Review: #691
Name: Ark
Brand: Transformers
Allegiance: Autobot
Line: Generations - War for Cybertron: Kingdom
Year of Release: 2021
Size Class: Titan
Mold Status: new
PACKAGING AND ACCESSORIES:
As part of the Titan class, Ark comes in a massive box, with a very nice piece of gigantic artwork on the front.
The back is a bit more simple as it just shows the stock photos and some gimmicks (which isn't much as far as Titan class figures goes).
There are several accessories included, such as two Golden Discs two big blast effects (which separate into six small individual ones), the navigator globe, an Optimus Prime mini-figure, and a collector card (that you can peel the sticker off to reveal the fate of the character).
One of the Golden Disk is the one that was included in the Voyager space probe, and the other is the Vok version.
The navigator globe looks pretty good, considering it is more of a throwaway accessories in that you'll use it once and then leave it stored forever afterwards.
The Optimus Prime figure is cast in a solid red with a yellow base, despite it's small size, there are still recognizable sculpted details.
The Optimus Prime figure is really easy to be lost. Why? Because it is absolutely miniscule, above is a comparison against Core Soundwave (which is a fairly small figure itself) but you can see how it dwarfs it. At this point, just like the Wheelie and Brains mini-figures included with SS DOTM Shockwave, you wonder if they really should have included such small pieces of plastic with these.
MAINFRAME (TELETRAAN-1 MODE):
Let's diverge and focus on Mainframe first, the "extra" figure that comes with Ark, as is somewhat common on Titan class. The neatest thing about Mainframe is that he transforms into Teletraan-1, which is really cool!
It loses a lot of its shine (and this is a common theme with the set) when you look from behind and see how hollow he is. It's basically a panel with the sole aim of looking respectable head on from the front and gives up from any other angle. It's absolutely disappointing.
The biggest problem with the design is that it is comprised of single panels that clip together, which makes the whole thing feel insubstantial and flimsy. It's a poor effort and obvious cost-cutting.
Ignoring the hollow and cheap feel, one cool feature is that the various accessories, such as the two Golden Disks and the navigator globe, stores in Mainframe (in both modes), so you don't have to worry about putting it away and losing it.
Mainframe is approximately between Deluxe and Voyager size, above is a comparison against Siege Sideswipe and Siege Optimus, and you can see he's about smack bang in between in terms of actual size, and also mass.
As Teletraan-1, Mainframe is more scaled towards Legends / Commander / Core class, above are Legends Swerve and Beachcomber (I didn't have any Core Autobots from the latest line available). There's no denying it's a cool concept, but the execution is lacking.
MAINFRAME (TRANSFORMATION):
Getting Mainframe to robot mode is easier than the reverse, this is because the transformation scheme relies heavily on panels. You effectively detach the various panels and fold them all upon each other to get the robot mode. The bottom half of Teletraan-1 forms the legs, while the arms are spread over the top. The middle portion forms the torso, with the panels on either side folding into his back. When going from robot mode to Teletraan-1 the first time, you'll probably feel some frustration in lining the panels up to click them into place.
MAINFRAME (ROBOT MODE):
Mainframe's robot mode is, to be honest, quite decent in his looks. He's got the classic G1 blocky aesthetics, although his legs are too chunky to the point of dominating his overall profile a bit.
For a Transformer that relies so heavily on panels, it's no surprise that he is loaded with kibble, and it's kibble of that kind that gets in the way. Right off the bat you can see how the middle portion of Teletraan-1 folds up, and then sticks all the way down to behind his knees.
The neat thing is that the two Golden Disks and the navigator globe continues to be stored, and you didn't even have to remove them for transformation.
The head sculpt is great and one of the best things (and also rare nowadays, unfortunately), is the lightpiping in the head which works wonderfully well.
The cheap design shows up once more, and this is a really puzzling decision. You might notice why Mainframe above has his arms kind of folded inwards. This is because the kibble underneath his forearms stick out and hits the panels on his back. So you either have the arms straightened to his sides, or fold his elbows inwards. It's such an easy fix but the designer couldn't be bothered or there wasn't enough budget, and this is a prevalent theme for the whole set.
An alternative is that you can fold the panels out to the sides, which could look worse though the panels don't snap into place. This also means that the hollow forearms are really apparent when viewing him from the back (which is not very likely).
Apart from the restrictive arms, his knees are also restricted too as the panels on his back get in the way. It just seems all these little things which could have been avoided aren't fixed and were ignored in order to push the figure out.
In terms of articulation though, he has joints for his head, shoulders, elbows, waist, hips, knees and ankles. He lacks a weapon though.
