Top 5 Best Ratchet Transformers Toys
Posted: Sat Mar 14, 2020 10:04 pm
Every two weeks, Seibertron.com brings you a Top 5 list related to all things Transformers written by me, your fellow editor. These are my opinions (just like movie or game reviews hosted by sites are still just the opinion of one person) so what matters most is what you guys think of the topic or list, and I hope to see your own lists or comments on omissions and ranking. Let's have fun! All previous lists can be found here.
Top 5 Best Ratchet Transformers Toys
It seems like Hasbro and Takara waited until after I wrote my first Best of Ironhide list to finally do him some justice, at least in terms of toys with his G1 design. Since both characters often share the same design and toys, the fact that I waited until now for a Top 5 Ratchet means that we can get a much better representation of that character. So let's get to it.
5. Studio Series Ratchet
While it is a slight improvement over the Dark of the Moon Ratchet figure, that still means it is building off of the best movie Ratchet we ever had. It has an involved but pleasant transformation for a deluxe which becomes very dynamic due to all the 180 turns you keep having to perform. That makes makes this one of my go to toys when I just want to experience a nice transformation. With the scale revised in the Studio Series line, this Studio Series Ratchet ends up looking better in scale with the rest of the toys in its toyline than the original Dark of the Moon mold did. Plus there are some really nice additions, like the headlights on his shoulders, which were resent in the film and easy to see since they were turned on when this character was first introduced to Sam at night time. Of course, that means the Dark of the Moon repaint is just as good, if not better depending on your preferences in the deco and weapon. - William-James88
4. Transformers Animated Cybertron Mode Ratchet
The first thing I notice when I hold any figure from this line is the quality of the plastic. The figure feels very sturdy in hand in either mode. I really wish more Transformers figures were this durable because I don't feel like I need to worry about the toy breaking. Transformers are meant to be enjoyed and played with. It's a lot easier to enjoy the experience of transforming and posing when you don't have to worry about something breaking.
Getting back to what I specifically enjoy about this figure, I would have to say that the altmode is really fun because it's a creative fantasy vehicle. It's looks like a frog mixed with a tank that is also somehow an ambulance. A tank-frog-bulance? Is that even a word? It is now. He is also unique in the way that his play feature is to use his defibrillator pads to revive his allies.
I also have to say that I like that we got a happy looking Ratchet. He's usually serious or grumpy but this figure does a great job or representing the younger Ratchet we see in Transformers Animated before he aged and grew to be more hardened by his experiences. - Wreckerjack
3. Transformers Prime: Robots In Disguise Ratchet
Fans of the Transformers Prime TV show can appreciate the level of care that went into sculpting Ratchet's features. His head and torso are well molded and the details are very accurate to the show. I am glad they chose to keep his transformation simple by molding these things and painting them. They didn't miss a beat with the doors on his chest or his grill. One of my favorite things about this figure is how the light piping is used to give our grumpy ol' docbot glowing optics to enhance his expression.
One of the coolest things is the arms are designed to hide his hands when he holds his scalpel blades if you choose to fold them in. It also works nicely with his transformation and feels satisfying when the forearm panels click into place. This makes posing him an absolute blast. Of course you can have him hold his weapons any way you'd like and still get great poses.- Wreckerjack
2. Transformers Masterpiece Ratchet
Oh man, I remember getting this toy as Ironhide and being blown away. We finally had a good update to that G1 design and it was far better than decent, it was grrrrrreat! And then we got Ratchet, which we all saw coming, and I think he looks even better. Mainly due to the pelvic area which looks less bloated, and I really like the EKG display feature you can have for his chest. This toy is the winner we all knew it would be. - William-James88
1. Siege Ratchet
Was that so hard?! All we wanted, for over a decade, was to have an updated version of the G1 toy that was not as awful and not hard to get. And yet, Ratchet always got the shaft. We got the very poor Universe toy, and then there was the slight retool in Combiner Wars that was only available if you went to the Custom Class at Botcon or ought an entire Takara Unit Warriors Lynxmaster. But that is all behind us now because Hasbro has now given us perfectly fine Siege Ratchet that, while still exclusive, was more accessible than the previous attempt at a Classics Ratchet. I really love that they went the extra mile, more than even the MP which had to stay cartoon accurate, at making him unique from Inrohide. Every surface detailing is different, even his hands. I was so impressed I wrote an entire article on just that. He even got special accessories and the asymmetric detailing on his forearms to give him sculpted surgical tools was a really nice touch. That played into the med bay mode they also gave him. Ratchet was never given as much special attention in a toy and he feels truly unique, which I think is a great way to represent a bot who I believe is an icon within the franchise. - William-James88
Honourable Mentions:
I always liked the first movie's voyager class toy. It was very well engineered and it was a nice mix of the blocky transformations of old with some more complexity thrown in for detail and good measure (like the legs morphing). It kept being reissued for every film almost, that's how good the mold was. I would also like to give a shout out to the Cyberverse Spark Armor Ratchet since I love the design and transformation. There is a lot going on for a scout class toy there.
