Got this guy today with Grimlock. Not bad. These toys are pretty hollow though compared to even AOE Generations. Shame but oh well.

 

First time I had to 'think' about buying a mainline Bee. He'd make a pretty cool Vehicon.

Picked up Bee and Strongarm. If these were 10 bucks then it wouldnt be too bad.
Usually TFs are like plastic crack, these are like plastic marijuana.
Not much going on with these guys everything is so basic. A generic way to feed the withdrawals between Generations purchases.

Dig bee's car mode and the sword is a nice bonus.

 

Is there really no thread for this figure yet? Couldn't find one, but if I missed it, please merge this one into it.


For more pics, click on the image above

Robot Mode: A new toyline, a new Bumblebee figure (well, one of several). And coming out before the obligatory Optimus Prime figure, too? Bumblebee really has come a long way since 2007, hasn’t he? Anyway, this toy here is clearly meant to be Bumblebee as he’s been portrayed ever since the first live-action movie. Yellow with black stripes, check. Car-wing doors, check. One thing is new, though: after having spent most of the last eight years as a mouthless, bug-eyed guy, Bumblebee has finally regained a human-like face for his RID Warrior-class incarnation.

The robot as such follows the same design aesthetics as the other RID 2.0 toys I’ve seen so far, meaning simplified, streamlined, and more stylized than the Prime toys were. That said, he looks good to me and I like this toy version of him a lot more than most of the Movie and Prime BB toys I’ve seen in recent years. It helps that he comes with a big sword, too. I like sword-wielding Transformers. Is that supposed to be the Star Saber, by the way? It doesn’t look the same, but somewhat similar. Well, we’ll probably have to wait for the TV series for more information here.

Articulation is okay, though a sword-wielding robot should always have twisting wrists, which this toy lacks. Otherwise, though, no complaints. He has a pretty solid stance as well, despite the lack of heel spurs, and though the detailing on the figure is limited, it still looks pretty cool. Bottom line: a good robot mode. Not extraordinary or spectacular, but good.

Alternate Mode: No surprised here, of course Bumblebee transforms into a yellow sports car with black stripes. The resemblance to the various Prime incarnations of Bumblebee’s vehicle mode is present, though the car itself looks a good deal more stylized here than before. Apart from the black stripes the blue headlights are the only painted detail on the car. The windows are semi-transparent, not painted, and the big sword can be stored underneath the car, the hilt slightly visible from the back like a really fancy exhaust. So to sum it up: a good car mode. Nothing more, nothing less.

Remarks: Bumblebee took center stage in the “Predacons Rising” TV movie that tied up the open plot threads (well, some of them) of the Prime TV series, essentially stepping into the leadership position despite having spent most of the series as the funny, beeping kid-relatable character. In the follow-up series Robots in Disguise Bumblebee now leads his own squad of Autobots, apparently guided by the spirit of Optimus Prime, coming to Earth to take care of escaped Decepticon prisoners. We’ll see how he deals with that position and the inevitable return of Optimus Prime as the series progresses, I’m sure.

As far as the toy goes, it’s pretty much exactly what I expected it to be: good, solid, not in any way surprising, but nothing bad about it, either. So the final verdict: not a spectacular new direction for Bumblebee toys, but a semi-fresh take on a character that was very much overexposed these last few years. Recommended to those who don’t have Bumblebee-phobia yet and don’t mind the somewhat simplified RID 2.0 aesthetics.

Rating: B-

You own this figure? Then rate it on TFU!

 

Hmm, I've had my RID 2015 BB a couple of days now, and throughout something was bugging me about his legs. Once I put down RID Grimlock I went and spent some meaningful time with BB to work out exactly what it was...

Turns out the gray connector that connects the car windows to BB's legs are not the same. His left leg seems to be correct, in that it allowed the window to swing around further which, crucially, allows that grey connector to actually snap into place in his lower leg.

The one on the right has a square piece that prevents the car window from swinging all the way around, so it butts up against the leg which prevents that grey piece from snapping into place, so the window at the back of his right leg basically flops around.

