Takara Missing Link G1 Series
- Thread starter MrBlud
- Start date
And it's tricks like those which puts me off buying either.
Hmmm... I'm conflicted. Yay Headmaster Arcee... but it's the wrong kind of Headmaster. She was a Headmaster in 1987 alongside the 87 Large Headmaster characters, and this toy is clearly an 1988 style small Headmaster. The head guy isn't the type it should be.
ZacWilliam, But still it's a G1 HM Arcee so...
ZacWilliam, But still it's a G1 HM Arcee so...
The two types of G1 Headmasters are pretty compatible...
what's the point if it's not a pink and white redeco of a missing link chromedome that doesn't exist yet
That's why I'm sticking with the US TR Blurr remold. It's not great but it's no extra cost for me.
ML Headmaster Arcee
Not gonna lie, depending on price, I will have this at the top of my "need" list. Glad I bought the prototype version, the Headmaster won't feel that redundant in my collection.
I can handwave the difference away by remembering that Daniel was a child, and thus having his robot mode height be smaller than the '87 Headmaster partners is just fine.
Especially if it turns out that we can fold a panel down to read Arcee's Tech Spec stats. The Headmaster partner has the requisite tabs, and the area at the top of the chest looks like it just might be hiding the three-colored heading that was found on such meters on the old toys.
Exactly this, for me. If there's room in the budget (HA HA) when this shows up, I might go for it. I did also get the prototype colors, but not as a just-in-case, more just because the prototype loomed so large in my mind as a "G1 Arcee toy" thanks to the old images that were all we had for so long. But that conveniently leaves room for this to fit in just fine.
Man, that guy who used to ask about Headmaster Arcee at every convention panel must be going wild.
It was such a holy grail concept for so long I might have to look at getting it. It's kinda neat.
It was such a holy grail concept for so long I might have to look at getting it. It's kinda neat.
If they had left the prototype head on the toon colors figure, I might have gone with that one. The toon head made that one feel less authentic to the design. Headmaster Arcee, on the other hand, feels like she would have naturally had the toon head, so it just makes more sense to have this version be the "toon accurate" one.
Ok. I'm about to super over-analyze something. You don't have to tell me. I know. I just find it fun.
Sooo part of what Missing Link does is posit an alternate reality.
"What if the original 1980s Transformers toys had been as fully poseable as we can make toys today?"
"What if Arcee got a toy in 1986?"
I've always been a sucker for this approach. My favorite 3rd Party toy is Glacial Lord, which is basically "What it Hasbro had made a Headmaster Autobot Environmental-Themed Animal Combiner in 1988 to match the Decepticon Targetmaster Seacons." I've always said if someone just made new cassette robots exactly in the style of Soundwave's minions I'd keep buying them forever.
Anyway, I guess where this one is making me feel amused(?) is that you have to imagine a really particular Alternate reality for this toy as is to have ever happened.
This is NOT "What if Hasbro made a Headmaster Arcee toy in 1987?"
That would not have been this. It might have been a repainted Chromedome. Maybe it could have been an original toy, but it's body (3 tumbler tech spec meter) and it's head (transformation style) would have been in the style of the 87 Headmasters, cause that was what Headmasters were, the 88 style hadn't been created yet.
So the natural thought is: maybe the idea is it took Hasbro a year to make a toy of her... But this is also NOT "What if Hasbro made an Arcee Headmaster in 1988 as part of the small HeadmasterHeadmaster Jr line?"
The head is right for that, but the body is absolutely not in the style of those toys. If this had happened then the body would have the 1988 1-tumbler tech spec meter and almost certainly have the simplified design stylings (one "uni-leg" for instance) of the small Headmasters it would have come out with.
No. What this toy specifically IS, what I think it can only be, is "What if Hasbro made an Arcee toy in 1986 and then repurposed that existing toy with minimal remolding in 1988 to add Arcee to the 1988 Headmasters?"
Which is fine. Thats exactly what they did with Hot Rod, Kup and Blur in 1987 to make them Targetmasters. Is it a little bit more of a stretch that Hasbro would reach back 2 years in 88, when they weren't keeping the toys on the shelves as long as they used to? Maybe. But it's not impossible.
-ZacWilliam, I just found the What If being a bit weirdly "complicated" this time amusing and interesting, that's all.
