New Official Pics of Universe Ratchet

Looks hot, but i had the same problem with Miss May, August and September. Photoshopped to death.

It looks okay, but the 'heartbeat line' makes me think more about Movie or Animated Ratchet, which is really a bit too 'recent' to be part of the 'collectable homage' series. But it looks okay for the people that want to save money by just getting the domestic versions.

For me, I think Ratchet is going to be the first I actually spurge on getting the Henkei version specifically. Even with the chroming it looks better to me.

... Though I wonder if it would be possible with a bit of repaint and modding (specifically the head) to make a US Ratchet into a Universe/Classics First Aid...

Sowndwave76 wrote:I like the "Help U 2" license plate.

No, it's "Help Us," a reference to the Marvel G1 comic in which Megatron and Ratchet were fused together.

I really don't care about the 'heartbeat line' nor Prowl's lightbar. Like Ironhide, this guy's going to STAY in robot mode.

I hate the off-white that the test shots have used, but I'm not about to fork over fifty bucks for the Henkei version. But I'll be happy to finally have a G1-esque Ratchet, at least.

Damn, Hasbro is really good at making their products not look like crap in promo shots. Too bad the final product almost always does.

Why did anyone ever doubt we were getting this? Universe IronHide has the bubble indentation for Ratchet light bar molded in.

GetterDragun wrote:Why did anyone ever doubt we were getting this? Universe IronHide has the bubble indentation for Ratchet light bar molded in.

Hasbro said we wouldn't get characters of the same name in both Classics and Animated, lest parents be confused between Animated Ratchet and Classics Ratchet. Or some crap like that.
I just hope they make a Classics Jazz soon enough.

1337W422102 wrote:

GetterDragun wrote:Why did anyone ever doubt we were getting this? Universe IronHide has the bubble indentation for Ratchet light bar molded in.

Hasbro said we wouldn't get characters of the same name in both Classics and Animated, lest parents be confused between Animated Ratchet and Classics Ratchet. Or some crap like that.
I just hope they make a Classics Jazz soon enough.

Botcon 07 said they were going to try and get Jazz in there. Now I'm fully aware we have him as a Legends figure but I'm almost positive we'll see him as a deluxe in either wave 7 or 8.

One reason that sways me towards that also is that he's getting his own spotlight. I've noticed everyone that has a Spotlight has had a new figure come out almost indefinitely.

Plus it's another easy repaint figure into Stepper, and throw in Nightstick, who was the same figure used for stepper in Japan.

Down_Shift wrote:Botcon 07 said they were going to try and get Jazz in there. Now I'm fully aware we have him as a Legends figure but I'm almost positive we'll see him as a deluxe in either wave 7 or 8.

One reason that sways me towards that also is that he's getting his own spotlight. I've noticed everyone that has a Spotlight has had a new figure come out almost indefinitely.

Plus it's another easy repaint figure into Stepper, and throw in Nightstick, who was the same figure used for stepper in Japan.

As usual, I agree with ya, mate. I mean, hell, they could just repaint/retool the Bluestreak mould for Jazz if they really wanted to.

I think the Ratchet repaint looks OK, the Henkei scheme is better by far, but considering the flaws in the design, I will pick up the cheapest version possible just to have A Ratchet. A few drops of paint here and there will liven it up a bit, silver hubs, black crest, translucent red tail lights and light bar.

Not gonna split hairs. Sold.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't lightbars with blue on them reserved for police vehicles in the USA, with red lightbars for other emergency vehicles?

So why is Ratchet's lightbar all blue?

Takara did not bungle this.

(Of course, Hasbro made Prowl's lightbar red, also incorrect for the US, though correct to the original toy.)

I'd be buying the Henkei version of Ratchet anyway because this deco is a train wreck, but it really gripes me when a toy company can't get a simple factual detail right when doing so would provide an educational benefit to the children the toy is supposed to be for in the first place.

1337W422102 wrote:

Down_Shift wrote:Botcon 07 said they were going to try and get Jazz in there. Now I'm fully aware we have him as a Legends figure but I'm almost positive we'll see him as a deluxe in either wave 7 or 8.

One reason that sways me towards that also is that he's getting his own spotlight. I've noticed everyone that has a Spotlight has had a new figure come out almost indefinitely.

Plus it's another easy repaint figure into Stepper, and throw in Nightstick, who was the same figure used for stepper in Japan.

As usual, I agree with ya, mate. I mean, hell, they could just repaint/retool the Bluestreak mould for Jazz if they really wanted to.

I hope they give Jazz/Stepper/Ricochet a new mold. I'm not all that fond of the Universe/henkei Prowl/______Streak/Smokescreen mold anyway, and there traditionally have been a number of differences in Jazz's auto mode every time the character has appeared in a line.

Stepper/Ricochet with Nightstick is a no-brainer, though I'm assuming they'll make Nightstick's deco different from the one coming with Universe Cyclonus to beter match his partner.

metaphorge wrote:I hope they give Jazz/Stepper/Ricochet a new mold. I'm not all that fond of the Universe/henkei Prowl/______Streak/Smokescreen mold anyway, and there traditionally have been a number of differences in Jazz's auto mode every time the character has appeared in a line.

Absolutely. That'd be great.

Down_Shift wrote:One reason that sways me towards that also is that he's getting his own spotlight. I've noticed everyone that has a Spotlight has had a new figure come out almost indefinitely.

Plus it's another easy repaint figure into Stepper, and throw in Nightstick, who was the same figure used for stepper in Japan.

Man, I hope you're right!

metaphorge wrote:Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't lightbars with blue on them reserved for police vehicles in the USA, with red lightbars for other emergency vehicles?

So why is Ratchet's lightbar all blue?

Takara did not bungle this.

(Of course, Hasbro made Prowl's lightbar red, also incorrect for the US, though correct to the original toy.)

I'd be buying the Henkei version of Ratchet anyway because this deco is a train wreck, but it really gripes me when a toy company can't get a simple factual detail right when doing so would provide an educational benefit to the children the toy is supposed to be for in the first place.

You are correct, emergency vehicles have red lights usually.

Firebird wrote:Wow, the official Hasbro photoshoped version looks alot better than the sample piece we saw last month. They were able to make the plastic and painted whites look the same shade.

I think that Henkei Ratchet is going to be my first Henkei figure.

Hahaha. I was thinking the same thing.

metaphorge wrote:Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't lightbars with blue on them reserved for police vehicles in the USA, with red lightbars for other emergency vehicles?

So why is Ratchet's lightbar all blue?

Takara did not bungle this.

(Of course, Hasbro made Prowl's lightbar red, also incorrect for the US, though correct to the original toy.)

I'd be buying the Henkei version of Ratchet anyway because this deco is a train wreck, but it really gripes me when a toy company can't get a simple factual detail right when doing so would provide an educational benefit to the children the toy is supposed to be for in the first place.

Well, the lightbars are not standardized nationwide. In some areas, blue lightbars are used for fire/rescue and red for police. In some states tow trucks have red lightbars. I've seen GREEN lightbars on fire apparatus. So the lightbar kinda becomes a non-issue...it just depends on where you live.

It will be mine

metaphorge wrote:So why is Ratchet's lightbar all blue?

As someone mentioned, standards are not consistent. A lot of places are switching from red fire trucks to the sickly greenish yellow that movie Ratchet had, but it isn't a nationwide standard.

I'm just happy this is being done regardless. I figure with Ironhide being done that all they needed to do is a remolded head.