So I took a set of nail clippers (really) and trimmed down that square piece on his right leg. I only needed at trim off a little bit, but now his right leg clips in just like his left. The bottom on the window is now locked in place and now forms his heel (on both feet) much improving his stability.

Pics in anyone wants them. But I have to ask, was it just mine? Or is it a widespread thing? Basically does the grey connector that connects his windows to the back of his knee click into place on both legs?

 

Hadn't really noticed that before, but it appears to be a universal issue. At least mine is the same way. I just trimmed down the swingarm tab too and it helps the toy's standing ability quite a bit.

 

 , I actually didn't know the windows clicked into those pegs. Thanks for improving the toy for me!

 

Mine was the same way and I hadn't even noticed. Just shaved the square bit down a little with an x-acto and he works fine.

Really great toy, BTW. He's simple but fun to transform and looks nice in both modes. Cheap budget cuts be damned, there's something really satisfying about the way the designers have engineered all these Warrior toys.

 

I like the Star Saber which comes with this guy. That and the car door wings make this a really cool figure

 

after having this guy for about a well.. i'm still disappointed in the wasted potential. the character model looks so awesome on the show.. the toy comes close, but with a bit better engineering i really think this could've been one of the coolest bumblebees. but as it stands now, it's not.. and far from it.

the biggest disappointment are the colors. i mean, they've saved so much with the lack of screws, hollow parts, less joints, snap on wheels, instructions printed on the card, those stupid ass plastic clothing tag pieces instead of paper twist ties, thinner cardboard, etc, and the price doesn't reflect any of that. they don't seem to be saving money to give us a more affordable product, they're slashing all of this stuff for bigger profit margins (it seems).. anyways, the biggest disappointment is that they couldn't even bother to paint the thing accurately, and it wouldn't have taken much. the feet should be black/grey, they should've added the yellow details on the knees, the red lights on the rear/shoulders, and the blue on his chest.

honestly.. you can make an argument for the simplicity of the engineering and all of that.. but you can't make a sensible argument for not adding those few paint apps to make this thing look more accurate. i mean.. those paint apps, i believe, would've made this thing look far nicer and would've made up for everything else it's lost.

i REALLY want to like this toy line i LOVE the designs, i love the concept of the decepticons, i find it really interesting and fun. i'm not asking for masterpiece level figures..

on a side note.. i REALLY wish that for once we'd get a show similar to the star wars clone wars series. i loved that show and i love the toys (most of them). it shows that you really can have a very large cast and do well. transformers needs a show with a more expanded universe. hell, the clone wars went on for what 5 seasons on tv then one on DVD.. 6 total. when was the last time a transformers cartoon went that long?

they still have yet to pull off a bumblebee with proper door wings.. they're never as close together as they're supposed to be. they came close with the first 07' concept mold.. but after that it was all down hill. it's a shame. i really like the door wings.. but this isn't G1, they're supposed to be positioned closer together.

they aren't bad though, they're a lot better than previous bumblebees, and i'm happy they don't simply start at the shoulders.

 

In these instances I just always assume Hasbro are thinking that kids won't care about those paint apps and anyone else that's really bothered enough by it can just paint it themselves. Of course you shouldn't have to to get things looking correct yourself and a higher degree of paint app accuracy should be included in the price (especially with, as you note, all the other cost-cutting measures Hasbro employ these days) , but I suppose a quick dab of paint is an easier do-it-yourself fix than something that needs structural modding.

I really don't like doing anything to my figures, including adding extra paint, so I do have sympathies with your feelings on this. My OCD tells me the paint apps are wrong wrong wrong, but my OCD also tells me not to change how the figure came out of the package. It's extremely rare I take a brush to my figures, and even then that's often only because of sloppy paint or they missed an app during production.

 

He looks good with one of HFTD Brawn's pistols

 

I was thinking the same. He used a pistol similar to Brawn's in the pilot. Do you have a picture?

 

Cool, thanks.