Bumblebee (Studio Series/Core Class)

Prior to the Bumblebee movie and Rise of the Beasts, Dark of the Moon was my favorite of the live action Transformers films. This new Core Class Bumblebee is meant to represent BB from that film at the smaller, Core Class size. Another Christmas gift from the Mrs (she really spoils me), Bumblebee is a retool and repaint of the DOTM Laserbeak toy released a little while back. I have that figure, but haven't gotten around to opening it yet. So this is my first experience with it. While I've got plenty of Bumblebee figures, each one tends to be it's own thing (usually) and this little guy gives me a mix of Microman Masterforce and Legend/Legion/Speed versions of BB vibes. He's a  really neat little figure.

Being a movie Bumblebee, he of course transforms into a Camaro. Unless it's his solo movie... yeah. Transformation isn't hard, though there's not a lot of extra room for movement. I found myself having to maneuver things just right to get them into place. The car is solid once transformed though. It's been pointed out that there's some slots around the rear bumper that aren't used. This is likely either from unused accessories still being in the CAD model OR some of the CAD model from other toys being used while engineering this figure. I always find little carry overs from the design process interesting. Bumblebee has a small cannon that can either be hold or mounted on the roof of the car mode. It's a neat little weapon that resembles the weapon his forearm converts into in the movies. I mentioned the lack of extra room when transforming, that carries over to robot mode. BB has a fair range of articulation, but you'll have to mind the kibble as it can get in the way. It's not a deal breaker, but is impossible to ignore. It really makes me think older CAD models were downsized to make this figure as there's definitely some sticking points that may not have been there at a larger size. I like how his head sculpt features his battle mask down. With the amount of toys movie Bumblebee gets, the variety is nice. That and it looks cool. A much harder looking Bee. This is a fun little figure that's a neat little Core Class toy. The left over design elements are fun to ponder over and it's a cool little toy of a character I like a lot. Not going to complain about that.