Animated Cybertron Mode Ratchet Review

I never had the original Animated Ratchet, so I can't make any comparisons, but this is a nice toy. The Alt mode is a little bland and skimpy, but the transformation is cool and the robot mode is nice and large. Ratchet, like Arcee, may also suffer from Animated Plastic Syndrome.

Alt Mode:

Ratchet is a turtle-esc Cybertronian medic ATV. It's a small mode and it's a little bit underwhelming, especially with its hollow underside, Ratchet's exposed pelvis and the gap in each side. However, it is still a striking and interesting mode. It looks alien, while not looking lazily designed, which is nice, as the label "Cybertronian" is often used as a cop out for a horrible alt mode.

One thing to watch out for in this mode is a tendency for the rear treads to unpeg from the body, which simply means the treads haven't been rotated back enough and are going over the pegs at a slight angle. It's not a molding error or something wrong with your figure, you simply don't have the leg in the right position. It takes a little bit of getting used to, especially with the odd way the legs fold up, but give it time and you'll get it.

I give Ratchet's alt mode an 8/10. It's neat, though far from perfect.

Transformation:

I love Ratchet's transformation. It has some neat twists and makes use of every part of each mode. My favorite part is how the front treads collapse into the torso and clip around the pelvis to hold everything in place, it's a beautiful mechanism. The only frustrating part is getting his arms in and out of the backpack, which is a little crowded.

I give Ratchet's transformation a 9/10. It's fun, it's neat and it's only a little bit annoying.

Robot Mode:

Ratchet is a big deluxe. While he's nowhere near as tall as Lockdown or Blur, he's much more bulky and much more solid. He looks like he could benchpress Bulkhead. His size works for him, being neither too big, nor too small, though his knees are minuscule compared to the rest of him.

One thing about Ratchet that annoyed my at first is how his legs have an inward hinge below the knee, which can sometimes fold in if you're not careful posing him. This annoyed me for a while until I tightened the joint with superglue and now it's a boon to his poseability, as it lets him stand much more stable and naturally.

Despite being such a nice design, I am disappointed in his plastic quality. I can all ready see his shoulder ball joints starting to powder into oblivion, like much of the rest of Animated has done. On the bright side, the plastic IS better than most of Animated, but it's still disappointing.

I give Ratchet's robot mode a 9/10.

Summary:

Ratchet's a neat mold and I'd recommend picking him up. I get the feeling that he's much more sturdy than Arcee, who is a little bit too small for her own good.