Seems like and odd late PR push for this item. I'll speculate that the price was way too high and held back sales and now they're trying to puff it up to drive in more $$$. Need more MP minibots asap!!

 

That video makes me laugh and so does the $65 price. I paid $40 for G2 bee ages ago.

 

The video is pretty sad. (Exclusive look, lol.) I just find it funny how John Warden praises the Masterpiece figures so much in that video, yet the company he works for has still given us only scraps. (Where is Sideswipe, Hasbro?)

 

Please $65 for Bumblebee... Hasbro Toysrus wake up. Big pass for import prices on domestic releases.

 

Poor Crotchflap Bumblebee...

 

Saw three on the shelf at one of my local TRU. I have the g2 version but not the standard. I'm tempted. Pick it up this way but bbts is currently having the takara on sale for $60. I'm just curious how well the hasbro holds up quality wise...

 

Well aside from paint apps it /should/ be the same figure... although who really knows piece by piece.

 

I bought both. TT Bee when he came out and Hasbee a few weeks ago when TRU had a 25% off sale and I had a 15$ off code as well. Came to $57 USD plus $1 for gas, so it was cheaper than my TT Bee that I got from BBTS.

I found no significant differences besides Hasbee's spare tire cover being loose. The same slightly uneven paint but overall the same colour yellow as far as my eyes can tell. Joints are approximately the same and the Exo-Suits are the same, for better or for worse. It was well worth buying another Bee as I wanted two Exo-Suits and a Toon and a Toy accurate Bee. Reprolabeled, spare tired and battlemasked TT Bee is the Toy Bee, Hasbee got a Dr Wu face and Goldbee's Jetpack. I have all four Bee's so far and like MP-10 I'll probably buy every variant available. I love this little guy!

 

I bought Takara Bumblebee twice before this was released, and at the same price Hasbro is offering it for now through Toys R Us. Since there are almost no differences in deco between this version and Takara's, the price is almost the same as buying it online, and you could have this in hand almost two years beforehand, I am wondering what the point is in even releasing the MP cars in the US. I mean, they are clearly marketing heavily toward adult G1 collectors, but the thing is, adult collectors have access to credit cards and could have bought this online ages ago. It's not a bad release from Hasbro by any means- still a spectacular figure- I just fail to see what this version offers at this point in the game.

 

So horrifically mistransformed.....

 

As has been stated before, the fact that Bumblebee is consistently depicted with the crotch flap in all official depictions suggests it's being done on purpose, rather than out of incompetence.

 

I don't know what's worse. Doing it by mistake or perpetuating that mistake willingly.

 

That or they don't actually transform it and only have a Crotchflap Bee in robot mode there at Hasbro and no one has noticed or cared enough to fix it. When Husai transformed it he did it right.. as he should have being the lead designer on it...  

My vote is lack of really giving a... yeah.

 

The theory is that the flap with the Volkswagen logo on it being visible in publicity shots might be mandated as part of the licensing agreement with VW.

"Crotchflap Bee" has appeared in three instances so far:

Promo shot on the packaging (hand-painted prototype)
Promo shot for TRU's website (final product sample)
John Warden Twitter video (final product sample)

So it's not just one single specimen they keep using for promotional puroses without ever transforming it.