Now that Ironhide has gotten the Missing Link treatment, you know Ratchet is going to be next because, well, they’re the same mold after all. The Takara Tomy Transformers Missing Link C-15 Ratchet is everything Ironhide is, with some Ratchet-specific touches, including a white ambulance deco. This also means true OG connoisseurs will be disappointed because it has got a head. In other words, it is not a skinny mech-like recreation with a human pilot—though it does include a tiny person.
Similarly, unlike previous Missing Link toys, such as Optimus Prime, Sunstreaker, and more, which all gained extra articulation while remaining faithful to the original toys, Ratchet also has improved articulation but is less OG toy-accurate and more toon-accurate. And if you have been following the Missing Link line, you know its goal is to bring back the OG G1 toys with added articulation.
The toy converts between an ambulance (based on the Nissan Cherry Vanette-type minivan) and a robot, and boasts a cartoon-accurate head sculpt and deco. It comes loaded with accessories that allow Ratchet to support fellow Autobots, including a laser, a wrench, a rocket launcher, plus a period-accurate accessory: a Diaclone-style female driver figure.
Like C-14 Ironhide, it aims to please both camps of fans, IMHO. The toy does let you recreate the headless, power-loader-like appearance of the original toy, though it isn’t a carry-over from the OG Diaclone toy. That’s right. The tables have turned. When the OG toy first came out, fans wanted a proper Ironhide and Ratchet with heads, but today, Takara Tomy has intentionally engineered a mode that brings the headless design back. I guess nostalgia works in mysterious ways.
Anyhoo, the Takara Tomy Transformers Missing Link C-15 Ratchet was announced in June and was opened for reservations in Japan for 16,500 yen plus tax [JP] but has since sold out. Meanwhile, across the Pacific Ocean in the U.S., it will retail for US$109.99 when it becomes available on January 26, 2027. Unfortunately, we are a little late on this. The pre-order window on Hasbro Pulse has already ended. You may still be able to pre-order it from other major toy retailers, including BigBadToyStore.
Images: Takara Tomy [JP].