Pictorial Review - Transformer SDCC 2015 Combiner Hunters Chromia
Monday, June 15th, 2015 1:42AM CDT
Categories: Toy News, Reviews, Event NewsPosted by: Va'al Views: 26,974
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The first thing I noticed is the wicked light blue tribal tattoo/flame on the front and the side of the bike. A really nice touch but personally I would've prefered for them to extend towards the back.
The overall paint apps can be considered clean and some of them are metallic blue, something that Takara version of this figure should've had, just like their releases few years back. The translucent parts are dark red instead of clear (Hasbro Chromia) and light blue (Takara Chromia).
Being a direct repaint, there's nothing different in terms of the transformation and overall, the joints are solid and tight. In robot mode, this version of Chromia has more white and grey compared to the previous 2 variants. The placement of the colors are well-thought-of without any parts looking weird or out of place.
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Posted by Bounti76 on June 15th, 2015 @ 3:41am CDT
Silliness aside, some of the altmode deco is cool, but the only reason I'd buy the set is for that Arcee and Windblade....and a second gun to give to my Hasbro version. I love the character of Chromia, but the robot mode deco for Combiner Hunters Chromia is just.....weird.
Posted by Rated X on June 15th, 2015 @ 6:25am CDT
Posted by prjkt on June 15th, 2015 @ 6:33am CDT
Rated X wrote:Somebody should do a 3 pack of new heads to make them into new characters.
I have no doubt that's already happening somewhere.
Posted by jay5 on June 15th, 2015 @ 8:30am CDT
Posted by D-Maximal_Primal on June 15th, 2015 @ 12:18pm CDT
Posted by DedicatedGhostArt on June 15th, 2015 @ 12:21pm CDT
Posted by D-Maximal_Primal on June 15th, 2015 @ 12:25pm CDT
Posted by jay5 on June 15th, 2015 @ 3:19pm CDT
Posted by shajaki on June 15th, 2015 @ 5:19pm CDT
They have in the past, but nothings a guarantee.jay5 wrote:Will the usual sites like BBTS and TFSource run a pre-order for these or will they only ever be available at the Con and then maybe a few at HasbroTS and then that's it?
Posted by Va'al on June 17th, 2015 @ 3:34am CDT
The approach for Arcee's paint scheme is different compared to Chromia. While the latter comes with metallic paint job (on certain parts) and flame/tribal tattoo, Arcee comes in normal black and pink paint scheme.
There's another thing that I'm not sure of. Based on promo pictures, the paint on the face is not like mine which is only one-sided. I'll try and get confirmation as soon as I can. Also, the finishing on the chest is not really clean as there are smudges if you look closely.
I get the idea of her paint scheme but to be honest, it doesn't really work with this mold.
I can easily get behind Chromia's paint scheme but Arcee is whole nother story. For now, I guess I must conclude the review for the set unless, like I said, I manage to get Windblade in the near future.
Posted by Carnivius_Prime on June 17th, 2015 @ 6:55am CDT
Posted by jay5 on June 17th, 2015 @ 9:23am CDT
Posted by Carnivius_Prime on June 17th, 2015 @ 9:25am CDT
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.
Posted by Lockdownhunter on June 17th, 2015 @ 10:06am CDT
Posted by mooncake623 on June 17th, 2015 @ 10:30am CDT
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!
Posted by Carnivius_Prime on June 17th, 2015 @ 10:34am CDT
Posted by TGS1985 on June 17th, 2015 @ 11:04am CDT
Posted by Sabrblade on June 17th, 2015 @ 11:10am CDT
The weapons are all from preexisting bigger figures.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.
Posted by Noideaforaname on June 17th, 2015 @ 11:49am CDT
Posted by DedicatedGhostArt on June 17th, 2015 @ 12:31pm CDT
Posted by Nisus on June 17th, 2015 @ 12:52pm CDT
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?)
Posted by GuyIncognito on June 17th, 2015 @ 1:16pm CDT
Posted by BlueBefore on June 17th, 2015 @ 1:29pm CDT
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/
Posted by Nisus on June 17th, 2015 @ 2:05pm CDT
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
Posted by steals_your_goats on June 17th, 2015 @ 2:40pm CDT
Posted by TGS1985 on June 17th, 2015 @ 3:06pm CDT
Sabrblade wrote:The weapons are all from preexisting bigger figures.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.
I know and that's kind of my point.
Posted by DedicatedGhostArt on June 17th, 2015 @ 3:11pm CDT
Gotta have this set, GOTTA HAVE IT! Although, if I get Victorian, these massive weapons may fit very well with her...
Posted by jay5 on June 17th, 2015 @ 7:40pm CDT
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.
Posted by Dr. Caelus on June 17th, 2015 @ 9:58pm CDT
Posted by steals_your_goats on June 17th, 2015 @ 10:18pm CDT
Posted by King Kuuga on June 18th, 2015 @ 12:51am CDT
Posted by SW's SilverHammer on June 18th, 2015 @ 12:52am CDT
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.
Posted by TGS1985 on June 18th, 2015 @ 2:53am CDT
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.
Posted by jogunwarrior on June 18th, 2015 @ 10:27am CDT
Posted by mooncake623 on June 25th, 2015 @ 10:41am CDT
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
Posted by Sabrblade on June 25th, 2015 @ 11:16am CDT
Posted by DedicatedGhostArt on June 25th, 2015 @ 11:41am CDT
Posted by Wheeljack808 on June 25th, 2015 @ 11:58am CDT
Posted by Optimizzy on June 25th, 2015 @ 1:07pm CDT
Posted by Optimizzy on June 25th, 2015 @ 1:11pm CDT
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.
Posted by Xarmech on June 25th, 2015 @ 1:15pm CDT
Posted by Wheeljack808 on June 25th, 2015 @ 2:27pm CDT
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
Posted by D-Maximal_Primal on June 25th, 2015 @ 4:44pm CDT
Posted by Sabrblade on June 25th, 2015 @ 11:38pm CDT
These are earlier designs, not the finals.Xarmech wrote:Whatever happened to Arcee's Tattoo?
Posted by Bradimus on August 27th, 2015 @ 1:42am CDT
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!
Posted by prjkt on September 6th, 2015 @ 8:13pm CDT
"Who are these new bots, and why do they look like us?"
Yes, they actually CAN hold these weapons unassisted!
Posted by D-Maximal_Primal on September 6th, 2015 @ 9:59pm CDT
Posted by Hellscream9999 on September 6th, 2015 @ 10:09pm CDT
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
Posted by D-Maximal_Primal on September 6th, 2015 @ 10:46pm CDT
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