General Information:
Release Date: February 2022
Price Point: $22.99 (depending on retailer)
Retailer: General Release (Amazon, BigBadToyStore, Entertainment Earth, Target, Walmart etc.)
Accessories: Cannon
Official images and product description in italics below are from Amazon:
- STUDIO SERIES DELUXE CLASS: Deluxe Class figures are 11-cm collectible action figures inspired by iconic movie scenes and designed with specs and details to reflect the Transformers movie universe, now including The Transformers: The Movie!
- 11-CM SCALE AUTOBOT RATCHET: Figure features vivid, movie-inspired deco, is highly articulated for posability, and comes with a heavy blaster accessory inspired by the film
- BIG SCREEN INSPIRED: Figure scale reflects the character’s size in the world of Transformers: Bumblebee. Figure and packaging are inspired by the iconic Cybertron Falls scene
- 2 ICONIC MODES: Figure features classic conversion between robot and Cybertronian medical vehicle modes in 22 steps. Perfect for fans looking for a more advanced converting figure. For kids and adults ages 8 and up
- REMOVABLE BACKDROP: Removable backdrop displays Autobot Ratchet figure in the Cybertron Falls scene. Fans can use the backdrop and pose their figures in the scene with their own style
Studio Series has always allowed fans to reach past the big screen and build the ultimate Transformers collection inspired by iconic movie scenes from the Transformers movie universe. Now, the Studio Series line is expanding to include the epic moments and characters from the classic 1986 The Transformers: The Movie, bringing fans a whole new series of screen-inspired figures to collect! (Each sold separately. Subject to availability.) This Studio Series 82 Deluxe Class Transformers: Bumblebee-inspired Autobot Ratchet figure converts from robot to Cybertronian medical vehicle mode in 22 steps. Remove backdrop to showcase Autobot Ratchet in the Cybertron Falls scene. In the Cybertron Falls scene from Transformers: Bumblebee, the Decepticons launch their final assault. Autobot Ratchet and the Autobots find themselves outnumbered and flee Cybertron in the escape pods. Pose the figure out with the included heavy blaster accessory and imagine recreating this classic movie moment! Transformers and all related characters are trademarks of Hasbro.
The opening of the Bumblebee Movie featured a fast paced battle scene on Cybertron. This scene featured the Cybertronian versions of many characters based on fan favorite G1 characters. One of these was Ratchet. It was interesting to see him with a very G1-esque appearance since the character appeared in a very different form in the first few live action films.
As part of the 2022 Studio Series line, Hasbro and Takara Tomy would release several characters based on this Cybertronian battle scene including, Ratchet. This figure represents Ratchet's pre-Earth form on Cybertron while still taking design cues from the G1 version of the character. In films set later in the timeline he would go on to look fairly different.
Packaging:
Ratchet comes in a standard Studio Series box. His artwork is very prominent on the front and looks like it's based right off the CG model. Part of the reason the artwork is so large is that the window has been made smaller so you see a bit less of the figure than previous releases. At first I thought this was due to the initiative to reduce plastic usage in Transformers packaging, but there is still a plastic sheet over the window like packaging from previous years. That said, I think this packaging represents an intermediary step between having the large plastic windows of the past and the non-plastic covered windows that will be very present in 2022 and beyond. Part of the reason I think this is the figure itself is attached to a cardboard tray inside the box instead of sitting in a plastic try. This cardboard piece has a portion of the background scene on it to give the figure a nice backdrop.
The back of the box features Ratchet in both modes calling out an 22 step transformation. Instead of a function, the box calls out the scene he is in as "Cybertron Falls". Like past Studio Series figures, Brawn comes with a backdrop to act as a display piece. The background features the ruins of Cybertron from the opening battle scene and it looks great.
Accessories:
Ratchet includes a giant cannon. Calling it a blaster seems like a disservice given the relative size of the weapon. I mean, the thing is almost the same height as one of his legs! This weapon has a long barrel connected to a section in the back with lots of cool mechanical detailing. The weapon is made up of gunmetal grey plastic, giving it the same gritty look it had on-screen. The weapon has a 5mm peg on the bottom and a rectangular piece on the left side to attach to the robot mode for storage.
