The ultra version of Bumblebee comes with a fairly slick car mode-- there aren't really any proportional problems here whatsoever, and the only real robot "extras" are very minor (just the tips of the robot feet visible on the back end). However, even for a Cyberverse toy, the mold detailing is rather minimal in this mode. I get it's supposed to be a sleek sportscar, but it's a bit TOO sleek-- almost no substantial molded-in details across the bulk of the car, beyond a small vent in front of the little "buttons" coming out from the side that are supposed to be his rear view mirrors. There's some basic panel layering on the back end, and of course that obvious spoiler. He's got some basic taillight and rear vent details back there, but unfortunately none of them are painted. The front grill details are much crisper and stick out more, with some bulbous headlights and an angular front bumper. The front details are painted, too-- some black on the grill and bumper, as well as some fairly light electric blue on the headlights (oddly it's a different shade of blue than the other blue paint on him). There's also two thin black stripes going down across most of the top of the vehicle, minus the back quarter or so. The windows are painted a nice light sky blue, which contrasts exceedingly well with the dull milky yellow used for the vast majority of 'Bee's plastic. The yellow plastic has a nice semi-metallic sheen to it, having some glitter in the mix. Overall the colors are varied enough in this mode, though I would've preferred a few more paint apps on the sides or back. Bumblebee's gimmick is pretty cool in this mode-- pull back on the rear spoiler and the sides of the car mode fold down, with firing missile pack sides rotating forward! They look pretty neat even if they don't actually fire any missiles, and are fully painted-- the pods themselves are black, the missiles a bright green, and the "smoke trails" white. The mold detailing for these little bits is pretty well-done, with the smoke trails themseles being particularly nicely detailed. There's also some basic cybernetic details inside some of the exposed bits of Bumblebee when this gimmick is deployed. When you're done, just push the spoiler forward again and the missiles go back in. (This gimmick can't be used in robot mode, unfortunately.)
    Transforming Bumblebee to robot mode is quite simple, even for an Action Attacker. Just spread apart the rear portions a bit to separate the legs, then fold around and down the side headlight/car door sections and fold down the bumper sections to form the shoulders and arms (it can be a little bit of a tight fit), and you're pretty much done. (The small hood section is spring-loaded for some reason-- you have to push it back for robot mode, but it'll spring forward for car mode.) The end result is... not great. Granted, the proportions on the "core" of the robot are great. He's got proportional legs, with all the molded-in details you'd expect from his Cyberverse design-- the faux rear bumper-knees, the segments on the gray upper legs, faux taillights on the feet, a fairly skinny waist and stomach, a faux hood-chest, and the like. The headsculpt is spot-on, with relatively small "devil horns" compared to G1 Bee, but bigger eyes and a larger forehead vent. The headlight sections form solid shoulders, and the lower arms do have a bit of the car doors sticking off of them, but are pretty well-proportioned too. No, the elephant in the room is the HUMONGOUS backpack he's got-- the entire top section of his car mode, since that whole portion is all involved in his missile gimmick. It's VERY difficult to overlook, given how much it expands him especially around the waist section, which should be thin. Moreover, the articulation is very limited-- the legs can only move side-to-side a bit at the hips, and his shoulders can move around at two points. There's not even elbow articulation, even though the gimmick shouldn't interfere with that. Especially from a side or back view, you can basically see this mode is just the car mode standing on its back end with the arms out and a small hood panel on the upper back. This might be okay for a small, simplistic toy, but for a $20 Ultra toy? Not so much, regardless of a gimmick. The paint apps visible in this mode do the job-- beyond the gray on his upper legs, he's got some silver on his waist and face; some light blue on his eyes and faux window-chest; red dots on the faux taillights on his knees; and some added black stripes on his chest and forehead. There's still too much yellow on his arms and especially the lower legs, though.
    Overall, the first Ultra toy of Cyberverse Bumblebee is a swing and a miss. He's got a nifty car mode and gimmick, but it's almost like the designers forgot until the last minute that this is a Transformer, and needs a robot mode, too! The robot mode is far too much of an afterthought on this toy, with everything but the arms and shoulders just being molded onto the underside of the vehicle mode, which just isn't acceptable for a toy of this size/price. Even though the second ultra Cyberverse Bumblebee toy is smaller, it's a better Transformer, and recommended over this one.
 

Review by Beastbot

Back to Transformers: Cyberverse Index