Transformers Generations Cyber Battalion Figure
Item No.: Asst. B0785 No. B1300 Manufacturer:Hasbro Includes:n/a Action Feature:Transforms from Robot to Sports Car Retail:$14.99 Availability: April 2015 Other: Non-US De Facto Exclusive
While most fans in the 21st century feel like you can quickly and easily get pretty much any new toy, that's not always true. This Bumblebee was sold in, it seems, South America and China but all US supplies came from grey-market imports. Mine has China labels on it, the shipping carton was clearly designed for the Chinese market. Hasbro.com does show these toys as being available in the USA, but after nearly a year it appears that isn't going to happen. I got this figure - and the rest - through a small online shop which I had not previously heard of before, at a roughly $10 mark-up over the US SRP. Due to the toy's size, I'm going to say it's largely worth it. Bumblebee comes through as a fantastically weird figure that almost seems like it could be a bootleg given the strange head and generally kibbley proportions.
As a roughly 7-inch tall robot, Bumblebee comes boxed in his Cybertronian form and has no weapons. For all intents and purposes, this is a toy that looks like someone at Hasbro tasked their design teams to come up with a big, cheap transforming toy not unlike the Titan Hero Series 12-inch figures. Those are the ones derisively referred to by collectors as "shampoo bottles" and have been quite a hit with kids - and this toy is about as good as those. Bumblebee has universal hip joints as well as shoulders, plus bending elbows. The neck turns, but there are no knees. Ankles come courtesy of the fact they need to move for transformation, and the figure seems to stand around just fine. The 5mm fists can fit various Mini-Cons or BMOGs or whatever, with the toy offering little extraneous detailing. You've got an Autobot ornament on his chest, blue headlights, and a silver grille - most of the figure is just his plastic colors. Bee's head is a little skinnier and snarkier than other incarnations, leaving fans with a more (for lack of a better word) edgy take on the typically cute character. Granted his blue painted eyes and silver face are still pretty adorable. You even get the horns!
Transformation is basically the same as the tiny Legion-class toy from the Prime Cyberverse line, meaning it's really simple. You shouldn't need instructions to figure this one out. In seconds, you've got a car that's roughly the same size as those 1:24 Alternators that were the shizzle back in 2003 but now you'd punch someone in the face if they tried to get you to buy one.
It's pretty cheap. The wheels roll and there's a lot of hollow space. The car mode has no real action features beyond being a car, so it's a neat simple toy for kids but a real drag for adult fans that already have 90 toys of Bumblebee since 2006. Sure, you've got pretty blue windows and sharp black stripes, but the real action is in that robot mode.
I paid about $25, which seems about $10 too expensive for this. I like it, it's fun, but it's not the shining gem in the set nor is it ever going to set the world on fire. If you have the chance to get one at a fair price, it's a big cheap neat toy - key word being toy. Go get a Masterpiece Edition Bumblebee if you want a ton of gear and articulation, get this one if you want something dumb to play with while on the phone or sitting on the couch. He's not a heck of a lot different than those cheapo robots at Big Lots! or the various knock-offs sold in the stores with cruddy toy sections (you know the ones). Hasbro would have been wise to sell this in the USA, and I hope they give this kind of toy another crack in the future. You really should be able to get these.
16bit.com is best not viewed in Apple's Safari browser, we don't know why. All material on this site copyright their respective copyright holders. All materials appear hear for informative and entertainment purposes. 16bit.com is not to be held responsible for anything, ever. Photos taken by the 16bit.com staff. Site design, graphics, writing, and whatnot credited on the credits page. Be cool-- don't steal. We know where you live and we'll break your friggin' legs.
RSS 
