Classics Bumblebee is an Autobot spy with the alt mode of a cruiser with "Wave Crusher" attachment, both his robot and alt modes are fantastic homages to the original G1 character. This is the fourth Classics piece I have had the pleasure to review.
Packaging
Bumblebee is part of the first wave of the "Classics" line, also part of the first wave to debut a new style packaging. This packaging also features the flip-card on the front (much like the Star Wars Transformers line) which showcases the alt-mode on front, but when flipped up shows the robot mode. One interesting thing to note about this flip card is when looking at the picture of Bumblebee in his robot mode, it actually shows a red Autobot symbol painted on his chest, rather than depict the rubsign that should be there.
The back of the card, showcases both robot and alt modes, the other 3 deluxe figures in the line, Bumblebee's bio, and his technical data. The back of the card refers to Bumblebee's alt mode as a "Cruiser" and his trailer a "Wave Crusher".
The bio reads as such:
Quote:
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"Data is power." Small compared to most other TRANSFORMERS, BUMBLEBEE more than makes up for it through his incredible bravery and willingness to go places larger robots won't. Capable of aerial and underwater missions, he is more versatile than many other AUTOBOTS. His eagerness to do his part leads him to go above and beyond the call of duty, often placing him in grave danger. It is a testament to his skill that he has never been captured
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Technical Data:
Strength: 3
Intelligence: 9
Speed: 6
Endurance: 4
Rank: 7
Courage: 10
Fireblast: 4
Skill: 9
Bumblebee is packed in Cruiser mode, along with his "Wave Crusher". There are two twist-ties to remove, one holding Bumblebee, and one holding his attachment. I have made mention of some things that would have been great additions in my Astrotrain review so I won't repeat them here.
Cruiser Mode and Wave Crusher
After removing the twist-ties, Bumblebee is free to drive around. The Cruiser looks pretty hipster and is a nice update to the original G1 design. The racing stripes down the hood and the rear spoiler are a pretty nice touch. Even though this Bumblebee is not a VW Beetle, this vehicle is definitely and appropriate substitute. The rear wheels are actually angled inward which I thought may hinder wheel movement, but it actually rolls rather nicely.
And with this figure we have the first addition of an attachment (that is not merely a gun or projectile). This attachment is referred to on the card backing and the instructions as the Wave Crusher (and yes it is trademarked). The Wave Crusher also sits on a wheeled trailer so Bumblebee can tow it around.
The Wave Crusher adds a touch that Bumblebee is heading down to the beach, perfect for spying along the coastline, but I'm not sure how well he could swing that in the Midwest. The trailer has a small hole which fits into an equally small peg jutting out from the back of Bumblebee. The trailer sits rather loosely on Bumblebee's hitch, so occasionally when turning the car it might come off of the hitch. I had this happen a couple of times.
Vehicle mode is rather nice by itself. Adding the trailer seems unnecesarry, but at the same time it is kind of a cool addition. At first I was turned off of the idea, but I have since warmed up to this fresh new look for Bumblebee. It still rolls well, but caution must be used not to knock the trailer loose.
What is great about this gimmick is the addition this makes to Bumblebee in robot mode, which can be seen in the follow-up post.
Robot Mode
Now to robot mode. The transformation is a big departure from the G1 Bumblebee, but in essence it is the same basic principle of pull the arms out, flip the body up. First you pull both doors out away from the car and then flip the rear wheels under, bringing the arms out. Then the doors attached to the arms rotate around 180 degrees and press back in towards the arms (the pegs on the inside of the doors actually fit into holes near Bumblebee's elbows. Then the hitch gets flipped up and you grab the roof and rotate the entire section attached 180 degrees backwards (away from the front of the car. Two flaps flip down to form his upper legs while the arms (which got flipped back up when rotating the roof back) flip back down into position. Then the roof of the car gets flipped back forward, leaving the rear of the car behind Bumblebee, the roof kind of locks into position clipping onto a spot on the pelvic region. Then the head gets put into place and the hood of the car flipped open, then you move the entire robot into place against the flipped open hood and you have Bumblebee in robot mode.
Once again I had to play with the rubsign, since it rests right on the chest, in the same position as his G1 counterpart.
I think Bumblebee looks simply amazing in robot mode. This figure does some outstanding (and in my opinion, long overdue) justice to the character we saw in the cartoon. His face is molded perfectly, and his body still holds alot of the same form that it should from G1 (even if he is not a Beetle).
Then the Wave Crusher/Trailer converts into a jet-pack for Bumblebee to wear in robot mode. This transformation was a little bit of a nusiance because the parts were so small, a little stiff, and required some rotations (which also ended up rotating other pieces that didn't need it). Essentially the base of the trailer splits in half, bringing two pieces to the back of the Wave Crusher. The the pieces pull out and down so they seem to come more out of the sides of the Wave Crusher. And then the sides get rotated back about 90 degrees so the wheels are facing forwards, while the Wave Crusher itself is rotated 180 degrees along it's axis. It is now ready to be placed on Bumblebee for jet-pack mode.
At first it seemed to sit in there very loose, until I noticed a small slit on Bumblebee's back (which used to be part of the rear of the car). The Wave Crusher's bottom part with the seat actually goes under the rear roof of the car, and the handles (or top part) of the Wave Crusher go over the rear roof of the car, and fit into the slit to lock it into place.
I rather like this gimmick, it adds another dimension to Bumblebee, it makes him more than just a cute little car. Now he has flight power! Also of note...no gun. Bumblebee is defenseless if he is cornered by any Decepticon troops, so he has to rely on his jet pack apparently. He still poses quite nicely with the jet-pack on, but his head motion is a little bit limited.
Overall
Overall this is my favorite Classic thus far. I think that Bumblebee looks amazing in robot mode, and his car mode, while a departure from the original, suits him very well. The add on of the attachment is actually a nice touch, and very complimentary in both modes.
Overall I have to give the figure a
9.5 out of 10 because I am just amazed by how this figure looks, and how I feel when I am posing it. I finally feel that I am getting a chance at holding a REAL Bumblebee, it would have been nice to include a gun, but I am still happy. In my opinion Bumblebee may not be perfect, but he is really close to it.
