Name: Ratchet
Allegiance: Autobots
Function: Medic
Timeline: Transformers Animated
Hold still. This won’t hurt a bit.
Profile:
Once upon a time, Ratchet was considered to be one of Cybertron's most talented medics. Graduating valedictorian from Protihex Medical Mechanics University, Ratchet had a promising career ahead of him before Cybertron descended into war. Ratchet doesn't like talking about what happened to him during the war, or why he decided to throw away a promising medical career in favour of repairing spacebridges in deep space. A curmudgeonly, bitter and cynical old 'bot, all Ratchet wanted was to quietly live out what remained of his life in peace and relative anonymity, far away from the politics of post-war Cybertron and would-be heroes. Ratchet grudgingly admits he's grown quite fond of the spacebridge crew he's been assigned to, even the over-eager, in-your-faceplate Bumblebee; in these moments Ratchet reveals a kindness beneath his gruff exterior. He sees Optimus Prime as a good friend, and can't help be inspired by the young Autobot, who he recognises as having a lot of potential. Not that this will stop Ratchet grumbling about Optimus and the rest of the Autobots choosing to play the hero to the citizens of New Detroit and more widely, the people of Earth. Being stuck in the middle of a new war with the Decepticons is just about the last place Ratchet wanted to find himself, but if that is what fate chooses for him, he'll do his best to keep his friends safe and sound, even if he has to confront the past he's tried so hard to run away from.
Ambulance mode:
Author notes:
I found it really easy to write a profile for Animated Ratchet, since he is a very well rounded character and I love the Transformers Animated series so this one came naturally to me. I feel this is where Ratchet as a grouchy older guy really started since the two previous Ratchets (Generation 1 and Movie) didn't really play on this aspect of the character; whereas every major Ratchet after this, such as Prime and IDW's More than Meets the Eye, really lean into the grouchier old man persona set out by Transformers Animated.
I decided to keep Ratchet's wartime backstory deliberately vague, in line with the "doesn't like to talk about it" aspect from the show. I had wanted to get a reference in about how he wanted to stay watching over Omega Supreme at the end - originally I'd said "keep his friends safe and sound. This includes the Autobots' ship, the Ark, which is in reality the titanic warrior Omega Supreme, who Ratchet fought alongside during the war... " It carried on a bit more from there, and really undercut both the mystery of the wartime days, and also the stronger ending I had if I just stopped with keeping the friends safe and sound.
Toys of Transformers Animated Ratchet
Transformers Animated Ratchet
Animated Ratchet is a lovely toy that showcases the best of what Animated managed to pull off with its unique look. Ratchet's ambulance mode is a lovely boxy ambulance that somehow manages to turn into a distinctly not boxy robot mode. I really like that, and I also like little details like Ratchet's jowls and gut which sell the idea this is a Ratchet who is old and tired, not the "fix them and party" guy from Generation 1. The poseability is good - Animated really nailed that aspect - although I find one of the legs likes to pop out above the knee sometimes when posing. The accessories are also cool and play into Ratchet's "repair and rescue" role, although if you want show-accurate magnets you'll need to pick up some third party addons, like the Unicron.com magnets I have Ratchet sporting in these photos.
More information on Transformers Animated Ratchet at TFW2005
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Transformers Animated toys in my collection.
