The Energon Pub

There was an old cigar commercial in the USA, to quote:"You've come a longggggggg way baby......"

This is how I describe both Ironhide and Ratchet. Beginning from the Diaclone Nissan Onebox Cherry Vanette now they're.......well an SUV. Back then we used to complain where are their heads? Then , Floro Dery was commissioned to humanize them hence the heads. Later a Botcon exclusive of Towline was retooled to make them look like their animated appearance. IMHO, it would have been great except the price.

Then an indie custom headset was released by Besttoys........a noble effort, at least giving them a semblance appearance of their animated self (hear that Takara, don't scrimp on the "cardboard heads hehehe)

Now we learned that HasTak would be releasing a modern re-imaging of both ppopular characters and what have we got........overall a fine masterpiece, if you discount the drooping head.

I'm not going into how stable the guys stand 'cause those who own him know already. Is it faithful to the G1 animation, well almost, heck life ain't fair. Could it have been better? Not for the price they are charging . Which one is better? Personnal preference. So here goes my mini review of the TF bruisers............

Content:

Ironhide/Ratchet SUV
removable engine/weapon
Bio card
Instruction manual
Blister card resealable

Appearance: personal preference but almost animation accurate (henkei version) which is both good and bad(Ratchet's anyway 'cause in ambulance mode, Universe has more red stripes and the extra license plate symbols) Ratchet also has the black crest. Universe is red. Ironhide hopefully (universe version has his face "unsmurfed"

Gimmicks: light piping? None, painted optics
Points of Articulation: 16
Bling: well the engine blocks/energon weapon cannon/blade is chromed and Ratchet's siren lights are just plain transluscent plastic(Universe has a blue application I believe)
Paint apps: prefer the simulated blue of henkei and the gray on Ironhides' hips.Wish Ratchet had a Red Cross or "emergency tampogaph or something, at least to denote his "E" status.
Plastic quality: well the white used by Takara looks a bit cheap unlike the white of the G1 figures(same with Encore Ratchet, same cheap white quality but smoother than the KO's)

Overall a near accurate representation and affordable version of the 'bots we all have grown to love years back. Droop head aside.............. and like maybe chromed his roll bar like that of Brawn-X.

I give Ironhide: 4.8 out of 5, while Ratchet gets a 4.5 (I like the extra red apps on universe)

Btw here are some comparison shots of both G1 versions and the henkei(G1 has the custom heads)

Old and new:



Ratchet


Ratchet G1



IH and G1


G1

Ratchet Gallery









Ironhide gallery



I used only one shot 'cause well basically they're the same mold.



Ironhide and Ratchet


Vehicle mode

Good stuff.

Counterpunch wrote:Good stuff.

CP you own a lot of Henkei and Classics, right? Would you say that there are any Henkei that are not at least the equal of their Hasbro counterparts?

Btw, the Autobot symbols are from reprolabels(Ironhide) and Takara Sunstorm for Ratchet

Diem wrote:

Counterpunch wrote:Good stuff.

CP you own a lot of Henkei and Classics, right? Would you say that there are any Henkei that are not at least the equal of their Hasbro counterparts?

Your milage may vary, but...

Mirage, I think the Hasbro version is superior due to the markings and racing tampos

Bumblebee, people may disagree here, but I think the chrome is terribly out of place and that the Hasbro version is a superior update

Grimlock, Henkei accentuates the legs with the chrome and that's a fault, the Hasbro version has a more war-worn look

Octane, Henkei is pointless

Sideswipe, Henkei is pointless and LESS accurate than Hasbro

Cheetor is terrible any way you slice him

Galvatron suffers from his chrome application, Hasbro version is better

Ramjet does too, Hasbro version is better

Counterpunch wrote:

Diem wrote:

Counterpunch wrote:Good stuff.

CP you own a lot of Henkei and Classics, right? Would you say that there are any Henkei that are not at least the equal of their Hasbro counterparts?

Your milage may vary, but...

Mirage, I think the Hasbro version is superior due to the markings and racing tampos

Bumblebee, people may disagree here, but I think the chrome is terribly out of place and that the Hasbro version is a superior update

Grimlock, Henkei accentuates the legs with the chrome and that's a fault, the Hasbro version has a more war-worn look

Octane, Henkei is pointless

Sideswipe, Henkei is pointless and LESS accurate than Hasbro

Cheetor is terrible any way you slice him

Galvatron suffers from his chrome application, Hasbro version is better

Thrust does too, Hasbro version is better

Thanks for the info. I kind of auto-assume Henkei is better. Good to get an informed opinion.

