1. Box- 10 Box is impeccable and extremely tight- the flaps taped down on the sides so tight the box had no give to it. i liked that. 2. Packaging- 10 simple and clean. The bag with the sticker sheet, instructions and errata was well concealed behind the white cardboard insert. The multi layered plastic casing to hold toy and accessories in place was a nice touch. 3. The toy- 8 Transformation process was simple and easy, joints on arms were starting to loosen after a few transformations. my biggest gripe has to be with the tank treads on the gun platform. during the first transformation, one of them popped off. it isn't a break, it simply pops back onto a peg, but it does come off rather easily. makes me want to keep Ratchet in box and on the shelf, which is a shame. Overall, I am pleased with what i got because the experience of opening a genuine TF again for the first time in decades was worth it. recommend this one to you all.
I agree. It seems the chrome parts are very tight - the forward tank tread is also pretty hard to flip down, at least on mine so far. It seems the chrome makes some parts harder to move. Still I cannot complain, it's a near perfect reissue of ol' Doc Greasefinger.
Packaging on mine-5 Thanks to the dickheads at UPS BOTH my Ratchet and Ironhide boxes were crushed. Had it not been for that it would have been a 10, Takara did a great job with the packaging.
Don't like em either... I have a front door with no real protection from the elements, but a back deck with ALL the protection in the world and those UPS/FedEX dweebs still leave my packages on the front step. glad it was not raining when my Ratchet came in....or some overpaid Mr. Brown woulda had Brown Stains everywhere. i do have one question on posing Ratchet/Ironhide- Any of you know where to stand that guy on the base so he matches the picture? he looks like he is "riding" the missile launcher, but he isn't so stable when i put him that way.
I think the problem is getting them shipped outside Asia. I was lucky enough to get a friend in China to get them around $20 each. Outside Asia, you got to deal with the shipping cost. I didn't open mine yet but I can see some plastic difference between them and the originals. Anybody planning to do a photo comparison?
Does the gun on the trailer bit move so that Ratchet's platform could be used like a medi-bay type unit?
i'm surprised you never made a video review yet. i haven't found any online so far. great review btw.
Me and videos, not friendly. me and youtube, divorced couple from hell, lol. thanks for the feedback. The Missile launcher has some freedom, you can raise it vertically and have some space, but as a medical bay? that is pushing it....he is rather small there. like the train of thought, though.
Had a hard time finding this thread, but I finally got this guy! He rocks, plain and simple. I'll put more pics of this badass mofo in the TF cool stuff thread.
Nah, I just didn't want to put the face sticker on. (actual face looks creepy) Here's the custom face sticker I made for his head (crappy pics, I know): Y'see, the original Diaclone version of this toy was not intended to be a sentient robot, but rather a piloted mech. (hence, the seat) When Hasbro imported the various lines to make Transformers, he needed a head so Hasbro gave him a stiker to go over the seat to make it look like a face. It worked, but the face sticker he came with was ugly.
My take on Ratchet (Encore) G1 ENCORE RATCHET Robot Mode: Ratchet probably takes the award for G1 Autobot that looks least like his cartoon counterpart (along with Ironhide). The robot doesn't have a head. Hailing from the Diaclone days, it is little more than the cab of the ambulance vehicle with arms and legs. There is a seat behind the windshield where the Diaclone driver could sit. Reprolabels issues special stickers so you could have Ratchet's face on the seat behind the windshield, turning him into a rather stocky robot, but at least now he's recognisable. This design was actually an inspiration for several War Within designs used in Dreamwave's comic book series. The Encore series went one step further and included a cardboard cut-out you can stick in front of the driver's seat, giving Ratchet a (two-dimensional) head that actually sits on top of the windshield instead of behind it. Despite my love for all things G1, though, I have to say that Ratchet in robot mode is not a very good figure. With or without the head (sticker or cardboard, take your pick), he is a very ungainly looking figure. The arms are fully posable at the shoulders and there are good details, but it doesn't change the fact that Ratchet just doesn't look the part of the living, humanoid robot. Among the early G1 figures Ratchet might well be the least desirable. Alternate Mode: The emphasis of most early G1 figures was a realistic alternate mode with the robot mode coming second. Ratchet is a good example of this. His vehicle mode looks pretty excellent, a well-done miniature version of an ambulance. There is the driver's seat visible through the windshield (with Ratchet's face on it if you applied the special sticker) and there seems to be all sorts of equipment in the back , as befits an emergency vehicle. So to sum it up, a very good vehicle mode, nothing bad to say here. Partners / Add-Ons: The back of Ratchet's vehicle mode is a separate module that opens up into a kind of battle station, though in Ratchet's case it's probably more fitting to call it a repair station. It has a rotating gun in front, as well as a missile launcher mounted on a posable arm. Ratchet can stand solidly behind the launcher, giving him a sort-of 'attack mode'. The trailer section might actually be superior to the Ratchet robot itself. Remarks: Ratchet was one of the original Autobot cast and appeared in the first two seasons of the G1 cartoon before being killed during Transformers the Movie (the 1986 animated one, that is). He was one of the more likeable characters, always complaining about the work he had to do, but always fixing up his buddies without fail. He was pretty much the same in the comic books, though he did feature more heavily there, at one time being the only Autobot left free to save his fellows. Ratchet also features frequently in the IDW series of comics. As a figure, though, Ratchet is a very mixed blessing. The vehicle mode is excellent and the trailer / battle station looks pretty good, too, but the robot mode, such as it is, is a big disappointment. It is somewhat improved by using either the sticker face or the cardboard one, but even with those, he looks... unfinished. I realize it's twenty-four years too late, but I wish Hasbro would have selected a better Diaclone figure (though I haven't the faintest which) to represent this excellent character. As it is, I can only call Ratchet average, and that's only because I love the character and his alternate mode is good. Rating: C
I love this ancient and old mold, I actually have a vintage Ratchet so, I'll buy Encore Ironhide soon. Hey Split, your custom head looks very cool man!
Thanks! I always prefered the marvel comics style face. (especially since that's where Ratchet was such a huge character) And I kinda cheated to make him taller by like half an inch. You know, if you rotate the arms closer to the body on the hinges near the head, it really makes him look more solid. Plus you can get him to hold his gun that way. (abeit, in a fixed "pointing straight" pose, but it works and is secure for gunfights)
has anyone purchased the customized heads for ironhide/ratchet? I was curious to see how they looked on the figures
