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!
