Running some Masterpiece catch up today with a look at the recently released MP-51 Arcee. This is classic G1 rendition of the female warrior in her pink and white get up with futuristic convertible alt mode. Straight outta 2005 :). She features a slim frame with lots of poseability capturing the original animation. She comes packed with two pistols, a holster, a rifle, energy blast effects for all three weapons, and 3 alternate faces.
All in all I thought it was a sharp version of the character, with two asterisks. One, the chest is oddly low. Seems like they did that to allow arm movement, as she can grip her pistol with two hands straight arm, just like a famous shot from the movie. The chest cuts right into that, as they designed it there anyway, so I’m guessing things were moved around to compensate. Second, the backpack is heavy. Not the worst, and from the front it’s no big deal. She really pops well when combined with Ultra Magnus and Hot Rod, they all have those movie colors on point and stand out among the other pre-movie bots in a line up.
We’ve run her for a session, read on to check out some key shots or hit the full gallery over here:
–> TFW2005’s MP-51 Masterpiece Arcee Gallery
She’s in stock now and shipping from TFSource!
bigcee66
No just a masculine jawline. And an overall ugly face. She looks like a dude in drag. And I said nothing about a smile, don’t put words in my mouth nor thoughts in my mind please. Thanks.
daddytron
Thank you for that. I knew I didn’t quite have the backpack right, the collar armature was sitting in its slot at a slight angle, but I couldn’t put my finger on why it wasn’t sitting right. I usually take pride in getting my transformations right.
I even watched TMan’s and Emgo’s reviews, both of whom take a lot of time to do the same, and couldn’t figure out what I did wrong. Planned on looking at Paik’s review as well, he’s the champ at that, but didn’t want to take an hour plus to watch it.
Your pictures were a big help. Much appreciated.
jscott991
So bizarre.
She has massive, red lips and a fragile-looking, upturned nose. What could possibly be more feminine? Maybe you think all Arcees need a goofy smile to be feminine?
Weird sentiment.
Arie
Glad you like Arcee. Check my quote above for photos showing how to do the neck, backpack, and taillights properly.
daddytron
A local shop got a few of these, I had a few bucks burning a hole in my pocket and a need for retail therapy to cure my blahs. So I picked this up. Very glad I did so far.
I have two versions of the MMC Arcee, but was still left wanting a bit more. Particularly as far as the alt mode, which is tiny and just a bit off on that one. The MP absolutely nails the alt mode. It’s beautiful and a nice size. Transformation was pretty enjoyable as well. After the soul-crushing self destructing disappointment of Hound, I was pleasantly surprised to find that this feels robust and sturdy. I didn’t have any concerns that something would break when transforming it.
On to robot mode. Articulation is superb. Even better than Azalea’s which was very good. The backpack is fine. Not as clean as Azalea’s but it compacts up pretty well back to front and doesn’t screw up the silhouette. I find the complaints about that to be little exaggerated, but I’m not as bothered by backpacks as most. I found Prime’s and Bumblebee’s to be non-issues as well. You do have to take a second to find her center of balance, which is a tad narrower than the MMC. Not difficult to balance by and stretch, but so far I’ve found you need to find your pose, set her down, then tilt her ankles back to front until you find the sweet spot for balance.
Colors are beautiful. Face looks much better in person, and I like it, but prefer Azalea’s. On to the big issue, the chest. Definitely looks bad, nobody can convince me otherwise. However, I feel like she gets enough right everywhere else that it’s not all i see and the figure as a whole still looks good enough to me. When I first got her to robot mode she looked much bigger to me than Azalea, but when I put them side by side I was surprised to see that they are almost exactly the same height to the top of the head. Maybe she just looks like more figure because she’s not as slender.
This is still too new for me to pick a winner, just got it 3 hours ago, but it’s definitely a good figure and I don’t regret the purchase. The alt mode is perfect, the transformation is really good, and the accessories are great. I like the inclusion of 3 different kinds of weapons and blast effects for each. MMC’s cleans up substantially better, has a better face, and obviously doesn’t have the grandma boobs. And one massive complaint I have with MMC’s is that unless you want closed block fists that can’t hold a weapon, you have to partsform on a different set of hands to even have her hold a weapon. It wasn’t a deal breaker for me but it was close and I absolutely hate that. More than I mind anything aesthetic about the MP.
With all that said, I don’t mind trading some looks for a bit better of a personality. Which I feel like this one does pull off.
bigcee66
Sorry but Rouge's face looks like a man.
BIOMEC
I prefer my stuff to be solid, diecast is overrated…
jscott991
MP-51 could use more diecast to help her stand straight. Rouge having the chest piece in metal and more metal in the legs really helps.
