[Toys] Transformers Kre-O: Ratchet

• Images provided by Seibertron. 

The Kre-O sets I've reviewed so far have been mere $10 sets... Let's take a look at what an extra 10 bucks will get you. (Also I got this for $15 on Amazon, ha!)

First off, I want to say this here. This box is a freaking LIE. While it may look rather big and lead you to think "Wow this must have a lot of parts!!", the parts in all their respective plastic bags just fill a corner of the box. It really is unnecessarily huge. But I think I'll appreciate that because I'm considering just putting all of my current sets in the box, given how much room there is for it. That said, onto the actual review.

The vehicle is suspiciously small, but man does it require a lot of parts. Nearly 200, in fact. The reason for this is, the back end of this ambulance is hollow for storage purposes, complete with opening doors in the back. I like that detail. The way the red plates form a stripe in the center is also a nice effect.

Also included is a (yellow, for some reason) stretcher and a series of tools that can be clipped onto the back end of the vehicle and robot modes. So you get a lot of accessories for making an ambulance scene. Incidentally there's also a couple of silver bars that seem to be cleverly disguised c-clip weapon racks for the main TF toyline.

The ambulance itself looks nice, it definitely has the G1 Ratchet colors in mind but the vehicle feels very movie inspired. Oddly features plastic wheels as opposed to rubber like the last two sets I reviewed.

First thing I gotta say about the robot mode is OMG JOINTS! A nice step away from what the $10 sets provide is that he has actual knee joints, as well as balljointed shoulders, balljointed hips that are much more useful, and actual hands! The jump in price definitely shows you that the money is going to good things.

Another I noticed was when I stood him beside the other two I own... My goodness, he is tall. Only about an inch and a half taller than the $10 robots, but combined with his proportions, it really makes a difference.

The robot mode is gorgeous and while it may be my imagination, I get a Prime vibe from him. I see the Prime version of Ratchet when I look at him. But it could be unintentional on their part.

The Kreons included this time 'round are Medic and, of course, Ratchet himself. Medic comes with a cap, that's about it. Ratchet is more heavily based on his G1 self, complete with the large head crest. It may just be mine, but it seems that the helmet comes down too far and covers most of his otherwise stern eyes. This might just be an error on mine of course.

The building process on this is kind of maddening. Mainly because he is composed of mostly plates and not that many bricks. This would leave one to believe that you might not be able to create a solid enough robot with just plates, but they proved me wrong, big time. This guy is incredibly solid. The look he gives off just represents solidness. He's bulky and definitely showing off his part count. I was particularly impressed by the arms since, I built them last, and was utterly perplexed by how so few parts were left to be built into arms. They really make good use of what they have.

However, the stickers, I have to say, really annoyed me here. Some were uneven despite me being as precise as possible. And in one case, there's some stickers that are meant to fold over and cover up a small edge, and they don't stay on that edge very well. The stickers feel kind of weak on Mirage as well, particularly the Autobot symbol. Oh speaking of, Ratchet comes with an Autobot symbol sticker that doesn't seem to go anywhere. I think maybe you're supposed to put it on the back of his Kreon figure. Not sure.

Going off what I said about Mirage having a piece of paper with the part list, this has one too, but it's part of the instruction booklet. Yet another odd running change? Hm. Rambles.

Overall, Ratchet is a beast. I think you should get him, but be prepared for a tricky set. The robot mode definitely pays off and the vehicle makes a nice not-Lego ambulance. I think what they're doing with Kre-O is really awesome and hope that it continues, because these have been fun sets so far.

And this is the last review I have today. Expect a few Kamen Rider ones later on, once more items arrive in the mail. I'll be taking a look at Kiwami Tamashii finally, as well as getting my first bit of post-Decade goodness...