I finally found something new in stores Transformers related this week (and drove nearly 100 miles to get their, and no, I didn’t drive that far just to look for these).

Transformers 2012 Prime Deluxe Ratchet

Vehicle Mode:  It’s nice, but as he rarely transforms in the cartoon, I’m not really sure how accurate it is.  It holds together nicely, no loose parts.  His two knives can be hidden under the vehicle or mounted on the front, similar to Wheeljack, but unlike Wheeljack who comes with hard plastic swords, Ratchet’s weapons are soft plastic.

Robot Mode:  Outstanding.  He looks just great and even has a scowl on his face.  Only negatives I can find are his head and feet.  His head is spring loaded, so over time, if that spring degrades his head won’t pup op properly.  (Think G1 Frenzy and Rumble.)  His feet are molded for him to stand with his legs apart.  I prefer toys to stand straight legged, but my guess is while this only mildly annoys me and no one else will care at all.

Transformers 2012 Prime Deluxe Arcee

Vehicle Mode: Nice looking, and holds together better than some motorcycle toys.  With the kickstand down it does stand up well. Seems fairly cartoon accurate from memory, but I didn’t do a comparison. It would be nice if the weapons fit somewhere on the vehicle other than right out in front.  They would look better mounted on the back.  The gun really could be smaller.

Robot Mode: Very nice looking, but again, the gun is just too big.  It would have been nice if the flaps that hang off her back would fold down beside the wheel.  Could have used a few more paint apps.

Comparison to Transformers Prime First Edition Version: I could go either way on this.  Both are nice toys.  I like the darker blue color on the FE Arcee, and hope that maybe they will repaint the 2012 version in the darker color at some point.  While I prefer toys have guns, considering that Arcee’s is way too big, I like the dual blades on the FE, and they integrate into the vehicle mode much better.  Perhaps the oversized gun on the 2012 version is meant to compensate from the apparent breast reduction surgery from the FE version.  🙂  (Someone had to say it.)

Thanks for reading!