COUNTDOWN: Missing Link Sunstreaker & Arcee – 8 things to talk about!

After plenty of speculation about what might be next for the Missing Link line from TakaraTomy, we now have some confirmation, with a pair of hugely exciting reveals dropping at their TF40 Expo!

Best pics I’ve seen of these two yet. No idea who took them, I’m afraid – they’re being shared & re-shared by the minute!

Evidently Arcee is a non-transforming mock-up at this stage with a view to developing the figure proper down the road

What a thing to wake up to! pic.twitter.com/91CkbWrNsI

— Sixo (@SixoTF) September 13, 2024

Sunstreaker is just about as exciting a bit of news as I can imagine for the roster, representing pretty much everything many of us were hoping for from this line of toys by reimagining a vintage classic that has sadly been lost to time. Yet perhaps even more remarkable is Arcee, a modern take on the unproduced 1986 figure for the character that ultimately never was and something which always seemed incredibly unlikely to ever see the light of day. I’ve written about the idea many times before, so suffice it to say, this is a proper ‘pinch me’ moment.

With plenty to discuss, let’s look at this pair of new reveals to see what all the fuss is about!

Expo photos c/o @fuji_seitaiblog, @BWREX & @634the3rd

#8: Sunstreaker looks very close to the vintage figure

On par with what we’ve already come to expect of Missing Link, Sunstreaker appears to be remarkably close to the 1980s original toy, recreating the classic look to a tee but adding plenty of additional articulation to the formula. It’s strange to see such a familiar design decked out in grey resin prototype form here, but one suspects that once it’s properly rendered in plastic and paint, it’ll look almost indistinguishable, bar a few tweaks here and there, such as the newly designed (and seemingly integrated) fists. It’s interesting to note the car mode proudly features the ‘super tuning’ modifications of the original despite the Masterpiece MP-39 take on the character having to also incorporate a more traditional Countach design to appease Lamborghini. No doubt the chrome, diecast and rubber tyres of the vintage specimen will be intact, too!

#7: Arcee is a recreation of her original prototype!

I still cannot believe this is actually real, but the fine folks at TakaraTomy have really dusted off the classic Arcee prototype and reimagined it from the ground up. It’s incredibly close to what could have been back in the day, although with a few additional details to make it more likely to work in reality, which is unsurprising considering that the vintage version was just a painted mock-up. We can see additional wheels on the shoulders, tab holes on the shins, car sides on the arms and a windshield in vehicle form, although none of it detracts from what is an incredible take on an absolutely legendary item in Transformers history!

#6: Sunstreaker appears to be quite articulated

As is typical of Missing Link, this new spin on Sunstreaker has a lot of additional articulation packed into the design compared to the vintage equivalent. The original’s arms could move at the elbow, but here, we can see the shoulders also fan out to the sides, and it appears the arms will move forward at this point, too. Additionally, it seems like the head can likely turn, and there are plenty of extra joints in the legs, including thigh rotation, knee bend and, presumably, some foot movement. We can’t tell from these photos, but I wouldn’t be surprised if the hips worked similarly to Missing Link Convoy’s. Even better, Sunstreaker still boasts the heel stand of his ’80s design, which can be clipped together to recreate the classic look!

#5: Arcee is not a finished figure

Before we get ahead of ourselves, Arcee is not yet a finished design ready to be rolled out for release. Instead, it’s another mock-up – more of a statement of possible intent than anything at this stage. The note in the display mentions that no transformation mechanism has been developed for this design at present. Still, TakaraTomy is working on it and is considering Arcee for a Missing Link release down the line! Fingers crossed it all comes to fruition (though we have a feeling it will!).

#4: Sunstreaker has plenty of potential repaints

Whenever new reveals of this kind surface, speculation naturally turns to what might happen regarding repaints! In the case of Sunstreaker, it’s particularly exciting because of the original toy’s history as the first-ever Diaclone Car Robot design, essentially ushering in everything which quickly evolved to become Transformers in the first place! That toy was initially released in red, of course, and we’d be *stunned* if TakaraTomy doesn’t pay homage to it in Missing Link at some point very soon (perhaps even with a recreated Diaclone driver in the package!). Equally, the white police-themed version is undoubtedly also a shoo-in to be recreated, which couldn’t be more enticing a prospect.

#3: Arcee has at least two potential colour schemes

As far as Arcee is concerned, it’s hard to know which of the two most obvious colour schemes might come first should the mock-up go into production – either the original prototype orange and pink or the more familiar cartoon appearance seen during the 1986 movie! If anything, I can imagine collectors being interested in both options, so perhaps the powers that be might recognise such potential and do a dual release similar to Missing Link Convoy.

#2: What other classic cars might be on the table now?

Sunstreaker feels like a definite statement of intent from TakaraTomy in that it shows they’re maintaining a focus on the very early years of Transformers history by recreating another of the classic Autobot line-up. Naturally, this leads to speculation that we might see more of the same, with characters such as Jazz, Bluestreak, Prowl, Ironhide, Ratchet and many besides all feeling like they could potentially be right around the corner. Sideswipe would also be a terrific inclusion, of course, as a wonderful accompaniment to his Countach brother!

#1: What other dream projects might lie in wait?

Image credit: seibertron.com

As much as I’ve speculated on the idea of an Arcee prototype revival before, it’s one of many dream projects to have received such consideration over the years, and its reveal here feels like, perhaps more than ever before, the sky really is the limit in terms of what we might see happen in the future. After all, if they’re remaking long-forgotten toys, why not revive the classic 1986 Unicron figure? It would be a dream come true for many of us, but this latest news makes it seem like perhaps it’s not so unrealistic after all… time will tell!

So that’s our list! Are you excited about the new Missing Link reveals?

TTFN