Intro:
I
have to admit, Ricochet is one of those characters that I am not really that
familiar with. He never even appeared in the original G1 animations.
In
1987, a Japanese-exclusive Ricochet figure was released under the name Stepper,
which was a redeco of Jazz. There had never been a Hasbro release.
In
fact, most Ricochet/ Stepper releases have been by Takara. So generally, when
Ricochet was announced to be a part of the Hasbro’s Alternator’s line, I was
quite surprised.
I’ve
been trying to hunt down a Subaru Impreza WRX mold ever since 2006. I was quite
lucky to actually bump into Ricochet late 2014 at a hobby store, but only came
to purchase it in January 2015.
The
Alternators have been one of my most favorite Transformers line ever. They are
known to have very detailed vehicle mode – to the point that many may even mistake
it for a model car.
I
am quite excited about this purchase, so let’s get on with the review.
Alternate
Mode:
Well,
the alternate mode is that of Subaru Impreza WRX, and it has that fiery motive
that is closely associated to Ricochet.
As
with most Alternators, he is very intricately designed to mimic actual model
cars. It has rubber wheels; front wheels turn left and right; it has engine
block; the hood, doors and trunk opens; and there are seats, gears, steering
wheel and proper dashboard inside.
This
is as realistic as a Transformers model cars can get – something I really miss
from the Transformers franchise.
The
fiery motives are painted on, not some applied stickers, just in case if you’re
wondering.
Ricochet
has a New Jersey Garden City license plate with his name on it – yet another
good touch.
The
steering mechanism is also different from other Alternators. While the idea of
magnets was already used in Windcharger’s steering mechanism, Ricochet steering
mechanism actually closely mimics Mirage, with the pegs and hooks being
replaced with magnets.
All
in all, I am quite happy with the vehicle mode.
Robot
Mode:
If
the vehicle mode was awesome, the robot mode is off-the-roof. Being a
Bluestreak/ Silverstreak retooled, Ricochet literally has their looks.
As
with most Alternators/ Binaltech figures, the hood becomes his chest, the doors
become his sort of shoulder shields.
The
black and white color scheme, with fiery motives mesh very well together, and
it really does give a good contrasting look.
Articulation-wise:
the head is on ball joints; the shoulders are on several types of joints that
allow all range of movements; the elbows are double-jointed; the wrists and
hips are on ball joints; waist joints; knees bend, but due to the sheer size of
the feet, it’s not really easy to use; the ankle joints are quite high, and
they all the feet to tilt down and back up; and finally the toe and heel pieces
tilt down and back up.
The
robot mode has all the basic articulations that could make a robot good. If only
there were rotational joints on the arms and legs, he would’ve been great.
All-in-all,
it’s still a wonderful figure.
Overall:
I love this
figure. I love the Alternator – the entire series – as a whole. Despite all the
hype about the current Masterpiece cars, I would actually opt for any
Alternators, anytime. I am really of the opinion that the Alternators are
vastly more superior than any Masterpiece figures, in terms of the amount of
details and realism put into the vehicle modes; although Masterpiece do win in
terms of robot mode screen accuracy.
Anyways, I still
love Ricochet, and I do highly recommend him to any Transformers fans.
Highly recommended.
Final
verdict: 9.5/10.
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