Review: #209
Name: Chromia
Brand: Transformers
Allegiance: Autobot
Line: Generations
Year of Release: 2014
Size Class: Deluxe (Wave 11)
Variations: apparently a retool of Prime RiD Arcee
COMIC:
Chromia comes with the comic issue Dark Cybertron #11, the penultimate chapter of the Dark Cybertron story arc. While at the beginning it can be hard to follow if you haven't read any issues previously, the second half was easier to understand. It turned out to be not too bad as the cast fights towards Shockwave to stop him. It can get confusing when too many robots are in the frame but otherwise, a good pack-in.
VEHICLE MODE:
Chromia transforms into a blue bike that I think is supposed to be Cybertronian. It reminds me of Tron though.
She has a kickstand on the left side to keep her standing up. Her gun also can plug in on either side as an exhaust.
Surprisingly there is a lot of clear plastic used, not only the windshield but also parts of her wheels.
Bike Transformers are traditionally small and Chromia is no exception. Yet the smaller size just emphasizes the fact that she's pretty slim and kibble-less in this mode. Of note is that at least on my one, getting the back wheels to stay pegged together took a lot of effort.
Surprisingly, I really like this bike mode, it looks good in hand and the colors work very well.
TRANSFORMATION:
Chromia's transformation is simple but works quite well. Unfortunately the top half of the bike ends up being kibble and there isn't anything too clever about it. When going back to bike mode, the rear wheel halves tend to not stay pegged together, which is somewhat annoying when you have to force it.
ROBOT MODE:
Chromia's robot mode looks... very familiar. This is because she is a retool of Prime RiD Arcee which is somewhat disappointing. If only they could have resculpted the torso and legs, as they are distinctly Prime Arcee and makes Chromia lose some of her personality.
One thing that was surprising was the amount of clear plastic used in the figure, in places where you wouldn't expect it like the insides of the wheels and the heels.
She also carries a fair bit of kibble which sticks out her back.
The head sculpt is good and sits on a balljoint. The lightpiping does not work very well.
She has the range of articulation you would have come to expect from a modern figure. She lacks a waist joint due to transformation requirements.
Her waist kibble restricts her legs. You can fold that piece further back but doing so would mean pushing out her back kibble even further. Seems like a design flaw.
Chromia is fairly small in robot mode too, short and slim. Although for a fembot, that isn't necessary a bad thing (I only have Prime FE Arcee for comparison).
Her weapon is a black gun.
I find that she only holds is loosely in her hands. She has wrist swivels though which was surprising.
She stands quite stably in a wide variety of poses thanks to her large feet. The elbows balljoints are really tight for some reason.
A passable robot mode which is letdown by the lack of changes in the sculpting from RiD Arcee.
OVERALL:
Chromia turned out better than I expected considering the Prime RiD Arcee mold is not one of the best around. The bike mode is really good while the robot mode less so. If only the designer could have made more significant sculpting changes because Chromia still has too many of the distinct Arcee elements. The robot mode feels average both in terms of playability and in aesthetics. Only grab Chromia is you like the character or mold.
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