What did you use to cut the parts off

 

Can the mask be stored anywhere in robot mode? Philister mentioned the back, but I can't find where...

 

Ive bought two of these and both have the same damn problem. I really want to like this figure but its so frustrating

 

Honestly id have to agree. Ive def had a an easier time transforming mixmaster....i have yet to successfully transform this guy, my alt mode never sits flush

 

I shaved the side tabs and he clips in mostly fine now. He's not a hassle to transform anymore either.

 

I am really dumb and would probably mess that up. Can i give you mine to mod? In exchange for beer or something

 

Haha that sounds fun but I'm scared to mess yours up! What's the exact issue?

 

Every transformer fan should own a metal nail file and some hobby clippers. This figure's a particular turd for it, but even the absolute best figures occasionally need a little work to fit perfect.

 

I picked one up from a Target in Portland Or today, transformed him into car mode once so far. No major issues, really. His neck ball has some excess flash causing his head to pop off, but that's a simple fix. Transforming him, everything always feels like it's going to break. Getting the tabs under the rear windshield to attach to the trunk slots is the hardest part for mine, unsure if it's paint or what. There's no stress pulling the parts away from each other, they are just not sized properly.

Hasbro really needs CGI instructions for these things. the black and white newsprint is too murky, and the sculpt not matching the line drawing in step 14 was particularly frustrating. It looks like more hollow places where added to that area, resulting in 3 possible slots the leg tab 'kinda' fits in.

Loose 'ratchet' joints in parts of the leg would also help with alignment issues. Because everything is rested tabs rather than locked joints, nothing ever feels secure or sturdy unless you manage to get the whole car shell aligned, and any fine tuning may cause something else to pop out.

I almost feel painted windows to allow for less transparent plastic would be the better option for this guy. He is not made to last.

That being said, he seems neat so far, but I will honestly say MP-05 Megatron was less intimidating and felt less fragile and more logical than this dude's transformation.

Also, Siege Hound is basically a short Masterpiece figure, he's amazing.

 

Could you imagine being a parent who's never held a transformer before trying to help your child transform something like this? It'd be a nightmare! The instructions used to be decent, then they were shitty but VISIBLE, and now they're all but useless most of the time. I feel like every terrible design decision was implemented in making them.

 

The Target 2-pack is really bad. Both molds are floppy as hell and neither go into altmode well. They're worthless even as custom fodder. (hopefully just mine)

 

Challenge to hasbro people, transform the figures using your own instructions  
The instructions for SS Grimlock were vague as hell, it's only thanks to me watching a review some time ago that i recall that the knees were supposed to somehow unlock. Likewise with SS Stinger there's this step with the legs that I'm not really sure what you're supposed to do...

 

This right here is my problem WP  

 

Ah shit. Is there glue in the headlight assembly that’s keeping it from rotating?

 

That was the problem with my first copy, yeah. Pretty much screws the whole thing.

 

Mine felt the same way, I think it's just the paint has become stuck since it was manufactured. If you pop his head off his neck, you can get good access to the seam without damaging anything. Once you pop off his face once, it's easier to swap after that.

 

Review time.

Good

+Vehicle mode looks spot on to a VW Beetle.

+It's pretty amazing to see how much bot can fit in such a tiny vehicle mode during Transformation

Bad

-It's difficult to get him to stand up straight with loose joints and odd proportions in bot mode.

-The interchangeable left arm, the hands, and the door wings are all prone to pop off during handling.

-It's a pain to swap the head to the masked one.

-The bot mode looks like a starved version of the movie Bee.

Overall, this guy is kinda garbage like Studio Series 1 Bumblebee. I say "kinda", only because with SS1 Bee you could say, "It's the first of a new line: There will be kinks!" and SS1 closely resembles his movie likeness... but that doesn't fly with Beetle bee. The vehicle mode is just darling and so cute and I want to carry it with me wherever I go but the bot mode is just a mess. Not only does he stray too far from his movie likeness to my eyes, his limbs come off constantly, the head is too difficult to swap, and with so many loose joints and swivels and hindged limbs and kibbles, posing him how I want is super frustrating.

I'll admit, it could be I have a really bad copy of this toy but boy oh boy I've never been more disappointed with a Studio Series figure in my life. I can't even imagine a child trying to play with this thing, it's just not a good one.

Also, I'm angry so I didn't take pictures.

 

I used a dremel and a wheel grinder to grind out his back in order to get the roof kibble to tuck in more.

I also tightened up the hips with a couple layers of super glue and are now very sturdy.


I didn't think his proportions were that accurate until I painted him, and now he seems to be much more representative in that regard imo.

 

Looks amazing Savio you’re a genius! I still hope we get a more accurate transforming bee at some point soon.

 

Thanks! I wonder how possible it would be to get a more accurate bot out of that beetle!