Paul Kubiak's CyberFembot A.R.C. review

The breakdown of my A.R.C. by the numbers

1     X-Acto knife
3     X-Acto blades
2     #0 fine tip paint brushes
1     Can of Krylon Fusion Pink paint
1     Can of Krylon Fusion Blue paint
1     Roll of paper towels  (Not pictured)
1     Jar of paint thiner
8     Different Testors Enamel paints
1     Pair of tweezers
1     Sharpie
1     Small Phillips head screwdriver
1     Pair of pliers
1     Pair of scissors
1     Bolt cutter
1     Roll black electrical tape
1     Piece of low grit sandpaper
1     Bottle of glue
1     Two sided model clamp
1     Electrical drill and drill bits   (Not pictured)
4     Flesh wounds from x-acto blade
6     Band-Aids
23   Hours of assembly time
8     Hours of Fine tuning and painting time
9     Reference photo's
324 Unprintable expletives during assembly
1     Very happy A.R.C. owner



The A.R.C. figure by Rabid Squirrel Productions fills a void in the action figure world by giving us a fully transformable female robot. Not since the Transformers Beast Wars Transmetal II Black Arachnia figure has there been a female robot sculpt that actually has proportionate female characteristics.


The Sculpt

The attention to detail on the A.R.C. is unbelievable. Vents, panel lines, seats, clear headlights, rubber tires, you name it. The amount of time that was spent on hand-crafting the A.R.C. is clearly evident. This is a work of art in my opinion. 
Grade:  A



The Articulation

Out of this world. The A.R.C. has articulation in the following points: Swivel wrists that can pop out and interchange with open hands/closed fists, two elbow joints, an upper arm swivel, ball jointed shoulders, rotating shoulder blades, ball jointed head, rotating hips, inside thigh joint, two knee joints, shin pivots and ankle joints. you could literally spend days coming up with different poses for this toy.
Grade:  A



The Features

The A.R.C.'s main action feature is the D.M.A.N. headmaster figure that makes up the head. Being as how small the figure is, it's amazing the detail that was added to him. It is a simple matter of rotating the knees and feet up to make the A.R.C.'s head, so there is not much play ability to him given it's size, but it is a nice feature. The second accessory is A.R.C.'s two pistols. In an area some toy manufacturers skimp on at times, the detail to her weapons is a nice touch. One other cool feature is the ports for both of her weapons in Alt mode to make an attack mode if you will, as well as serving as holsters in robot mode.
Grade:  A



The Dirty Shame

If there is any negative or constructive criticism that can be applied to the A.R.C. it is minor, although there are a few. One in particular is the Shin Pivot. This part of the A.R.C. takes more stress than any other piece, mainly because of it's very small size and because once assembled the A.R.C. can be a little top heavy. If you are assembling a kit version of this toy yourself, extra care must be taken with this area. Because if this piece breaks, you won't be able to fully fit the feet under the car when transforming her into alt mode. One other minor point would be the windshield in alt mode. The plastic one works and fits just fine, but the clear plastic one would have been a nice touch to have with the Kit version.


The Verdict

As a collector I have been waiting for a toy like this for years. Since it's obvious no one else was going to do it, the minds over at Rabid Squirrel Productions have really stepped up and made a great figure. One thing to keep in mind is that I received a do-it-yourself kit. These kits are NOT for everybody. As a collector who also enjoys kitbashing and repainting, this project was fun for me. It may not be for other people. If you are a collector who simply wants a finished product to take out of the box and display right away, you will be dissapointed. This is a HAND crafted toy. There are imperfections in the mold and it is unpainted. This kit is really for kitbashers who love to get their hands dirty. It is made of a high quality Resin Plastic material, not the kind of CAD software designed and injection molded plastic you see in other transforming robots. This is different. This is not to be compared with the assembly and materials of Hasbro or other related toys. This is a work of art in my opinion. And it may be a long time before we ever see a transforming female robot with this kind of attention to detail again. Hats off to RSP for making an amazing toy.

Final Grade: A

-Paul K.

Want to read Paul's full write up?

Check it out HERE.