Another new Transformers line needs another big Bumblebee toy, of course! As it's always been in the movie-verse, Bumblebee's alt mode is a Chevrolet Camaro, with the proper minor modifications made (modified bumpers, spoiler) to make him accurate to his DotM "racing" version. I can't really say anything much about the core vehicle mode that hasn't been said about pretty much every other mainline movie Bumblebee toy up to this point; you either like the orange-yellow-and-black color scheme on the Camaro, or you don't. The main paint details like the stripes and headlights/taillights are all here, with the exception of the hubcaps-- for a toy this big, there's really no excuse to miss a big detail like that (it also makes Bumblebee look really boring from a side-view). The proportions are spot-on, and the only robot mode extras are the tips of the heels poking out the back end. Also, the windows are shaded just a tad too light-- you can make out Bumblebee's robot parts inside the windows just a tad too easily for my liking. By itself, the vehicle mode is disappointingly small for a Leader class toy-- it's just barely larger than the Human Alliance version scale-wise. What pushes Bumblebee into the Leader-class pricepoint here is his HUGE Mechtech backpack-- it makes up nearly half the toy's mass, and it's weighty too, folks. In "deactivated" mode, it functions as a bit of a booster pack for 'Bee, with two boosters on the sides, plenty of engine-like details around the battery components, and a slightly collapsed large gun on the front end. If you push the red-and-bronze tab forward on the Mechtech pack, a "transformation" sound effect will emit, lights will blink, and the gun will move forward more while the two boosters rotate around to become two (non-firing) missile packs. Now the electronics really activate in this mode-- if you push in on the gun, the transparent bits will flash green and it'll make some charging up/blasting noises. Press in on the sides of either of the missile pods and it'll flash orange while some firing sounds are emitted. The missile pods can move up and down a little, but unfortunately due to the sliding/activating gimmick, they can't exactly fire in any direction. However, this Mechtech pack's real strength is in just how many other weapons you can attach to it-- it has four areas where you can clip on C-clip weapons from other Transformers (one on each missle pod and two near the back end), and a whopping five ports for other Mechtech weapons, so you can really give Bumblebee some INSANE firepower here if you want to.
    Another unique aspect to this big Bumblebee is the "stealth force" in-between mode that he has, which is sort of a weaponized "peek-aboo!" version of his car mode that's a bit more fragmented with weapons bristling. The back half of the vehicle mode stays the same (as this mode definitely looks best with the Mechtech backpack on), but the sides of the car split apart, with thirds of the hood sweeping forward, the car doors moving upwards, and the robot arms moving out a little. The robot arm that's a gun looks right at home here, but the one that's a hand looks a bit out of place. My main complaint about this mode is how arbitrary it seems; nothing really locks into place, and it's so much of a "halfway transformation" you could do this with many other Transformers that don't explicitly have this gimmick. It is a bit of a neat idea, I'm just not fond of the execution here.
    For a Leader class toy, Bumblebee's robot mode isn't all that accurate, mostly suffering from his "Stealth Force" gimmick and Mechtech weapons backpack, it would appear. He's a bit leggy for Bumblebee-- like "Movie Prime" leggy-- and he's got a bit of a hunchback, mostly made from his front bumper and hood but accentuated by the fact that his car doors behind his back actually have to rotate up AND to the side-- they can't just rotate straight out to the side like on most of the other mainline Bumblebee toys. His car parts backpack is substantial, consisting of almost his entire hood, as that's needed to keep his Mechtech backpack on. Even with Bumblebee's rather wide feet and far-back heels, though, the sheer weight of the Mechtech backpack can cause him to fall backwards quite easily in this mode. (The clips that attach his backpack to his actual back are very strong, however, and don't detach under the backpack's weight.) His arms are also a bit short, though this may simply be exaggerated by how long his legs are. He also has the same problem with those bits of the car mode on his hips getting in the way of leg articulation that many other mainlne Bumblebee toys do. That all said, the mold detailing on Bumblebee here is amazing-- pistons, tubes, and the like are all where they should be, and I do like the way a large piece of his chest clips into place in the center, making it look like his car front halves merge into a bunch of mechanical bits in the center. His headsculpt is also incredibly spot-on-- and yes, his visor can flip down over his head here. I do wish there was a bit more paint detailing to help show off all those mold details, particularly on the stomach and arms, but it's still "good enough". As far as articulation, Bumblebee can move at the neck, shoulders (at two points), elbows (at three points), at the base of the thumb and at the base of the palm on his one (left) hand (with the fingers all as one piece); and at the hips (at two points), knees (at two points), and a whopping six points at the ankles. Still, that all sounds like more than it actually functionally is, given that Bumblebee's big backpack and the bits of kibble on his legs can get in the way of stability and/or articulation. (With his backpack off, though, he can assume a fairly good number of poses.)
    Leader class Bumblebee is a decent choice if you're really fond of the "Stealth Force" modes seen in the movie and want a toy that can transform into both a "regular" vehicle mode, stealth force mode, and robot mode (as this is the ONLY DotM toy that can do so), or if you want a vehicle mode you can pump out with a ridiculous number of weapons, but if that's not a big deal to you, this is not a recommended buy, particularly for full price. The robot mode has myriad problems due to the gimmicks, and the car mode's too small for when you get rid of the huge cumbersome backpack.

Review by Beastbot

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