EX-01 PLUS MochaSo this is the second incarnation of this mold, and there’s some discourse abo

EX-01 PLUS Mocha

So this is the second incarnation of this mold, and there’s some discourse about the original. Said original, named Nicee, is an equally curvaceous reimagining of Generation 1 Season 3 Transformerscharacter Arcee. Now that’s not an inherently bad thing, but there were a few additional features that turned off a lot of more casual unofficial Transformerstoy purchasers. Firstly was an O-face; not gonna defend that, but I won’t knock someone else’s kink. Secondly was a set of rubberized breasts, which Mocha also comes with (shown in picture 10), but they didn’t even bother changing the color on this release, so it feels more like a novelty since it was something the original release was famous for than something essential to this one.

Now, despite fans choosing to ignore Nicee’s existence, it still apparently sold out, and anyone I saw who gave it a chance had nothing but positive things to say about it. This put it on my radar, and shortly after I did they announced their original character remold. And here we are.

The Good: To give an example of how well designed this figure is, despite the large backpack, myriad of metal parts, and stiletto heels, she easily and solidly maintains her balance in a large number of poses. She also has very good range, maybe a little short in the elbows, but nothing the shoulders and transformations joints can’t accommodate for.

She has a huge accessory pool, with a number of weapons, costume options, and even a second head. She also comes with a second set of decals in case any of hers get damaged, or you want to use them elsewhere. And many parts of her backpack are removable if you prefer her without all the car parts.

It took me a while to figure out what the bagged accessories were, as they aren’t in the instructions. Turns out they’re a set of modular pieces that combine with the swords. You can create a double-bladed sword, a claw weapon, or attach them to her elbows or knees. It’s a neat bonus.

The Bad: While she does do a bit of transforming (her head and shoulders end up inches away from her torso), a large portion of her robot mode is shell. I do like that they used her legs as the sides of the car, but that’s the only visible part of the robot it has, and the windshield and bumper parts-form. The transformation is also a little tough in places, particularly when lining things up, but not nearly as bad as some other unofficial products I’ve seen.

She’s also very painted, and that doesn’t mix well with sharp and tight parts. I ended up scratching a bit of the silver off her hips the one time I attached the bunny tail accessory. A number of the parts swaps pieces are pretty tight, possibly because of how much paint they have, so be careful when pulling off the front bumper or the bunny tail tassels.

Overall, this is a very good figure. I understand if you might be put off by the design, but if you look past it you’ll find a nice toy. If BigFireBird Toy does anything like this again in the future I might check it out.