Takara Missing Link G1 Series

[CoffeeHorse]

They could have attached the same way the shoulders attach to each other. The attachment point would be reversed on one of the launchers. This would also mean the launchers could attach to each other, for whatever that's worth. Maybe they could have stuck some seats on them and called it another vehicle. It would have been a very Diacloney thing to do.

 

[Axaday]

I just opened Arcee and I'm pretty disappointed.

Do I recall correctly that the photographed prototype of Arcee is missing and perhaps wasn't fully engineered to begin with? This toy isn't even kind of convincing as a G1 toy. Not the Missing Link of it, but just the transformation is at least Car Robots era.

 

[Sabrblade]

Do I recall correctly that the photographed prototype of Arcee is missing and perhaps wasn't fully engineered to begin with?

This one?

That thing was made of styrofoam.

 

[Axaday]

That thing was made of styrofoam.

Fully engineered styrofoam?

 

[Sabrblade]

Fully engineered styrofoam?

Hand-sculpted. And the Japanese text notes that that proto did not actually transform, which would mean the altmode pictured there was a separate piece entirely, making these more like proofs of concept rather than what we normally consider prototypes.

 

[CoffeeHorse]

I wonder if Takara's Unicron prototype was also just two static pieces. It looks fully transformable, but the apparent torso transformation is so much more accomplished than the later larger prototype. I don't want to believe they went out of their way to make it worse and then said "Oh no, now we can't sell this." It has to be that the better version didn't actually work.

 

[msol]

I just opened Arcee and I'm pretty disappointed.

Do I recall correctly that the photographed prototype of Arcee is missing and perhaps wasn't fully engineered to begin with? This toy isn't even kind of convincing as a G1 toy. Not the Missing Link of it, but just the transformation is at least Car Robots era.

Yeah I had this feeling when I saw it. It's a nice attempt but is too modern to pass the smell test of "this is the OG transformation + joints"

Edit: yes I am in fact arguing it should have been shittier, like Blurr.

 

[Axaday]

Edit: yes I am in fact arguing it should have been shittier, like Blurr.

Right. It is a weird disappointment, but I was looking forward to a doofy transformation.

 

[Powered Convoy]

What about the transformation seems off? The swing bar that moves her legs up? I could see that but they also had to make something that never transformed transform while keeping as much of the look of the two disparate things still work in real life.

 

[LordGigaIce]

I don't have ML Arcee but this is the first place I've seen any dislike. Every review and in-hand account I've come across has been glowing.

 

[Powered Convoy]

Yeah, she's really a marvel and a miracle. Particularly the orange one.

 

[Sabrblade]

Honestly, given how simplistic the styrofoam protos look, it really feels like it was never actually possible for a fully transforming version of this toy to ever get made without Missing Link's level of engineering.

 

[CoffeeHorse]

It's definitely not a G1 transformation, but it didn't have to be. Don't think of it as a G1 toy with more joints. Think of it as what Masterpiece would have been if the cartoon never existed.

 

[Blot]

But Arcee exists solely because of the cartoon...

 

[Badgertron]

So which version of the Arcee did everyone end up getting (those that didn't get both, anyway)? I still can't decide. I have a "G1 movie" shelf waiting for her. Though, I do think the prototype colour version has a better head sculpt, and am not sure why animation colours version doesn't have painted lips.

 

[lastmaximal]

It's definitely not a G1 transformation, but it didn't have to be. Don't think of it as a G1 toy with more joints. Think of it as what Masterpiece would have been if the cartoon never existed.

I think that's exactly what people are pointing out. They like it on the latter level (which I interpret as "alternate direction for Masterpiece", which was my first thought when this was officially revealed and priced in the MP range), but feel it doesn't quite land the former. The trouble is, the former is basically Missing Link's high concept. And with ML Arcee part of the draw is that you can now have the G1 toy that never was. But then, I guess you do get that in each mode, so the display aspect is covered.

I hope 2026 gives us a Rodimus or Hot Rod, to coincide with the 86 movie anniversary. Maybe both. And maybe a Galvatron. And maybe I can move into a nice refrigerator box since I won't be able to live here.

 

[ZacWilliam1]

So which version of the Arcee did everyone end up getting (those that didn't get both, anyway)? I still can't decide. I have a "G1 movie" shelf waiting for her. Though, I do think the prototype colour version has a better head sculpt, and am not sure why animation colours version doesn't have painted lips.

I hemmed and hawed a ton over which to get because she was too pricey to get both for me. The head on ProtoCee is more accurate to the toys of the time, the colors on AniCee are more "Iconic." My ideal probably would have been the P sculpt in something close to the A colors (I feel an actual 86 Arcee would have been similar to the Movie but likely not exact to it.)

I finally went with ProtoCee and I do not regret it. She is a great toy and the closest imo to the "What If" concept of the whole thing.


-ZacWilliam, she got put away for the holidays but I need to pull her out again.

 

[lastmaximal]

I did fret a bit over which to get because while I wanted both, the other would have to wait a WHILE if I got it at all. But in the end the decision felt surprisingly easy, and I got the prototype colors. I say surprisingly because there was a point where it felt like I'd be waffling up until the last second, but no, once I'd settled on that one I felt better and more sure about it with no second-guessing. Which is not a common thing for me.

 

[Exatron]

I went with the anime colors. In general, I prefer toy colors for stuff like ML. And I would have slightly preferred the head from the prototype version. But I just don't like the orange colors on the original prototype. Never did. And I reject them as being the "toy colors" for Arcee for a few reasons:

• No toy before ReAction & ML both doing prototype deco versions ever got released with those colors.
• The Marvel TFTM adaptation, which hewed closer to the toys in both model and deco, didn't use the prototype colors.
• If a G1 Arcee toy had been released back during G1, I suspect the final colors would have been closer to the anime version than the prototype version.

Definitely happy with my decision.

 

[lastmaximal]

It's a pretty neat situation where there's no real wrong answer.