Call me crazy, but this guy just reeks of “intellectual property infringement.” Looking at the box, it’s hard to believe that this isn’t an official Hasbro release, but make no mistake — this is an unlicensed (bootleg?) toy that is not affiliated with Hasbro nor Takara, despite the words “Autobot” and “Bumblebee” appearing all over the packaging. And not only is this in violation of Hasbro’s intellectual property, but Volkswagon’s as well. Volkswagon is a notorious holdout in terms of granting Hasbro/Takara the go-ahead to use their vehicles’ likenesses for Transformers characters, so it would appear this company — Art Feather — is simply doing whatever it wants, and is apparently getting away with it, so it’ll be interesting to see if we see more of this type of thing in the future. And I know I’m a little behind the curve with this review since he came out a couple months ago, but I’ve had enough people ask me about him that a review, late as it may be, feels appropriate.
The packaging here is really nice, sharper than any other Transformers packaging I can think of. And look at it! Huge Autobot logo, Bumblebee’s name and likeness, stills from the cartoon, a bio — Art Feather really went all out here in terms of violating copyrights, and it just looks awesome. It’s definitely a box that’s worth keeping, if that’s your thing.
There are actually two editions of this guy that were released. The only real difference between the two is the wheels (the wheels are rubber on both versions, by the way). On the first edition, they hardly move at all. They rub against the wheel housing and that allowed for very little movement. The second edition corrected this and the wheels now spin as easily as can be. There’s no indication on the box as to what edition is contained within, so it can be a gamble. Chimungmung.com has the second edition listed, but when I ordered it I received the first edition. They were very accommodating, however, and let me swap it for a second edition. It’s been said that the colors are also a bit different from one edition to the other, but I couldn’t see any differences between the two to that effect.
I just have to say — I am so happy to have a modern Bumblebee that transforms into a yellow VW Bug. The G1 Bumblebee will always be my definitive Bumblebee, so when I found out such a figure had been released, my curiosity went through the roof. He’s not perfect, mind you (far from it, actually), but this will be my default Bumblebee for the foreseeable future. What’s also nice is that he comes with a sheet of custom-made stickers designed specifically for him, so you don’t need to place an order with Reprolabels. The Autobot logo he comes with is a little stylized, so I can see that bugging some people, but I don’t think it’s too big a deal.
His head is a new sculpt, which was a surprise. At a glance it looks so similar to the Classics head that I just took for granted that it was the same old head. There are a few differences, though — his horns are pointier and he doesn’t have that “goatee” thing on his chin that the Classics does. It’s a nice looking head, but it’s not quite as “G1” as it could have been. It’s missing the mark somehow in the cartoon-accuracy department. I still dig it, though.
I had a really hard time photographing this guy because the yellow parts that make up his VW “shell” are painted with a high, high gloss yellow paint. It’s way more glossy than anything else I’ve encountered on a Transformer toy (or any other toy for that matter), and it reflects light like crazy, so it was really tough to get pics of him that weren’t glare-heavy, so some of these pics may not be the greatest. Speaking of the paint, I’m kind of impressed with how well the yellow bits of ‘bot mode match the glossy paint of his alt mode. It’s not a perfect match, of course, but it’s close ( and closer in person since the camera seems to amplify the differences a bit).
He’s just a little bit taller than the Classics Bumblebee we’re used to, and the extra height makes him a good fit with the Masterpiece figures. It’s essentially the same figure we’ve seen many times before, but with a different vehicle shell. The transformation is exactly the same as the Classics’ and there really aren’t any significant differences at all apart from the shell. I should mention that his chest piece and backpack don’t lock down at all. They just kind of hang there, loose. Seems like a big oversight, but it doesn’t harm his appearance at all. It does, however, make him a bit “floppy” when handled.
I like him, but one thing I really dislike is that part of the “backpack” that just extends way up over his head. It looks kinda terrible and I’m surprised they didn’t find a way to better integrate it into his transformation. I mean, I do get it — more moving parts = higher cost, etc., so I do understand why this didn’t happen, but then we’re left with something that just kinda looks like… crap.
