who aren't too familiar with them, every figure has one head joint that can look left and right, another meant for looking up and down, and another for head-tilting motion. The shoulders can move front and back on ball joints, in and out on hinges, the swivels within the short sleeves of the figure can swivel, deep elbow bends that don't rely on double-joints a la Marvel Legends, and the hands can hinge up and down but you can also swivel the base of the forearm so they can hinge in and out. There is a diaphragm joint and a slight ab-crunch joint that is hindered by her skirt, but the legs can move front and back, in and out (which does require adjusting the skirt and/or pulling on the hip joints), tightly swivel at the thighs, bend at the knees, and the feet can swivel below the boots before having a pivot for the ankles and a hinge. Some of the poses I have her in depict her yelling "URANUS WHIRLED CHICKEN!!!!!!" as well as her holding her sword with a smirk and her looking in a different direction with her arms crossed. I like that third display option since it fits well with her character in addition to solving the crossed arms pose that Figuarts can't really pull off. It's not easy to pull it off since it requires removing the arms from the joints and not losing the already tiny pieces that cover them.

Interestingly, Sailor Moon has an alternate faceplate included with Uranus, one that gives her the heart eyes. I know she once occasionally went gaga for Amaruka, even though it's dumb that she spent the previous season trying to get Damoru's memories back and then dealing with their temporary breakup before discovering about their future lives as rules of Earth, but it's interesting how this alternate face plate did not come with Sailor Moon. It'd make sense if Tuxedo Mask did, but I'm starting to think that they're trying to get people to get the other characters to make a more complete experience for this line.

For a size comparison, you can see she is taller than Sailor Moon herself, which is accurate given how she is older than the titular heroine. You can also get a sense of how their design traits work, from the gloves to the footwear and the gloves as well as the fuku detailing. And also shown are the recently obtained Exhaust and the World of Nintendo Waluigi that is still missing Wario.

Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Next up, it's Sailor Neptune. Some may find her to just be an older duplicate of Mercury given how they're both water-themed, but at least she can feel unique in her own way. She has a few differences even from Uranus herself, with her bows matching each other while the back bow is a different color from her skirt. Her footwear is also different from Uranus, with the more exposed high heels that feel reminiscent of Jupiter's and Venus's. Apart from that, it's got most of the same design traits from before.

Face sculpt kind of makes her look like a turtle with the mouth, though the eyes, as well as the rest of the face, do look accurate to the character in question. It does come from the fact that the show was not made with 3D designs in mind, so that does come from stemming anime characters into a physical action figure being a not-so-easy thing to do (still better than more stylized shows that are way more cartoony, but nowhere near as effective as a normal superhero or robot show). Her accessories have three alternate face plates, her own set of crossed arms, the Deep Aqua Mirror, and her own dedicated set of alternate hands.

Her display options are always nice to have, with the cupped hands and her thinking pose being very fitting of her mature yet still kinder character compared to her cousbian friend. That especially rings true with the way her crossed arms are posed with the open hands.

Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

After that, we have the addition of Sailor Pluto, who despite being released after Saturn in the Animation Color Edition line, did make her appearance before Saturn did (especially by a season prior). Sort of off-topic, but I like to imagine her true name being Setsuna while her civilian name is Trysta in the original dub. Anyways, this character design is great, between her changing things up with the coloring as well as her awesome hair in addition to its dark green coloring, and the black of the outfit contrasting from the white of her uniform makes her fitting for a somewhat ominous Sailor Scout. The lack of shoulder sleeves plus the gloves being consistent with the original five make her unique from the other Outer Senshi, and the boots also help her stand out from the previous two. Her skin color, whether it's part of her ethnicity or is a tan (I'm not sure which is the confirmed answer according to Naoko), compliments her gorgeous character design. She's a unique character from the others, almost reminds me of the Amazon warriors that took on Steppenwolf in ZSJL.

Face sculpt also embodies her character, being a mysterious individual who not many know about due to her role in the series. In R, she guarded the time door and was not that well known to the others. In S, we get to see her in action more, with her goals more or less aligning with Uranus and Neptune as they clash with the original five over the heart crystals and then destroying the Messiah of Silence who happened to be Hotaru Tomoe, a friend of Rini-Usa that sort of put a bit of guilt on Pluto due to her befriending the future daughter of Sailor Moon despite the mission in destroying the evil spirit of the character we'd find out to be Sailor Saturn. IDK what happens in Stars yet, but we have three alternate faces, fewer alternate hands than the cousbians, the Garnet Rod, and the dedicated pieces for the stand.

