Autobot Ratchet An Animated Fellow Transformers Age of the Primes Deluxe Class Item No.: Asst. G0474 No. G2012 Manufacturer: Hasbro Includes: Electromagnets, wrench, can opener, hammer, screwdriver Action Feature: Converts from robot to medical SUV Retail: $27.99 Availability: April 2026 Other: Surprisingly authentic to a completely different house style
PREVIOUS	RSS	NEXT

As time goes on prices go up, so the larger-than-the-average-deluxe Autobot Ratchet feels like a better toy for $28 than a lot of his peers. Hasbro cleverly reshelled, reaccessorized, recolored, and reheaded the previous toy to give you something that's surprisingly close to the previous cartoon toys. I was surprised that they gave him six accessories, and even more surprised there's on-board storage in both modes. I'd love to know if this was the plan back in Earthrise when we first got Hoist and Trailbreaker, or if someone at Hasbro and Takara-Tomy just went to town on the mold working in so much extra value to make this mold worth purchasing for a fifth time. Or sixth, if you bought the cartoon-colored Trailbreaker.

You get enough stuff here that it feels Hasbro is generally delivering the goods, which is particularly funny because I reacted to this figure's reveal with a shrug. I sold off a lot of my Animated guys (I needed some space in the robot closet) but this guy just seemed worthwhile. Hasbro is proving you can get a lot out of its G1 molds when they want, adding different colors to the lightbar while retaining the basic silhouette of his vehicle and robot modes. It works. I can't believe it, but it works.

Click here to check availability at eBay.

At about 6-inches tall at the top of the helmet, Ratchet is big for a deluxe. He's even a pretty decent size compared to a few recent Voyager-class toys. The wrists rotate, the ankles tilt, the knees have two joints each, and the only joint thats didn't meet my preferences are the shoulders. The figure's size and paint meet (or really, exceed) modern expectations recreating what you might remember of the character from the 2007 cartoon. No, the fingers aren't white. No, you don't get the black panel lines. But you do get the "gut" from the car hood, and you get a better red Autobot logo, and you even get the cracked crest on his helmet. He feels cranky, and that's basically what you want out of your space robots. It would be nice if the medical symbols on his panels shifted to his shoulders, but it's not like he looks bad without them.

Since this is basically an extensive Trailbreaker reshell, you know what to expect. He's big, his arms can't quite go down at his sides, and he has a good range of movement. What you might not know is that he has those wrist-mounted magnet upgrades, and you can store them in the back area of his truck mode even in robot form. He has a screwdriver, a can opener, a mallet, and wrench - all of which can stow on his back. The accessories go the extra mile, especially in this era of cost-cutting on a lot of figures. I am incredibly annoyed with accessories that can't store on a figure, so I appreciate Hasbro gave me more or less what I wanted here. Not that I asked them for it. I just like seeing toys that are capable of taking care of their own mess.

Conversion is just like Hoist, and DK-3 Breaker, not to mention Lift-Ticket, and also Trailbreaker. It's pretty easy to do, but consult the instructions anyway to make sure you see everywhere you can store the accessories. Everything fits inside the vehicle, even though they added four 5mm sockets on the back to connect gear if you like.

It might not be obviously just the same as Trailbreaker, but you can see a lot of similarities. Some are good - it's a bigger vehicle and it rides high off the ground. Some aren't so good - it still has a weird joint on the hood, and the robot fists drag under the SUV. But other than that, I like it. I love that there are no clear plastic parts, so it looks more cartoony. It's great that they kept the same symbol on the panel on the back, and the yellow lights, and also the vestiges of the winch and the black around the yellow headlights. If I asked someone to make me a "realistic" vehicle of Animated Ratchet, it would look like this. Sure, the wheels don't spin well. And yeah, the knuckles drag. But considering where he started, it's a remarkable update.

It's not a perfect match for the cartoon model, but it gets the vibes right and has some room for upgrades - if they ever crank out a Lockdown to match him. If you're happy with your old Animated deluxe, you probably don't need another one - but it's fun to mess with, and I love the gear. Those magnets for his wrists are great, the articulation is very good, and the colors feel right. If you've got some cash to blow, this is worth a look.

Hasbro has made modern Legacy-era Animated figures of other characters - Wreck-Gar, Optimus Prime, Nemesis Prime, Motormaster, Bumblebee, Wasp, Prowl, and Bumblebee all riff on a similar design aesthetic. --Adam Pawlus

Additional Images

Click here to see more Hasbro figures in Figure of the Day.

Click here to see more Transformers figures in Figure of the Day.

Want to buy this figure? Check Transformers availability at our sponsors:
Entertainment Earth

Featured Toy Video