Toy Review - Buzzworthy Bumblebee
Series - Generations
Sub-line - War For Cybertron Trilogy
Cross-line - Buzzworthy Bumblebee
Size/class - Core
New/remould/redeco - New
Wave - 1
Released here - April
Approximate Retail Price - $29
Approximate Size - 8cm
Allegiance - Autobot
Alt-mode - Mazda Familia/323 (approximation)
Main Features/Gimmicks - weapon storage in alt mode
Main Colours - yellow, black
Main Accessories - gun, Spike Witwicky in exosuit
https://i.ibb.co/HXdyWYx/1.jpghttps://i.ibb.co/TDyhCQ3/2.jpg
Bumblebee's alt-mode is a hatchback with painted windows, headlights, bumper ;) and an Autobot logo. The included gun can be stored underneath the vehicle which is better than some of the other core class figures who have their weapons showing on the outside.
Spike is planking and that's literally all he does.
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Bumblebee's robot mode gives off enough of the G1 cartoon vibe, especially with that head sculpt and pipe arms. His feet are a bit boxier than I'm used to but overall it's still Bumblebee.
Exceptional range of articulation for a toy of this size class. Only thing he's lacking which larger WFC figures have is ankle tilts, but given the way his feet transform I'm not surprised.
Spike's arms can move... yay? Wait, is that even Spike in there? I honestly can't tell.
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Okay, who are we kidding? That vehicle mode is CLEARLY G1 Bumblejumper inspired. Not only is it based off a Mazda Familia/323, but it even has the back flap and sticker detail from the G1 toy moulded into it as well as smooth hubcaps.
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From the neck down this could easily be Bumblejumper. From the ankles up this could easily be Bumblebee. Really is open either way depending on the individual.
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I suppose another valid comparison would be with the last Bumblebee and Spike set, which was in the Takara Legends line. Legends Bumblebee also turns into a hatchback, but the Spike is a headmaster.
Truth be told, I think the headmaster wins here even though I'll never use it.
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The Buzzworthy robot mode is cleaned up a lot better than the old Legends toy despite being a smaller size class. What ended up being arm kibble on the legends has been shifted to the back of the core class. The leg proportions are much nicer and the head sculpt is way more toon accurate.
Once again, Legends Spike wins in this comparison. Not only did they paint a head in but it actually has more articulation despite being smaller.
https://i.ibb.co/n6snYQ2/1.jpghttps://i.ibb.co/RDtyxv5/2.jpg
Lastly, how does this fella stack up against his WFC buddies? Well he's too small to scale with the Netflix Bumblebee and Earthrise Cliffjumper (assuming you want to view this toy as Bumblejumper).
https://i.ibb.co/qCN1Z8m/3.jpg
Scales about right next to Kingdom Prime though. I mean, they can't shrink this guy too much and still call it core class.
All in all a decent Bumblebee with the potential to be a real good CHUG Bumblejumper if they retool the head. I'd have preferred if they hadn't bothered with Spike and lowered the price point.
I imagine the real purpose of this toy is to scale with the upcoming Ark, which I'm sure will entice some collectors who were otherwise uninterested.
EDIT: initially I had mentioned in this review that sometimes the rear wheels move and sometimes they don't. I worked out that if you give the sides as well as the front and rear ends a good squeeze together, then that will enable enough room in the arches for the wheels to move freely. My bad!
