Rating:  -
Ah, Arcee. One of the Transformer brand's most controversial characters. Despite her potential to be one of the Autobot's greatest warriors - as referenced in the Tech Specs of the five toys of her that exist (the 2001 Botcon exclusive, the Heroes of Cybertron minifigure, the Energon figure, the Scout-class Movie figure, and this one) - fan outcry prevented this fair lady from making her live-action big-screen debut with the other Autobots this summer, getting her so far as the concept art stage. However, that planned design hasn't gone to waste: this movie-styled Arcee makes an appearance in IDW's Movie Prequel comic, and now, despite a mysteriously-blue retread of the Energon mold in the Scout class, we're finally getting a Deluxe-class Arcee figure from a totally new mold based on that unused character model.
Of the movie figures I own thus far - and that entails pretty much the entire robot cast - Arcee has proven to be one of the simplest to transform and most durable of the bunch. Her transformation actually isn't too much removed from her Energon counterpart - this one even has a component of the bike that pops off to become her weapon, which, again, here is a crossbow. Also, this version of the character has a lot more purplish-pink going on, making her color scheme a bit more consistent with her G1 namesake. About the only thing that's likely to make TF aficionados frown in bewilderment is Arcee's face - like all the other Movie TFs, she's got a kisser only her creator could love. Still, I doubt the TFs would have come to Earth looking for romance (at least in most cases). The bike mode isn't too shabby either, and in another feature that distinguishes this figure from the rest of the Deluxe size class, Arcee's alt-mode is about the right size for most 3 3/4" action figures - so Arcee's the perfect transportation when you need Scarlett to maneuver her way through HISS Tanks or if you finally want to see Aayla escape the Clone Troopers.
In the final analysis, I found Deluxe Movie Arcee to be one of the more enjoyable figures in the TF Movie line, and hopefully we'll get a chance to see her shine in a sequel.
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