Mainframe is a neat idea, but hindered by a lot of small flaws.
ARK (ARK MODE):
And now, onto the flagship figure in the Kingdom line, the Ark... who transforms into the Ark.
This is such an iconic vehicle in the Transformers lore and it is faithfully replicated here, he looks absolutely stunning.
There are three fold down stands so that it can easily stand on a flat surface.
There's plenty of details here, from the turret guns to the bridge to the tower. These all positively adds to the transition from a simple 2D animation to a 3D figure.
Unfortunately, the cost-cutting is very apparent here as well, even in Ark mode. The rear sides are hollow (some might argue that it is required for transformation, but the counterargument is that it is very easy for the designer to add panels to hide it, similar to the leg transformation) and the back of the tower is hollow.
The Ark can also be annoying to snap every piece into place properly. The rear half doesn't seem to have a strong enough connection, so it can sag when you lift the Ark up (standing on a flat surface is okay).
The other cool thing is that you can have the Ark stand upright as if it is about to blast off.
And needless to say, as part of the Titan class, Ark is massive and towers over all Transformers in conventional size classes. Above is a comparison with Leader Optimus Primal and Deluxe Sideswipe for a size comparison.
For something this big, there are little gimmicks, which feels like another sign of the laziness or rushed aspect. At the back is a ramp that is springloaded. You would also expect that you can attach the blast effects to the thrusters, nup, they are too loose to stay in place.
While opening the Ark up (requires unclipping several pieces) reveals the bridge, and a navigator globe which is removeable so be careful it doesn't get lost (more than likely it is rattling away when you open the figure).
This is where the super tiny version of Optimus comes into play as you can peg him on any of the six rectangular slots.
The bridge is actually formed by Mainframe, who had transformed into a block so you can take him out (and leaves a big hollow piece that you can fit a small figure in if you wish).
The biggest negative is the apparent cheapness and cost-cutting, it's fine to cost-cut it would have been much better if it wasn't so blatantly obvious, and while the result is still impressive, it could have been more so.
ARK (TRANSFORMATION):
As you can expect, transformation has to be relatively simple for something of this size. It's easier to go from Ark to robot mode than the other way around. The back pretty much unfolds to form the robot legs and the cool part is as you are unfolding it, the panels are jointed in such a way to cover up the hollow sections. The front has a few panels that you have to fold out away which can be annoying as they're on friction joints with limited movement, so you can easily pop them off. While the arms unfold outwards, with several tight ratchets that you need to lock onto place. It's a solid transformation considering its size, if quite a bit uninspired.
ARK (ROBOT MODE):
Ark's robot mode is impressive, despite the relatively dull transformation, the resulting robot looks fantastic.
As mentioned in the transformation section, a neat aspect is how the panels behind his shins and forearms fold out when you'll pulling the limbs out to fill in the gap to help reduce the hollow look and feel.
Nevertheless, this is the cheapest Titan class figure we've had yet. The torso is completely hollow, with only a panel and some underlying plastic to help strengthen that section.
The head sculpt is awesome, and just like Mainframe, it has lightpiping which works remarkably well.
As you can see, Ark towers over most other Transformers in robot mode as well.
He is also roughly a similar height with other previous Titans like Omega Supreme and Scorponok, but feels cheaper than both.
Mainframe is designed to be taken out when Ark is in robot mode, which explains the gap in the torso area.
For such a big figure, there are surprisingly no gimmicks in robot mode. The hands themselves at least are partially articulated.
Articulation is solid, he has joints for his head, shoulders, elbows, wrists, waist, hips, knees and ankles.
The ankle tilts actually do a fantastic job of keeping him stable. The other benefit of being lighter than other Titan figures is that he is more flexible in terms of keeping an action pose.
The lack of a proper weapon that he can hold in his hands hurts. Of note is that when you first open the packaging there are two pieces that you must attach yourself. These aren't mentioned in the instructions but they attach to his knees.
While we've never seen the Ark transform or this robot form before, it suits the alternate mode perfectly.
The robot mode, just like Ark mode, is serviceable in that it looks good but lacks play value.
OVERALL:
It just feels with Ark that the designer / Hasbro has a great concept, being Teletraan-1 and the Ark spaceship, and then decided that was enough to carry the whole thing. As a result, we get something that looks great at first glance, but then that's it, it lacks play value and substance. The mediocre transformation, the many small flaws here and there like hindering articulation or lack of play value, and the excessive hollowing, even more so than you would expect something of this size and in comparison to before, makes Ark feel like a figure that's high in hype, but underwhelming in hand. It's still looks good but that's about it.
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