Takara Generations Arcee

Presenting the Transformers Generations Arcee from Takara.

Delivering dainty destruction daily.

Transformers collectors worldwide have long been demanding for this figure to come out ever since the Transformers movie came out in 1986. While there were other versions of Arcee released through the years - most notably the DOTM Arcee, Transformers Prime Arcee and Beast Hunters Arcee - it took 29 years for Hasbro and Takara to finally release a G1 accurate Arcee.

In fact we've reviewed a 3rd party Arcee, the TRNS-01 Valkyrie which, one can debate, was copied by Hasbro/Takara in making the new Generations Arcee.

Transformers Prime Beast Hunters Arcee

Presenting Arcee from the Transformers Prime Beast Hunters series.

I really liked the Transformer Prime First Edition Arcee so I was tempted when this particular version of Arcee came out. Sure there have been at least two (?) Transformer Prime versions that followed the First Edition version counting the Legion Class version, but something about this particular Arcee caught my eye.

Must be because it's hard to imagine why a race of mechanical beings would even bother having a gender. Or in layman's terms: "Why does Arcee have boobs?"

But that will actually stir up a hornets nest from Transformers fans who will actually cite the fact that Transformers can reproduce sexually (But again since they're machines, they still don't need genders when you think about it), and which will probably end up in a discussion involving the Matrix, a female Oracle and a male Colonel Sanders.

So let's just enjoy that Arcee has boobs.

Transformers Cyberverse Arcee (Legion Class)

Presenting the Legion Class Arcee from the Transformers Prime Cyberverse Toyline.

Recently the local market has been flooded with Optimus Maximus battle-stations. I thought that it was cool that Optimus Maximus was here, but noted that there were no Cyberverse Legion Class figures in the market to man the station.

A few days ago, while walking down a small side-stall in Toys R' Us in Galleria, disgruntled that there was apparently nothing new, I saw them: A few Transformers Prime Cyberverse figures. I'm not sure why the quantities were so small, or why these particular figures were hidden and not on the more prominent display racks, but here they were.

This particular figure of the Autobot's "Stealth Fighter" Arcee, which stands a mere 2.6 inches tall - not counting her flaring shoulder blades - is from that tiny selection.

Transformers Prime: Arcee

Presenting Arcee from the Transformers Prime animated series. Arcee is a Cybertronian Scout - when is she never a scout? One of Optimus Prime's best actually.





Except this particular Arcee is suffering from a severe case of Survivor's Guilt. Before the Autobots in the Transformers Prime universe abandoned Cybetron in what would be later called the Great Exodus, Arcee was paired with an Autobot named Tailgate.

During a mission, Arcee was captured and tortured for information by the Decepticon Airachnid. When Arcee refused to reveal any information, Airachnid brought our Tailgate - who was apparently also captured. Tailgate was tortured will Arcee admitted that she did not have any valuable information. Satisfied, Airachnid killed Tailgate. Arcee was rescued before Airachnid could do her in as well.

After the Exodus, Arcee was again paired with another Autobot, Cliffjumper. He not only looks like Tailgate, he gets killed too - well later he gets re-animated as a psychotic Zombie, cut in half by Megatron and scattered in a mine. Anyway, this drives Arcee - understandably over the deep-end and Arcee ends up hating having to be paired with anyone. Ironically, she's assigned by Optimus Prime to protect the human Jack Darby. You can imagine her joy at having to protect someone from the Decepticons.

Arcee, Elita 1 and Chromia Combined - Tripartite Cybertronians

Presenting Arcee and her sisters Elita 1 and Chromia, Transformers the Movie's Tripartite Cybertronians and one of their POSSIBLE combinations.

I'd like to take this moment to point out the following:

• The Transformers movies changed the general cartoon history of Arcee and her sisters. In a nutshell, Elita 1 and Chromia are dead. But a Decepticon experiment to create Tripartite Cybertronians brought the two back to life as nothing more than extensions of Arcee. They were supposed to combine in the second movie but the producers passed on the idea and in fact hinted that all three died by the end of the second movie. However the individual figures' blister cards still list all three with distinct personalities.
• Tripartite Cybertronians are three transformers who can operate as individuals but only share one personality - like the Decepticon Reflector. 
• Hasbro has never acknowledged the correct transformation sequence for the three sisters

Frankly it does look like a crappy car-wreck, but it does work.

Transformers Dark of the Moon: Arcee

Presenting the Autobot Arcee (Target Exclusive Cyber-Tattoo version) as she appears in Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen - though Arcee is credited as part of the Transformers Dark of the Moon line (A movie she did not appear in)

There's a lot of continuity issues when it comes to DOTM Arcee - or the movie line Arcee - thanks in part to the fact that she was written out of the 1st Transformers movie and IDW (Idea + Design Works) Comics ran a comic book like in between the movies which involved Arcee (Whom a lot of people assumed to have perished in Revenge of the Fallen), and the novelization of the movie.

Then of course there are her sisters Elita 1 and Chromia. If you buy the individual toys, you'll note the different personalities at the back of their blister cards - I know I have a Chromia here somewhere (Hmmmm. Must be in storage). But if you follow the novelization of the movie - and even IDW's comic books, then you'll note that Arcee's two sisters died and they were animated only by a crazy Decepticon (Flatline) who wanted to create a new breed of what we call a "tripartite Cybertronian" - or Transformers that can operate separately but more or less have the same personality or combine - much like that camera guy Reflector. As a result the movie versions of Elita 1 and Chromia are supposedly nothing more than extensions of DOTM Arcee.