General Information:
Release Date: June 2022
Price Point: $22.99 (depending on retailer)
Retailer: General Release (Amazon, BigBadToyStore, Entertainment Earth, Target, Walmart etc.)
Accessories: Blasters x 2
Official images and product description in italics below are from Entertainment Earth:
This Studio Series 85 Deluxe Class Transformers: Bumblebee-inspired Arcee figure converts from robot to Cybertronian motorcycle mode in 23 steps. Comes with 2 blaster accessories that attach in both modes. Remove backdrop to showcase Arcee toy in the Cybertron Falls scene. In the Cybertron Falls scene from Transformers: Bumblebee, Arcee loses contact with the capitol as the Autobots are overwhelmed by Decepticon forces. Pose the figure out with the included blaster accessories and imagine re-creating this classic movie moment! Robot figure stands about 4 1/2-inches tall. Ages 8 and up.
The opening of the Bumblebee Movie featured a fast paced battle scene on Cybertron. This scene featured the Cybertronian versions of many characters based on fan favorite G1 characters. One of these was the Autobot Arcee, whose appearance differs quite a bit from previous live action films. You can check out this awesome scene in the embedded video below.
As part of the 2022 Studio Series line, Hasbro and Takara Tomy would release several characters based on this Cybertronian battle scene including Arcee. Technically speaking, a version of Arcee has appeared in multiple forms in past live action movie toy lines. However, this is the first time that Arcee appeared in a form that called back to her G1 incarnation.
Packaging:
Arcee comes in a standard Studio Series box. Her artwork is very prominent on the front and looks like it is based right off the CG model. Part of the reason the artwork is so large is that the window has been made smaller so you see a bit less of the figure than previous releases. After the last wave of these Bumblebee movie Studio Series figures had plastic windows, this figure has eliminated them so the smaller window makes more sense now. The figure is attached to a cardboard tray with the weapons inserted into slots towards the bottom but be careful. When I took this tray out, one weapon was missing and the other slid right out. This has not happened with other recent figures since their weapons are usually held really tightly in the cardboard, but Arcee's pistols are tiny so I'm not surprised one may have fallen out of the box. I wound up having to get a second Arcee just to take the photos for this review, so be sure to check yours when you get it!
The back of the box features Arcee in both modes calling out a twenty three step transformation. Instead of a function, the box calls out the scene he is in as "Cybertron Falls". Like past Studio Series figures, Arcee does also include a backdrop stand representing Cybertron from the Bumblebee movie. This is separate from the cardboard tray.
Accessories:
Arcee includes two pistol style blasters. Each has a rectangular base with a barrel extending out from the middle to the front. Each blaster has a 5mm peg. It is hard to see the weapon in the film in great detail since Arcee's appearance goes by fast, but given that Paramount did provide the movie CG models to Hasbro to use, my guess would be that this is a fairly "screen accurate" weapon. The blasters are gunmetal grey with no paint applications. Each blaster can be stored away by connecting to a tab on the panels on Arcee's back. The barrel ends are a bit thick for certain Blast Effects, but if you choose one that is more rubbery they can fit to look like blaster fire or exhaust in vehicle mode.
Robot Mode:
In previous live action films, Arcee was a weird looking robot who rolled on wheels (similar to Beast Machines Thrust) and had a rather unique head sculpt. However, the Bumblebee movie focused on paying homage to G1 designs, so this version of Arcee has a very clear design lineage to her G1 namesake. A lot of the details on this figure match up nicely with the CG model seen in the film (which we get a good look at thanks to the "Bee Vision" extra image in the gallery below). Here are some of the key design elements:
- The head design has a curved "helmet" section with circles on the sides, similar to G1 Arcee. However this design has a small antenna sticking up on the left side.
- The torso section has a distinct collar around the neck, then a "V" shaped design that runs from around the neck down to the waist area.
- Arcee has a "back pack" that includes two curved pieces on either side.
- The arms have curved armor on them including the forearms where the armor is segmented in the middle.
