I find it hard to resist buying an Arcee figure.  As a multiverse collector this is the case with a lot of G1-originated characters for me, but there are characters that I nearly always get and Arcee is one of them.

   Why?  Not sure.  Maybe because she was such a well known character from the 1986 movie, as well as Seasons 3 & 4 of the G1 cartoon but never got a toy of her own.  I had to wait until I was in my 20’s before I got my first representation of her as a statue bust.  But since then I’ve gotten her in so many lines – Alternators, Energon, Prime, Animated, Thrilling 30, Q and most recently Cyberverse and Earthrise.  Heck, I even have her in Mouse Pad form!  However none of these figures ever really captured Arcee for me and how cool she is, especially her vehicle form.

Arcee is getting the Masterpiece treatment as we speak and that figure is due to be released soon.  But in the meantime I did something I almost never do.  Despite having about 3500 Transformer figures in my collection, you could count the amount of 3^rdparty figures I own on one hand.  Given some of the complaints about the aesthetic of the new MP Arcee coming out, I decided to shell out and purchase a 3P figure of her where the aesthetic goes in the opposite direction.  So lets take a look at EX-01 Arcee NICEE from BIGFIREBIRDTOY.

Robot Mode

Aesthetic

An incredibly stylized version of Arcee Nicee.  Considering the popularity of the differently styled aesthetic of Animated, I’ve never really understood why Transformers would not try for a Japanese influenced Anime theme.  This figure is extremely anime in its aesthetics, from the long slim limbs to the quasi-angelic wings and armour that almost appears to be a battle bikini.  It really is a fantastic looking figure.  Before we go further however, lets address the elephants in the room…

 Let’s get this out of the way.  Yes she has boobs.  Her armour is specifically shaped to enhance this.    There is no getting away from it and given the picture on the front of her box it seems that this is supposed to be a big selling point for Arcee Nicee.  Now I totally get this kind of thing not being everyone’s cup of tea.  Completely understandable.  But here’s the great thing….

…. If you don’t like it you don’t have to buy it.  Lucky you! 

Interchangeable Body Parts

Nicee comes with two heads, two chests and 8 hands (4 left and 4 right).  The reason for so many hands is each one is designed to hold a different weapon, be it blunt or ranged.  They look rather skeletal and kinda freaky to be honest.  The chests are completely identical except one is white and the other is shiny white.  The heads are slightly different to each other, in particular the face.  For those of you who don’t like Arcee Nicee having metal hair, you can remove it.  This is one of the instances where the figure lets me down – I wanted her to have a head more in keeping with her usual look, and while removing the hair allows this, it also leaves a big gap above her forehead which ruins the effect.  So if you are not a hair fan too bad – better a bob than a hole in the head I guess.

Poseability 

The figure has really good tight joints and multiple points of articulation.  She is able to be put into all manner of poses and stances, balances fairly well and possesses good flexibility.

Vehicle Form

How friggin sexy does this look!  As I’ve mentioned I don’t usually buy 3P figures but if they are all like this then I understand why people do.  Nicee puts every Arcee figure in my collection to shame.  The aesthetics are just wonderful; the sleek lines and subtle curves interspersed with straight lines really make this a beautiful alien car to behold. 

The paint job is very high quality and the bright translucent blue used for the windscreen, headlights and taillights ad a nice counterbalance to all the pink and white.  There are all sorts of little details that add to the beauty of this figure, in particular I like the steering dash and moulded seats.

Weaponry

Nicee comes with multiple weapons including spear, sword, pistol and shield.  Also you are able to remove her backpack and combine it with the spear into a sort of energy bow.  Given her ability to be put into all manner of poses this sets you up for some great battle shots!

Transformation

The transformation is fairly straight forward and the instructions make it look more complicated than it actually is.  In fact it is sorta reminiscent of Thrilling 30 Arcee.  The shield becomes the top of the vehicle but this is no way means she is a simple partsformer.  My only two gripes would be that if you don’t position the high heels just right they can impede the front wheels rolling in vehicle mode, and that there are lots of little tabs that need to go together – often when you are tightening one another pops out of place.  However a good transformation on the whole.  You may find it convenient to take her hands off when putting her in vehicle form.

Worth Getting?

This on the whole is actually a pretty great figure, and given how expensive 3P items are the price tag is fairly acceptable.  But what is going to be the deciding factor for people here isn’t going to be the articulation or transformation or plastic quality – it’s going to be the aesthetic.  Some people are going to think this figure looks great, some are going to think it’s an abomination.  So if the idea of an anime styled transformer appeals to you then you are going to love Nicee.  If the idea of transformers being sexualized in any fashion is enough to send you on a month long twitter tirade then steer well clear.  Just remember no matter what side of the fence you fall on, don’t hate on the other side – just be…. Nicee. 

Got something to say about this figure?  Pop it in the comments section below!

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