RATCHET (ROBOT HEROES)
PROJECT #457.1 CREATED: 2010 "You wouldn't know a microchip from a potato chip!" Sometimes I will buy duplicates of toys in my collection with the intent to paint them (particularly in the case of Transformers characters, where frequently the only physical characteristic distinguishing two characters from each other is their color scheme). When the Robot Heroes were still being produced, I grabbed an extra Ironhide vs. Kickback set, knowing that Ironhide would make a great Ratchet figure, but recognizing that Hasbro would probably do an official one eventually. When the toy line was eventually cancelled, leaving a great many characters unrealized, I decided it was finally time to build the version of Ratchet I'd always planned to. Although both G1 characters were based on the same Diaclone toy design, there are actually some minor differences between the animation models for Ironhide and Ratchet. In addition to the obvious helmet differences, they have a differently-designed pelvis from each other as well as some details on their arms and legs. Ironhide was made from this amazing plastic that was dense and durable, but also easy to cut through, and it takes to being super glued really nicely (some plastics just don't). The toy was so easy to work with that I made some additional changes I hadn't planned to, like adjusting the positions of his arms, and raising the windshield just slightly on his chest. I also replaced his hands with those from a Japanese PVC figure, just to mix things up a bit. I also gave him a surgical laser tool that can replace his hand. It's interesting to note that the crosses on Ratchet's shoulders disappeared spontaneously near the end of the second season of the cartoon series. This was probably related to Hasbro hastily editing out the crosses on all of Ratchet's toy packaging and catalog photos. The Red Cross organization is fiercely protective of the symbol, which is only supposed to be used by eligible humanitarian organizations. (The question remains, how come Doc from G.I. Joe was allowed to continue using it...?) |
|