Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)I gotta say, at first I was really disappointed in Battle Blade Bumblebee (hereafter BBB). I find the figure on the whole rather "fiddly". That is to say, I think he's much harder to transform than the original movie Deluxe Concept Camaro Bumblebee (hereafter DCCB), which I also own.
The robot back to car transformation of BBB really confused the heck out of me. Hasbro kept the lower-leg automorph transformation from DCCB, but they've changed the upper legs so that you really have to line them up just so to put the rear end of the car back together, and there's a big hollow place under the rear windshield (this is where the cannon was held in car mode on DCCB, but BBB's weapons are built into his arms, so he doesn't have a separate cannon). When I try to push the car doors back in to complete the transformation to car mode, because of the hollow spot, I very frequently end up crumpling the whole rear end in on itself and then I have to line everything back up just so and try again. I haven't broken anything, and the fig's solid enough that I don't think I'll break it, but it's just, as I said before, "fiddly".
I absolutely love DCCB's upper-body transformation. The automorph that swings the doors/wings up as you swing the chest down is so satisfying, it's just _brilliant_. Also, the way the doors/wings end up sitting close together on his back is very screen-accurate, and there's no kibble or backpack. Every car part becomes robot armor somewhere on his body, and the whole upper body ends up being very compact and solid when you finish. The only complaints I've had about the figure are the poor head sculpt and the disproportionally large roof parts as forearm guards.
BBB's upper-body transformation is comparatively rather uninspired. His doors/wings sit very far apart on his back and he has a backpack (made from the whole roof of the car) that barely supports itself on a peg that doesn't really peg in, more like "rests" in. His chest pieces are similarly wobbly. Every time I pick him up I screw up his chest and his backpack. Maybe I just need to learn how/where to grab him, but his whole upper body just doesn't feel nearly as solid as DCCB's.
As far as movie-accuracy, I already mentioned the wings/doors---I think they're all wrong on BBB. But I think just about everywhere else, though, BBB wins. I never had any complaint before, personally, about the look of DCCB's chest, but I have to admit they've done a better job making BBB's chest really pop (as wobbly as it is). And of course he finally has the screen accurate forearm guards. When considering him purely on looks, I can even forgive the backpack, since you most often look at the figure from the front.
So, I guess, to recap, DCCB is the clear winner on a solid, satisfying transformation from car to robot and back, and he's a figure I'll keep and continue to enjoy playing with. When considering looks alone for displaying him on my desk next to ROTF Leader Prime, as dissatisfied as I am with him generally, I think BBB does win out in the end.
One more thing: the packaging for this toy lists it as suitable for ages five and up. I do not personally know any five-year-olds that would be able to figure out how to transform this toy without a _lot_ of adult supervision. This toy was clearly made for older kids and geeky nostalgic adults like myself.
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Transformers Deluxe Movie Collection - Battle Blade BumblebeeBumblebee is used to the odds being against him. This time is no different than any of dozens of other fights he's been in. As Ravage and Insecticon circle him in the gloom, he focuses all his energy on being ready for the attack he knows is coming.
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