Ratchet is such a HUGE improvement over Ironhide. The leg panels don't fall off when you convert him! I love this figure.



I liked the way he looked so much that I got two.  



Probably gonna add some more red to him with a paint marker. Definitely gonna paint his hands red. The head sculpt is dead on, though. They finally got cartoon Ratchet's crest the right color! I love that they gave him tools that double as weapons, instead of the other way around. It's also cool that a couple of them homage the equipment that was in his G1' s "weapons sled".



The "third mode" is kinda wonky bordering on lame. I think it's supposed to be a diagnostics bed or a repair bay. It was nice that they thought of it as an homage to G1 Ratchet's sled thing that split off of him. It's sort of halfway between his robot and van modes. I still can't figure out how or where to tab in his shoulders in that mode.



Admittedly, it's obscured by an ailing Sideswipe and Omega's track.



"I'm not afraid of you, Megatron!"



Siege Ratchet is a must-have if you can find him.

 

My first official Siege figure!
I had to go for Ratchet because he's one of my favorite characters thanks to Marvel G1, and as much as I love the Uni 2.0 era, the Ratchet/Ironhide mold was and is hot garbage. So what do we have here for someone who's largely avoided Siege?

The Good
The robot mode looks pretty great. nice proportions and a good head sculpt - albeit not great, especially compared to most of the line which is EXCEPTIONAL in that regard.
Solid deco, with a decent number-if-if -limited palette of paint apps. The white on
The Smudgy battle damage, while still ugly, is fairly limited and easy to ignore.
High degree of "playability" ~ the number of configurations and clever integrations plus callbacks to his G1 toy and animation model with the weapons is pretty great.
Decently scaled, shouldn't look too out of place with classic CHUG figures like most of the deluxes.
While he still has the Siege over-done surface detailing, the fact that he's white tones it down a lot.
Superb articulation.
The color of the windscreen is perfect.
aside from the wobbly wheels, QC seems good. my left hip and the knees "feel" loose, but so far seem to hold wherever I pose them. oh, and the right leg flap won't stay clicked in.

The Bad
Like much of Siege, just a spectacularly lazy/uncreative alt mode. Considering he basically turns into a box, you'd think he could at least figure out a way to cover up the bicep area.
With how great the articulation is, the feet only having in/out ankle tilt and not forward/back seems odd and limiting. Sculpted angled feet tilt with forward/back articulation seems like it would have been more valuable.
The Transformation is somewhat fiddly for a scheme that is mostly sub-deluxe in difficultly.
The flaps on the outside of the legs don't look great. Seems like those could have gone to the inside or become the shins.
For his size he feels REALLY light, which gives him bit of a cheap/flimsy feel.
The medical bay mode would have been a lot more convincing if his fists either retracted or folded in to those hollow forearms and his feet could fold down and form a ramp.
No red hands.
The head-flap could use a "click' in robot mode, it likes to pop up a tiny bit on it's own and flip up if you move the head.

The Ugly
Clip on wheels on a $20 figure is just insulting to me, and adding injury to the insult is how wobbly they are. They also would have looked a ton better in the dark grey of his forehead crest. AT LEAST he's got enough clearance that they actually roll.
the hollow forearms look really unsightly if you pose him with them outward
The fact that the feet do absolutely nothing during the transformation, and just hang there on the back is pretty lame.
I get that it's the play pattern for the line, but the 5mm ports everywhere are pretty unsightly (especially in Ratchet's case: the forearm and outside the calf ones)

Wrap-up
Overall, nothing about this guy is changing my mind that Siege deluxes are NOT worth what Voyagers (with way more features) cost not all that long ago, but I am glad to have an improved CHUG robot mode representation for one of my favorite characters.
I'd rate him a C+ overall. (the vehicle mode that I'll probably never revisit really knocks him down IMHO). If he wasn't an exclusive I'd probably be annoyed about paying full price for him.

 

Found him today, really surprised by how much I like him. It’s really really good.

Admittedly, it still has all the problems that ironhide had, but the improvements in the sculpt really helps. Still wish the hips and crotch had been improved, But otherwise I really love this release.

