Beam
Blast Autobot Ratchet (Fast Action Battler; RotF)
(NOTE: Because this is a repaint, this is not a full-blown review. This mainly covers any changes made to the mold and the color scheme, and merely compares it to Axe Attack Autobot Ratchet. For a review on the mold itself, read the review of Axe Attack Autobot Ratchet here.)
FAB Ratchet's redeco
for Revenge of the Fallen certainly has his normal "green-and-grey" color
scheme that the original version had, but unlike some of the other FABs
re-released for the RotF line, he's got things mixed around enough and
with some nice, different paint apps that he comes across looking more
"different" than just a re-release. I love his military camo color scheme,
with the dark green paint apps all over the vehicle mode and the dark green
bar across the middle with silver stars on the car doors. It definitely
gives Ratchet a more combat-ready feel, which fits the plot of the second
movie given that he's now part of N.E.S.T. and all. The gray is a tad on
the dull side, but it's used for contrast and grounding the Ratchet mold
in more "metal" colors than anything else so I don't really mind it. The
orange "Emergency"-esque bars in vehicle mode, along with the Autobot symbol
with the line behind it on the sides, still gives Ratchet a bit of an "emergency
vehicle" feel to him, so he doesn't lose that completely. I'm also quite
fond of the dark blue windows, which look quite good against the light
green. The very front piece of Ratchet's vehicle mode is painted a green
that's noticeably lighter (and uglier) than his green plastic, though,
so that's a definite downside on what is otherwise a pretty decent paint
job.
No mold changes have
been made to Beam Blast Autobot Ratchet.
FAB Beam Blast Ratchet
is a nice variant on the original movie color scheme, changing things up
enough to make it unique while still keeping his basic colors the same.
Mildly recommended for a young fan who wants a transformable Ratchet toy,
and I like this one a bit more than the original (though not as much as
Rescue
Torch Ratchet), but the robot mode still looks rather awful when it
comes to the arms (and to a lesser extent the legs), so I can't recommend
the toy if you don't fit into that specific category.
Review by Beastbot