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Titans Return HASCON Exclusive Arcee with Leinad Review!


Arcee has had a long history in the Transformers mythos, since her appearance in the 1st movie to the modern day with series like Prime.

However, she's had a hard time with toys...only getting 'namesake' figures like the BotCon Blackarachnia retool and the Energon version. It wasn't until the Generations line that Arcee FINALLY got a figure representative of her form from the original G1 series.

Now, about 30 years later, a dream finally comes true for one particular fan: HMRC4EVR. I personally know HMRC4EVR (having met him in person at BotCon), so I'm glad that Hasbro finally decided to make this toy after so many years and even failed attempts (like the "Pink Chromedome").

So, Arcee appears now in her newest form as a part of the Titans Return line; now as a Titan Master. And so, this is the review for TR Arcee:






In package:

Image

In a vast departure from the normal Titans Return line packaging format, Arcee comes in a black box with an "Autobot comet" logo on it.

This is because this figure is a "HASCON Exclusive"; marking the first exclusive to be sold at the new convention, along with an Optimus Prime Powerbank. HASCON is the new "all Hasbro brands" convention; killing off the TF-only BotCon, of course.

But even with that being the case; the box is beyond bland. Unlike BotCon and SDCC exclusive TFs in the past; this box has basically NOTHING on it at all.

Back of package:

Image

The back of the box just has the legal info normally found on the bottom of an ordinary TF box. The rest of the box is completely blank and black; with only 1 side having the TRANSFORMERS logo on it.

Opened Box:

Image

When opening the box flap, the first thing is the two tech spec cards for Arcee and the Titan Master Ultra Magnus. For some reason Arcee's card is upside down, but this might just be the case with my particular figure.

The bottom shows a technical layout for both Arcee and TR Ultra Magnus.

Image

The box was too big to photograph in one piece; so I am borrowing this image from another site.

Opening the flaps one more time reveals the entire set. The box folds out into 5 sections:

-- The top, which has the aforementioned tech spec cards on it,

-- The bottom, which has the words, "TITANS RETURN" on it,

Image

-- The middle, which has the artwork for Arcee (which really should have been on the box front IMHO),

Image

-- The right side, which has TR Ultra Magnus only on it,

Image

-- And the left side, which has Arcee on it. Her instructions are here as well, behind the plastic (the plastic has to be partially removed to get to them, however; as they are fully enclosed on all sides by taped edges and can't be taken out else-wise.

Instructions:

Image

The instructions are really long when folded out; which is a worse format than something more square-shaped; as it is harder to hold and look at as one piece.

The front side has the name and small image of the figure and her Titan Master, as well as how to transform her from robot to car mode.

Image

The back side has how to transform her Titan Master, where to store the Titan Master in vehicle mode, how to mount her guns in vehicle mode, and how to transform TR Ultra Magnus.

Robot Mode:

Image

Out of the package Arcee comes ready to go. Her head is already attached as well. Her hood comes mounted on her arm, but easy attaches to the back for a more G1-look.

Image

Adding her guns to her and putting the hood in the correct place complete Arcee's appearance.

Image

Arcee has good articulation; basically the standard range of motion for most Transformers.

She can move her head in any direction, but it is hindered a bit by the Titan Master gimmick. Her shoulders have a lot of motion; moving in a circle and bending up and down as well due to the transformation.

She has waist articulation (rotating fully around); and her legs, knees and feet only have one bending point. She does have rotation in her thighs to help with more dynamic poses.

Arcee is, of course, a retool of the the Blurr figure (who was also retooled into Nautica); so she has the exact same articulation as him.

Leinad, Head Mode:

Image

Like the Headmasters of past; the Titan Masters don't have much to offer due to their small size.

Leinad, like all Titan Masters, lacks the folding plate to cover the head when in robot mode; but this allows for a better looking head mode. The sculpt is very...odd. It doesn't really scream Arcee (like the Generations head did)...it looks like Arcee enough, but lacks a lot of what makes Arcee, well, Arcee.

Leinad, Robot Mode:

Image

At first it seems like there's something wrong with this Titan Master due to the lack of a face. But this is actually intentional: This character isn't really "Leinad", but "Daniel" spelled backwards. Apparently Hasbro couldn't get a trademark to a common male's name or just add Witwicky to it or something...

As a robot, Leinad has even less articulation than the old Headmasters! This is because of the legs; which are now one solid pair of legs; instead of two legs. But the detail of the robot mode is much better compared to the older Headmasters.





To be continued in Part 2!

Last edited by MetalSamamon, 9/28/2017, 10:57 am


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9/28/2017, 9:51 am Link to this post Send Email to MetalSamamon   Send PM to MetalSamamon
 
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Re: Titans Return HASCON Exclusive Arcee with Leinad Review!


Continued from Part 1!





Titans Return Titan Master Ultra Magnus, Head Mode:

Image

I'm not really sure why this was included with the set, but it was, so...

