Activators Bumblebee Pictorial Review

Getting back to pictures to go with the vids, here's Activators Bumblebee:



Pretty neat for such a simple figure. I picked him up for my two-year-old daugher, and she loves him. Car mode is fairly show accurate for such a tiny fig (here with activators Starscream):





Transformation is simple, push the button, flip his feet up and separate the legs, and position the arms however you like. Not quite as show accurate, with teh light still on the chest, but pretty good considering he's just under 3 inches tall with an automorph gimmick:







Poseability is good, ball joints for the most part in the legs and shoulders, hinges elsewhere. A little shorter than Starscream:




Simplisitic for the older fan, but still pretty nifty, and kids definitely love them. Scale fits nicely with the deluxe Prime and Voyager Bulkhead for those who concern themselves about such things. My only minor complaint is that the arms don't actually peg anywhere in car mode, they just have some shallow notches that sit over tabs on the back of his feet so you know when you've positioned them correctly, but a slighly firmer tab would have been nice. I know they want the gimmick to be "Push the button, THEN fiddle slighty to form the robot mode," but I'd have no problem untabbing the arms first if it meant a vehicle mode that held together a little better.

Short video review here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M2xJwdumg8w

Fun little toy - sort of a halfway point between Animated and Classics 'bees. Arms are a little funky, but overall very good for what is essentially a gimmick-based item.

I only wish it was a little bigger. Bumblebee's a frustration to scale (as a whole) if you wanna base off the Voyager Prime - Deluxe is a bit too big, Activator a bit too small.

How the Animated toy line REALLY came to an end

Yeah, but his scale to Voyager Bulkhead is certainly better than the deluxe.

Originally Posted by Toxicon Holy shit, I'm in Peaugh's sig? I have achieved greatness.

Really looking forward to these hitting the shelves near me. They look like fun, and should be good for my three year old goddaughter.

I love this little guy. The yellow is a lot nicer than the deluxe Bee. Very fun figure. My only complaint is that his arms/doors do not lock into vehicle mode that well. The springs just kind of hold them in place.

i saw these in TRU, didnt pick up (yet) they give the impression of being well made, BB esp looks less cheap in the yellow plastic dept.

Actually, the deluxe is pretty much the closest you'll get to scale with V-Prime, Ratchet and Prowl. Activators is much more Bumblebee-ish, though because he's so darn small.

Who cares if the transformation is not accurate to the show, he looks so fun I may get him just to fiddle with.

Also, I could add him to my Bumblebee collection.

Originally Posted by Valkysas NO ONE CAN EVER, EVER say that hasbro doesnt care again. This fucking seals it. that's a LOT of product to release for a "dead" line.

I picked up all 3 for my desk at work, they are fine to fiddle with there.

Say, Peaugh... could you post some comparison pics with some other Aniamted figs that aren't Activators, please? I'd like to see how big he is compared to Voyager Bulkhead, for instance.

Originally Posted by Valkysas NO ONE CAN EVER, EVER say that hasbro doesnt care again. This fucking seals it. that's a LOT of product to release for a "dead" line.

A cool, fun little figure I was hypnotized into buying due to Peaugh's video review. I was pleasantly surprised by his substantial G1 similarities in transformation. Activators are a bit pricey, but they are impressive once they pop open and you see how much articulation they can maintain at that size and despite the gimmick.

I agree with others in that his arms can tend to be unsecured in car mode. I've found that if you fully extend his legs/feet and make sure they're clipped together tightly the arms stay in place better.

I was thinking the same thing about how he fits in better in scale than the deluxe Bumbles, even though the proportions are off. Some of his articulation is hindered by his car parts, but it's still better than I expected.