Bumblebee
(Shadow Strike) [Prime]
(NOTE: Because this is a repaint, this is not a full-blown review. This mainly covers any changes made to the mold and the color scheme, and merely compares it to the original Prime "Robots in Disguise" deluxe Bumblebee. For a review on the mold itself, read the review of the original Prime "Robots in Disguise" deluxe Bumblebee figure here.)
Here he is, the pretty
much assured redeco of any Bumblebee mold into "reverse colors" for a "stealth"
color scheme. But wait, Shadow Strike Bumblebee isn't quite THAT simple.
Yes, he has a darker color in place of his yellow, with the yellow now
being more of an accent color, but the main color isn't black this time--
rather, it's a fairly dark shade of gray, and a shade that's a bit glossy/milky
to the point where-- with the other paint apps-- it actually looks quite
good, unlike most gray plastic used on TFs. The yellow stripes on 'Bee's
vehicle mode are similar in style to his normal form on the front half,
but have a nice "fading" effect near the middle, to reflect the "changing
color scheme" that's referenced in his bio. He's also got some nice yellow
on his front bumper and on his small rear spoiler, giving a bit more color
variability in his vehicle mode. Unfortunately, there is a bit of an obvious
color difference between his yellow paint and his yellow plastic (more
obvious on parts of his robot mode), the latter of which is noticeably
duller and more inline with the yellow on this mold's original paint job.
The paint is also lacking in a few places, such as his rear bumper (where
the taillights aren't even painted)-- the robot mode in general doesn't
have many paint apps, either. However, the plastic color breakup in robot
mode keeps it from looking too one-tone on any large section of the toy.
The transparent dark blue and black plastic are in the same spots as on
this mold's original release, so I don't have much to say about that other
than that the black (obviously) doesn't contrast with the dark gray nearly
as well as it did with the yellow.
No mold changes have
been made to Shadow Strike Bumblebee.
Shadow Strike Bumblebee
is a nice change from the usual "reverse colors" 'Bee redeco, with a dark
gray in place this time instead of black, and a few different stripe paint
apps on his vehicle mode. Even though it's not a perfect match, this is
the most accurate of a paint job you'll get on the "normal-sized" figure
regarding his in-show "Beast Hunters" color scheme, which is also something
to consider. I think he looks better overall than the original Bumblebee
release of this mold, but not as good as Hot
Shot.
Review by Beastbot