Wow this figure has been a long time coming. As the most high-profile female in the Transformers Universe, it's so surprising that it's taken 28 years to get a proper G1 figure. Hasbro's neglect to make this figure has made Arcee quite the darling of the 3rd Party market. There are quite a few very well made non-Hasbro "non"-Arcees out there. But in all honestly, I think the Hasbro version was well worth the wait. She looks great in both Robot and Vehicle forms, she transforms easily, and it seems no shortcuts were taken in her production (I don't think she shares any parts with previous figures). I'm totally smitten over her. When I found her in Walmart earlier this week I had a profound reaction - almost like vindication. Like the toy companies have been telling us for years that she wouldn't sell, but the demand kept growing until I'm standing there under the fluorescent lighting looking at an aisle full of Arcees, Chromias, and Windblades. I almost got a little teary. Not really, but I was definitely feeling something.
Arcee comes with two guns and two "energy blades" that can attach to the side of her legs. I think they look silly attached, but they are necessary for the vehicle form.
Arcee features the "lightwell" eyes that we've seen for most modern Transformers figures.
Her vehicle form looks great. I believe it's called a "Cybertronian Cruiser." A lot of Cybertronian vehicles look way too boxy, but this one really has a nice sleek alien look to it.
The car has a tail fin made out of a soft flexible plastic. Mine is a little bent, but doesn't bother me since I will be displaying her in robot form.
Time for some Group and Comparison pics!
Here she is with Chromia (who I will review Sunday hopefully)
And with a collection of other Pink Arcees of recent years.
Cheers!
She looks incredible! I haven't picked up a Transformer in ages but I will grab this Arcee if/when I see her. I have the animated version (which is pretty great) as well as a pink motorcycle version that came out in the Energon line ages ago (it might have been the first official Arcee ever made.) Anyways, this one makes those others pale in comparison. Looking forward to finding her!
ReplyDeleteI'm kind of kicking myself for getting rid of my Energon Arcee years ago. I think when all the color variations started coming out I knew I either had to get them all, or just get rid of her altogether. I opted for selling her. I also had this rare gem a giant knockoff version of arcee that was selling at BigLots for $5 in the early 2000s. It was around 12" tall if I remember correctly and was very cheaply made, but displayed very nicely.
DeleteGood luck finding her! Check your walmarts.
Also, as a side note, On AFI I just kind of broke the news of a Captain Cold Imaginext that I saw in my comic shop Wednesday. Apparently he's unannounced. Hopefully there will be a few more creeping through!
It is about time Hasbro gave us a G1 Arcee, & she is worth the wait!
ReplyDeleteShe does look like she needs an Autobot symbol on her chest. Hopefully I still have some left from a sheet I bought for my 3rd party Arcee figures.
Arcee, Chromia, Windblade & Strongarm are all fantastic. I also plan to hunt down that more recent Flamewar. I didn't buy any figures from Prime, so thankfully her shared mold won't look obvious on my shelf.
That 12" knockoff Arcee you mentioned sounds interesting. Any pics?
I highly suggest getting the Arcee Prime Flareup repaint as a Firestar stand-in. The bright orange looks pretty great on a shelf of Blue and Pinks. Plus Flamewar is a repaint of the Beast Hunters Arcee, so technically they're different :)
DeleteSpeaking of decals, something that annoyed me about Strongarm is that her decal is placed on one breast instead of centered like in the cartoon.
I probably do have an image of that arcee somewhere from the ebay auction when I sold it. It's likely on an old external harddrive. If I ever find it I'll post it.
These aren't my images, but this is exactly what I had and sold:::
Deletehttp://smg.photobucket.com/user/Alex_Chrono/media/BL_Arcee_2.jpg.html
That's even the junk store label that I bought it at:::
http://tfarchive.com/toys/bootlegs/hatch/Energon_Arcee_Carded.jpg
She looks beautiful :D I've never been much of a fan of Transformers but I do love Arcee, Is she that hard to find? I might get the blue girl transformer too so she can have a shelf buddy lol
ReplyDeleteRight now she is kind of hard to find, but I think in the coming months she'll be regularly available. After all, as much as we like to fight against it, most boys and moms will not be buying a pink robot. Once the collectors all have their copies, I think there will be a lot left over. I'm seeing Windblade everywhere now, but a few months ago she was scarce. Good luck hunting!
DeleteJust a heads up. you can hook in both energy blades into her forearms. There are slots just like her legs there and they snap right in. You can also holster her guns onto her hips instead.
ReplyDeleteAlso if you give Arcee's extra gun to Chromia then she looks accurate to the package where she has two guns. It's the same gun that wasn't included.
Took pics here: http://torocomics.tumblr.com/post/107357375806/arcee-and-chromia-are-in-my-collection-next-i
Awesome! I didn't realize she had forearm slots. That looks way better than the legs. I never even noticed that the guns were switched around. I'm totally display them the correct way now. Thanks!
DeleteI always wanted an accurate Arcee. i had the Botcon one, but it was Blackarachnia deluxe painted pink. I liked her but i loved more the money i got for her. This look more up my street. Might get her and Windblade to go with my classic Arachnia and Nightbird which i adore. Thanx.
ReplyDeleteShe's a beautiful figure. Which Nightbird do you have? I have two different ones and I know there are a couple more out there. I was never a big fan of the Botcon Blackarachnia repaint. Glad you got some decent cash for her!
Deletemy Nightbird does not transform. She's small, with big black feet. But i like the retro style.
DeleteIt's no surprise she is so detailed and looks like the cartoon character in both forms - she was designed by the same Takara guy who designed a lot of the Masterpiece toys, and he said in an interview he tried to basically make a smaller Masterpiece... :D
ReplyDeleteBtw, the first female Masterpiece toy, Road Rage was just released too!
Great info! I love knowing details about the people behind my favorite toys. I didn't know who Road Rage was until I saw the masterpiece. I wish it was a more feminine looking character. Normally I don't think traditional body shapes are important to convey gender, but when it comes to robots, I think it's needed.
DeleteHeh, yeah, I mean.... remember Strika? :)
DeleteBut don't ever try to say that on a TF forum or you will be chased out by the dogs. These days lots of characters are randomly female without looking feminine at all. I mean, there is an all-female Gestalt, Victorion, but since all her parts are just Protectobot remolds they look as stocky and blocky as those.
I mean, even RID Strongarm has a nice waist and a head that makes her unmistakebly female.