Ultra Magnus head doesn't have a name: This is Ultra Magnus. So it doesn't make much sense: It'd be like calling Leinad "Arcee" and Arcee..." " (nothing).

There is one major flaw with this head: It's Die-Cast. Being made out of metal in the actual head part, it's very back-heavy. This makes it REALLY hard to get it to stand up and get a photo of without it being mounted on a TF's body (unlike a normal TF Titan Master).

The face looks like Ultra Magnus, but with a strange scowl/frown to his mouth...

Titans Return Titan Master Ultra Magnus, Robot Mode:

Image

As a robot, Ultra Magnus resembles his "inner Optimus" body, as seen in the DW comics (and other media).

Titans Return Titan Master Ultra Magnus, As a Head:

Image

As it came with Arcee, it made sense to put it on Arcee. But putting Ultra Magnus' head on Arcee looks...goofy.

The only interesting thing is that Arcee can hold both Titan Masters at the same time (although her chest needs to be expanded a bit to hold a Titan Master in it in robot mode).

Car Mode:

Image

Arcee transforms into a car, naturally; as her other G1 inspired variations have in the past; with a similar color scheme and design.

Transformation is very simple, for a deluxe. It's nowhere near as complex as her Generations form. Still, it does have an interesting note: the car's spoiler folds out of the back of the car / robot mode leg (unlike Nautica's).

Image

Leinad can ride either in the cockpit (which does close when Leinad is inside) or just stand on the side. Unlike most Titan Masters, Arcee doesn't come with a weapon/vehicle for the Titan Master to ride in.

Swapping Heads:

Image

Of course, like all Titan Masters, Arcee can swap heads with other Titan Masters figures (in this case, with Nautica). This is really easy too; with the only issue being pushing the head in sometimes if it's not lined up properly.

It's easy to see the retool changes from Nautica / Blurr to Arcee; which include her shoulders, shoulder pads, car hood and spoiler.

Compared to her Generations form, Robot Mode:

Image

There are a bunch of different color variations to the Generations mold of Arcee (including SDCC versions, US versions and Japanese versions) and retools; but for simplicity sake; I am just comparing the most accurate Japanese, original version only.

This version of Arcee most closely resembles her G1 / Generations form; but there are considerable differences:

- Clear chestplate.
- Lack of 2 energy swords.
- No Autobot symbol on the front anywhere.
- Two identical weapons instead of 2 different ones.
- Completely different body shape.

One interesting note about the weapons with TR Arcee is that the handles are square instead of round, like her fists are. This is because they are designed to be interchangeable with Generations Arcee:

Image

Both figures can hold each other's weapons just fine (in fact TR Arcee can fully hold Generations Arcee's weapons, due to her hands not being partially covered).

Compared to her Generations form, Car Mode:

Image

For the vehicle mode; TR Arcee looks closer to the original; but there are some major differences between the 2 versions; including (but not limited to):

- The guns are now stored under the car hood.
- No rear gun mounts.
- No matching color from the headlights to the grill.
- Pink windshield instead of blue.

The guns can be mounted on the sides as well, however.

Image

Image

And like the robot mode, the weapons can be interchanged between the two molds in vehicle mode as well.

Compared to Nautica, Car Mode:

Image

It's easy to see just how much the hood was shortened from the Blurr/Nautica mold to Arcee. The arm panels / fenders were also retooled for Arcee as well.

Compared to all other versions of Arcee; Robot Mode:

Image

There are a grand total of 8 different Arcee figures currently released (1 unofficial, however):

- Generations Arcee
- Legends Arcee
- SDCC Generations Arcee
- Club Exclusive Lifeline
- Legends Nightbird
- Titans Return Arcee
- Generations Platinum Arcee
- Weijing Alcee

Overall:

Image

This version of Arcee, sadly, leaves a lot to be desired for me personally. This feels more like a customized figure rather than an official release...

The most disappointing aspect is that Arcee is a retool. Just like how painting Chromedome pink was a bad idea in the 80's, painting Blurr pink is a bad idea now. Blurr's body is too blocky and not feminine enough to be Arcee.

Also "Leinad" looks bad as Arcee's head. It doesn't have that classic Arcee feel that the Generations mold was able to capture. It looks weird, without the classic "Princess Leia" style sides and Arcee shape to it. The shoulder pads are also too small (due to the transformation) and the car mode isn't that great either; lacking the smooth design of Arcee's futuristic car alt mode.

Plus the addition of TR Ultra Magnus was a joke: It's die-cast and way too back-heavy and named wrong too. It would have been better named "Magnus" or something instead. Not to mention that the box is a joke too: Almost completely black, even as a con exclusive, just looks bad!

Disappointingly, overall, I'd say she's not worth getting. This is not what I was hoping for out of a "Headmaster Arcee" figure. Honestly, retooling the Generations Arcee to hold a new Headmaster would have been WAY better; as it already looked fantastic as Arcee!!

Now to see if the retail release uses the same, boring box...

