Set Price: $33 (U.S.)
Allegiances: Autobot
Overall Rating: 7.8

(NOTE: Because this set is composed of repaints, this is not a full-blown review. This mainly covers any changes made to the set and the color scheme, and merely compares it to the original versions of these molds. For a review on the original Prime First Edition Arcee toy, go here. For a review on the original Prime First Edition Bumblebee toy, go here. For a mini-review of the original figurines of Jack & Raf, go here.)
 

Arcee

Size: Deluxe
Difficulty of Transformation: Easy
Color Scheme: Pink, white, silver, and some transparent light blue, black, amd metallic charcoal black and metallic gunmetal gray
Individual Rating: 7.5

    Arcee's New York Comic-Con exclusive version-- actually the first release of this mold, before the "regular" First Edition version came out-- has a color scheme based pretty much entirely off of her G1 version (though she was a car and a VERY different character in G1 compared to her Prime version). Being mostly pink and white, it's definitely a very girly color scheme, and as such there's going to be some who, though they acknowledge that these two colors go together well, also aren't too fond of the color combination because it's a color scheme you more often see in a girls' toy line than a boys', and since you're collecting a boys' toyline, it doesn't appeal to them. I'm one of those guys. The color scheme also just doesn't fit Arcee's character in Prime, at all. (She actually made a "pink" joke in Season 3 of Prime, heavily implying disgust if her color scheme would have been this. A little fourth wall-breaking humor there, I guess.) Still, if the color scheme works for you, or you want a more "G1-y" color scheme on any version of Arcee, it certainly pulls that off well. There's still darker colors used where they're needed, after all, and they largely contrast well with her lighter color scheme-- her blades, face, knees, and part of her main body are silver, with part of her waist being a darker, rather nice shade of metallic gunmetal gray. There's also some black, both on her tires and used for her motorcycle seat and exhaust pipes-- the latter two are paint, but an odd chrome-like metallic black, which makes them pretty much the exact color of a real motorcycle seat, something I appreciate. Her transparent plastic is blue, which goes well with the pink and just fits the alt mode well, too.
    No mold changes have been made to NYCC Arcee.
 

Bumblebee w/ Jack & Raf

Size: Deluxe
Difficulty of Transformation: Medium
Color Scheme: Dull orangish yellow, swirly metallic gunmetal gray, and some black, very light gray, silver, translucent dull turquoise, dark metallic gunmetal gray, and red
Individual Rating: 8.2

    Bumblebee doesn't get nearly the makeover that Arcee does in this set-- he's mostly the same palette, if not the exact same colors. His primary color is a more orangish yellow (like many of his movie toys), and his transparent blue plastic has been replaced with a barely-translucent dull turquoise. I like the latter, as it contrasts with the other colors better and doesn't make the robot parts inside the windows obvious (indeed, they aren't really visible anymore). The orangish-yellow, while not bad, I'm not as fond of as the "straighter" yellow on Bumblebee, as it just isn't quite as... bee-like? I guess that would be the word. Most of Bumblebee's robot bits-- his feet, stomach, upper legs, and the like-- are kept the same exact colors on this version as on the original First Edition version. A few minor paint apps-- such as those on his chest-- have been mixed up a little, but nothing's really noteworthy in this department except the really obvious ones-- the "NYC TAXI" stripes on his vehicle mode with checkered bits here and there. I like the checkered areas because of the visual differentiation, but this is a pretty weak attempt at making Bumblebee look like a taxi. Because, let's face it... he doesn't. That's why he needs those "NYC TAXI" letters on his car doors, to let you know that that's what he's supposed to be here. Also, the stripes aren't in quite as many places as on the original First Edition version (for example, the roof is bare), so it doesn't make the vehicle mode look quite as visually interesting this time around.
    As for the human partners Jack and Raf, they're largely unchanged from the First Edition giftset, except for the obvious fact that both of them have white "NY" T-shirts on with an Autobot symbol. It's kind of a plain way to make them New York-themed, IMO. Maybe instead they should have painted up Raf in a taxi cab drivers' uniform and Jack in Daniel Witwicky's outfit colors? I dunno, but as-is they aren't doing much for me.
    No mold changes have been made to either NYCC Bumblebee or NYCC Jack & Raf.

    This set is, as of this writing four years after its release, the only NYCC-exclusive Transformer set to come out, and it's fairly easy to see why they didn't do any in subsequent years. Even given that Comic Con sets are aimed at a more exclusive audience, this set has a pretty limited appeal, even at its rather reasonable convention price. Both of these molds' original color schemes I consider superior, so I can only see this appealing to A. Fans who REALLY want a G1-colored Prime Arcee, regardless of how much it fits her character; B. Bumblebee completists; or C. Transfans that have a special place in their hearts for New York City. If you don't fit into any of those categories, skip these and pick up the original First Edition versions of these molds.

Reviews by Beastbot

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