Robot Mode:
In creating figures for Studio Series Hasbro has been fortunate enough to have access to the CG files used in the live action movie films. This gives them a strong foundation to build upon when designing figures for this sub-line. As with many of the Autobot appearances in the Bumblebee movie Ratchet shows up and disappears very quickly, but we do get a better look at him via the "Bee Vision" home release extra and thanks to that we can see that Hasbro really worked hard to make a figure that properly looks like his on screen counterpart. Unlike the Ratchet we would later see in films like the 2007 live action Transformers film, this form takes cues from G1 Ratchet in its design. This includes having a rather bulky body, the windshield of the vehicle mode on his chest and his distinct head sculpt with a round "helmet" section and "horns" sweeping upward from the middle.
In addition to those details, Ratchet has distinct, thin shoulder panels that contrast with his chunky looking forearms and legs. The legs have several curved panels that give him a somewhat sleek appearance and even small details like two small "toes" on each foot are present. I absolutely love the sculpt of this mode. It is detailed and looks like the on-screen model jumped right off the screen and onto my desk.
Ratchet is made up of several plastic colors including white, translucent blue, gunmetal and silver. White is his main color of course, with the gunmetal and silver making up smaller bits like the elbows and fists. The translucent blue makes up his chest panel and his eyes allowing for light piping! Paint colors on the figure include white, red, black and silver. For the most part the deco from the CG model carries over here including the distinct red lines on the shoulders and the red and black middle section of the body. There are some bits that are different however. The hands on the figure are silver plastic, but they're red in the CG model and the knee armor is grey in the CG model but left white here. I'm not too broken up over these minor deco differences. They have all the major deco points covered and that's good enough for me!
There are twenty points of articulation on Ratchet. This includes four in each arm and six in each leg. His weapon can fit in either hand or attach to his back for storage.
Transformation to Vehicle Mode:
- Detach the accessories and set them aside for now.
- Straighten out the arms and legs.
- Swing each hand into the forearms.
- Swing each foot back.
- Swing the back panels out, then swing out the arms out to the sides.
- Swing the panel around the robot head up and over the head, then forward.
- Swing the panel with the arms on it back to cover the robot head.
- Rotate the lower body around, then rotate the upper body around using the central swivel joint.
- Rotate each lower leg around, then bend each leg at the knees. Rotate the wheel wells so the wheels point down.
- Fold the chest panel down over the lower legs, clipping them into place.
- Swing the arm/shoulder panels in.
- Connect the tabs on the forearms to the slots on the robot feet on the underside of the vehicle mode.
- Swing the side panels in.
- Attach the weapon to the port on the top of the vehicle.
Vehicle Mode:
Ratchet never transformed in the Bumblebee movie so Hasbro had to make up a vehicle form for the character (while still preserving the appearance of the robot mode from the film). There are certainly vehicle mode cues in the robot mode including the "windshield chest" and wheel wells on the legs, so it gave Hasbro a good starting point. The result is very reminiscent of G1 Ratchet's vehicle mode in concept: a boxy vehicle. Instead of a van however, this looks like a Cybertronian ATV of some sort. Some of the angles on the side panels give this bulky vehicle a bit of a sleek appearance and depending on how large you imagine this vehicle is I could imagine the back opening up to fit a damaged Autobot inside (mind you, there'd be some serious mass displacement happening). I was a tad disappointed that there isn't a lightbar somewhere on this to call back to his G1 ambulance mode but honestly, there's no real good place for it where it wouldn't feel a tad forced (especially on an "alien" vehicle) so I get why such a detail wasn't integrated into this vehicle.
All the robot mode colors carry over to this form. There are red stripes on the sides and back which is a nice color callback to G1 Ratchet. I also love how the blue in front contrasts with the white and red. I was also very surprised to see the sides of the wheels painted, a detail that is often neglected nowadays.
Final Thoughts:
I am a huge fan of the character models featured in the opening of Bumblebee so having this figure in the Studio Series line up is an absolute joy for me. I love how much this figure looks like the CG model in the film and the vehicle mode is a nice homage to G1 Ratchet. Highly recommended!
Pros:
- Excellent sculpt in both forms.
- Good deco.
- Interesting transformation that is fairly intuitive once you do it a couple times.
- Wonderful G1 homage design.
Cons:
- A few more deco points would have elevated the deco from "good" to "great".
