Bumblebee's sportscar mode is replicated quite well at the deluxe scale, though the proportions of it are slightly less bulbous and more angular than the First Edition version. Compared to the First Edition version, this toy is also, well... yes, it's compact, but here the budget cuts for 2012 really become obvious-- he's fairly small for a deluxe, even considering his compact-ness. Still, the proportions are quite good and definitely show-accurate, and he's got all of his myriad stripes painted on this mode, even if a few important paint details are missing like his tailights and lower grill. (His actual mold detailing is minimal here, but that's the Prime aesthetic norm.) He doesn't have any robot mode extras either, and his transparent windows are a dark enough shade of blue that any robot parts within aren't easily seen, which is always a big plus for me. My main beef with this mode has to do with the yellow paint used on Bumblebee's transparent bits-- as seems to happen often with yellow plastic, the paint noticeably doesn't match it, being a few shades lighter. Obviously, this can be a bit distracting, though it's not as bad in person as it comes across in camera photos. Bumblebee's two wrist blasters store in vehicle mode this time, thankfully-- both pegged above his exposed engine block in the front. Granted it looks a little goofy, but hey, extra firepower!
    Bumblebee's transformation is much easier on this deluxe than on his First Edition version, with much of it taking place via an "automorph" automatic gearing mechanism when you fold his shoulder pieces back (which lifts the head back and angles his chest pieces). It's a neat idea, but unfortunately, the results of this gimmick are most of what I'd consider wrong with this oddly-proportioned robot mode. His chest is too large, too wide, and goes way too far out in front of his head, and having only the top bits angled off just looks weird this way. His shoulders also don't angle all the way out, getting stuck a bit short of the 90-degree angle and also having the front wheel sections behind the shoulders instead of being in the shoulder's interior like on the show. His head also doesn't quite fit flat against the top of his chest, the automorph gear gimmick letting it rest ever-so-slightly forward. This isn't that big of a issue, though the obvious portion of the front bumper behind his head is quite the eyesore. As far as his other vehicle mode kibble, it's no big deal-- his roof does stick out from behind his small stomach/waist piece a bit, but it folds up and out of the way of articulation. His door-wings also only have one point of movement here, and look better-proportioned and less awkward here than on his First Edition toy, framing his silouhette nicely. Just like said First Edition toy, he's also got chunks of the rear of his vehicle mode on his lower legs, but also like his First Edition version, they stay out of the way and help keep him stable, so they're a minor issue at best. The mold detailing on his "robot bits" is quite good-- particularly his headsculpt, which is spot-on show-accurate, with the light piping for his eyes working excellently. Due to both his vehicle stripes and the color breakup of his plastic, despite the fact that he doesn't have a lot of robot mode-specific paint apps he still manages to break up his colors fairly well in this mode-- though a few more paint apps on his shoulders wouldn't have hurt. For articulation, Bumblebee can move at the neck, shoulders (at two points), elbows, hips (at two points), knees, and ankles. I wish he had sideways movement at the knees or waist rotation given how relatively tiny his waist piece is, but you can still get him into a decent number of poses, given how well-balanced his figure is. Bumblebee's wrist blasters can-- appropriately-- be mounted on his lower arms in this mode, or they can be held in his actual hands too, if you prefer.
    The "Robots in Disguise" deluxe Prime Bumblebee mold (egads, that's a lot of qualifiers) has a few good points-- like the kibble-free car mode, ability to store both of his weapons in both modes, and good sculpting-- but the "automorph" part of his transformation that makes it so easy is also sadly responsible for a lot of odd proportional issues in robot mode. His huge chest and inability of his head and shoulders to fully fold back really make the latter mode a disappointment, and as such this is one of my least favorite deluxes from the 2012 Prime line. If you want an easier-to-transform "normal-sized" Bumblebee toy, this is pretty much your only option, but keep in mind all the drawbacks. If you don't mind more involved transformations, though, I'd heartily recommend the First Edition version instead.

Review by Beastbot

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