Another day, another Titan Class Transformer announcement, eh? Yes, it was only a week ago that we first had confirmation on the upcoming Generations Select Black Zarak, but now here we are with a second giant hunk of robot to fawn over. Oh, and it’s none other than the Ark!

The toy itself looks mighty impressive, standing at a sizeable 19 inches tall and featuring numerous gimmicks that are sure to keep collectors entertained. However, it’s also notable for being the first Titan Class release to not be based on a pre-existing Transformers character, as the robot mode is an entirely new creation for this release! Well, kind of anyway, as there’s perhaps more to this new figure than meets the eye, after all… in fact there’s a lot about it that pays deep homage to various aspects of the franchise from years gone by, as we’ll see.

Firstly, and perhaps most obviously, the whole concept here is that the toy recreates the Autobot’s space shuttle from the Generation 1 cartoon’s pilot episode. In that story, we see the Autobots leave Cybertron aboard the ship as they search for fuel, having depleted their supplies in the battle against the Decepticons. The ship is never actually named as “the Ark” in the cartoon itself, but fans have always given it that moniker after borrowing it from the alternate Marvel comic fiction from the time (although interestingly, the Ark of the comics differs in appearance quite a bit, being grey for starters).

Overall the new Titan toy appears to be a stunningly faithful recreation of the spaceship’s look from the animation, with the shape and proportions all being on point. Even smaller details such as the cockpit and other finer elements are all present-and-correct, as are the two prominent Autobot logos. For my money, I think the obvious gaps on the sides of the toy are a bit of a shame, but overall it really does capture the look quite incredibly well!

Of course the Ark is perhaps most famous for what happens next, as in both the cartoon and the comic continuity, the Autobot spaceship ends up crash-landed on Earth, stuck in the side of Mount St. Hilary and lying dormant for 4 millions years. Whilst it’s not exactly a gimmick of the toy itself, I love that the gorgeous promotional photography even makes reference to this iconic moment!

After the Autobots (and Decepticons) are revived in present times, the Ark becomes their main base of operations, and is often seen protruding from the side of the mountain in memorable fashion (with the Beast Wars cartoon later retconning all of this to show exactly how the Ark came to be positioned in this fashion!). In the comic storyline, Grimlock eventually has the Ark repaired and returned to space during his stint as Autobot leader, whereas in the cartoon, the Ark is later destroyed after an attack by the mighty Trypticon.

Another aspect of this release that many fans will already be familiar with is Teletraan I, the Ark’s on-board super computer. For the new release, this part of the toy evidently folds up and stores away inside the Ark robot’s chest in a bit of a novel twist, but of course it also presents very nicely in its more traditional console form.

Teletraan I was a mainstay of the first Transformers cartoon, regularly being used by the Autobots in their escapades and being voiced by the legendary Casey Kasem (who also voiced characters such as Cliffjumper). The new toy certainly goes out of its way to homage the on-screen look, with various panels and screens all in the correct places.

There’s even a little mini-satellite accessory on top of the new toy, which appears to be a direct nod to the equivalent tool seen in the cartoon’s pilot. In the story, Teletraan sends the satellite out to find suitable alternate forms for the damaged Autobots and Decepticons, and we see it collecting data on vehicles such as the truck that would form the basis for Optimus Prime.

Teletraan I didn’t appear in the comics as such, where instead the Autobot’s computer was named ‘Aunty’. In the expanded UK storyline, Aunty is eventually awoken with critical damage to her circuitry, meaning she is unable to discern between Autobots and Decepticons and therefore poses a threat to both sides, which forces them to work together to stop her. Interestingly, it has since been revealed that ‘Aunty’ was the name originally conceived for the Ark itself in the American storyline, although it was edited out in favour of ‘the Ark’ prior to release (save for one errant example, which is where the inspiration for the UK tale then came from!).

So clearly there are both cartoon and comic influences at play, but here’s a twist for you! For the first time ever, Teletraan I has also been given its own independent robot mode, as the new toy can convert into a distinctly humanoid shape too. What’s even more interesting is that despite the traditionally orange colour scheme, the design elements of the new figure look very familiar indeed…

Yep, it’s a homage to none other than Mainframe, the original toy of which was an Action Master from 1990! He was one of many characters conceived directly for that line and came packaged with his mini-partner, Push-Button. The head on the new Teletraan I toy is unmistakably a nod to Mainframe’s appearance, but even elements such as the chest design appear to replicate some of the finer details quite closely.

What’s fascinating is that although Mainframe’s alternate form has never been confirmed before (given that, as an Action Master, the original toy couldn’t actually transform), a lot of fans have frequently speculated that he turned into some kind of advanced super computer… and now he actually does! It’s an exceptionally niche reference for the new toy to go with, and shows that the people involved with the Ark design clearly have a lot of love for the franchise as a whole. Great stuff indeed!

We’re not done, mind – not by a long shot, as the best is still to come! As impressive as the Ark looks to be in its traditional shuttle form, the brand new take on the robot mode proves to be equally eye-catching, and as already mentioned, it serves up a bit of new life for a familiar part of Transformers lore. That said, there’s a nifty homage going on here too, as elements of the Ark’s robot form clearly pay reference to The Last Autobot from the original Marvel comics storyline.

Wait, The Last who? Well yes, it’s another exceptionally niche nod, but one that I’m sure anyone who’s at least passingly familiar with the ’90s storyline will be happy to see. The Last Autobot was introduced in the penultimate issue of the comic’s original run, only being revealed after Primus himself has been destroyed in battle with Unicron.

By this point, the Autobots and Decepticons have already abandoned Cybertron, fearing that it will soon be destroyed without Primus’ presence, but it seems that the Cybertronian’s creator left The Last Autobot behind as a kind of contingency should something like this ever happen. He is instrumental in helping the Autobots defeat the Decepticons come the end of the initial storyline, resurrecting the deceased (again!) Optimus Prime and subsequently reviving numerous other fallen troops.

Despite his somewhat god-like nature, The Last Autobot never makes much of a mark beyond these original two issues (he’s entirely vanished by the time the Generation 2 storyline picks up, for instance). However his fate is eventually confirmed in the rebooted Regeneration One continuity, where he’s quite simply killed off during an attack by Soundwave as soon as the storyline gets going!

There’s no denying that Autobot-themed headsculpt looks pretty swish, and it’s interesting to see how faithfully the new Ark toy recreates it in 3D form. There are some more subtle callbacks to the character’s comic appearance however, most notably the circular bands around his waist.

The character does feature an alternate form in the comic, but it’s shown to be a rather clunky-looking Cybertronian jet form of sorts, so without question him now transforming into the iconic Autobot spaceship is a bit of an upgrade!

So there you go, some very unusual nods behind this rather stunning new toy! It’s fantastic to see such obvious affection for Transformers history in the DNA of this new design, all the while giving us something entirely fresh and unfamiliar, which feels like a real leap forward for a Titan Class release. ‘Ark at that.

TTFN