For her display options, it is worth mentioning that the rod can be split in a couple of pieces that can better help the figure slide the hands into the accessory without the same ease that other figures can have. The Garnet Orb can be removed, allowing her to hold it with a dedicated hand that can have the piece attached to it. Her hair is kind of hard to display in vanilla poses, but it's much easier to make the use of the articulation it has for when she's fighting or is in a windy environment. She, along with Sailors Moon, Mars, Jupiter, and Venus are the only ones with articulated hair.

Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ and a half out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

After her, we've got Sailor Saturn! Her uniform is also unique from the others, with unique shoulder pads that are reminiscent of the Super Sailor forms that we'll see the others get in terms of sounder pads. As for the bow, it's got a unique brooch in front of it similar to what we get with Sailor Moon's design, only it resembles the pure heart crystals that were the running theme of Season S. Her main color is purple, though it does feel more lavender, and the boots have these unique laces that stadn out from the others for having no such detailing on those who wear boots.

Her faceplate captures the gloomy yet kind-hearted personality that she had in Season S, which contrasts the more optimistic and extroverted personality that Rini-Usa had in the show. The bobcat black hair of hers also goes with it as well as the eye color. Also, by the time she returns in Stars, it is said that she's no longer got the same personality from Season S. Her accessories have the same amount of alternate hands, faceplates, stand, and her own Silence Glaive.

As for her display options, I think she looks awesome with the glaive, as it helps her stand out from the other characters in addition to it being such a unique design overall. I also have to say it looks way nicer than the cheap silver gray weapons we'd see from Hasbro, but then again, budget differences.

Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ and a half out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

It is worth mentioning that they have been previously released with somewhat metallic coloring applied to them, which are not animation accurate to the colors we saw in the show. Otherwise, they have no differences in terms of accessories or detailing.

And finally, here we have Super Sailor Moon! As you can tell, she is not actually themed after the animation-colors but is instead in the normal metallic/opaque combo that we got with the original releases. This is especially noticeable with the hair; while the outfit looks great in metallic white, I will admit that the hair being transluscent is concerning since it may not be that durable, in addition to how it affects the already delicate ball joints. At least the outfit looksgreat with the bow, the different fuku, the shoulder pads, her altered skirt coloring, and the back bows being dynamic in terms of appearance in addition to being bigger and longer.

Her face sculpt is altered from her previous release, with the tiara having a crescent instead of a red jewel, her faceplates having an older, more mature look to them while still capturing the happy, go-lucky nature of Sailor Moon, and this extends to her mouth having no paint application added to detail it's there. In addition to those changes, the hair now has the dedicated hairpins that the super form had but the manga originally had even for the first form of Sailor Moon. Her odongos are now in a metallic red and silver color, which makes them look more like sirens if we're being honest lol. As for her accessories, she has three alternate faceplates, alternate hands that now have their dedicated storage piece, the Spiral Heart Moon Rod, and the Holy Grail. Oh, and the alternate stand exists again.

Her display options are always nice, whether it's the pose she makes after completing her transformation, her iconic "I shall punish you" pose, or her either holding her weapon or the grail after transforming into this form. I should mention that the stand of the figure, specifically the claw, is very delicate; in fact, this figure has a crack on the elbow while the flight stand has cracks present on the holes that the pegs go into; I wish people can call this out on the Figuarts line, because shit like that is unacceptable.

For a comparison with her previous form, she is not only taller but also looks somewhat older than the original version of Sailor Moon. In addition, her face doesn't look as pudgy, her eyes also look slightly less cutesy, there is a height difference, this is basically the super form that we'd all expect her to have in the line as it manages to be a superior version of Sailor Moon, though I do wish the back bow would have more articulation. And before you ask, yes, the hair and alternate face and hair are compatible with the original figure, though it is worth mentioning that 1) the hairpins are a manga thing and only in one scene from Sailor Moon R where Rini is told of the heroine herself, 2) the skin tone of the Super figure will look slightly off when it's on the animation-color version of Sailor Moon because of it looking less natural, 3) the SHMR can only be held with the proper hand and not the one that originally uses the Moon Wand from Season 1, and 4) the brooch is the same one she got in Season 1 instead of the same brooch she should have received from Season S.

Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ and a half out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