Review – Transformers Generations Ratbat
After the Hasbro 2011 Transformers Generations Scourge* made an appearance at battlegrip.com earlier this week (review here) it felt only fitting that one of the other uses of the mold was pulled out and shared with the world.
Not From Hasbro!
This 2013 Transformers Generations Ratbat* toy wasn’t produced by Hasbro which makes it a bit tougher to locate. And that’s unfortunate, because Japanese toymaker Takara did an awesome job of producing this IDW-inspired take on Ratbat as he appeared in the Megatron Origin* comic books.
Still a Great Jet!
As a retool of the Transformers Generations Scourge* toy this Ratbat is identical in jet mode to that earlier use of the mold. The below photo shows the two together, and I must admit that I really prefer the black, gold, and purple color design of the Transformers Generations Ratbat* toy. But hey, I think it’s completely clear in the pic with Ratbat’s colors are the better of the two designs!
A New Head
The below photo shows Ratbat in his robot form from the Megatron Origin* comic books as well as a close look at the new head sculpt that Takara used in place of the Scourge head from the original toy. It may not be an exact match — the chin is what stands out as most different to me — but it’s dramatically different from the Scourge head and close enough to the comic that the new design is excellent.
A Clean Transformation
The single biggest complaint that I had with Scourge (review here) was the sliding chestplate in the transformation from robot back to jet. Well, I am happy to report that Takara’s Transformers Generations Ratbat* had none of those problems and the chest slides between modes without any difficulty or grinding plastic.
It is amazing how something as minor as poor clearance between plastic parts can change a Transformers toy’s transformation design from frustrating to enjoyable, but that’s exactly what happened with Ratbat* because the toy is so much easier to transform than Scourge. Either my Scourge has problems or Takara corrected the issue in their take on the mold. Anyone know if there’s a physical difference between that chest plate on the two toys?
Great Paint Apps
One thing not at all uncommon for Takara is to provide their Transformers toys with better and more detailed paint apps than the Hasbro versions of the molds. Well, Ratbat* upholds that tradition, and the detailwork on the toy — especially the gray, gold, and black of the chest — really helps the toy look different from its mold-clone Scourge. Look at the above pic and compare the chest designs of the two toys and you’ll find that while the sculpt is identical the extra paint on Ratbat helps the toy look like its own thing. Very nice!
Closing Thoughts
I can happily report that the Transformers Generations Ratbat* was worth the extra cash that it took to acquire. Scourge (review here) was clearly the inspiration for the toy design, but Takara’s designers did a great job in adapting that toy to the Megatron Origin* robot mode Ratbat.
If you’re a fan of the 2011 Scourge toy and do not yet own the Transformers Generations Ratbat* then go grab it now. This is a fantastic reuse of the tooling and I’m sure it’s only going to grow more expensive as the years pass. Or you may want to wait, because if I were Hasbro I’d be looking at adapting Takara’s work and introducing it to the US. Yeah, that would be great.
Do that Hasbro. Please.