Bumblebee's vehicle mode
is a very squashed-up sportsy Chevrolet Camaro. Obviously, the proportions
are way off and way more rounded than the actual vehicle, but considering
the very young age this small subline is aimed at, that's no big deal.
The "Playskool" proportions are certainly appropriate here. The color scheme
is Bumblebee's typical scheme, though the black is more prevalent because
of the proportions, and the blue paint used for his windows is a particularly
pleasant shade, constrating excellently with its surrounding colors. His
hubcaps-- given how large they are-- are painted on this version, too.
I wish the headlights and taillights were painted, but other than that
he's pretty well-covered. Of course, the mold detailing is a bit simplistic
for a Movie toy, but that's to be expected for this subline. On the back
end you can easily see the bottom of Bumblebe's feet, but otherwise there's
no robot mode extras in this mode. As part of the "Go-Bot" gimmick, pull
back on him in this mode and then let him go, and he'll speed ahead a surpisingly
long distance (assuming he's on tile or another very flat surface and not
carpet or something).
Just like any Go-Bot,
to transform Bumblebee all you do is pull back his hood and stand him up--
a good, simple idea for the target demographic. Bumblebee has always been
able to pull off the "cute" look much better than pretty much any other
Movieverse 'bot, and here is no exception. His superdeformed figure-- with
large eyes and midsection, and little chubby appendages-- looks quite adorable.
The big hood section behind his head doesn't look that great, even with
his "wing doors" molded into the bottom of that piece, but hey, it's super-simplistic,
what do you want? The mold detailing is a bit more intricate in this mode,
but still a bit simplistic given what it's replicating. Bumblebee isn't
for want of paint apps in this robot mode, though-- his bumper-chest is
black, and his feet, heands, and waist are silver, as they should be. There's
also a little bronze on his knee-caps, but it blends in with the yellow-orange
a little too much, methinks. As far as Bumblebee's articluation, as you'd
expect for a gimmicked toy aimed at this young of a demographic, it's not
much-- he can move at the head, up and down at the top of the legs, and
back-and-forth at the shoulders, though the latter point moves back into
its default position once you let go of it. Like all Go-Bots, Bumblebee's
pull-back-and-go gimmick still works in this mode, but it's particularly
hilarious-- as he goes forward, his arms move back and forth, his leg panels
move up and down, and his head moves from side-to-side-- all super-fast!
Not only is it an impressive gimmick, but it looks hilarious at the speed
it's going, like watching a midget (er... "little person") run in fast
motion.
Go-Bots Bumblebee has
an awesome gimmick and his movie aesthetic works the best out of the different
TFs in this tiny subline. He also has a more involved color scheme and
more paint apps than his fellow DotM Go-Bots, and overall is my favorite
out of the three in the line. Definitely recommended for really young kids
who want to get into Transformers-- but even if you're an adult, I'd still
recommend picking up one of these, keeping in mind the market it's aimed
at. The gimmick in robot mode is just too fun.
Review by Beastbot