Unsurprisingly, I'm a bit more in touch with collectibles based on Female characters, which includes Transformers. A few years ago, when MP Arcee was released, people were complaining about the figure, mostly aesthetic things like the backpack and the fact her bust line was low. Never mind the fact the overall Robot mode was pretty accurate to the show model, or that the articulation was wonderful - no the previously released Third Party ones were superior because of their Die Cast construction and proper bust line.
Well, through the years I was able to get my hands on the Ocular Max version through Azalea, the TFCon exclusive and it wasn't bad per se but it was very stiff and had curves like a 1980s Buick. The other figure, FT-24 Rouge, would turn out to be a much more difficult to hunt prey, taking me almost three years and actually having to pay close to Market Value, which is something I seldom do because I can always wait , but in this case things were just getting worse the longer I waited.
So this is my first Fans Toys figure. For years, even now, people sang the praises of this company as one of the best out there. Even now, their preorders sell out pretty fast and the protos do look pretty good. I guess something must have happened in the years since the pandemic, because while Rouge did sell out, it certainly doesn't look anything even close to what the animation model looked like.
In its defense, the original price wasn't outrageous, something like $60 USD. But the Engineering itself was a bit behind the times because in addition to the expected faces and weapons (which are a bit flimsy), you actually had an alternate set of forearms/fists so you could actually grip the included weapons. Furthermore, something happened at a conceptual level because the box art shows Rouge packing twin pistols, but the final release was closer to what the MP offerred, being a Pistol and a Rifle. There was also something that made this figure unique for a while - an alternate chest piece.
Remember this as it will be very important as the story goes on.
Out the box, as mentioned, the accuracy to the actual cartoon form isn't really there. Now, to be fair, they weren't aiming for that back in 2018, so I can let that slide. What is valid is the fact the overall Robot form is as slender as possible to facilitate transformation. It is, however, less blocky than the Ocular Max release.
One of the main selling features of the figure is the amount of diecast used, and to be completely honest I think a Hot Wheels car has more than MP Arcee. Rouge features diecast chest pieces, the struts holding her backpack to the shoulders, the steering wheel of the vehicle mode, the upper shoulder area on the torso, and the legs.
For those looking for a size reference, here we go - Ruuge is taller than her MP counterpart, which I can't really give credit to Fans Toys for or take away points from the MP. The Takara stuff is set to a scale, using MP10 as a reference, so she's as tall as she can be without violating that requirement.
Aesthetically, the face plates look alright. Again, the goal was never cartoon accuracy so there's much room left for interpretation. There's no argument from me that this looks like a Fembot that could be identified as Arcee. On the other hand, they kind of took the easy way out and sculpted the part of the helmet that sits right above the face onto the face itself, which due to weaker than desired QC, leaves a gap and makes the head look weird. The visor is also a separate face, as opposed to being hidden inside the helmet like with the MP.
Swapping out the chest pieces is completed by literally unscrewing the piece and swapping the other one in, which ou can see is more in line with what you see on the cartoon. It's a bit crude, but I suppose it works. - it's just a royal pain in the ass.
Of course, the story doesn't end there. The aforementioned system may be crude, but it is easily abuse - so long you've got the right screw holes, you can basically mount anything you wanted. Every hole is a goal, as it were. So, to that end, some enterprising designer did something that would put this figure on the map. Forget die cast metal. Forget size.
You could mount sets of aftermarket silicone breasts to the figure.
Things start off innocently enough, with what is effectively a recreation of the more accurate chest plate, but coated with a Rubber or Silicone to provide a more tactile experience. The other plates are literally like if the chest plate flipped up to reveal naked breasts of varying sizes. Now back when these were release, they were probably considered very titivating. But since then, Big Firebird Toys has released Nicee and Mocha, which while did not expose nipples or anything, had a much more provocative design than Rogue with mannequin tits. Furthermore, speaking of nipples, given how insane things get for those Lewd Japanese statues, what we get here is positively adorable. So, basically unless you have literally never seen a pair of breasts in your life, the only real reactions you should have are either Facepalm or uncontrolled laughter.
What would have made things a bit more interesting is if the cover actually folded back down to give the figure a ridiculously large covered chest, but alas, this wasn't in the cards.
So while the aesthetic can be forgiven for looking a bit old, having good articulation goes back many years. This figure effectively has Mainline articulation... for an Arcee figure, which back then basically meant she has no waist joint., no ab crunch/back arch, and no butterfly shoulders. So, you're never going to see a photo of Rogue turning her upper body, whether it be to simulating running, or to pull of a cool battle pose. Sure, there's a few extra swivels here and here, such as a dedicated ankle and forearm swivel, and the ankle tilt works better than the Arcee's of the time, but you're still at the end of the day, not getting anything too exciting when it comes to posing. The head tilt is better than your typical Mainline figure, but even that is more for tilting down than up. For what its worth, the backpack is designed in a way that it can shift out of the way to facilitate posing.
Paint Applications are alright. Paint is generally maintained to a minimum, but it appears that the only unpainted surfaces are the Pink areas from the waist and upwards, the helmet, the grey above her waist, and the lighter Pink that form the bicep, which is also the same colour as her face. Everything else on the body is effectively painted, and the weapons have some painted accents. The actual work itself appears to be competent.
By this point, you might be asking yourself why there's no vehicle mode photos. Well it ties into Build Quality. You see, the QC on this figure isn't the greatest. There some unwanted gaps caused by poor finishes, which aren't great but are not detrimental. However, another issue are tolerances. specifically of the tabs and slots involved in the transformation. Some are too tight fitting. Further complicating matters are the fact that this is one of those figures that seems to combine die cast metal parts with plastic parts of an uncertain quality. I decided that I'd rather forgo Vehicle mode photos than risk breakage.
Besides, the vehicle mode isn't exactly that great to begin with, and it isn't like it features any neat Engineering feats either.
So overall, it's a pretty average figure, one that honestly doesn't really warrant the hunt unless you have very specific reasons for owning one. Either Nicee or the MP will do the job, though I'd lean towards the MP because of the superior build and posing capabilities compared to Nicee, even if she's not that busty. Besides, finding an actual Nicee or Mocha is easier said than done these days. Maybe one day, Fans Toys will revisit the character and actually attempt to do a cartoon accurate one - that's the one I'd wait for instead.
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