TRANSFORMERS TOYS AND MERCHANDISE SECTION

Robot Mode:
Alternate Mode:
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Technical Specifications:
STR
INT
SPD
END
RNK
CRG
FPR
SKL

Neuronutter's review of: Ramjet

Name: Ramjet
Function: Warrior

So far the Classics range has been a brilliant line featuring some inspired homages, but with every line comes the inevitable repaints and retools. The first of the repaints are Ramjet, Cliffjumper, Ultra Magnus and Skywarp. Ramjet is a retool of Starscream, probably my favourite toy from the Classics range to date (well, now that I’ve got Jetfire, maybe not). Anyway, from the first seeker comes the inevitable repaints including Thundercracker, Skywarp, which we’ve seen in the Target exclusive double pack with Ultra Magnus, and the later three jets: Dirge, Thrust and Ramjet. Surprisingly, Hasbro decided to release one of the later three jets first before completing the original three. Ramjet is a Decepticon warrior, who according to the bio on the back of the box, loves to charge head first into battle, and then into his opponents literally ramming anyone in his way.

Being a retool of another toy I thought I’d state my opinion of Starscream first. I love Starscream. He is a fantastic toy, with a realistic jet mode, and a superb robot mode. He epitomizes the perfect Transformer and I absolutely adore him. Now that’s out of the way, onto Ramjet.

Alt Mode:
Well, as you can see from the pictures Hasbro has extensively redesigned Starscream to make Ramjet. In jet mode there are several noticeable differences. Firstly, the wings have been pushed back to the level of the tails, giving a striking, very sleek looking jet that has cleaner lines than Starscream, and looks more like an arrowhead. As part of this, Ramjet has gained two extra jet engines built into the wings, making him look more powerful. Secondly the missiles have been redesigned into chunkier, more rounded objects which also suit Ramjet’s style. Ramjet’s colour scheme is a mix of white, grey, a kind of brown/red and a dash of gold. The colour scheme looks great and, combined with the other changes, really separate him from the styling of Starscream.

Robot Mode:
In robot mode the differences continue with the redesign of the head. The three later seekers were referred to as “coneheads” as they, unsurprisingly, had the cones of their jets on their heads. Doesn’t take a genius! Anyway, Ramjet continues this tradition with the cone of his cockpit forming the top of his head. It’s a small thing for Hasbro to do, but they’ve done it well and given Ramjet a completely new head, with a completely different expression. Gone is the sly smile of Starscream and in its place is a sullen, sour expression which suits Ramjet well.

The colour scheme also translates really well from the jet mode, with Ramjet mostly white, with dashes of grey, gold and a little more red. Overall he looks really nice, much more toned down than the bright scheme of Starscream, and the look suits him. Also, when you transform him into robot mode, you have a choice of where to place the wings. You can either leave them as they are in jet mode, sticking out at right angles to his legs, or they can be folded flat against his legs exposing the red that sits on top of the wings. Personally I prefer them flat against his legs as it looks neater and the red matches another patch exposed during the transformation. It also makes him look more powerful and imposing. All in all Hasbro have done a great job of redesigning Starscream to make Ramjet.

Transformation: 4 for difficulty, 9 for the well engineered brilliance of the transformation scheme.

Durability: 8 Feels very strong, I don’t think it’s going to break anytime soon.

Price: 7. I picked this up from BBTS at a good price. For this toy I think the RRP is fine.

Overall: 9. I really like Ramjet. He’s a great retool of a fantastic toy and, unlike Cliffjumper, Hasbro has made changes that separate him from Starscream. He’s well worth picking up and if Hasbro release the other coneheads, with this level of attention, I will be getting those too!