I got mine to stand up in a reasonably straight position, but it was really difficult. My backpack seems transformed correctly (I had trouble with it and made sure it matched the appearance of the Youtube video exactly at the end). She just wants to tip back in the standing straight pose that I favor for all my Transformers (really all my action figures in general).
The comments about Rouge not being feminine are almost laughable (especially given that a lot of the anti-3rd Party crowd criticized her for the opposite reason when she came out). Rouge has a few issues, but not looking like a fembot is definitely not one of them. If MP-51 could fix its chest issue (covering more of the white collar and having a less sharp angle), it would outclass Rouge, but I still think Rouge is the superior looking figure.
Turbine027
She does look tiny! Half the reason I put her on her own riser
I did decide to switch her face out and add a gun to slightly disguise her chest
View attachment 28988602
And yes! Haslab is definitely on the way! Plan is to have Haslab in Planet mode with Cell in robot mode because I feel that’s where they both shine the most! I’ve got a few ideas that will come into play, one of which is Skywarp changing into Cyclonus (may not be your head cannon, but the clear figures existed haha)
View attachment 28988603
Zi Shan
That MP Arcee looks SOOO tiny next the the old school MP Rodimus. I had forgotten how large the original scale MPs were (even though I have them). Also, I noticed you have the Zeta / Cell Unicron, did you order the Hasbro version as well?
Very nice displays btw, original toys with new ones, they inspire me but I just don't have the display space like you do. Keep posting 'em.
Turbine027
Went ahead and made the switch to the MP in the main display area:
View attachment 28988494
View attachment 28988495
I LOVE her alt mode, so if a KO ever comes out, I’ll snag one just to keep as a car, but for now Rouge has taken her place in my eventual movie tribute display, just waiting for Haslab Unicron to arrive to start messing with it!!
View attachment 28988496
Zi Shan
IMHO, MP Arcee IS Arcee from the cartoon (very much gentle and motherly, wish she came with Daniel)… Rouge is the angry bot from the Comics that was a dude before, nothing feminine about the Fans Toy's version in my eyes.
MP Arcee has an easy intuitive transformation and Rouge has a difficult YET satisfying transformation for me (the backpack cleans up so nicely as the car folds in with such amazing engineering). Nevertheless, Rouge will eventually go to a collector that appreciates her more than I do (the final nail in the coffin was that both of my kids independently made the same comment regarding Rouge "she looks so creepy.")
Legate
I'm actually fine with the plastic to diecast ratio. As long as it's solid and holds together well, then I'm satisified.
If anything, diecast can sometimes be a detriment. The first Mark VII Iron Man from Figuarts ends up a floppy mess due to the liberal use of diecast in the legs. The new version is much better IMO despite the "lack" of metal.
jackisking
HEEEEFFFTT
I much prefer for stuff to feel solid as I actually transform my stuff and not exile to my shelf to only be dust it off. I know people feel it makes something feel "premium" but in a lot of cases its like a solid gold toilet seat, sounds great in principle, but in actual use….
Arie
To add to what others already wrote, make sure to have her backpack transformed correctly. If you don't have it transformed correctly, Arcee will be harder to balance too.
Snaku
She's painted plastic. How is that any different visually from painted die cast?
Fafnir72
She isn't supposed to stand straight straight. Not a typo. When you look at her sideways her spinal curve should appear to be bulging outwards begining at her hips. That's where her center of gravity is spread out.
WinstoBot
Start with a perfectly smooth surface. Make sure the ankle tilt is adjusted to be perfectly flat to the table every time you move the legs. The forward/backward tilt of the ankle joint helps with the falling back issue. Just play with it for a while. Soon you’ll be recreating all the poses you see here. There are NO tricks, all poses you see on this thread are just feats of balance. They can do it , you can do it. Have fun.
jscott991
Rouge still looks great. She has a better torso by far and she feels sturdier (MP-51 kind of feels like a big Siege Transformer because she's almost entirely plastic). There is also an argument to be made she has the better face (she's about the only Arcee so far that actually bothers to match the face and neck colors; I have no idea why so many of them botch this).
MP-51 has her beat in the hips and legs, the hands, and the stability of the backpack. She also feels less fiddly; everything snaps in place better.
I like MP-51 better than I thought I would (if only I could get her to stand), but Rouge is still my favorite MP Arcee.
jscott991
I must be doing something wrong.
I got my MP-51 today after seeing all the pics and hoping for a chest fix someday. I transformed her (I really, really hate transforming Transformers; I hope Starscream comes in bot form).
But I just cannot get her to stand. She always tips backwards.
Any tips? What could I be doing wrong?