Movie Bumblebee (Ultimate)

Robot Mode: Without having seen the movie yet I must say that Bumblebee is probably a very nice rendition of the TV character. Standing almost 40 centimeters tall, he's the biggest figure of the movie line and his robot mode features lots and lots of detailing and a massive amount of electronic lights and sounds. Phrases from the movie, music pieces, transformation and weapon sounds, he's got them all. Sadly the figure is somewhat limited in posability. The right arm can't bend at the elbow and while the other joints are all fully functional the figures weight and kibble restrict him. So all in all Bumblebee is a great-looking robot, but more for looking at (and listening to) then actually playing with.

Vehicle Mode: Bumblebee folds together into a very big Camaro. Now I'm of two minds about this toy. On one hand it's a pretty good-looking car and you can hardy guess a robot is disguised behind it. On the other hand, on a car this big they could have added a lot more detail to make it more realistic-looking. Transparent windows, better finish, the works. The Alternators look much better in car mode than this baby and they're about half the size. So to sum it up, a good car mode, but the emphasis of this figure is clearly the robot mode.

Remarks: Being one of the main characters in the Transformers movie earns Bumblebee a figure on a scale with Unicron and filled to the brim with electronics. Now myself, not a fan of electronic lights and sounds. As a figure Bumblebee does a very good job as a display piece, but as an actual toy to play with he's a bit too big, too heavy, and too complicated to transform. I needed the help of two friends the first time around to transform him in under thirty minutes, though we didn't have instructions then. Still, he's a very nice looking figure and will make a nice addition to my shelves. Recommended to all those who can afford the hefty price tag this figure will carry once it's out in stores.

Rating: B