Pictorial Review - Transformer SDCC 2015 Combiner Hunters Arcee

Well if they don't like it can I have it? I love the deco on that figure and it's the first time I've actually wanted that figure. I don't want Chromia and Windblade. Just this black Arcee.

And I mostly want Chromia so let's find someone who wants just Windblade and we can make this happen.

jay5 wrote:And I mostly want Chromia so let's find someone who wants just Windblade and we can make this happen.

Sounds good to me.

Arcee looks awesome.

Thanks to TFND's blacklai we get an extensive gallery of the SDCC 2015 exclusive Combiner Hunters three pack! Interesting thing to note from the gallery we now know the name of the three giant sword/weapons. Windblade's weapon is the Spectrospear, Chromia's is called the Primeon Blade, and Arcee's sword is known as the Combiner Slayer.
We've mirrored some of the images below for your viewing pleasures but there are a ton of new images that you can check out here. Remember keep your optics tuned to Seibertron.com for the latest in news and updates!

Have to say I like Windblade's colours I just don't like the figure itself. And damn them for putting all three instructions on the same sheet. Makes it harder to seperate them for us who don't want all three figures (yeah can slice it but then you mess up that nice pic on the back). Arcee's weapon looks much better on the artwork being a more sensible size.

Figures look great but man those weapons are just ridiculously huge. I mean even the artwork doesn't have them drawn that big.

TGS1985 wrote:Figures look great but man those weapons are just ridiculously huge. I mean even the artwork doesn't have them drawn that big.

The weapons are all from preexisting bigger figures.

Forget the toys, I'm far more interested in what's going on with those planets. Earth's got multiple moons (or Cybertron's moon bases have relocated there), Bruticus is hanging out on some lifeless ball of rock, UNICRON!

I don't CARE about the reviews, I still want to get this set!

Noideaforaname wrote:Forget the toys, I'm far more interested in what's going on with those planets. Earth's got multiple moons (or Cybertron's moon bases have relocated there), Bruticus is hanging out on some lifeless ball of rock, UNICRON!

After seeing the mention of Bruticus it makes me curious. Who's going to be the new limb (assuming Big B is going to appear in-comic/in figure form). Seeing as that's the trend with the other combiners we've gotten.... and what happened to poor Swindle. (uummmm.... spoiler?)

The over-sized weapons are cool, but can they be attached to the alt modes?

Nisus wrote:

Noideaforaname wrote:Forget the toys, I'm far more interested in what's going on with those planets. Earth's got multiple moons (or Cybertron's moon bases have relocated there), Bruticus is hanging out on some lifeless ball of rock, UNICRON!

After seeing the mention of Bruticus it makes me curious. Who's going to be the new limb (assuming Big B is going to appear in-comic/in figure form). Seeing as that's the trend with the other combiners we've gotten.... and what happened to poor Swindle. (uummmm.... spoiler?)

Bruticus is going to be a complete set. http://www.seibertron.com/transformers/ ... ore/32756/

BlueBefore wrote:

Nisus wrote:

Noideaforaname wrote:Forget the toys, I'm far more interested in what's going on with those planets. Earth's got multiple moons (or Cybertron's moon bases have relocated there), Bruticus is hanging out on some lifeless ball of rock, UNICRON!

After seeing the mention of Bruticus it makes me curious. Who's going to be the new limb (assuming Big B is going to appear in-comic/in figure form). Seeing as that's the trend with the other combiners we've gotten.... and what happened to poor Swindle. (uummmm.... spoiler?)

Bruticus is going to be a complete set. http://www.seibertron.com/transformers/ ... ore/32756/

Huh..... missed that article. Cool

I hope we get a high res scan of the poster/instructions soon, I really want to know what it says by all the planets.

Sabrblade wrote:

TGS1985 wrote:Figures look great but man those weapons are just ridiculously huge. I mean even the artwork doesn't have them drawn that big.

The weapons are all from preexisting bigger figures.

I know and that's kind of my point.

Lol I don't mind the huge weapons, it just adds to the anime sort on style. XD
Gotta have this set, GOTTA HAVE IT! Although, if I get Victorian, these massive weapons may fit very well with her...

SillySpringer wrote:Lol I don't mind the huge weapons, it just adds to the anime sort on style. XD

Hahah, I was just about to say that - they look very Japanese, anime, and kind of cool on these three.

If I got these the weapons would be going to the combiners. Arcee's to Menasor, Chromia's to Superion, and Windblade's to Defensor.

I'm surprised no one else has pointed out the5 devastator shields on Chromias blade.

The mention of Bruticus on Chromia's portion suggests that we'll see him revealed at SDCC.

