I have to be honest with you; I haven’t bought a Transformers figure from Takara-Tomy for quite some time now. I think the last time; I actually bought any Takara-Tomy figures were the ROTF Leader Class Optimus & Jetfire. No disrespect here, but Takara-Tomy’s stuffs are just too expensive for my budget. In these parts, the price difference that range between 10 to 20 bucks, to even more than 100 bucks!!! That’s just too much.
However, to Takara-Tomy’s credit, their product, although they share a common mould, tends to have much better finishing quality than Hasbro’s. Still, whenever possible, I’ll still go for the lower budget options. And now that we got that out of the way, let’s continue on.
Years back, when Hasbro released the updated Bumblebee figure via their Classics line in 2006, I thought it looked great. I thought of getting my hands on it, but could not quite do so due to the limited quantities in these shores. So disappointingly, I had to wait. Then came the Henkei’s version, which I missed out yet again. After these two bouts with fate, I was beginning to relent to fate that I was never gonna get this version of Bumblebee.
Then came the news of Takara-Tomy’s Transformers United. I was ecstatic, but I didn’t know how it would look like in real life. Then when I finally saw it with my own eyes, all of a sudden, I felt glad that I missed out on the previous two. This version was way cooler.
Anyhow, let’s get on with the review.
Robot mode:
This is the mode that Bumblebee came packed in. I have to say, the colors are just brilliant. Bumblebee is no longer yellow in color, but golden – I mean really sparkling GOLD!!! I could imagine the Japanese releasing a 24-carat gold-plated limited edition Bumblebee someday. Who knows? But I know I won’t be buying ‘em.
Anyways, the figure also comes with a jetpack, formed by his Jet Ski trailer – the Wave Crusher.
The head can only turn left and right. The shoulders and elbows are on universal ball joint, while the wrists don’t turn. The hips too are on ball joints. The legs bend and turn at the knee, and lastly, Bumblebee also has a sort of ankle movements, but most likely due to its transformation. The joints are all very tight which in turn offers a lot of pose-ability.
Finally, the specs of the character are as follows: 10 for Courage; 9 for Speed; 8 for Intelligence & Skill; 6 for Fireblast; & 5 for Strength, Endurance & Rank. It’s worth to note that while the specs are evenly given, the 6 for Fireblast is a bit contentious since Bumblebee doesn’t come with any sorts of weaponry at all.
Alternate Mode:
Honestly, I think they should have named him Goldbug instead. His metallic gold coloring suits him very nice. He looks exquisite and very striking – very nice. The small Jet Ski trailer that he lugs around doesn’t really disturb the entire look, but very nice indeed. While I am not sure what car model he is exactly, I could actually see traces of Volkswagen Beetle and the Suzuki Swift in it. But regardless of anything, his alternated looks and feels realistic.
Overall:
Bumblebee is a nice little figure, which I didn’t believe that I could ever get it in the first place. He is truly a pleasure to the eyes and looks truthfully to his G1 origin. He is definitely a figure worth having, and I suggest that you go out and get him if you don’t already have any of the previous releases or even his mould brother, Cliffjumper.
Final verdict, 9/10.
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