Top 5 Best Ratchet Transformers Toys
It seems like Hasbro and Takara waited until after I wrote my first Best of Ironhide list to finally do him some justice, at least in terms of toys with his G1 design. Since both characters often share the same design and toys, the fact that I waited until now for a Top 5 Ratchet means that we can get a much better representation of that character. So let's get to it.
5. Studio Series Ratchet
While it is a slight improvement over the Dark of the Moon Ratchet figure, that still means it is building off of the best movie Ratchet we ever had. It has an involved but pleasant transformation for a deluxe which becomes very dynamic due to all the 180 turns you keep having to perform. That makes makes this one of my go to toys when I just want to experience a nice transformation. With the scale revised in the Studio Series line, this Studio Series Ratchet ends up looking better in scale with the rest of the toys in its toyline than the original Dark of the Moon mold did. Plus there are some really nice additions, like the headlights on his shoulders, which were resent in the film and easy to see since they were turned on when this character was first introduced to Sam at night time. Of course, that means the Dark of the Moon repaint is just as good, if not better depending on your preferences in the deco and weapon. - William-James88
4. Transformers Animated Cybertron Mode Ratchet
The first thing I notice when I hold any figure from this line is the quality of the plastic. The figure feels very sturdy in hand in either mode. I really wish more Transformers figures were this durable because I don't feel like I need to worry about the toy breaking. Transformers are meant to be enjoyed and played with. It's a lot easier to enjoy the experience of transforming and posing when you don't have to worry about something breaking.
Getting back to what I specifically enjoy about this figure, I would have to say that the altmode is really fun because it's a creative fantasy vehicle. It's looks like a frog mixed with a tank that is also somehow an ambulance. A tank-frog-bulance? Is that even a word? It is now. He is also unique in the way that his play feature is to use his defibrillator pads to revive his allies.
I also have to say that I like that we got a happy looking Ratchet. He's usually serious or grumpy but this figure does a great job or representing the younger Ratchet we see in Transformers Animated before he aged and grew to be more hardened by his experiences. - Wreckerjack
3. Transformers Prime: Robots In Disguise Ratchet
Fans of the Transformers Prime TV show can appreciate the level of care that went into sculpting Ratchet's features. His head and torso are well molded and the details are very accurate to the show. I am glad they chose to keep his transformation simple by molding these things and painting them. They didn't miss a beat with the doors on his chest or his grill. One of my favorite things about this figure is how the light piping is used to give our grumpy ol' docbot glowing optics to enhance his expression.
One of the coolest things is the arms are designed to hide his hands when he holds his scalpel blades if you choose to fold them in. It also works nicely with his transformation and feels satisfying when the forearm panels click into place. This makes posing him an absolute blast. Of course you can have him hold his weapons any way you'd like and still get great poses.- Wreckerjack
2. Transformers Masterpiece Ratchet
Oh man, I remember getting this toy as Ironhide and being blown away. We finally had a good update to that G1 design and it was far better than decent, it was grrrrrreat! And then we got Ratchet, which we all saw coming, and I think he looks even better. Mainly due to the pelvic area which looks less bloated, and I really like the EKG display feature you can have for his chest. This toy is the winner we all knew it would be. - William-James88
1. Siege Ratchet
Was that so hard?! All we wanted, for over a decade, was to have an updated version of the G1 toy that was not as awful and not hard to get. And yet, Ratchet always got the shaft. We got the very poor Universe toy, and then there was the slight retool in Combiner Wars that was only available if you went to the Custom Class at Botcon or ought an entire Takara Unit Warriors Lynxmaster. But that is all behind us now because Hasbro has now given us perfectly fine Siege Ratchet that, while still exclusive, was more accessible than the previous attempt at a Classics Ratchet. I really love that they went the extra mile, more than even the MP which had to stay cartoon accurate, at making him unique from Inrohide. Every surface detailing is different, even his hands. I was so impressed I wrote an entire article on just that. He even got special accessories and the asymmetric detailing on his forearms to give him sculpted surgical tools was a really nice touch. That played into the med bay mode they also gave him. Ratchet was never given as much special attention in a toy and he feels truly unique, which I think is a great way to represent a bot who I believe is an icon within the franchise. - William-James88
Honourable Mentions:
I always liked the first movie's voyager class toy. It was very well engineered and it was a nice mix of the blocky transformations of old with some more complexity thrown in for detail and good measure (like the legs morphing). It kept being reissued for every film almost, that's how good the mold was. I would also like to give a shout out to the Cyberverse Spark Armor Ratchet since I love the design and transformation. There is a lot going on for a scout class toy there.