That Bot wrote:The mention of Bruticus on Chromia's portion suggests that we'll see him revealed at SDCC.

It's the FOC combaticons with retooled ports they almost fit as is.

jay5 wrote:

SillySpringer wrote:Lol I don't mind the huge weapons, it just adds to the anime sort on style. XD

Hahah, I was just about to say that - they look very Japanese, anime, and kind of cool on these three.

I got a more of a World of Warcraft feel from it. I swear I once raided with a gnome warrior with the exact same sword that Arcee has... same size ratio too.

But now that you mention Anime, I realize it does also have a Final Fantasy VII feel to it ala Cloud and his big ass buster sword.

Caelus wrote:If I got these the weapons would be going to the combiners. Arcee's to Menasor, Chromia's to Superion, and Windblade's to Defensor.

Oooo, I didn't even consider them being spoils of war (from hunting combiners). I don't know if that turns out to be the official explanation (as I think Arcee is already sporting her sword before she's actually started "hunting") but if you ask me it SHOULD be if you ask me.

Awesome Deco. I would love to get my hands on this set!

Artist Sara Pitre-Durocher posted on her tumblr some awesome looking character Art for the Transformers Combiner Hunters Trio!
Check out these are below and what Sara had to say!

Since all’s been shown, both the figures and the comic, I can share these !

I designed them following the new Combiner Hunters toys / packaging illustration (which I think have changed in the meantime? I know Chromia’s entire head’s white now. Oops.) But yeah. It was fun and challenging to draw a somewhat different take on these characters Yeeh

They look radical!

Gosh those CH ladies look hot! XD

The art is amazing, little strange how they all have the exact same pose but meh still looks cool.

Hmmm, to me windblade has a very Prime color to her. Makes me think she is a Feminus Prime to Optimus Prime.

Wheeljack808 wrote:The art is amazing, little strange how they all have the exact same pose but meh still looks cool.

the point of the art is the colorization and design. Usually they pick a standard pose to use to make sure everything stays the same in terms of proportion. Also, the artist can focus on design rather than posing.

Whatever happened to Arcee's Tattoo?

Optimizzy wrote:

Wheeljack808 wrote:The art is amazing, little strange how they all have the exact same pose but meh still looks cool.

the point of the art is the colorization and design. Usually they pick a standard pose to use to make sure everything stays the same in terms of proportion. Also, the artist can focus on design rather than posing.

Ah I see. Fair enough

These ladies look quite amazing. It actually looks a bit like Alex Milne art in my opinion. Either way, I like it and it looks good.

Xarmech wrote:Whatever happened to Arcee's Tattoo?

These are earlier designs, not the finals.

SillySpringer wrote:

jay5 wrote:Those bot modes look cool as heck! I kind of want them and I don't really need to start collecting Transformers again.

You'll be sorry!

I am thinking of getting Gen Chromia and Windblade, but I want this set too! I can't decide! (I could get both but what's the point of getting two of the same mold, when I can use that shelf space for new figures?)

Just on a side note, I wonder if Hasbro will repaint Arcee as a different character, as a mainline release figure? And hopefully with the fixed hands. It probably wouldn't happen though till Combiner Wars is over.

I strongly considered using the free shipping code on HTS to get the Combiner Hunters set for $75 plus tax, so I searched for some video reviews. The paint is sloppy, and Arcee comes with her swords but not her guns. Not that it matters because she can't hold them, only that gigantic Combiner Cleaver. The problem is she needs the small gun to lock her hands in place underneath her alt mode.

So then I strongly considered getting Takara Arcee via a seller on Amazon for $28 and free shipping. But then I thought I should look around for other prices and found myself on BBTS looking at spending $31.99 plus shipping for Generations Arcee and Chromia. And before I checked out I thought, well maybe I should see if they have a deal for Windblade, and they have her on clearance for $9.99! Shipping only added $5.50 for a total of $47.48, which breaks down to about $15.83 a piece.

So it turns out you can catch 'em all almost 9 months later!

As for the figures themselves:

Arcee is amazing. I trimmed the plastic on the bottom of her hands so she can properly hold her weapons. I'm not worried about them breaking but I do plan to look into a way to strengthen the hands on the outside somehow. Maybe a few layers of glue? Should be fine either way.

Chromia is a nice retool of PRID Arcee. However, I am very concerned about her upper arms as the elbow socket is too tight. I don't know if it's a paint issue or a mold clearance issue, but if I can somehow safely remove her forearms I'll then have to figure out what needs to be sanded to fix the problem. For now I can't safely twist her forearms and that's a problem because right out of the box they come sideways and need to be turned forward to transform her. I thought the arms were going to snap and I'm glad I don't have to twist them back.