Last edited by MetalSamamon, 9/28/2017, 10:43 am


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9/28/2017, 10:27 am Link to this post Send Email to MetalSamamon   Send PM to MetalSamamon
 
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Re: Titans Return HASCON Exclusive Arcee with Leinad Review!


As always, great review MS.

I agree though, for a figure that long in the waiting, she's disappointing, and the head doesn't look Arcee enough.

Your mentioning it being a retool and the aborted ArceeDome makes me think that's almost intentional.

The Generations figure is, well, Generations - G1 characters in toy form with modern technology. This one feels like a deliberate G1 (toyline) homage - what a G1 toy made today would look like, if that makes sense.
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Re: Titans Return HASCON Exclusive Arcee with Leinad Review!


quote:

Greatshot wrote:

As always, great review MS.

I agree though, for a figure that long in the waiting, she's disappointing, and the head doesn't look Arcee enough.

Your mentioning it being a retool and the aborted ArceeDome makes me think that's almost intentional.

The Generations figure is, well, Generations - G1 characters in toy form with modern technology. This one feels like a deliberate G1 (toyline) homage - what a G1 toy made today would look like, if that makes sense.



Thank you! Glad you liked the review! emoticon

I have to agree with what you said here, GS. It does seem intentional, now that you mention it. It does seem like a G1 homage, in the way you described.

Even with that being the case possibly though, I still think it's a disappointment, like you said as well.

Last edited by MetalSamamon, 9/28/2017, 12:41 pm


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9/28/2017, 12:40 pm Link to this post Send Email to MetalSamamon   Send PM to MetalSamamon
 
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Re: Titans Return HASCON Exclusive Arcee with Leinad Review!


Good review MS!

For me personally, she looks ok, but I do like the Generations 30th mold better. Hear you on the box being boring. Seems like they should have made a slip cover for the box. But despite it all, at least the Blurr mold works and is a fun figure in and of itself. I do kind of wish they would have remolded the mold more for Minerva release.

And that's not Daniel, Arcee's TM is Cobra Commander!! emoticon

But all that being said, the biggest take away for me though is that HMR finally got a figure that he has been wanting for years. :)

Also for those that missed out on TR Arcee w/ Magnus on HTS, they're going to be available again on toysrus.com on 10/5 for $24.99.

Last edited by iacon45, 9/29/2017, 2:34 am
9/29/2017, 2:30 am Link to this post Send Email to iacon45   Send PM to iacon45
 
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Re: Titans Return HASCON Exclusive Arcee with Leinad Review!


quote:

iacon45 wrote:

Good review MS!

For me personally, she looks ok, but I do like the Generations 30th mold better.



Thank you so much, Iacon. emoticon

I think the figure is fine...but not as "Arcee". Like, for example, I have that mold as Nautica and it works for me as her, but since Arcee has a very distinctive style; this doesn't really work for me as the character (unless you maybe think of it as a "Power Suit" for the slimmer Generations-style Arcee, like Daniel's Power Suit.). XD That's just my opinion, though.

quote:

iacon45 wrote:

Hear you on the box being boring. Seems like there should have made a slip cover for the box.



Yes, that would have a great idea! A simple slipcover would have made it look much better!

quote:

iacon45 wrote:

But despite it all, at least the Blurr mold works and is a fun figure in and off itself. I do kind of wish they would have remolded the mold more for Minerva release.



A good looking Minerva would have been nice. Minerva from the Blurr mold though? Minerva was a medic car in the original...not sure how that would have worked...

quote:

iacon45 wrote:

And that's not Daniel, Arcee's TM is Cobra Commander!! emoticon



XDDD Yeah...it doesn't really look like Daniel at all, besides the pointy dome on the head.

quote:

iacon45 wrote:

But all that being said,tThe biggest take away for me though is that HMR finally got a figure that he has been wanting for years. :)



Gotta agree with that! He's been waiting so long for it...glad Hasbro finally made his wish come true! emoticon

quote:

iacon45 wrote:

Also for those that missed out on TR Arcee w/ Magnus on HTS, they're going to be available again on toysrus.com on 10/5 for $24.99.



Yes, I am sure they will use the exact same box as the exclusive release for the retail release too. At least it's the same price.

Thanks again for the comment! I always enjoy your comments, Iacon! emoticon





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Re: Titans Return HASCON Exclusive Arcee with Leinad Review!


quote:

MetalSamamon wrote:

quote:

iacon45 wrote:

But despite it all, at least the Blurr mold works and is a fun figure in and off itself. I do kind of wish they would have remolded the mold more for Minerva release.



A good looking Minerva would have been nice. Minerva from the Blurr mold though? Minerva was a medic car in the original...not sure how that would have worked....



I know Blurt wouldn't be my first choice but the robot mode body type looks more fembot than say Chromedome's. But for vehicle mode, keep Arcee's vehicle remold parts except maybe replace that pop out antenna thing behind the cockpit for a lightbar.
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