The sheer quantity of toys with this name is amazing, with Titans ReturnBumblebee being yet another take on the classic character. In the USA alone, we've had at least six Legends-ish sized smaller transforming Bumblebees over the last decade, and I assume we'll see this new one redecorated a couple of times too. Hasbro just loves to do it since going from nearly all of 1995 to 2006 without a single toy with that name.
As always, the Legends-class Bumblebee clocks in at about 4-inches tall and the head sculpt may be one of Hasbro's best releases in this small scale. It's rare that the face is a pale grey with blue eyes, generally we get silver paint to give it more of a realistic robot look. Bumblebee sports 11 points of articulation and what may well be the widest shoulders he's ever had. Seriously, the dude looks like a linebacker or whatever the term is. He has tiny little forearms at the elbow joint, with a massive screw acting as a distraction from the tiny t-rex size. Car kibble hangs off what would be his biceps, and the feet do look like car chunks. In that respect it's somewhat similar to the original Classics toy from 2006. It's fun - it's better than the rounder and more Cybertronian-looking one from 2013.
Transformation isn't a huge challenge, some bits are a tad finicky and you'll need to snap/tab/shove them in place. He's sturdier than other cars in the line so far, but when you open the trunk to gain access to the interior to seat a Titan Master - which you will see during transformation - Bumblebee's head is awkwardly visible, staring up at you like a severed head in a trunk.
The car is more or less a typical non-VW Bumblebee, with a little spoiler plus painted lights and grille. What really struck me with this figure wasn't its boxy-yet-sporty design, but the license plate. It's sculpted "100STRA" which I am told is probably a nod to movie Bumblebee's license plate. I'm not particularly studied on the films, so there you go. Its windows are black and the wheels seem to roll quite nicely. Deco is good, but not perfect - the yellow paint on the area surrounding the top of the car is painted yellow, and isn't a great match to the molded yellow that makes up the rest of the car.
You don't need this toy. But you're probably going to want it, if for no reason other than to enjoy a new sculpt between now and its inevitable red redeco. It feels light and slight, so having given him an accessory like a teeny tiny blaster would have gone a long way to improving it. Legends-class toys seem to rarely have handheld 5mm weapons as of late, with recent exceptions of Rewind and Rumble. Since Bumblebee toys sell and this is one, no one will suffer if you skip it. It will sell without you.
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