@ Counterpunch, on the Henkeis you have given a thumbs down, you do own them don't you?

@ Diem, hold your horses first before purchasing, it all boils down to your personal preference and not what others will tell you as my review stated.............personal preferences,I tried to be as neutral as possible, not telling you not to get or the opposite.

Meant to say 'Ramjet' when I said 'Thrust'.

oops

fenrir72 wrote:@ Counterpunch, on the Henkeis you have given a thumbs down, you do own them don't you?

@ Diem, hold your horses first before purchasing, it all boils down to your personal preference and not what others will tell you as my review stated.............personal preferences,I tried to be as neutral as possible, not telling you not to get or the opposite.

Thanks for the heads up but for me Henkei are cheaper than Universe. So I get them regardless.

Diem wrote:

fenrir72 wrote:@ Counterpunch, on the Henkeis you have given a thumbs down, you do own them don't you?

@ Diem, hold your horses first before purchasing, it all boils down to your personal preference and not what others will tell you as my review stated.............personal preferences,I tried to be as neutral as possible, not telling you not to get or the opposite.

Thanks for the heads up but for me Henkei are cheaper than Universe. So I get them regardless.

Ah, in that regard, the only one you may want to seriously pursue is Jetfire.

The US release is more accurate to his recent comic appearance where the Japanese release is a throwback to the G1 cartoon.

I nitpick the figures, but if Henkei is cheaper for you, just go for it. Recent Classics have been a bit disappointing.

@Diem, I think you got it in reverse, Henkei is a bit more expensive than Universe. Which one is superior? I won't touch that with a 10 foot stick. Again if you like more direct animation homages of G1, well go for Henkei, for more refreshing take on the classics go for Universe.

Both sides have their pros and cons, Universe has been known to have paint smudgings like Prowl but Wheelie on the otherhand is more animation accurate in color (go figure ). Powerglide more G1 color etc.

fenrir72 wrote:@Diem, I think you got it in reverse, Henkei is a bit more expensive than Universe.

Dear fenrir72.

I live in Tokyo. For me, Henkei is cheaper than Universe.

Yours Sincerely,
Diem.

Counterpunch wrote:

Diem wrote:

Counterpunch wrote:Good stuff.

CP you own a lot of Henkei and Classics, right? Would you say that there are any Henkei that are not at least the equal of their Hasbro counterparts?

Your milage may vary, but...

Mirage, I think the Hasbro version is superior due to the markings and racing tampos

Bumblebee, people may disagree here, but I think the chrome is terribly out of place and that the Hasbro version is a superior update

Grimlock, Henkei accentuates the legs with the chrome and that's a fault, the Hasbro version has a more war-worn look

Octane, Henkei is pointless

Sideswipe, Henkei is pointless and LESS accurate than Hasbro

Cheetor is terrible any way you slice him

Galvatron suffers from his chrome application, Hasbro version is better

Ramjet does too, Hasbro version is better

I disagree on Ramjet and Galvatron, but otherwise I do agree.

Hasbro used to make some very good figures prior to the first movie. Their quality was better back then too. I used to not have to inspect my toys before I bought one, it was just grab and go, no worries.

Out of curiosity, what makes you feel Henkei Sideswipe was less accurate? I thought they were about equal in terms of accuracy.

Nekoman wrote:Out of curiosity, what makes you feel Henkei Sideswipe was less accurate? I thought they were about equal in terms of accuracy.

Henkei has a chrome spoiler and gun.

Sideswipe's spoiler was not chrome and his 'gun' looks like his missile launcher with the Hasbro paint scheme.

@Diem, I stand corrected,(so you're like Stormrider too, in Japan..................btw aren't stuff in Tokyo more expensive in general?

Counterpunch wrote:

Nekoman wrote:Out of curiosity, what makes you feel Henkei Sideswipe was less accurate? I thought they were about equal in terms of accuracy.

Henkei has a chrome spoiler and gun.

Sideswipe's spoiler was not chrome and his 'gun' looks like his missile launcher with the Hasbro paint scheme.