Sooo part of what Missing Link does is posit an alternate reality.
"What if the original 1980s Transformers toys had been as fully poseable as we can make toys today?"
"What if Arcee got a toy in 1986?"
I've always been a sucker for this approach. My favorite 3rd Party toy is Glacial Lord, which is basically "What it Hasbro had made a Headmaster Autobot Environmental-Themed Animal Combiner in 1988 to match the Decepticon Targetmaster Seacons." I've always said if someone just made new cassette robots exactly in the style of Soundwave's minions I'd keep buying them forever.
Anyway, I guess where this one is making me feel amused(?) is that you have to imagine a really particular Alternate reality for this toy as is to have ever happened.
This is NOT "What if Hasbro made a Headmaster Arcee toy in 1987?"
That would not have been this. It might have been a repainted Chromedome. Maybe it could have been an original toy, but it's body (3 tumbler tech spec meter) and it's head (transformation style) would have been in the style of the 87 Headmasters, cause that was what Headmasters were, the 88 style hadn't been created yet.
So the natural thought is: maybe the idea is it took Hasbro a year to make a toy of her... But this is also NOT "What if Hasbro made an Arcee Headmaster in 1988 as part of the small HeadmasterHeadmaster Jr line?"
The head is right for that, but the body is absolutely not in the style of those toys. If this had happened then the body would have the 1988 1-tumbler tech spec meter and almost certainly have the simplified design stylings (one "uni-leg" for instance) of the small Headmasters it would have come out with.
No. What this toy specifically IS, what I think it can only be, is "What if Hasbro made an Arcee toy in 1986 and then repurposed that existing toy with minimal remolding in 1988 to add Arcee to the 1988 Headmasters?"
Which is fine. Thats exactly what they did with Hot Rod, Kup and Blur in 1987 to make them Targetmasters. Is it a little bit more of a stretch that Hasbro would reach back 2 years in 88, when they weren't keeping the toys on the shelves as long as they used to? Maybe. But it's not impossible.
-ZacWilliam, I just found the What If being a bit weirdly "complicated" this time amusing and interesting, that's all.
I see this headmaster Arcee as closer to ML Ironhide/Ratchet, a reimagining rather than a remake.
This makes total sense, but I didn't even (have to) follow that logic at all. I could only afford one, and thought the prototype colors one was the better one to have for the reasons I stated (I totally spaced and forgot the headsculpts were even that different, whoops), and so I picked that. But it's nice how it works out!
This also makes sense (the same caveats from the previous discussions on here about whether or not this is a "true" 80s-engineered toy notwithstanding).
For this particular thing I don't even think of it in the line's terms. This is basically "wouldn't it be nice to make a Headmaster Arcee" and "oh, we have a G1 Arcee we can do that with" meeting and resulting in a very cool release that was then informed by "let's just use the branding of the line we got the G1 Arcee from rather than making it its own thing or shoving it into New Legends".
But now that this milestone has been reached, I REALLY want to see a Concept Art HM Arcee from the TR Chromedome mold. Especially if it uses that artwork's hot pink instead of something show-accurate. My janky, departed custom (and the much better ones I've encountered online) must be validated.
You hit the nail on the head for me here. Since Targetmaster Blurr is the center that my collection revolves around, this Arcee fits perfectly in with Blurr, Kup, and Hot Rod as an "86" figure retooled to accommodate the new year's gimmick.
I would also love to see "Arceedome" become a reality, as well (and also in the wild concept colors), but I think this figure nicely straddles what might have happened if an Arcee figure had been released in 86, and was then included in the retool roster.
I'm still a bit confused why the animation colours ML Arcee didn't have painted lips, like every other Arcee toy. It's a little offputting, and it looks like the HM version might correct this. Her helmet sculpt is even updated a bit, on the front side!
It definitely looks like a darker color, but not as lipstick-ish as the one above is.
I think that might just be the space between the pursed lips?
Well that is the first one, not the new Headmaster that was just revealed.
www.allspark.com
Toys - Missing Link Headmaster Arcee Revealed!
Revealed on Twitter last night, we have our first look at the missing link Arcee figure that now has a Headmaster! Inspired from her season 4 appearance, we know a lot of fans have been waiting a long time to get this figure. Discuss it on our forums here.
www.allspark.com