| 01.11.2019 – There have been so many iterations and variations of the Bumblebee character based from the live action movies that sometimes it’s challenging to keep count. But only if you’re a hardcore Bee collector who focuses on one character and not the entire population of planet Cybertron, and then there are casual fans that only need that one character to represent their favorite.
The Studio Series that featured the live action movie characters in their actual scale and detailed appearances from across all the films has worked wonders to some. Hasbro and Takara Tomy has streamlined this range of collectibles to fans who has followed the films since 2007 and they continue to add more to the series with the Bumblebee Movie already playing in cinemas. |
This sixth iteration of the Transformers films featuring the solo outing of Bumblebee produce a lot of merchandise as continued tradition from clothing apparel to collectible free toys from fast food restaurants its part of the culture. But at the heart of this new film there is new toys namely action figures that Hasbro and Takara Tomy continue to produce in North America and Japan for international release that sometimes doesn’t make it to some markets.
It’s fortunate that the Philippines is one of those countries that gets the best of worlds from retail to specialty shops the toys make it to this country with ease in comparison to Australia, that has a Hasbro regional office that struggled to bring these toys to all their retail markets. Not all toylines makes it Down Under and with Studio Series it’s a rare thing there, and sometimes in the Philippines with a particular character like Bumblebee when it comes to this movie related to this character.
Late in December 2018 I manage to acquire a Deluxe Class Edition of Bumblebee from the Studio Series, which is by far the closest accurate look on the character. The rest of the toyline produced by Hasbro isn’t what everyone wanted to get. The Studio Series with designated number eighteen has started appearing in Philippine retail sometime in the middle of November 2018 until people started to notice this figure as the movie’s release inches to 21 December 2018.
But in the Philippines, the Bumblebee Movie was delayed until 8 January 2019 due to the annual tradition for the country’s Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF), which promotes locally produced films that are strictly to be shown making foreign films original released date moved the following month.
Premium Transformers Product
The Studio Series 18 Bumblebee is a Deluxe Class size figure and probably one of the smallest in this series only a bit taller than Autobot Jazz. For a price point it may be a bit expensive but what makes it a premium character is the presentation why it is a Studio Series. The usual Deluxe Class figure is usually packaged in a carded bubble, but since Hasbro and Takara Tomy decided to streamline the movie line of figures and assortment to scale with the characters the cost was has increased.
Entirely, the Studio Series becomes a premium unified for both markets in the US and Japan as well as the rest of the world seeing one product than two different variation of the same toy. This will be now the standard range of Transformers Movie related toys moving forward despite its size that they are trying to be scaled to each other.
Bumblebee turns into a 1967 Volkswagen Beetle which finally makes it official that breaks the long stance with the German car manufacturer not to produce it into a ‘war toy.’ The original character from the Generation 1 cartoon series finally gets his alternate vehicle mode back and into the big screen. It connects directly with the 2007 TransFormers film that was originally an Easter egg when in that scene disguise himself in into that old beat up 1976 Camaro hiding in Bolivia's Finest Quality Used Cars and Petting Zoo where Sam Witwicky acquired him.
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| Extra Accessories can be stored in Vehicle Mode (See Above Image) and also Robot Mode (No Photo Shown). |
Changing to Vehicle Mode Challenge
This Bumblebee is entirely a new mold with a lot of challenges to go through in turning him into the iconic VW Beetle. Most of the toy reviews I’ve seen in Youtube almost lost their patience in sharing their thoughts about this figure. For the novice who just bought this movie accurate Bumblebee should take a lot of understanding and careful patience in doing the process. Personally, it’s sort of therapeutic when you just go through the motion. The engineering and design that goes with this toy is still impressive even though for some comments say it’s not perfect when each part locks down to the tabs.
It really takes longer with slow consideration in changing the figure from robot to vehicle and back. This is not your usual Transformers toy that you just simply fold the parts and then voila! But you can understand some would immediately be disappointed or lose their cool. I’ve been there several times having owned some of the difficult TF figures and you just has to pick and choose. It really takes time and patience if you want to really enjoy playing with this character. But there are others wise enough to buy two or three of each to keep in robot and vehicle mode without the need to excruciatingly change the toy for display purposes which also depends on anyone’s perspective.
But I just appreciate this one as any random casual fan and I don’t even need to display this due to lacking the space to do so. I mostly kept Bumblebee in vehicle mode and keep it on a ziplock as all of the toys I have in storage after having it documented.
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Robotic Action and Adventure
When you acquire any of the Studio Series they’re now in robot mode as this becomes a standard with Hasbro’s other product line like the recently released Generations WFC Siege assortment. You can see the details on Bumblebee close to his movie counterpart. For some they might be disappointed to know the design on his chest doesn’t become the bonnet or hood of the VW Bug.
But what makes it interesting is that you can do action poses with this figure it comes with extra accessories like his Gatling gun, wrist blade, and battle mask. Like any figure it’s not perfect with imperfection with this one the Gatling gun is not that tight but it fits snugly replacing the regular right arm. There are a lot of kibble and car parts hanging on Bee’s back which is definitely a callback to the classic Transformers toys of old. Just be delicate when transforming it to vehicle mode as some parts are made of transparent plastic.
Sometimes when replacing the regular face with the battle mask the head tends to pop out, but due to being tiny it’s normal that you can put it back in. Most of these extra parts can be store at the back of the robot if you plan on displaying him.
In VW Beetle form it’s obvious that the yellow colors are uneven with most of the material use to make this toy is transparent plastic. But the details like head and taillights were on point with clear windows. It’s not the perfect Bumblebee but the closest you can acquire compared to the Masterpiece Edition that is entirely for the high-end collector.
Final Thoughts…
The verdict is that this Studio Series version of Bumblebee is close enough for the average consumer to get. You just need to pay extra due to the quality and presentation of the product is now at premium that Hasbro and Takara Tomy has unified its movie series without the need to track alternate variations. This figure may not win any points for those who are not really fans, but aesthetically it is way better than the previous iteration of the character.
It’s not fun when you’re excruciatingly turning it into vehicle mode, but turning it back to robot mode is way better. It really depends on anyone who would appreciate it, but usually for those who would see the movie the immediate reaction would always be the same ‘I want that toy’ despite the complex engineering that went into putting this figure together.
“Bumblebee” Studio Series 18 is not for everyone but it’s one of those toys that are coveted by a few who really appreciate the mythology behind the films. It’s jointly produced by Hasbro and Takara Tomy available globally check your nearest local stores for details when you can.
Price point | PhP 1,399.75 Philippine Peso | $37.45 Australian Dollar* | $26.68 US Dollar*
*Depends on Philippine Peso Exchange Rate to Foreign Currency
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