Arcee is one of my favorite characters on the Transformers Prime show. She's tough, no-nonsense, and despite the fact that she's the smallest of all the robots, she's a spitfire. My fondness for the character means that my expectations for a figure representing her would be high. I'm so happy that Hasbro has lived up to those expectations- her Prime figure is excellent!
Arcee's motorcycle mode is functional, if largely unspectacular. She's a bit "thicker" than on the show, but that's a result of her robot parts needing somewhere to hide. The colors and details look appropriate, and she's got a small kickstand for support help. Needless to say, she's not in scale to the other characters in vehicle mode, measuring about the same length as Starscream in fighter jet mode.
The transformation process is pretty reasonable, though there were a couple of steps that required a bit more "push" to them than I was expecting- I was worried about breaking the toy, so much force was needed. There's a point early on in the change where the back wheel is extended, and she looks like an ultra-cool futuristic "stretched" chopper. Anyway, the break-apart wheel gave me some trouble the first time I transformed her, along with her foot extensions (lots of force needed for that!) as did the torso-split later on, where her head is revealed. Otherwise, she converted smoothly. Arcee's robot mode looks terrific! Largely show-accurate, with appropriate highlight colors and details. The front wheel/handlebars backpack is a little awkward on her back, but she's otherwise slim, trim and athletic. Arcee comes with 2 blades which snap onto her forearms.
Arcee features enough useful articulation to get her into a nice variety of expressive poses. She can take deep stances, as long as you can find a way to balance her. Incidentally, this figure includes the same cheap cardboard stand as the others in the line, though I found it quite useless. The stand looks fine, but it's HUGE in relation to the figure. Also, since it's made of cardboard, it tends to dimple and roll- Arcee actually had more trouble standing on it than not (same story with Starscream). The smaller feet provide less surface area for stabilization, and the result is that the "base" is quickly tossed aside. This is a real waste, considering that 1/3 of the package space is to accommodate the base. Arcee is a great representation of the character from the show. She looks good, is fun in both modes, and transforms pretty well. My only complaint with her is with the expression on her face- it's a little too "soft" and friendly for me. Arcee is tough as nails- I don't want a cutesie smile, I want a grim look of determination. Aside from that, she's fab...
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