TRANSFORMERS MP-30 MASTERPIECE RATCHET REVIEW
Up for review is the Transformers MP-30 Masterpiece Ratchet action figure. This figure was released in late April of 2016 and was a mass release in Japan. This figure retails for 7,180 yen (about $64.00 USD).
This figure is based off the character Ratchet of the popular animated series "The Transformers" which first aired on TV in 1984.
Ratchet is a character that brings back a lot of memories and has been a personal favorite of mine.
Unlike many of the Autobots of the first season, Ratchet didn't transform into a sports or race car, but instead transformed in an ambulance, which was reflective of his function with his team.
In the TV series, he was the chief medical officer to the Autobots and had helped Wheeljack with his many inventions and ideas, including inventing the Dinobots.
If any Autobot needed medical attention, the wisecracking medic would repair them including Optimus Prime.
Where the character really shined and received much character development was the Marvel comic book of the same name also released in 1984.
SPOILER: Early on in the book, most of the Autobots became incapacitated. Ratchet was still active and the only one able to rescue them. He had to face off and outsmart Megatron in order to reactivate his friends. The situation became very dire, and Ratchet was prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice to beat Megatron.
This became a theme with Ratchet as he faced off with Megatron a couple more times throughout the series even more than Optimus Prime, including the final issues.
I was very happy when I heard Takara Tomy was going to give Ratchet the well deserved Masterpiece treatment! As I'm putting together this review, we'll see if the figure lives up to expectations.
PRESENTATION
Ratchet comes in the standard Masterpiece style box with its basic black design and similar graphics to previous Masterpiece figures. This version is designated with MP-30. The Masterpiece figure is pictured on the front of the box with both his robot and vehicle modes being shown. The front of the box also has the licensed Nissan car company logo along with text describing the vehicle mode for Ratchet. In this case, he is a Nissan Cherry Vanette.
On the back of the box, Japanese text is shown along with several more pictures of the figure in both modes, with pictures demonstrating some of the features along with his accessories.
FIGURE
Once removed from the box, Ratchet comes in vehicle mode inside his plastic tray along with his tech specs biocard, decal sheet, instructions, and and many additional accessories.
In robot mode, the figure stands about 8 and 3/4 inches from head to foot, which is pretty tall when comparing to the other car robots. The animation model shows him and Ironhide being some of the taller car robots, and it's reflected in the figure.
In vehicle mode, the figure measures in length a little over 5 and 1/2 inches from front bumper to back bumper. Width is about 2 and 1/4 inches with a height of 3 inches if you include the vehicle's light bar.
DESIGN
Ratchet is a slightly retooled and repainted figure of the Masterpiece MP-27 Ironhide mold. Most of the changes were minor,as both figures share the same vehicle mode and have similar animation models.
Ratchet has a pretty basic look in robot mode with his blocky arms and legs with minimal details. Many of the vehicle parts fold into and are hidden away in robot mode.
He is easily recognizable with the large front windshield becoming his chest in robot mode. Ratchet also sports his iconic head crest, which many other versions of the character throughout other Transformers series have retained.
Most of the windows on ratchet are done in a blue translucent plastic with some frosted distortion to help hide some of the robot bits in vehicle mode.
One nice nod to the original G1 Ratchet figure is the front of the vehicle mode. Takara Tomy pays homage to the sticker face that the figure had. With the Masterpiece version, you can see the large G1 face behind the front windshield.
PAINT
Ratchet is mainly painted in glossy white paint, which really gives the figure a premium look to it! He also comes with some silver, red, blue, and black paint applications highlighting some of the sculpted details, along with some chrome paint applications. Ratchet also has the traditional Autobot symbol tampograph on the front of his vehicle mode.
Overall, the paint apps are decent on my figure. The white paint looks pretty amazing, but I do see some minor blemishes with some of the chrome paint applications..
ARTICULATIONRatchet sports a good amount of articulation with at least 26 points counted including the ball jointed head, shoulders, double-jointed elbows, arms, wrists, fingers, waist swivel, legs, thighs, knee swivels, knees. and ankle tilts.
