Review: #238
Name: Arcee
Brand: Transformers
Allegiance: Autobot
Line: Generations
Year of Release: 2014
Size Class: Deluxe (Wave 11)
Variations: none as of this date
COMIC:
Arcee comes with the final issue of the
Dark Cybertron arc, Dark Cybertron Chapter 12.
After all that happens, we see how Optimus and Megatron stop Shockwave
from ending the world. While you still
need some sort of idea of what happened before, it’s not as bad as some other
issues. It provides a really quick
summary of where things are act and the premise is basic, Autobots must stop
Shockwave. So this issue ends up being one
of the better issues and provides some interesting turn of events such as what
Megatron did in the end.
VEHICLE MODE:
For the first time since the 1986 Transformers movie, we get an official G1 Arcee figure that's accurate to the cartoon model.
Arcee transforms into a pink, black and white futuristic car. The addition of black works well here.
She has small plastic wheels which allows her to roll (but tends to slide on smooth surfaces like glass).
Unfortunately, Arcee suffers from being really small and light, which was unavoidable due to her slim robot mode.
She is a convertible and you can see the detailing of the seats.
In addition, her dashboard is quite detailed too, including a steering wheel and speedometer.
There are various slots over Arcee's car mode where you can slot her weapons. The main ones being at the rear, perfect for the guns.
You can place the swords there if you wish and the guns at the side.
Something to note is that Arcee is able to store both her guns on the underside, which also has the benefit to locking her arms since her hands can grasp the gun handles.
A good looking car mode that's show accurate. The only negative thing about this mode is the fact that it is small and light, even moreso than you would expect.
TRANSFORMATION:
Arcee's transformation is what you would expect, she ends up being a massive shellformer with only the grill and parts of the side of the car forming the core robot. Most of the car ends up being folded away into three panels. An interesting element of the transformation is how her thighs are formed, since there are joints which extend it out in car mode but collapses back in robot mode. This does have some negative side effects which we will cover in the robot mode section below.
ROBOT MODE:
Arcee's robot mode is as G1 show accurate as her car mode. This is a figure that was 28 years in the waiting, but finally, Arcee is here and available. There was a tiny bit of doubt that being at the tail end of the Generations Thrilling 30 line, that she would either be cancelled or be a very limited release, thankfully this was not the case.
As mentioned, she wears most of the car on her back, the backpack is comprised of three panels which are folded against each other.
On the whole, the back kibble is not that bad, this is only because she doesn't have any bulk in her backpack and the smallness of the figure works to her favor here.
The head sculpt is one of the best things about this figure. It features an effective lightpipe for the eyes.
Just like in vehicle mode, her robot stature is small and slim. This suits her being a female Transformer and all but she is still very much smaller than a lot of other Deluxe figures.
Poseability is excellent and Arcee has a better range of articulation for her feets than you would expect. Thanks to hinged ankles, she is stable in heaps of poses.
She has some proportion issues though, mainly surrounding her thick thighs. She can look really weird when being viewed from head on.
As you already know, Arcee comes with two guns, one of them was even accidentally featured in Chromia's stock photo.
She can hold either gun in either hand. Her hands are molded open and there are molded slots within the palms to slide the weapons in.
They work well for the most part but the weapons can be easily dislodged.
As if to compensate for her smallness, Arcee comes with two more swords. These are cast in transparent blue plastic.
The swords are even easier to dislodge from her hands which is unfortunate.
She doesn't have any wrist articulation but Arcee still manages to pull off some good sword fighting poses.
If you didn't know already, the swords are a homage to Animated Arcee.
You can use the numerous slots on her body for weapon storage, including the outside of her thighs (looks great with the guns there as if they're in holsters, you can plug them in using the pegs on the sides of the guns instead of using the handles which allows them to sit more flush against Arcee), behind her head and on the outside of her forearms.
The black helps to break the monotone of the white and pink.
A good robot mode but the thick thighs might annoy some people.
OVERALL:
This is the Arcee toy that fans have been waiting for many years. While it is not perfect, it is a pretty good toy. Arcee is worth having as she compensates for her smallness with a cache of weapons. She is also much more poseable than you would expect, which adds to her play value. Arcee succeeds at being a solid Transformer that's fun to transform and fun to play with.
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