True, but Henkei does not include Sunstreaker's engine. While you can remove the piece from his Universe counterpart anyway, the original toy did not include this, so you could almost say that's a small inaccuracy on the Universe toy, which includes it.

It's silly, and I do prefer Hasbro's Sideswipe, but technically the original didn't have that.

Nekoman wrote:

Counterpunch wrote:

Nekoman wrote:Out of curiosity, what makes you feel Henkei Sideswipe was less accurate? I thought they were about equal in terms of accuracy.

Henkei has a chrome spoiler and gun.

Sideswipe's spoiler was not chrome and his 'gun' looks like his missile launcher with the Hasbro paint scheme.

True, but Henkei does not include Sunstreaker's engine. While you can remove the piece from his Universe counterpart anyway, the original toy did not include this, so you could almost say that's a small inaccuracy on the Universe toy, which includes it.

It's silly, and I do prefer Hasbro's Sideswipe, but technically the original didn't have that.

How is that any kind of a problem?

Problem solved by throwing the engine part across the room?

The engine is only there because it's part of the mold (it's also better painted than Sunstreakers, so swap-a-roo).

Counterpunch wrote:

Nekoman wrote:

Counterpunch wrote:

Nekoman wrote:Out of curiosity, what makes you feel Henkei Sideswipe was less accurate? I thought they were about equal in terms of accuracy.

Henkei has a chrome spoiler and gun.

Sideswipe's spoiler was not chrome and his 'gun' looks like his missile launcher with the Hasbro paint scheme.

True, but Henkei does not include Sunstreaker's engine. While you can remove the piece from his Universe counterpart anyway, the original toy did not include this, so you could almost say that's a small inaccuracy on the Universe toy, which includes it.

It's silly, and I do prefer Hasbro's Sideswipe, but technically the original didn't have that.

How is that any kind of a problem?

Problem solved by throwing the engine part across the room?

The engine is only there because it's part of the mold (it's also better painted than Sunstreakers, so swap-a-roo).

Well honestly it's not a problem for me. I actually like having it, but it was removed for the purpose of accuracy.

I must admit I feel silly for complaining that Hasbro gave me more rather than less though.

fenrir72 wrote:@Diem, I stand corrected,(so you're like Stormrider too, in Japan..................btw aren't stuff in Tokyo more expensive in general?

I guess stuff is more expensive, but for me Henkei are retail price (approx. $18), Universe (imported) are around $20 and Animated deluxes (also imported) are between $25 and $40 depending on character popularity.

Related topic, of the chrome apps on henkei. For Prowl/Streak/Smokescreen..........wished Takara didn't apply chrome on the rear fins of the car, same with Sideswipe (it was OK for Sunstreaker and Mirage). It is out of place. As I mentioned for IH and Ratchet, their roll bars would have benefitted with the extra chrome.

the 2006/2007 Classics was one of the best aorund in terms of quality.

I sold my first set in '07 due to financial crisis, but I miss them dearly.

I have Henkei, mainly Megatron, Starscream, Grimlock, and Hot Shot.

I love Megs and Starry, but Grimmy is going to get a switcharoo with the legs form the classics version.

Hot Shot, eventhough he feels like he's going to fall apart, I dig him much better than Universe Hot Shot...which I don't own, but here he's out off place due to the kibble. Yes the kibble on Henkei Hot Shot works slightly better because the missing piece(s)that make the pipe guns exposed stay in place...why, I dunno..

with Henkei, it will always be a matter of price, and price alone becuase I can go to Target or TRu which are very close to the crib than waiting on BBTS or some other online store to get my Henkei fix.

In another review, it showed some light piping on the Universe version. IMHO, with a few exceptions, the light piping has become an afterthought. Some give greatlight piping effects (Skyfire,Grimlock,Convoy) while Ironhide and Ratchet after another careful checking sucked big-time.........as in you have to really have to position it to the light.

Thought my post had disappeared. Seems it was merged....

Hey guys,

I'm trying to decide which version of Ratchet to get. So far, this is the first Henkei that I prefer over the Hasbro version enough to actually bother ordering.

The problem is that the various images I've seen show inconsistent paint schemes on both versions...such as missing stripes, different shoulders and so on. They don't seem to be the final product or something.

So can anyone provide a comparison of the differences between the Henkei and Universe versions? Ideally a side-by-side photo of the figures?

Sorry to trouble you, but this would really help me out. Anything would be greatly appreciated.