Unboxing Hasbro’s Transformers: War for Cybertron Kingdom Titan Autobot Ark

Hasbro clearly has the classic Transformers touch! After showing us the terrifying 27-inch Planet Eater, Unicron, popularised by the original animated movie, they’ve landed yet another masterpiece for Transformer fans – the War for Cybertron: Kingdom Titan Autobot Ark.

Hasbro is calling this the fully automated Vanguard-class Deep Space Interceptor, but Transformers G1 fans will recognise this as the original spaceship that escaped Cybertron and carried the Autobots to Earth back in Generation 1. Like Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, Soundwave, and Starscream, the Ark is an iconic Transformer that cannot be missed if you’re an OG fan.

Wait. The Ark transforms? Since when?

Actually, this isn’t the first time that Hasbro has released an Ark that transforms. Previously, there was the 12-inch Cyberverse Spark Armor Ark Power Optimus Prime figure that was meant for children, and not meant for collectors. Officially, this makes the Kingdom Titan version the first time the spaceship is made in its full transformable form.

For the adult collectors, Hasbro will impress you with the work they’ve put into the Ark, as it looks magnificent thanks to its clean paint job and intricate cybernetic details adorning the surface of the ship.

Along with a bunch of turrets, there are two painted Autobot insignias that are etched into the material, along with burning tints of metallic silver finish at the front of the ship to illustrate its entry into Earth’s atmosphere before crashing into the mountains in the G1 series – the Ark is definitely an incredible add-on to anyone’s collection.

The spaceship also features landing gears and a button to release its ramp, perfect for your Autobot roll out. Well, if you have the miniatures that is.

Well, the Ark comes with a miniature of the Optimus Prime which you can fit inside or display beside the ramp. There are also 6 additional blast effect accessories you can fit behind its rocket engines, which look great on paper but we found difficulty in attaching them to the ship.

If you cannot manage the multiple transformation points for Unicron (which took us one afternoon), Hasbro has made the Ark transform to its 19-inch robot mode in 26 simple steps, though that’s not all as the Ark also comes with two more surprises.

In Ark mode, the ship opens to reveal a cavity that houses a module. This module can be removed and converted the bridge mode of the Ark, and there are small seats and small screen where miniature figures, such Optimus Prime, can be placed,

It can also transform into the Autobot computer, Teletraan-1 in 20 simple steps. Traditionally located within the Ark, you can now use Teletraan-1, which is scaled to the size of normal figures, as an accessory alongside the other Transformers figurines you have in your collection.

Teletraan-1 comes with a detailed display, and comes with G1-inspired Sky Spy accessory that you can sit on top of him. Behind the sentient computer, you’ll find two Beast Wars-inspired Golden Disk accessories of Voyager and Vok, that can fit in the WFC-K18 Dinobot (sold separately) figure’s hand.

But that’s not all, as this module is also a triple-changer, as Teletraan-1 can be further transformed into the Autobot Mainframe, in 21 steps, which is relatively straightforward. This Deluxe Class figure is based on the classic G1 character who would rather deal with complex computing equations than with Decepticons, though the yellow colours here differ from the original red and blue.

In terms of size, the Ark in its robot mode stands eye to eye to Transformers Generations War for Cybertron Earthrise Titan WFC-E25 Scorponok and is roughly half the height of Unicron in its planet-mode.

In robot mode, the Ark’s fingers have much less articulation compared to that of Unicron. When it comes to scale, it’s definitely disproportionate since the crowdfunded Unicron is supposed to be a planet after all. To illustrate the intended true difference in size, you can check out the miniature of the Ark that came with Unicron.

Compared to the Planet Eater, the War for Cybertron: Kingdom Titan Autobot Ark comes at a much more affordable price of US$169.99 but it’s completely sold out on pre-orders on Hasbro Pulse, so you might have to find one on the second-hand market. Or, if you live in Singapore, you can find one on Falcon’s Hangar, RoboRobo and Lazada for S$299.90. It is slated for release on 1 July 2021.

If you’re in the US, you can get it from Entertainment Earth as well for US$159.99.