Hasbro Transformers The Last Knight Premier Edition Bumblebee Hasbro, 2017
Day #1,727: June 16, 2017
Bumblebee Return of the Age of Extinction Mold
Transformers The Last Knight Premier Edition Deluxe
Item No.: Asst. C0887 No. C1320 Manufacturer:Hasbro Includes:2 star weapons Action Feature:Transforms from Robot to Chevy, hand swaps with blaster, helmet becomes mask Retail:$19.99 Availability: April 24, 2017 Other: New deco! Higher price!
You can probably skip this one - besides, the kids are going to buy them all anyway. About 50% of the collector-driven The Last Knight toys are repaints of things you got/skipped for Age of Extinction, and you've had two cracks at this Bumblebee mold in the USA. Toys R Us got him in a 2-pack, and he appeared in the third wave of deluxe toys. The toy has totally different deco - sure it's still black and yellow, but the layout is different. I've only got one other movie Deluxe Bumblebee toy, and I can say that this one isn't going to change my life. It's not bad, though. It has a cool gimmick.
23 points of articulation make a robot that I would say is perfectly nice. It's a little bulky in spots, and there is a fair amount of kibble, but the articulation isn't conducive to wacky action poses. I appreciate the extra moving bits in the legs, although it's worth noting they're almost completely unpainted. The same is true for most of the toy - Hasbro molded him in mostly yellow plastic, with some yellow paint over the clear bits and some black bits. Also, the price went up considerably since the last one, which I'm not particularly happy to see.
At 5 1/4-inches tall, it's a deluxe. You know what to expect - good articulation, a decent build, and throwing stars. I didn't see the movies, so I don't get if that's a thing or not - they plug in to the backpack kibble, which is actually kind of nice. They also go into the bottom of the car mode. Either hand can hold a star, but the right hand has a flip-out fist cannon which I quite enjoy.
Another fun bonus - which I initially missed, and wasn't in the manual of the new version - was a battle mask. It's tricky but you can pull out the yellow mask on his forehead and it slides down over his eyes a bit. It isn't pointed out anywhere, and I wouldn't miss it if they left it out since it doesn't look too awesome. The helmet part doesn't have the painted eyes or anything, so it's just like he has a yellow face rather than the nice silver and blue one you get by default.
Transformation is surprisingly involved. Part of the car's hood is under the chest plate. The feet and arms have a lot of bits that swing out - and snap - in clever ways. I don't normally say "you better check the instructions," but you better check the instructions. Everything fits in nicely, but not perfectly without a little massaging. Well, maybe you'll get luckier than I did.
It's the same car, but it's painted to look like a newer Chevy Camaro. He has a black hood rather than twin black stripes, but lacks a decorated license plate or painted wheels. They roll adequately, but they're not as fancy as the good ol' days when you had metal axles. The lights are painted fairly nicely, and the clear windows are no slouch.
Given that Toys R Us debuted this mold in a 2-pack for $15 with a bonus Legends-class toy and a bonus MechTech weapon just 3 years ago, $20 doesn't feel like a good deal. Deluxe toys from Age of Extinction were available on the cheap on and off too, so the rising prices with improved packaging and dubious deco are sort of a head-scratcher. It wouldn't surprise me if someone at Hasbro said "we can shave off a few pennies from Bumblebee because the core customer for it won't notice," and they'd probably be right. If you don't have the mold, see it on sale, or gotta have them all? You may have already bought this, and I hope you dig it. It's not bad - there's an admirable amount of detail work and lots of parts to fidget with, but I'd be lying if I said it was fun or inspiring like Barricade. On sale? Help yourself. For full price? Drag your feet, unless you're buying a set or a case online.
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