As the Earthrise portion of the War for Cybertron toy trilogy wraps up in preparation for the Kingdom line, people are still receiving exclusives that have been ordered and delayed due to the Covid Crisis.
I’ve just received one of these exclusives and it contains two characters that have historically been very hard to get in the Generations line. So without further ado let’s look at the Paradron Medics duo from the Galactic Odyssey Collection – Ratchet and Lifeline.
Ratchet
Ratchet has been a real bastard to get over the last decade for those who have wanted Generations versions of him. The only one that has seen mass release in the west was Rescue Ratchet from the Hunt for the Decepticon toyline. Being a movieverse toy with a G1 recolouring this did not sate fans who wanted a representation of the Ratchet of old. Then there was the Universe version, which saw a very limited release which lead many collectors like myself to pay stupid amounts to get him online. After that came Siege Ratchet, once again very hard to get as it only saw mass release in countries like Malaysia. Whilst Earthrise Ratchet is still an exclusive, at least he has been relatively easy to obtain through Amazon.
Robot Mode
Very G1 (cartoon). Looks really stocky and strong. Nicely proportioned and with decent articulation too. His windshield is more aqua coloured than blue which helps him match his partner Lifeline. Due to this Ratchet, despite having a Terran alt-mode, being based on Paradron he has no Red Cross stickers on his shoulders. The minimal red in his colour scheme makes him look a tad bland.
Ratchet comes with a shield (the ambulance roof) and a gun that is highly reminiscent of the G1 toy. Personally I liked how Siege Ratchet came with actual medical tools and feel that would have been good here.
Like the G1 Ratchet toy the roof becomes a sort of mini-medical bay thing. Not nearly as cool as the G1 version, this one does come with the same gun placed at the front. Personally I prefer to use it as a shield for him, making him look more like a combat medic.
Vehicle Mode & Transformation
For only the third time Ratchet is once again an old fashioned ambulance van. The transformation from robot to this mode really showcases how this Ratchet is actually a retool of the Siege version, and if it wasn’t for the new roof and the differently shaped windshield they would be near identical. It’s a great looking retro ambulance, the only drawback is those awful huge feet at the back of the vehicle.
Lifeline
Yep, if you appeared in the G1 cartoon you get a toy – that’s how it works these days. Lifeline was in one very tiny scene, tending to an injured Cyclonus, in S3 of the G1 cartoon. She never talked, never transformed and was never seen again. But like Lancer and Greenlight , she now gets her own figure.
Robot Mode
The only other figure produced of Lifeline was a Timelines version from the TFCC that was a recolour of Thrilling 30 Arcee. Likewise this Lifeline is a recolour of Earthrise Arcee. I actually like her more, her colours really do it for me and I think it’s a really nicely proportioned toy. When in group shots I tend to use T30 Arcee so that there is that bit more differentiation between Lifeline and her.
You can remove the backpack for it to become a sort of sled. Lifeline also comes with an Energon Infuser which is obviously a gun. Like Ratchet I would have liked to see her receive some actual medical tools. Still, it’s a good looking figure with some really great articulation.
Vehicle Mode & Transformation
Like Earthrise Arcee and Netflix Elita, Lifeline is a Shellformer, and not a very good one at that. It is so frikken hard to get her body to squeeze into the car shell properly, and when you do manage it the slightest nudge makes the legs pop back out which pretty much ruins her play value in this mode. She looks nice from certain angles but otherwise this is a very disappointing alt-mode and it’s embarrassing I have three different versions of it now.
Worth Getting?
Being an exclusive (like half the Generations line seems to be these days) these figures are more expensive than those on the store shelves. Ratchet’s vehicle mode is compromised by the feet at the back and Lifeline’s by the legs that constantly emerge from her undercarriage. These negatives may cause you to bypass if you expect top quality from your Generations toys.
However overall I’m quite happy with the pairs other attributes. Both have great robot modes, both match each other very well and both are a lot easier to obtain than the previous figures of them that have been released. So if you are looking to finally add a G1’esque Ratchet and Lifeline to your Generations line-up than these two are well worth grabbing.
Got something to say about this medical duo? Pop it in the comments section below!
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