The double-jointed elbows are somewhat limited due to the design hindering the articulation. This also applies to the shoulders as the arms can be raised straight up to a point as they become obstructed. To get past the obstruction and raise the arms higher, the arms need to be spread outward. Overall, it can pull off a number of poses, but some of the design choices can make it difficult.
TRANSFORMATION
Ratchet transforms into a Nissan Cherry Vanette ambulance. The transformation is somewhat intricate but relatively easy. You mainly flip up the top of the vehicle over to the front, flip out the sides to expose the arms, legs pull out from the bottom with panels covering some of the vehicle bits.
Some observations about the transformations: When unfolding some of the panels on the legs, there are tabs on the legs that give minimal clearance to allow the panels to fold completely flush against the robot leg. I would advise caution when flipping the panel past the tab to avoid paint chipping.
I also notice when locking in the shoulders, there are tabs on either side of Ratchet's head that fold down into the top of the shoulders, locking them into place. I point this out, because my 3rd party Daca Toys Kronos figure has a similar shoulder locking mechanism. I just thought it was interesting that they were similar.
One thing that may look out of place are the side panels that sit above the front tires in vehicle mode. While the front tires tab into the back of the figure, those side panels sit at the hips with really no place for them to go in robot mode. It kind of breaks up the flow of the robot mode, and I wish they were hidden just a bit better.
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ACCESSORIES
Ratchet comes with an amazing amount of accessories including 2 laser pistols, a static laser gun, x-ray blaster, laser scapel, arc-welder, repair beam emitter with beam effect, missile launcher with missile, cyber spanner, two magno wrenches, plastic sled, a cardboard EKG readout, decal sheet, and alternate face.
Ratchet can hold most of his accessories in his hands. The repair beam emitter plugs into his arm, while the arc welder can plug into an exposed tab on his wrist when you flip the hand into his arm. The beam effect can be applied to some of the accessories for added effect.
The missile launcher can plug into Ratchet's back.
The cardboard EKG readout sits inside Ratchet's chest for an added effect of monitoring another Autobot's life signs.
All of the accessories can plug into the plastic sled for easy access and storage. The alternate face can store underneath the sled.
Also, the laser pistol can plug into the top of the vehicle mode, and both laser pistols can store on the underside of the vehicle.
The decals can be applied to Ratchet, however you may have to cut some of the stickers before applying, if you are looking to make Ratchet more cartoon accurate.
Ratchet had red crosses on his shoulders in robot mode and some smaller crosses in vehicle mode. With the way the decals are designed and cut, you cannot peel a plain red cross to apply to the figure with making additional cuts to the decal.
I believe Takara Tomy printed these intentionally to avoid any copyright issues with Red Cross, who owns the rights to the red cross symbol and are very protective of it.
I cut my decals, but not as well as I would have liked. I'm hoping Reprolabels comes out with a better set of decals for Ratchet.
QUALITY CONTROL
It's a bit of a mixed bag for Ratchet regarding quality control. On one hand the white glossy paint looks incredibly nice and uniform on the figure, however I do have some blemishes with some of the chrome paint. I'm also hearing issues of the chrome chipping or rubbing off after a short time.
Joints are pretty solid, and everything tabs in well. The right arm is slightly loose compared to the the left, but can still hold when posing.
One note, the robot head may be difficult to snap into it's corresponding hole. It will lock in place, but you may need to exert a little more force to lock it in.
OTHER FEATURES
One thing I do like about the Masterpiece line is compatibility. Like other Masterpiece car robots, many can fit into MP-10 Masterpiece Optimus Prime's trailer, and Ratchet can do the same.
When placing in the trailer, the light bar can be pressed down inside the vehicle and lock in place. This allows clearance, so the vehicle can fit in the trailer. Once taken out, the light bar will pop back up.
OVERALL
I really like Masterpiece Ratchet. He fills a huge gap in my G1 Masterpiece collection, and I really wasn't expecting to see this character along with Ironhide, in the Masterpiece line anytime soon.
Despite some of the design choices, I think he looks good in my collection. The play value alone with all of Ratchet's accessories allow for many poses or display options. So much to the point, that I plan to get Ironhide next, given his similarities and accessories.
I do recommend getting Ratchet, if you think this still fits into your G1 Masterpiece aesthetic preferences. I certainly do.
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Thanks for checking out the review!
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