Bumblebee's Camaro alt mode is represented pretty faithfully for this one-step changer, with the proportions pretty much spot-on to the actual Camaro in the movie. You can JUST see the tiniest bit of his robot feet underneath the sides, but other than that this mode is robot extra-free-- always a positive. The usual colors are used for Bumblebee bere-- an orangish yellow and some black for contrast. You probably know well by now whether you like the colors or not. The addition of the silvery blue for the windows was a nice decision, as it gives some much-needed diversity of color in this mode-- and thankfully, unlike on many TFs, his rear window is painted as well. 'Bee also has that nice stripe down the middle of his car mode, but other than that this mode is lacking some paint. The front and rear bumpers are wonderfully detailed, but they're both completely yellow-- not even some red for the head/taillights. As such, despite even the painted windows, this mode does look a little under-painted.
    Bumblebee is technically a two-step changer; you press back on his windshield piece and slowly unfold his vehicle mode into his robot mode accordion-style, though the hands have to be rotated out manually to complete the transformation. Not a big deal at all, but worth noting. As far as colors go, this is where Bumblebee shines through a bit more, with considerably more black visible in this mode-- not just the stripe on his stomach, but also the added black details on his upper and lower legs, lower arms, and the black stripe down the center of his head. His headsculpt is painted fairly well with some silver on the face and some silvery blue eyes, but it looks "off" ever-so-slightly for a reason I can't quite put my finger on. Maybe the face is just a tad too small? Anyways, the mold detailing on the other parts of the robot mode are pretty accurate too, with the expected details on his legs and feet in particular pretty accurate to the movie, even if they are just details. The colors and detailing are about all I can say that's positive about this mode, though-- the proportions are absolutely horrid. Proportionally, 'Bee's head is far too small; his legs too skinny and actually looking like a chunk was taken out of the upper sides; his chest too long; his shoulders too narrow and two-dimensional; and his lower arms too wide and two-dimensional, but in the opposite dimension as the shoulders/upper arms, so there's always one part of the arms that looks too fat and one part that looks too skinny no matter what angle you look at him from. From the side Bumblebee's legs certainly gain more mass, but there's a noticeable gap between the back of his robot mode and the shell of the top of his vehicle mode, which is a bit unsightly. As expected from a one-step changer, the articulation is also minimal, though that's not the point of this subline; Bumblebee can move at the shoulders (at two points), rotation at the elbows, and slightly inwards at the wrists-- which is actually pretty good for a one-step changer.
     The "normal" one-step changer Bumblebee toy has a pretty darned good (if a bit underpainted) vehicle mode, but that all changes when you convert him to robot mode. His proportions as a robot look utterly ridiculous, with pretty much no part looking "normal". I understand getting a one-step transformation gimmick involves some sacrifices, but this is too far. Only 'Bee completists should get this one; if you want a simpler transforming Bumblebee toy for this movie, go for either the Flip 'n Change version or one of the Wal-Mart exclusive Legion versions instead.
 

Review by Beastbot

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