Review: #606
Name: Chromia; Arcee; Elita-1
Brand: Transformers
Allegiance: Autobot
Line: Generations - Studio Series
Year of Release: 2020
Size Class: Deluxe (Wave 8)
Mold Status: new
CHROMIA (BIKE MODE):
Chromia transforms into a blue Suzuki B-King. There is a molded stand (of a sort) on the left side.
This is pretty decent bike mode, especially considering the size. It's not all great since there are exposed robot parts like the head and arms.
All three Arcee Triplets were available in one package in the Deluxe range, thus each individual figure is very small and approximately the size of a Legion toy.
Both the front and rear wheels roll, and considering the size and what it had to achieve, this is pretty decent.
TRANSFORMATION (CHROMIA):
Considering the complexity of the design, an admirable job has been done here to translate it into a small toy form. The front wheel extends to form the base, while the seat forms the left arm, the right arm had tucked away underneath the seat so you can pull that out all. Then all that is left is to straight the torso and then peg on the stand so Chromia can actually stay upright.
CHROMIA (ROBOT MODE):
Chromia's robot mode is pretty screen accurate (although we don't see much of her in the film). She relies on a plastic stand to keep her upright since her design has her rolling around on her front wheel.
There's not too much kibble, the main piece being the wheel on her right shoulder.
The details in her headsculpt is hard to make out given the size but she has a silver face and blue eyes. It's situated on a balljoint.
A quick size comparison next to Legion Crosshairs which shows that she is approximately the size of a Legion, but a bit more complex.
Poseability is limited but given her unique design, it would have been hard. She has joints for her shoulders, elbows and torso. Her left arm is a dual barreled weapon, although it's a bit big and unwieldy.
There is also an additional piece that doesn't store in vehicle mode but it is a blue blade that can attach to her gun arm.
Given all the limitations, this is a cool little robot.
ARCEE (BIKE MODE):
Arcee on the other hand, transforms into a pink Ducati 848 and she probably has the best bike mode out of the three.
There's still a lot of kibble, and she has so much that the bike actually relies on the kibble to stay upright. The right side is also slightly annoying in that the robot arm is exposed.
A quick comparison with Legion Barricade shows that she is also roughly Legion sized.
The only play value here is that both wheels roll but it is a decent bike at this size.
TRANSFORMATION (ARCEE):
The front and rear wheels are connected together such that you can fold them together for form the "feet". The seat then forms the left hand while the right arm was already exposed. You can then straighten out the torso.
ARCEE (ROBOT MODE):
Arcee's robot mode is also pretty accurate to her onscreen appearance.
The figure once again relies on a stand attached to the wheels in order to stand. In terms of kibble, there's the bit on her right shoulder, and also the pink pieces around her lower torso, those pieces can be annoying to adjust.
The headsculpt is once again hard to make out and looks like a mess of details.
She is approximately the size of a Legion figure but more complicated and more spindly.
Articulation is decent with joints for her head, shoulders, elbows and torso. Her main weapon is her gun arm.
There is a big pink cannon that slots over her right arm for some extra firepower.
And this is the confusing part but there are some parts included with the figures that don't really fit thematically to any of the triplets. There's the blue blade that you can slot into the gun arm, as well as a shoulder armor that loose pegs on Arcee's left arm.
At the very least, this is a way better mold than the Human Alliance version, nevertheless it is a decent representation of the character.
ELITA-1 (BIKE MODE):
Elita-1 transforms into a purple MV Agusta F4 and she probably has the weakest motorbike mode out of the three.
Like the others, she has a kickstand on the left side to allow the bike mode to stay upright.
So why is she the weakest of the three? Because the front wheels is offset to the side and it just looks horrible, it doesn't even really lock into place either.
She's a similar size to the others, so approximately Legion sized.
While it's nice to have a different mold for Elita-1, the issue of the front issue really ruins it.
TRANSFORMATION (ELITA-1):
The front wheel forms the arm and the whole body pretty much unfolds from most of the bike. Stand her up on the bike's rear wheel, attach it to the stand and you're done.
ELITA-1 (ROBOT MODE):
For the first time, we finally get a toy representation of the character that is based on the actual character model used in the film.
She has a fair bit of kibble, with the front of her bike on her back and the fenders in her lower torso.
Due to the small size, the head sculpt is messy but the eyes are painted so at least they're noticeable.
She relies on a stand in order to stand up and it works well. She's slightly taller than a typical Legion figure but much slimmer.
Articulation is pretty good, with jointed head, shoulders, elbows and torso. Her small size does mean that making the most out of those joints to be somewhat fiddly.
Unlike the other two, Elita-1 doesn't have any ranged weapons. She has a clawed hand and the front wheel as her left hand. Nevertheless, this is a good robot, if only for the fact that it's unique and screen accurate.
TRIPLETS:
As a set of three, they definitely work well together. It's nice that you can get it all in one package without hunting for each of them separately and potentially missing out on one.
Their bike modes are compromised, thanks to their small size, as more effort has been made for their robot modes.
If you can take their unique designs, then the robot modes are definitely the highlight and they look great together.
It has already been touched upon earlier, but each figure has a stand for robot mode, and there are three accessories that can peg onto Chromia and Arcee.
Those accessories add quite a bit to their firepower and bulks them up, although it is questionable whether they are required since they don't store anywhere in bike mode and are superficial to their robot modes.
As part of the Studio Series line, they come with a cardboard stand.
The stand depicts the area where they were chasing down Sideways, and are pretty much their only iconic scene.
COMBINED MODE:
This mode is completely unofficial and not in the instructions but there are specific molding on each of the figures to make some of this mode at least part of the designer's intention.
It is definitely very messy but effectively Chromia attaches to Arcee, while Elita-1 then tacks herself on as the leg that stabilizes the whole figure. You can then adjust the limbs as you wish.
You'll need Arcee in robot mode, Chromia in between her two modes, and Elita-1 remains pretty much in her bike mode. Once combined, they hold together solidly. The stands are used as the pieces that join the three together.
The combined mode gains a lot of bulk out the back but from the front, they still look to be a Legion sized figure.
This mode is probably what the additional accessories that peg on as weapons are for, and with it, it does bulk up the figure a lot.
Most of the articulation comes from Arcee, but the cannon behind which is Chromia's arm, can also be moved around.
As a bonus, this mode is pretty cool. If this is the only mode you're interested in, then it will be disappointing only because it is Arcee with the other two as a massive backpack.
OVERALL:
This is a good set and it is great to finally have Arcee, Chromia and Elita-1 released in scale and accurate to their appearances from the movie. The small size makes them a bit fiddly, while it makes them in scales with others in the line, it probably would have been better if they were made bigger and released in the Voyager price point.
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