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As a doctor from space, shouldn't the box he turns into be blue, not white?
Ratchet activates the planetary blasters
to take down the Decepticon forces.
Yes, nothing says "medic," a job that generally consists of helping others and easing their ailments, like "activating planetary blasters." He also healed Bumblebee as soon as they met and seemed to be Optimus Prime's second-in-command, why not mention some of that? Also, doesn't "planetary blaster" sound like some huge thing that would be able to blast ships in orbit? They're actually just gun emplacements that seem to protect Iacon. One little section of Iacon, not even the whole city. "We must activate the Mega Ultimate Superfortress, to defend the corner of 52nd and Broadway from anyone wanting to hang out there!"
Since the War for Cybertron game was inspired by Generation 1, that's what this figure's design references - at least, the cartoon version of G1, since the toy version of Ratchet didn't actually have a head. Consequently, it ends up similar to the Bumblebee Ratchet, just with the colors of the "helmet" and crest switched: red head, white forehead.
The toy's design is mostly great, just with a few weird choices
that stick out. Like the little tabs that stick up on the inside of the lower legs, or the big triangles of flat kibble on the back of the hands - nothing terrible, just a few spots that feel undercooked. After Animated, Ratchet is generally portrayed as an older, grumpier character, and this thick body makes him feel mature without being decrepit, and strong without being a brute. He does end up with some extra kibble on his back, but the designers have found a way to fold it up so it both looks like it belongs and doesn't look like he's carrying random car parts.
Ratchet has the same play gimmick as the other Studio Series Gamer Edition War for Cybertron figures, where his right forearm can be removed and replaced with a weapon - in his case, an "Energon repair ray,"
which is basically the medi-gun from TF2. This TF2, not this TF2. The one with The Medic. And his medi-gun. Unlike the others, though, he can actually store his unused parts when they're not attached to his elbow: making use of that kibble backpack in a clever way! He also comes with a sizeable battle axe, though raising his arms to use it is an interesting proposition, since his shoulder armor connects to the body rather than to the arms (another of those weird choices we talked about).
Converting Ratchet is slightly challenging,
thanks to an unusual sideways hinge in the upper arm, and swivels on the calf armor that don't seem to serve any purpose. But once you get the hang of it, it's nearly as pleasant as "Concept Art" Sunstreaker. One of the funniest features is the way they put the Autobot symbol on the robot's chest on a miniscule block that you're meant to swivel around, so the symbol can be in a minorly different spot on the vehicle mode's hood. So silly!
The altmode is, presumably, some sort of Cybertronian emergency vehicle. Definitely not an ambulance, because he'd have to be
a lot bigger if he was going to carry other robots anywhere. It's red and white, with black windows and his legally-not-infringing-on-The-Red-Cross symbols on the doors. Or, the sides? Who's to say it even has doors! The axe can be carried on the roof, and the gun on the back, though neither of them look great there.
Most of these Hasbro Transformers Present Activision's Transformers War For Cybertron Based on Hasbro's Transformers Studio Series Transformers Gamer Edition Transformers Hasbro figures have been honestly kind of mid. Robot designs that don't match the game despite it being over a decade old, conversion processes that don't live up to the original toys, and vehicles that often feel incomplete all add up to toys that are fine, but nothing special. Even with his quirks, Ratchet is the first one that really stands out as something good.
-- 01/07/25
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