Bumblebee (Titan Changer) [RID 2015]
Vehicle ModeRobot Mode
Allegiance: Autobot
Difficulty of Transformation: Very Easy
Color Scheme: Semi-metallic yellow, semi-metallic golden yellow, metallic black, and some dull metallic silver and blue
Rating: 5.4

    Bumblebee's vehicle mode is pretty show-accurate in terms of its proportions-- it's accurately got the angular look of this design, and there's PRETTY much no robot extras in this mode-- if you look at him from the back end you can see the top of his head, but in any other angle it's hidden by the rear portion of the vehicle, so that's a pretty minor issue. As with most RID2015 toys, the mold detailing is fairly sparse, but all the necessary mold details ARE here-- the three diagonal stripes on the hood, the divots near the back end, the windows, the angular headlights and front grill. Unfortunately, this being a Titan Changer, you've got the front windows and the front half of the side windows painted metallic black, but that's it as far as paint apps go. The tires are black, too, of course, but otherwise this mode is alllllll yellow. And those are pretty massive unbroken portions of yellow, let me tell ya. What is odd is that the pieces used for the front grill and the top half of middle third of the vehicle mode is a slightly more brighter yellow than the more golden yellow plastic used for the rest of him. They're pretty close, though, so only upon close inspection is this apparent. Both shades of yellow have a semi-metallic glittery swirl in them, which looks pretty nice.
    To transform 'Bee to robot mode, you just unfold the front halves of the mode out to form Bumblebee's feet and then push out the sides to become his arms. The end result actually looks okay from the waist up, in terms of the mold. The lower arms are a bit too short, but otherwise they're pretty accurate, with some excellently-done sculpting on the chest in particular. His headsculpt is also nicely done, with a bit of a smirk and blue eyes. The silver paint used for his face is a bit dark, though. The shoulders attach to the body directly so they can be at a bit of an odd angle, but otherwise they're pretty accurate. Given that this is a Titan Changer, he's pretty paint-free; beyond the face, only the metallic black on the faux window on the chest and on the waist are present. As with most Titan Changers, Bumblebee's legs are ridiculously long, particularly the lower legs (this is done so it looks like you're getting more for your money in the box, I suppose). The roof bits make for okay feet, but otherwise those are just pretty weak lower legs. For articulation, Bumblebee can move at the shoulders on ball joints, and due to his transformation he can move each leg backwards at the knee, though it doesn't lock in place unless it's straight downwards as shown above. I know it's a Titan Changer so it's pretty bare-bones, but elbow articulation would've been nice.
    Titan Changer Bumblebee's core design actually isn't bad, with very little kibble and a solid car mode. The robot mode's lower arms are a bit short and-- like pretty much all Titan Changers-- the legs are way too long, but otherwise it looks okay. The issue here comes with the almost complete lack of paint and basically just shoulder articulation. You can do worse for the money, but unless you want a big 'Bee toy for real cheap this is probably an easy pass.
 

Review by Beastbot

Back to Robots in Disguise (2015) Index