(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 RID2015 warrior Bumblebee toy. For a review on the mold itself, read the review of the original RID2015 warrior Bumblebee here.)
Night Strike Bumblebee
is more of a "kinda partial redeco" as opposed to full-fledged, complete
change of colors-- more to keep a Bumblebee Warrior class figure on the
shelves, I suppose, while changing up enough to get collectors to still
purchase it. The base yellow plastic of Night Strike Bumblebee is the same
as on the original Warrior class Bumblebee-- no changes there, so I'm not
sure exactly what is "Night Strike" about this guy. The most obvious change
is the change of most of the gray to a dull teal-- pretty much all of it
visible in robot mode. It's definitely a better choice than gray, and looks
pretty good against the yellow-- though, it does make things a bit similar
to the "Clash" Warrior version. Adding
to this similarity is electric blue paint on a few areas, such as the lower
arms, the headlights, and the vent details on the lower legs. Being that
this is 'Bee, there's also plenty of black, with the more solid shades
of the color visible in robot mode on the lower legs and wheels, with a
very dark (but still translucent if you hold it up to the light) shade
of black on the sword and car mode windows. This to me is a negative change
from the original, as the blue windows looked better in my opinion-- the
black is a bit TOO dark even with light behind it. There's also some metallic
charcoal black paint, used for some nice lines on the sides as well as
on the center of the chest in robot mode, while in vehicle mode they add
a bit more visual interest to the paint job. There's some black flame details
along the sides, along with a stripe down just the left side of the vehicle,
probably in a callback to Animated Bumblebee.
Despite the lack of two stripes, overall this still makes the vehicle mode
look a bit more visually interesting than the original version. The usual
silver on the face w/ blue eyes is present on this toy, as well.
No mold changes have
been made to Night Strike Bumblebee.
Night Strike Bumblebee
is a nice mold with a pretty decent color scheme, and I like the addition
of dull teal and some more interesting paint apps in vehicle mode. That
said, unless you're a 'Bee completist, or just can't find another version
of this mold at a decent price, there's no real reason to get this toy.
It's not different enough from the original for most people, and isn't
ever shown in the show, either.
Review by Beastbot