MERCY!

What do Mercy from Overwatch and Rescue Ratchet have in common besides being medics?

They are both thicc.

I don’t remember Ratchet being so chunky. He’s much chunkier than most other Voyagers that came out during the same time period. Seriously, I think he’s denser and wider than a new Leader Class figure. That’s nuts!

We’ve taken a look at the First Legends mold, the ROTF Deluxe mold and the DOTM Deluxe. Let’s see how the original Voyager mold compares to his successors shall we?

Vehicle mode

Now this is a great ambulance mode. It’s got virtually no robot kibble and tons of molded detail that’s super accurate to the actual vehicle it’s based on. There’s also plenty of paint that’s been applied everywhere super cleanly.

There’s no gimmicks here but he has a ton of ground clearance and rolls super smooth. He’s also built like a massive brick so ramming him into stuff is fun.

Transformation

Ratchet has a unique transformation that hits that sweet spot of complex but not infuriating. It’s all very intuitive so it’s a good time going back and forth between modes.

That said, his Automorph is one of the most disappointing of all the first Movie Transformers. But that’s for the gimmicks section of this review.

Robot mode

Now here’s the thing about this mold. Ever since 2007 when I first saw the mold, I thought he looked cool in robot mode. But he just wasn’t accurate to what was shown on-screen.

Rescue Ratchet looks like a bear. And since he’s white, he’s a polar bear. And he will wrestle and eat you. Him looking like he could destroy any Decepticon bare-handed is a good thing too, cause honestly his weapons aren’t too threatening. His axe is a bit small and the claw is… just kind of weaksauce.

Rescue Ratchet has dated articulation. The posability is okay. He has joints but he’s lacking flexibility. His head can swivel. He’s got rotation as well as in and out movement at the shoulders. He’s got rotating biceps and elbows. His legs go in and out as well as rotate at the hips. He bends at the knees. That’s actually pretty good for his time but compared to newer collector centric Transformers is a bit lacking.

Gimmicks

Okay starting off with the Automorph. It’s disapointing. It’s pretty similar in concept to what you had on Movie Voyager Ironhide or ROTF Voyager Ironhide but more underwhelming. You pull down his feet and his kneepads moves into place and his calves get bigger. Meh.

I always enjoy integrated weapons in Transformers so the axe tickles my fancy. It flips out and replaces his right hand. I’d like it a bit bigger but honestly it’s not that small.

His claw on the other hand… I think it’s weaksauce. It’d be pretty useless as a shield and the claw action confuses me. What’s it supposed to do? Pinch you to death? That said it is fun to use the red button to open and close the claw. It’s kinda like playing with tongs at a BBQ.

Toy or collectible?

Rescue Ratchet and really any of this molds other colours would make a great, unique toy for older kids. They just don’t make Transformers like this anymore. No corner cutting on plastic or paint. Both decent posability and fun gimmicks.

As a collectible for adults, it’s a bit more dicey. There are a lot more Ratchets that are more accurate than this guy with more posability for collectors. Rescue Ratchet is also not in scale with any newer figures. That said, this mold goes for a premium now. The cheapest he usually goes for loose and complete is RM99 ($25). MISB prices are even more ridiculous. So maybe there’s something I’m missing about this mold.

Closing

We’ve looked at quite a few Movie Ratchet figures before. The Legends one, the HFTD one and the DOTM one. So how does Mr.Thicc here rank out of all of them? Honestly, as a Movie Ratchet he’s the worst of them.

He’s the least accurate in robot mode and he has the least posability relative to his size. That does not mean Rescue Ratchet is a bad Transformer. He’s got his good points and is an okay figure.

Rescue Ratchet is in the same boat as Movie Leader Megatron. I like him but I don’t know if he’s necessary for your collection.