Transformers Reviews

Bumblebee

June 13, 2008 10:27 pm Ryan Animated, Deluxe, Toy Reviews

Okay, now it’s time to review the fastest thing on wheels, Deluxe Animated Bumblebee. You’d think after the movie toyline pimped ‘Bee out, I’d be sick of him, but, uh, yeah. I’m not. It looks like he’s not going to get the endless new versions this time around, too. But I bloody well better get a Wasp and Cliffjumper, because I’m a redeco junkie.

Out of the box, Bumblebee is a sporty little compact, done up in the yellow and black colours you’d expect. The yellow isn’t too bright, which is nice, but I’d have liked it if the paint apps for the headlights were a little brighter. They just blend in, to the point where I’d almost think they weren’t there. It’s a nice, simple deco, and the light on the roof is a nice touch (I hope they have a change of heart and remove it from later uses of the mould, especially ones that don’t give it a paint app of its own). The colour does appear a bit uneven on the bits that are painted yellow (because they’re made of translucent plastic for the windows) versus the parts that are moulded yellow. In vehicle mode, you can attach the Sumdac turbo boosters to the rear windows (those peg holes are well placed, and blend in nicely when not in use, I find) for some added fun.

Transformation from Little Yellow Compact to Robot

Swing the door pieces down. Weep a little that he can’t use his arms in vehicle mode like in the show.
Pull the rear window sections away from the body of the car. Rotate the front end and roof of the car at the swivel just behind the back window.
Split the legs, and pull the front bumper pieces up to form the feet. Pull the windshield sections slightly away from the leg, and turn them upside down (so the roof is at the heel, and the windshield just below the knee).
Swing the chest down, and bring the two rear window pieces together to form a triangular bit on the back (he doesn’t have wings like his movie counterpart).
Fold the stingers into the forearms, and rotate the hands out.

There he is. He may be small, but he’s scrappy! Actually, he’s pretty much the same size as the other deluxes, like Ratchet. This isn’t Alternators, so don’t expect much in the way of scale here. He’s pretty accurate to his cartoon model in robot mode, although his paint applications could use some work (blacklining, continuing his stripe up his shin, that sort of thing), and I’m sure I’ll wind up doing the common mod and trimming the stingers to fit into the arms better. I’d also like to get show accurate paintjobs on the stingers and turbo boosters. Some of the included blacklining on the toy seems to have bled (just the crotch, for some reason). Speaking of the turbo boosters, his transformation scheme allows them to to fit into the appropriate parts of his back to mimic the show. What fun! All told, he’s a nice little figure with enough articulation to express just about whatever manic pose you think he’d look good in. Well, except mine has loose knees. Other than that, no problems.

Articulation Breakdown

Head - Ball joint and swivel
Arms - Ball joint and swivel shoulders, swivel elbows
Legs - Swivel waist, ball joint hips, swivel knees, ball joint and swivel feet

Score

Deco: Rating: . It’s nice, the yellow is just bright enough, but the missing stripe irks me, and the lack of any paint at all on the hands and forearms is just dull. Love that little smirk, though.
Posability: Rating: . He’s got lots of articulation, but the loose knees are annoying, and his arms don’t seem to be able to get all that they should out of the joints they have. What a pity.
Transformation: Rating: . I like it. It’s got some interesting twists, like the flip on the back of his shins and the collapse of the side panels to form his back, that just seem so right.
Badassery: Rating: . Yeah, he’s not really built for this category. It almost doesn’t seem right including it at all.
Vehicle Mode: Rating: . It’s pretty much perfect. Fanzone’s car couldn’t hope for a better toy. The ability to add the turbo boosters are a nice touch, and managed to completely distract me from the disappointment of not being able to use his arms in this mode.
Robot Mode: Rating: . Again, pretty much perfect. Show accurate (except the minor deco details that can easily be painted in later - black is easy to colour match). What more could you want?