Transformers Animated Arcee Review

Debuting in the 1986 Transformers Movie, Arcee has long been a fan favorite character... And one of the few such characters that has almost no toys. Yes, there was a female motorcycle figure that shared the name, but that design did not capture the essence of the G1 Arcee's design and character. The solution that Hasbro finally gave the fans came in the Animated toyline, where Arcee was one of the final releases, although she almost was not released in the States. What's good about her late release? It means she's one of the few Animated figures with plastic that doesn't wear down after a couple transformations.

Arcee is a futuristic car that looks like a sporty version of the Smart cars you see on the road every once in a while. She's small, sleek and an attractive shade of dark pinkish red with plenty of paint detailing. While her car mode is small, that does not mean it's bad. It has a nice weight and holds together very well. There are spoilers that can be attached to her rear end, if you wish, but I typically leave them off because they look kind of gaudy.

The transformation is simple, elegant and very much so in the vein of Animated's excellent engineering style. There are some bits that can crash into each other, but overall it's very clean and well executed. The one thing to watch out for is that you run the potential of breaking off her thumbs if you're not weary of her hands.

The robot mode looks excellent, although the shins aren't as good as they should be. She's tall, slender and very effeminate. She's not slutty in appearance, she looks like a robotic interpretation of what normal girls look like. As for her poseability, he legs are unhindered, and she even has a good deal of range in her toes, which can give her that little bit extra in stability necessary for more complex poses. Where her poseability falters a little is in her arms, where some car mode kibble will constantly bump into her back pack kibble. Other than that, she's a pretty good figure. The spoilers that looked bad in car mode look even worse in this mode, so I typically leave them off. She also has some swords, but you must also be careful with these because you can, again, break off her thumbs if you're not careful.

Arcee is very accurate to Transformers Animated, and embodies the spirit of the G1 design in a very nice way. If you're a fan of Arcee, I would recommend picking up this figure.