When I first saw the solicit photos for this Elita-1 figure, I must admit I was unimpressed. I had been following the rumors of a deluxe-scale Elita for a while and considering the awesome G1 designs of Moonracer, Firestar, and others in the past few years, I was excited to get a super classic Elita. But the eventual pictures were very far from that version I predicted. It was clearly an Arcee redeco, her color was more red than pink, and her head shape looked more like Optimus Prime than Elita-1. But then this Summer I watched the Netflix War for Cybertron series and instantly fell in love with this new version of my Elita-1. She had so much presence and authority that I couldn't take my eyes off her. Suddenly this figure I was sneering at a few months prior was my most desired figure of the year. Then came the long wait. She was originally supposed to be released in September as a Walmart Exclusive. But she didn't hit shelves until December. But she was well worth the wait. Let's check out Elita-1 below!
Similar to my recent reviews of Arcee and Lifeline (who share Elita's general construction), I will mention again that half of her back kibble is removeable. The entire rear end of the car is a giant chunk of plastic that she can either stand on or mount on her back. The photos above have this extra back gear attached, but all photos below will show it removed. I definitely focus more on the robot mode for my Transformers, so I have no qualms about removing extra kibble when it is intended to be removed.
This design of Elita-1 has a fantastic color palette. There is a soft red, with coral, tan, and white details. And her blue eyes really pop. I never would have imagined this color combination would look so great.
Elita comes with the same gun as Arcee (and Lifeline), but her's is distinct transparent blue as opposed to the frosted blue (Arcee) or colorless transparent (Lifeline).
So I wanted to note that the original solicit pics have a number of differences. The actual production version has red forearms and tan calves. Although this early solicit version is actually more show-accurate, I much prefer the final production version. The colors seem more balanced somehow.
Elita comes with two notable cardboard inserts. There is a red sleeve with a nice enlarged graphic of the packaging art. And there is also a portion of a cardboard diorama. I assume it's the inside of the Ark with it's classic orange circuitry design, but I suppose it could be any Cybertronic interior.
Time for some Group and Comparison Pics!
(Sorry Nightbird, you weren't in the show)
And here is Elita-1 with Arcee and Lifeline. They all share the same basic body construction, although Elita has a retooled torso, pelvis, shoulders, and head.
And here are all my "Elitas" together. From Left to Right: The 2008 Elita-1 Bust from DST, Iron Factory's Alleria, Mastermind Creations Eupatorium, War for Cybertron Elita, and Power of the Prime Elita. I excluded the Botcon Thunderblast repaint and the Studio Series versions. I honestly feel they're a little distracting from the group.
And a side-by-side with the Mastermind Creations Eupatorium figure.
Until this new WFC Elita, Eupatorium was the best deluxe-scale version.
And here is a collection of shots with all the recent Hasbro Fembots. Elita's Army in in full effect.
Cheers!
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