Special for Go Figure by Cat “Venomiss” Hahn
Autobots Roll Out: Imagine driving along the highway to suddenly you hear that morphing sound of your Camaro transforming into the one and only Bumblebee to protect you from the evil Decepticons that lay in waiting for the right moment to attack.
With a sleek “rally yellow” paint and striking black racing stripes infamous of the Chevy Camaro, voila! Why not take a closer look - you may just be pleasantly surprised. Bumblebee, a fictional character from the Transformers franchise, first appeared in the form of a little Saturn yellow Volkswagen Beetle and then the stronger “Goldbug”. Later being made famous as a sexy Chevy Camaro in the resent movie series after director Michael Bay states that the change in Bumblebee’s vehicle form was due to the fact that his “Beetle” form reminded him of Herbie (the Love Bug).
In 2010 this smart aleck, but reliable messenger and spy, was one of the first five robots named by Hasbro to be inducted into the Transformers Hall Of Fame at BotCon. So today I’m taking a close look at the 2007 Hasbro Ultimate Bumblebee Transforming Figure.
Standing proudly at a modest 35 cm tall (that's almost 14") in robot form, you can truly see the detail that has been put into every part of the figure. With multiple articulation points in his arms, waist and legs to move Bumblebee to a tall and proud stance or an in action pose, you are sure to be pleased no matter how he is positioned.
More Than Meets the Eye: His right arm being his weaponry, complete with missile that can be fired at a press of a button on his side. Complete with sound effects, it adds a little touch of realism. His left arm and legs replicate the ever strong robot with all the details that makes up Bumblebee as we know him today. Whilst his blue light-up eyes and moving head when activated comes with one of the many phrases and sounds that plays for the imagination to run wild! You can act out your favourite scenes of the movies putting yourself at the center of the action.
All the typical cheeky, yet funny actions Bumblebee is known to use in the movies are included -- from flapping the car doors as if wings to using the car stereo to communicate are included in this figure. Even a cheeky dance to “Whip It” whilst Bumblebee plays the audio file has been catching even the oldest of fans who play with him by surprise. All of the animatronics of "robot mode" are easily activated by your movements or sounds. Alternatively a simple push of his buttons will do the same thing. When left in idle mode Bumblebee will casually talk away with some unique phrases until he eventually deactivates.
Transforming the toy between modes is accompanied by the classic transformation sounds, and if left unattended between modes, Bumblebee will make stalling engine noises, car horn and a car alarm sounds. Then once he is in car mode, new electronics are unlocked. Beginning with the sound of an engine starting up, the chest button now activating the car's horn and rolling the figure along will create an accelerating noise that increases the faster the toy is moved. More unique musical snippets will play as the car rolls along; when the rolling stops, brake lights activate and the tires screech with yet more sounds produced when Bumblebee is rolled backwards. In car mode he also features different crashing battle noises to the robot mode.
Easily turning off the sounds of Bumblebee can be done with a simple flick of the on/off switch on his side which also features a “try me” mode so you can easily listen to samples of various sounds in each mode by pressing the chest button. Check out this Instructional Video produced by Hasbro!
Whilst Bumblebee is made from strong and durable plastic that can take quite the beating from any child or adult, after some time, constant use and being transformed correctly/incorrectly the paint starts to become rubbed off leaving the black base coat/primer visible. Another downside off this figure is the most annoying (and key feature to a Transformer): it's how difficult it can be for most (especially the younger age bracket) to transform Bumblebee between his two forms. Some parts needing to be “man-handled” in and out of position whilst working out how (for example) his arms sit and lock in place in the car form so that the sounds work correctly. It can be a struggle for any first time user and even veteran.
Personally Bumblebee rates highly with me and my weak spot for anything related, even with his down sides. With some of the figures being difficult to transform between car and robot forms I would have to say that Hasbro’s suggested age of 5+ should revised to an older age. I still would recommend him to any Transformers and Bumblebee fan.
If you’re looking into purchasing your very own Ultimate Bumblebee you will be expecting to pay anywhere from $179.95 on Amazon plus shipping and ranging from $129.95 to - $273 at auction on eBay and the like. Expect to pay in excess of $300 for him in the now rare collectable “round package”. As always with a bit of hunting you can located a rare bargain from time to time in stores and online, so if forking out that kind of money is something you can’t justify, but still "need to have" this Bumblebee figure then sit tight and hunt down the elusive bargain that pops up here and there. For now, happy collecting!
Check Our Our Coordinates: