TFTM '07 - Voyager Ratchet

Not sure about that one, looks like they're going to break if I try to do that. They look better on the sides.

Ratchet does look cool in vehicle AND bot-mode... I'm soooooo glad he isn't a crappy ambulance like the one in the cartoon... the colour scheme doesn't work very well in the real world.

Check out my ratchet pics & others at http://www.flickr.com/photos/42222146@N00/

I wouldn't say they don't work, they work quite well.

In some metro areas, like mine, there is an emergency service called Tucson Rural Metro Fire Department. ALL of their vehicles are about the same color as Ratchet and some even have a similar paint scheme. If I ever get a chance to get a photo of one, I'll post it here.

The reason he is painted that color is for visibility reasons. Other areas have Search and Rescue vehicles painted the same color as during wildfires and other situations a red vehicle can't be seen as well. There is no missing a big, bright, and neon(ish) green emergency vehicle.

Am I supposed to put something here?

Here are some comparison pictures from figures already in my collection next to the new Voyager sized ratchet. Even though not shown in the images, Ratchet is closer to actual scale (if you care to call it that) is about 1:30 to 1:32. I based this off of his doors and comparing him to Classics Bumblebee...

Here are the pictures:
First Movie Longview w/ Classics Bumblebee to establish a basic comparison


Now, Ratchet in robot mode only pictures:




Now, after seeing these images think of this. Movie Ironhide is a MUCH bigger figure from what I've seen and couple compare his picture too. I'm estimating 'ol Ironhide will be a half a head to a head taller then Ratchet.

Now, there's one thing I don't get regarding Ratchet's robot mode. He has NO visible Autobot emblem. I hope the Autobots introduce themselves as friendly otherwise the military will be shooting at them as much as the Decepticons. If they don't then it may be hard to distinguish the good from the bad in robot mode.

Am I supposed to put something here?

Ratchet appears quite beefy by voyager toy standards, dwarfing the Alternator/KP molds and all.

Visit the Happy Robot Funtime shop!

I am liking the movie toys, I'm going to be so broke by the end of the year it's not funny. For a voyager, Ratchet looks huge, can't wait. When are these supposed to be hitting stores?

A few pics to properly show how Ratchet transforms; without instructions, this is the order I've found works best.
OK, we'll start off in truck mode.

Start by removing the roof rack. Move the top of the cab forward, and unclip the panels behind the doors.

Fold the "doors" out to the sides; the sides of the vehicle front end will fold out a little, then the arms fold out. Rotate the arms 180 degrees at the shoulders, and position the lower arms as shown.
Now move your attention to the vehicle's rear. Slide/swing the rear fender under the vehicle (make sure it slides as far as it will go, otherwise it can catch the lower legs inrobot mode). Flip out the feet; the auto-transform feature (panels on the legs, and the kneepads) is activated by this.

Swing the legs down at the hips. Straighten the legs out, and rotate thelower legs 180 degrees.
Swing out the windscreen halves as shown.

Fold the front of the vehicle down as shown; it clips into the bar that connects the front & back of the vehicle. Swing this bar up to the back of the waist; it has a peg that fits into the rear of the waist.

Fold back the lower part of the vehicle front, to reveal ratchet's face. Fold the vehicle sides behind the doors, and there he is.

It's a very instinctive transformation. The way his works is innovative, but it doesn't make his transformation unnecessarily complicated. Everything locks into place firmly in both modes, and the auto-transform gimmick is fairly cool and doesn't get in the way of his articulation.
Articulation is very good, but has its flaws; his hip movement is very limited, due to the upper edges of the legs hitting the lower body. There isn't any wrist movement at all; it's not really that missed, but it would have been nice.
Detail wise, Ratchet is extremely impressive; just about every robot mode surface has some form of mechanical detailing on it. Having said that, a paint wash would really help him out here; the light plastic tends to make alot of this detail disappear.
His eyes are moulded in blue plastic, and have light piping; however the plastic is so dark that it's not very effective, making him look like he has black eyes.
The axe is a nice touch, as is the claw:

The claw has a little "switch" on it that locks it open. The axe swings out from under the forearm (the hand rotates back into the forearm, and is covered by a panel) and splits open.

I need to point out something -really- cool:

Ratchet transforms cinematically. Like, he could stand up while transforming.

I LOVE that.

Oh wait, that's how the windshield is supposed to be transformed? I never noticed that hinge before! And it seems to fit perfectly... althought it was more fun with the windshiel on each side upside-down....

EDIT : I think the halves are supposed to be rotated around completely to the back (as seen in my03tundra's pics)... It makes the excellent Ratchet even more excellent imo.

Post some photos of Ratchet fighting Starscream!