He comes with a gun! This is the first Bumblebee in recent memory to come equipped with a blaster, so that alone is pretty cool. He comes with a lot of accessories, actually. But I have to say — and this will be the last time I mention this — I would have preferred the cost of the accessories to have been used to create a more streamlined ‘bot mode, specifically when it comes to the darn backpack.
He also comes with two swappable hands. One is in a “waving” position (above), while the other is a “thumb’s up!” (below). Pretty cool, but I doubt I’ll ever really use either. I’m old school — I prefer the classic “fist with a hole for a weapon” hands that I’m so used to.
He has all the same articulation as the Classics Bumblebee, so if you’ve ever owned one of those, then you should know exactly what to expect. He is, however, quite loose in places, particularly his doors. Those things just spin and spin if they’re not locked in place. Other than the doors, everything else is nice and tight.
His alt mode is just awesome. I can’t imagine a more perfect representation of a yellow VW Bug for a Transformer toy. And it looks like a high-quality model rather than a toy. It’s just really sharp. One bugaboo, though — his “seats” that form his upper legs don’t move all that well and they’re stuck in a perpetual “down” position in his alt mode. It’s the only thing that detracts at all from his alt mode. I do find them somewhat easy to ignore, but since they’re chrome, my eye always has a way of drifting in their direction, so I’m continually aware of that shortcoming. It’s not horrible, but man, when the rest of it is so close to being perfect, this really stands out as imperfect.
It’s about the same size as the Classics alt mode, despite his being a bit taller in ‘bot mode. It’s just so cool to see Bumblebee as a little yellow VW Bug. This is really what you’re paying for when you buy this guy. His ‘bot mode is pretty standard, so it’s the alt mode that makes him worth the purchase.
He also comes with his pal Spike Witwicky, complete with hardhat. A very under-articulated representation of Spike, anyway. There is zero articulation here, so poor Spike is continually stuck in a “Sure, I’ll volunteer!” pose. And he comes with a lunchbox. A lunchbox that can only sit beside him because he can’t hold it. It’s neat, but — again — why? These are resources that could have been better put to use elsewhere.
We’ve seen other Spikes (and a Sam) released, and while this one certainly does not look bad, it’s just so lame that he’s a statue. He’s roughly the same size as the Spike from Dr. Wu’s “Partners” set (which also included Sparkplug), so if you really want a good Spike, then that would be the way to go, I think. Or, if you like the idea of Spike constantly waving “Hello!” from your shelves, then this one would do just fine as well. But, like most of Bumblebee’s accessories, he and his lunchbox are going right back in the box. I’ve got two other Spikes to choose from that are both better.
Then there’s this coin that he comes with for some reason. It’s really fancy and nice, but definitely something I don’t need. This thing is the very definition of “superfluous.” It is interesting, however, that the word “Transformers” is embossed right on the coin.
Lastly, he includes a “collector” card that gives us a breakdown of his stats. It’s a nice, heavy card, but, like everything else he comes with, it’s just one more thing I could have happily done without. Back in the box it goes.
It’s awesome to finally have a modern Bumblebee that turns into a VW Bug, so I’m happy I picked him up, but your mileage may definitely vary with this one. And be warned — this guy is pricey. He’s about $70 shipped, depending on where you go, and this seems like an awful lot for what he is. I would have loved to have gotten just the figure and the blaster in a much simpler box and then maybe I would have saved some money, but it is what it is. Many of the usual online stores aren’t carrying him, either. The only places I’ve seen him available for sale are Chimungmung.com, the TFW2005 BST, and eBay. I guess with so many blatant intellectual property infringements, most stores would prefer to avoid him for fear of incurring Hasbro’s wrath.
I like him, but he could be better, and his price tag seems a bit steep for what he is. But I have to recommend him for his alt mode alone. That is just plain awesome.
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