The new deluxe version of Ratchet has a considerably more movie-accurate vehicle mode than the militarized RotF version. The proportions and detailing on his Hummer ambulance mode are spot on, to the point where it's quite impressive at this scale (Ratchet is a rather small deluxe). Treads on the tires, a shovel and other rescue equipment molded onto the upper sides, handlebars for the doors-- it's all there. Another impressive feat is that, unlike many DotM toys, Ratchet actually has all the paint apps he needs here! His new "updated" deco is done to full effect here, with a big white stripe down the middle, the large "FIRE RESCUE E4" writing on the sides, the little emergency stripes above his front wheels, pretty much every headlight and taillight painted (with the exception of those on the roof)-- heck, even the back end is painted with the white stripe, along with the rear windows! Put all this with the fact that Ratchet doesn't have any robot mode extras in this mode (even through the transparent plastic you can't make out any obvious robot parts), and beyond the small size there's not anything holding him back in this mode. I did like his original movie color scheme a little better, but this isn't much of a downgrade-- still a little bit ugly, honestly, but realistic for an emergency vehicle. His Mechtech weapon is also a lot of fun-- pull back on the miniature handle and a sawblade folds out, rotating in place as it does so! Like all Mechtech weapons, it can't lock into place in this mode, but it's so much fun to do over and over again I honestly don't care. Ratchet's only visible Mechtech port is cleverly hidden in the middle of his spare tire on the roof of the vehicle. You can also fold back one panel on each side to reveal two more Mechtech ports for some side-gun action, but this makes the feet a bit visible if you do so.
    Ratchet's robot mode is the best out of any version released thus far, looking great proportionally overall with only a few inaccuracies (such as some blatant roof kibble on the back, which also extends back a bit far-- but at least it stays out of the way of movement, and it's not heavy enough to really affect his balance). The mold detailing is still fantastic here (particularly on the legs and head), but Ratchet is missing a few paint apps on the legs that he could really use, particularly some silver. His shoulder panels and back panels also don't tab together anywhere or lock into place, but you usually aren't putting much pressure on them (particularly on the shoulders), so that's no big deal. His articulation is great-- he can move at the neck, shoulders (at three points), elbows (at two points), slight back-and-forth movement at the wrists, and movement at the hips (at two points, though one is restricted), knees (at two points), and ankles (at two points). He could've used some rotational movement at the knees, and longer heels for more stability, but that's about it.
    The deluxe DotM Ratchet mold is not only the best mold of the character, but one of the best molds from the line, period. He looks great in pretty much every respect in both modes, has great articulation, a really addicting Mechtech weapon, and is just a fun figure with only a few very minor downsides. Highly recommended.

Review by Beastbot

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