Revenge of the Fallen Alliance Bumblebee

Review by CakedUp:

Robot Mode: The original concept Camaro Bumblebee was regarded as one of the best, if not the best, molds from the 2007 movie line. I never picked him up though because I didn’t like the gun/blade accessory (this was before bailouts). This newer retooling of that mold has made me happy that I waited. The detailing on every inch of this toy is superb. The only thing I don’t like is the face sculpt, it reminds me of a bug eyed Mega Man and its kinda creepy.

There is tons of posability to be had with the exception of the shoulders if you do not have the doors positioned right. The right arm dropped the funky gun/blade and is now a molded plasma cannon with a firing missile. The engineering on that isn’t too shabby either. His legs are not only stable, but extra posable. Although, when I put him in a kneeling position his auto-morph kicked in and started moving parts around, but they are otherwise flawless. His arms and waist accommodate for all kinds of action poses even though they move at odd angles.

As with the Transformers of old, there are little kibbly bits on all of his limbs, but they are not the shellformer kind like Brawn. They actually appear to be incorporated into the robot mode and they do it seamlessly. The doors spread out as they resemble bee wings. Most of the Preview Bumblebee’s body was yellow and gray, but the new one has replaced all of the gray with black, except for the face. Since this is a repaint not related to the movie, the yellow toes do get points taken away for a lack of accuracy.

Alternate Mode: As much as I don’t like GM, I have to admit I love the design of the new Camaro. Bumblebee has done such a fine job of marketing this new car, so much that here in Jacksonville, FL, I have counted 24 different yellow Camaros with various “Bumblebee” accessories or stickers adorning them. One car even has their license plate read BMBLEBE (7 character limit) along with several Autobot faction symbols on it, including one that takes up the center of the hood. Fortunately, my Honda Element had them on the rear panel windows long before this car was available.

The same great detailing is still here, but the Alliance figure has much thicker racing stripes on the roof and hood with the addition of two more black panels on the doors displaying the N.E.S.T. logo. However, the stripes no longer continue to the trunk and beyond ... oh well. On the front quarter panels you will see the word Camaro molded in and the headlights and taillights are painted in. Since this is a production car, there aren’t many other painted details because real cars do not have that many in reality. I do wish the exhaust pipes and the license plate were painted in on the rear.

The missile can actually store in this mode by plugging it into the weapon from the underside. I don’t recommend putting in before you transform him though. There are several seams, but the darker paintjob does wonders at hiding the long one on the roof. The one and only true detraction from the vehicle is that you can see some of his feet from the side and behind the vehicle. Despite this he is still a fantastic piece for any collection, especially if you collect multiple Bumblebees.

Key Transformation Points: The yellow tabs on his heels are meant to be pushed towards the ankles as they are not heel spurs. It is closer to the animation model. However it is a matter of preference.

Remarks: I only collect one figure with a name from all toylines. Bumblebee is one of four that I will collect multiples of though. This particular figure is excellent in every fashion, I just hope I haven’t offended you with my beliefs about GM. If you think like me, I would still get him because he is that great. And if you don’t think like me you would be crazy not to get at least one of him.

Rating: A-

P.S. For those who are curious, I collect Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, Megatron, and Starscream. However, for each line I only collect one of any class of figure.

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