Windblade is actually not nearly as bad as she has been made out to be. Her shoulder transformation joints are nice and tight, and while her heels don't lock into place, they don't slip forward so easily, either. Also, her shins do lock into place, though not as tightly as I'd like. She can hold some nice poses, but it does take a little patience and practice. I can deal with her finickyness. In my opinion she is the gem of the group. And her face is beautifully painted.

Comparing these three now that I have them in-hand with the reviews I watched on YouTube of the SDCC set has me fully convinced I made the right decision. The primary point of spending more on the Combiner Hunters set is for the deco and the extra weapons, but if the paint is sloppy and one figure is not only altered in a way that makes her primary accessories useless but is also missing her guns, one of which is integral to transformation and both fully incorporated into the alt mode, what's the point?

Hope this helps!

Some comparison pics for those interested




"Who are these new bots, and why do they look like us?"


Yes, they actually CAN hold these weapons unassisted!

Nice shots man. Those look really cool

Bradimus wrote:also missing her guns, one of which is integral to transformation and both fully incorporated into the alt mode, what's the point?

This is technically unnecessary

I actually never use the gun under her. I splay the arms along the interior of the legs; and, unless yours has loose shoulders, they stay in place really well, and even give her more clearance (plus I nearly snapped her in half trying to remove the gun from her abdomen, the gun was that tightly stuck )

I hope this helps

Hellscream9999 wrote:

Bradimus wrote:also missing her guns, one of which is integral to transformation and both fully incorporated into the alt mode, what's the point?

This is technically unnecessary

I actually never use the gun under her. I splay the arms along the interior of the legs; and, unless yours has loose shoulders, they stay in place really well, and even give her more clearance (plus I nearly snapped her in half trying to remove the gun from her abdomen, the gun was that tightly stuck )

I hope this helps

I actually place the guns on top and the swords on the side, so I do not put them underneath the vehicle mode. The arms actually have more clearance without the guns

prjkt wrote:

I will never get used to all that unnecessary black on Arcee.

And I don't mean the Combiner Hunters figure.

Sabrblade wrote:I will never get used to all that unnecessary black on Arcee.

And I don't mean the Combiner Hunters figure.

heh, I actually prefer the Hasbro version to Takara's, even if it's not cartoon accurate - I find the black breaks up the pale tones, more visually interesting - just an opinion though.

As for CH Arcee, I'm tempted to re-purpose her as G2 Arcee, as black and neon pink is so '90s

EDIT: I posted a little review on Ozformers if anyone wants to read my thoughts.

Edgy!Arcee looks like she's wearing a shellsuit and I love it. I just wish she had better ankle articulation and proper wrists so she could do more with her Colossus Cleaver (as I am christening her sword).

I must admit, having seen how good the Generations Arcee looks (especially the Takara version) I'm beginning to regret spending £40 back in the day to get Animated Arcee (though aside from her thumbs and somewhat questionable paintjob she is a superb figure and I'll always love her).

Delta Magnus wrote:Edgy!Arcee looks like she's wearing a shellsuit and I love it. I just wish she had better ankle articulation and proper wrists so she could do more with her Colossus Cleaver (as I am christening her sword).

If you're curious, here's the official info on said weapon:

Interesting, although kinda unoriginal name. The poison gimmick is cool though.

Delta Magnus wrote:Interesting, although kinda unoriginal name. The poison gimmick is cool though.

"Colossus Cleaver" still sounds better

D-Maximus_Prime wrote:

Delta Magnus wrote:Interesting, although kinda unoriginal name. The poison gimmick is cool though.

"Colossus Cleaver" still sounds better

I like "Combiner Cleaver," but to each their own.

Bradimus wrote:

D-Maximus_Prime wrote:

Delta Magnus wrote:Interesting, although kinda unoriginal name. The poison gimmick is cool though.

"Colossus Cleaver" still sounds better

I like "Combiner Cleaver," but to each their own.

The "Widowmaker". It dosen't always kill instantly; but it can induce a 3 d6 chance of cardiac arrest.

SW's SilverHammer wrote:

Bradimus wrote:

D-Maximus_Prime wrote:

Delta Magnus wrote:Interesting, although kinda unoriginal name. The poison gimmick is cool though.

"Colossus Cleaver" still sounds better

I like "Combiner Cleaver," but to each their own.

The "Widowmaker". It dosen't always kill instantly; but it can induce a 3 d6 chance of cardiac arrest.

I thought Arcee already came with two of those?

The giant Meat Cleaver seems ideally suited to Grand Scourge to me.
or perhaps Alternators/Binaltech Nemesis Prime.

RAR wrote:The giant Meat Cleaver seems ideally suited to Grand Scourge to me.

Good thing he comes with it (in solid blood red, no less).