Deluxe Bumblebee - Movie - Review
The countdown is now underway. With 6wks before the movie finally hits the bigscreen, the movie figures are now starting to find homes on store shelves. 6 Deluxe class figures are the first offerings being released. This series of reviews will start with Bumblebee. He is the first Autobot to travel to earth in order to gather reconnaissance.
Alt Mode
Bumblebee assumes the Alt mode of a 1976 Chevrolet Camaro. He is mostly yellow with twin black comp stripes running on the hood and trunk. The missiles used in Robot mode extrude from under the rear end as mufflers. Bumblebee isn't exactly pristine, either, as there are random signs of wear on the roof, front fenders and rear quarterpanels.
The design isn't exactly clean. Granted, this is a Deluxe figure. However, there are more seams than you can shake a stick at. This includes a cluttered looking hood and a nasty gap near the front of the doors. The tires also look rather cheap and out of place. Overall, though, the design is faithful to the 2nd generation of Camaro.
Transformation
As with most recent Transformers offerings, there is always a gimmick. For the movie lineup, this gimmick is known as Automorph Technology. There are certain points during transformation where it transforms itself. For Bumblebee, this is seen at the very first step. Press the rear of the cowl assembly and the whole front end flips down. The headlight assembly also protrudes. There is also another instance of automorph in the legs. Once the rear end is flipped up, pushing the backglass down extends the calves of the legs. One last note on the transformation process. When transforming this figure, which is pretty uncomplicated, make sure you fully lock the shoulders in place. Otherwise, the wheels will spin freely.
Robot Mode
Bumblebee retains his color scheme in robot mode, with black showing up on the limbs. An Autobot symbol also appears on his chest, although it is silver. He has missile launchers that can either be held in his hand or mount on his shoulders. This is why it's important to lock the shoulders in place. Otherwise, the launchers will spin around freely (and usually end up where you don't want them). An interesting note is that, while there are no license plates front or back in Alt mode, somehow a license plate ends up on his groin area. Perhaps a hint of what to expect with the Voyager mold?
Points of articulation are as follows. Feet: Rivet hinge, 135 degree rotation. Knees: screw hinge, 45 degree vertical rotation. Knee is also pegged for free horizontal range. Hips: Ball joints, 180 degree horizontal and 75 degree vertical rotation. Shoulders: Ball joints, unlimited horizontal and 90 degree vertical rotation. Elbows: Ball joints 90, degree vertical and unlimited horizontal rotation. Head: Ball joint, unlimited horizontal rotation. Articulation is set up very well and all the joints were stiff. Note that while the head can tilt forward and back, it might require adjusting the chest plate so it's aligned again.
Overall, this is a very nice figure. The seam lines in the Alt mode are a bit of a putoff, and the legs in robot mode are a bit gapped, but overall it is pleasing. Worth the $10 asking price.
| Reviewer | Blitzwing |
| Date | May 19th 2007 |
| Score |   (9 out of 10) |
| Reads | 10035 |
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