I do hope some 3rd party company puts out some upgrades for him. I’d love an IDW ratchet head or an emotional generator for his arm. A new crotch would also be a nice improvement.

 

Prime Ratchet is finally retired!

I'm quite glad to have him. I've been wanting a "good" Ratchet figure for a long time, and this is the kind of figure I was looking for.

 

Really, really liking this guy a lot more than Ironhide!

I don't know what it is about him, but Ratchet just hits differently. I like how his alt-mode kinda looks more like a bus and somehow looks a lot more aerodynamic.

 

yeah I think the new grill and the shoulder lightbar help breakup the dull boxiness that Ironhide’s alt mode has. And the tools/weapons Ratchet comes with seem much more versatile than Ironhide’s hammer missile launcher.

I do wish a 3rd party or someone would make some new, less flimsy wheels for this mold.

 

I don't dislike what deco that we got with Ratchet, but even then I find the off-white wheels to be a bit of an eyesore and it only rolls alright at best. I painted the wheels on my Ratchet with silver spray paint a few weeks ago to makes them stands out more and actually looks like wheels.




Ironically, the wheels actually rolls better after I spray-painted them with silver paint for some reason.

 

Nice, and a bit better than Ironhide IMO. I like that they went beyond just a simple "recolor with new head". The fit and finish is a bit better as well, and the weapons/tools are, if not better than Ironhide's, more interesting and useful for others (like Nautica   )

Preddy Gud.

 

So the Mechtec Guns that came with the DOTM Bumblebee/ Cyberfire/ Murder Bee fit in Ratchet’s hands......so he can duo wield weapons (though I may get another for another Medical Laser and Wrench)

 

He was one of the most anticipated figures I wanted this year. Glad he doesn't have loose panels like his remold brother Ironhide.

 

I found the red on amazon.. is this the white? I can only find the matte white in spray cans..

Tamiya America, Inc Acrylic XF2 Flat, White, TAM81302 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0006O52AI/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_M2xUDbACPP7PX

 

Max is in need of repair
big job needs a big tool

 

Just flat out loving this guy. Got lucky ordering him online with a $9 coupon. The catch is I had to order 2 which I planned anyway. Beats driving from each store checking every so often.

 

He has a screen on both shoulders,
Wonder if Toyhax makes stickers for that like showing vital signs

 

I am really loving Ratchet. First things first, I'm glad to finally have an updated Generations representation that actually look other bots in the optics without any fan modification. I can finally retire TFU 2.0 Ratchet to my "Ratchet-Verse" shelf. He could use a little more red or something to break up all the white but other than that, I am really loving the looks of him...in robot mode and vehicle mode. Don't really care for the medbay mode though. Also glad to see they improved the panels on his legs where they don't pop off freely like Ironhide's.

The other thing I really love about Ratchet is his accessories. I love the launcher style weapon with poseable arm. Even better I love attaching the wrench to it and placing it on the roof or front of his vehicle mode. In a way, it reminds me of Armed Force from the old Wheeled Warriors series. http://images6.fanpop.com/image/pho...and-the-wheeled-warriors-39849458-480-360.jpg

 

When it comes to testors model master paint, which red should I use?

Looks like transparent red according to the site?
https://www.testors.com/product-catalog/testors-brands/model-master/acrylic-paint/bottles

 

Mechanic or Medic? I'm pretty sure a medic doesn't need a wrench. And yet they treat him like he's a doctor.

Is a flat tire and injury? Is a water pump replacement treating a disease?

All joking aside, I got this figure last night (free thanks to the Walgreens points rewards program) and he's absolutely fantastic. The best modern Ratchet figure Hasbro has ever given us. Visually stunning and better than the Ironhide figure using the same mold.

Edit: The Walgreens points rewards program is the reason I'll ALWAYS defend them against all comers as the carrier of action figure exclusives. As a collector on a budget, their rewards program has helped me score many Transformers/Marvel Legends figures at very little to no cost at all.

 

I guess when you're a species of mechanical people who turn into vehicles, a medic and a mechanic are the same thing  

 

This guy is fantastic, I like him even more than Ironhide.

I like the medical bay mode. It's so stupid but kinda fun.

I'm so glad to finally replace my Universe Ratchet. Always hated that mold.