- The waist area has a curved, "Y" shape to it that calls back to a similar design on G1 Arcee in the same area.
- The legs are curved with thin knee armor in the middle.
- Each foot has two "toes" in front.
Overall I love this sculpt. It is detailed and matches up nicely with the CG model used in the film. The figure is also instantly recognizable as Arcee.
Arcee is made up of pink, white and gunmetal grey plastic. Paint colors include silver, pink and white. The colors work beautifully together, especially with the gunmetal grey breaking up the white and pink. I also love the metallic look of the gunmetal grey and silver paint.
There are twenty two points of articulation on this figure. This includes a double joint on the elbow and ankle rockers. She can hold her weapons in her hands or store them on her "back pack". In a fun callback to Arcee's previous live action appearance, you can swing the ankles in, then swing the wheels out and connect them together. She can't stand like this, but if you're having her zoom around the battlefield it's a fun "alternate" robot mode.
There is one interesting "hidden mode" for this figure that pays homage to Arcee's original live action movie appearance where she rolled on one wheel similar to Thrust from Beast Machines. To form this mode, start in robot mode and follow these steps:
- Remove the blasters from her hands and set them aside for now.
- Lift the side panels on her "back pack" and then rotate them around.
- Attach the blasters using the openings on the sides to the tabs on the "back pack" panels.
- Swing the robot feet out, then around to swing out the wheels.
- Bend the legs at the knees, then swing the legs forward at the hips.
- Swing the back of the lower legs back.
- Connect the two wheels/feet together.
The result is an Arcee who looks like she rolls on these wheels, perhaps to get some extra speed on the battlefield without fully transforming into her vehicle form. I love this "alt robot mode" and the ability of the blasters to connect to the "back pack" panels is fantastic.
Transformation to Vehicle Mode:
- Detach the accessories and set them aside for now.
- Straighten out the arms and legs.
- Swing the ankles in, then move the legs apart.
- Rotate the foot/wheel pieces so the wheels are on the inside of the ankle area.
- Swing the wheels down, then push them together.
- Pull the back pack and head section up and back.
- Swing the side panels on the back pack out.
- Rotate the lower body around.
- Extend the back pack out and clip the tabs on its base to the corresponding slots on the thighs.
- Swing the "windshield" piece out, tuck the robot head under the "windshield" piece then swing it back into place.
- Swing each hand in, then bend the arms at the elbow.
- Rotate the side panels from the back pack around, then attach them to the sides of the thighs using the tabs on them and the corresponding slots on the legs. At the same time, the pink tabs on the forearms should fit into the openings on the sides of the back pack.
- Attach the weapons to the hands to create exhaust pipes in the back.
Vehicle Mode:
When Paramount designed the CG models for the Cybertron battle sequence in Bumblebee, they did not design vehicle modes for all the characters. This gave Hasbro some freedom when it came to developing vehicle modes. Arcee falls into this category. Like many incarnations of the character, this Arcee transforms into a vehicle that looks like a motorcycle but technically has four wheels, two large ones in the front (connected together) and two smaller ones on the sides towards the back. The middle has a "cockpit" looking section but it does not look like it was intended to fit any kind of passenger, which makes sense since this is not an "Earth Mode" Arcee. Along with sleek, curved details from front to back and I really like the look of this vehicle mode.
This mode condenses a lot of the pink panels together, making most of the top half and rear section pink while white makes up much of the lower half of the vehicle. The only newly revealed detail is the translucent blue "windshield" and pink paint around it.
Final Thoughts:
I really love this figure. I was enthusiastic about it before I had it in hand, and after (even with the drama with one missing weapon) I was super happy with it. Highly recommended, but check those weapons as soon as you get it!
Pros:
- Excellent sculpt in both modes.
- Good deco.
- Good articulation.
- Fun and unique transformation.
- Love the "hidden" robot form.
Cons:
- The way the weapons are packaged could lead to them being lost (as mine was) though I concede it is possible the weapon may not have been packed to begin with.
- The front wheels in vehicle mode take a bit of fiddling to fully "stick" together.
