Bumblebee
Bumblebee is not my favorite character, in fact, he’s become quite overused since his inclusion in the movies. I did like him as part of the pantheon of original G1 characters, and up until the Bumblebee movie, he never really got a modern representation of his Volkswagen movie form. Since then we’ve had the Masterpiece (too expensive) and the Studio Series (bayverse robot form), so this one is actually the one I’ve been waiting for. It’s a G1-styled Bumblebee that actually turns into a licensed Volkswagen Beetle.
It comes from the Netflix War for Cybertron series, and is part of a Walmart-exclusive line of figures from the series.
The toy borrows heavily from the previously released Cliffjumper. The internal parts and limbs are the same, but the feet, chest, head and shield are new molds. It’s enough of a change that it feels like a new figure.
Bumblebee is not a perfect transformation. The back of the figure must be removed but Hasbro makes up for it by giving it a second life as a shield.
Articulation is great, for such a small figure. The feet are a bit limited in motion, but otherwise it’s got everything you could ask for.
His weapon is identical to the one that came with Cliffjumper, a multi-part bazooka that can be used in many different configurations. Bumblebee has multiple ports in which you can connect the weapon in different ways.
The vehicle mode is great, and resembles a late 70s Volkswagen beetle. It’s pretty tight, although some of the panel lines on the back section are difficult to line up exactly. It’s even got authentic VW hubcaps.
I also appreciate the clear windows, the colored windshield wipers, and the bumpers molded out of separate plastic parts. This toy is only a few details away from a Masteripece level toy.
The bazooka has a use in car mode, and that’s where the black part of the bazooka comes into play. The rear has a hole that specifically keys into the peg on the rear section.
There’s a peg hole on the bottom, so you can technically, use the Bazooka on the bottom as well.
