Thunder Spark Bumblebee Smash!

Autobase Aichi today showed scans from TV-Kun magazine with a new exclusive legion/speed series. Thunder Spark Bumblebee! Using the Dark of the Moon Cyberverse mold (really surprised it isn't from the Bumblebee movie), it sure is another translucent exclusive, and probably hard to distinguish from others.

I'll probably never own it, I'd like to, but probably won't. It's just neat. I wish I had this sort of thing here, I'd love to pick up a regular magazine and see an exclusive mail away like this. Not to mention, I love translucent colors on toys. I know they aren't known for lasting forever, but neither will I, and I'd like to enjoy the things I enjoy while I'm here. Not to mention, I like Bumblebee. He's good people.

Energon Charge Bumblebee

If it's one thing I love, it's Legend/Legion/Speed Class figures. Small, inexpensive, and usually available in a bazillion color variations making them fun to collect. The Bumblebee movie provided me with a whole new series of the tiny guys to hunt down and have a good time doing so. In Japan, TV Magazine is doing an exclusive version of the VW Bumblebee figure in translucent yellow. That's the kind of thing that drives me crazy as I'll likely never own one (there's also a red Optimus on the way). Adding to the overall neatness of the figure is a story line pitting the figure against the Red Megatron from another TV Magazine promotion from 2017. This is not a drill, this is awesome. Story pages and mini comics giving these little oddball toys a bit of fiction is something I'll forever embrace. Sure, you you it's just another use of a $5 toy with a different paint job. To me and others like me, it's something pretty dammed neat.

This clear yellow Bumblebee and his backstory are something pretty damned neat.

I'd like to eat at the Bumblebee Cafe

トランスフォーマー35周年展・バンブルビーカフェ開催決定！｜トランスフォーマーオフィシャルサイト｜タカラトミー https://t.co/bMesvz5nuL pic.twitter.com/xjLXx4R9TB

— オートベース愛知 (@autobase_aichi) March 1, 2019

 Transformers 35th Anniversary and Bumblebee Cafe decided! Transformers Official Site

Needful Bots

 

Over the past few days, news and images of random Energon Igniters figures have been popping up and really grabbing my attention. There's the recently discovered Power Series Ratchet that somehow alluded news sites coverage. It's an odd bit as the toy is sculpted like Ratchet's earlier movie appearances and not his look in the Bumblebee movie (which the toy is tied too). Add in his deco looks more like Medix and you've got an pretty random toy. Which I'll buy.

Not to be outdone is random sightings of a Speed Series Cliffjumper. The repaints of legend/legion/speed series molds are usually a lot of fun, so I've been hoping for some good ones. Bumblebee toys just look good in red. They have since G1 and look good even these days when they're usually sold as Cliffjumper. So, I'm game. I kinda hope they do a red version of the Camaro Speed Series Bumblebee toy as Stinger. Mainly because I'm silly over Stinger, and also because I'm silly over Stinger.

 

Finally we have a Crystal version of Bumblebee that's a magazine exclusive in Febuary 2019. I'll probably never own this and it will haunt me to my dying day.

Energon Igniters Bumblebee (Speed Series)

Since both the VW and Camaro versions of the Speed Series Bumblebee share engineering, I included them as the same post. Like the Optimus Prime of the Speed Series, Bumblebee finally gets a new legion style toy as the past few movies have been steadily using the ROTF mold. While that was a good toy, this is a big step up. Just a much better toy. While the Volkswagon Bug looks closer to the traditional Bumblebee we're all used to, it actually shares engineering with the Camaro version based on the 2007 movie that's just as well known. The transformations are almost identical, save for a little wiggle here and there. Though I found the Camaro version harder to transform as his car parts were harder to work around. At $5 a pop, these are great figures and since it's Bumblebee's time to shine with the new movie, it's hard to ignore all the fun toys he has on shelves. I really like these guys and hope for a million recolors. Like all Energon Igniters, they are Power Core compatible. Great little toys.

Energon Igniters Hot Rod and Barricade (Speed Series)

 

Since Hot Rod and Barricade share a base mold, I thought it best to post them together. The toys are very similar to the  2007 Transformers movie Legend/Legion Barricade toy. I don't know if it's a coincidence, purposely using the engineering, or a heavy remold. Either way, in this toy they turn into a generic 70's/80's muscle car. Barricade a Police Car and Hot Rod that car the neighborhood bully drove while listening to Judas Priest. Aside from some basic deco differences, the two have different heads and Barricade has a light bar. As all Energon Igniters, they are compatible with the Power Core blocks. There are some pretty good little figures and at $5 each, they're hard to pass up.

Energon Igniters Optimus Prime (Speed Series)

My love of Legion figures is far known and the new Speed Series naming for the scale is something I quite like a lot. It's just a better name. As part of the Bumblebee movie toys and aesthetic Optimus Prime looks very traditional mixed with his established movie look. In his truck mode, Optimus is a very pleasant flat nosed semi that despite it's small size, is compatible with a Energon Igniters Power Core (available with the larger figures in the line).

I have nothing bad to say about this figure. It looks good, has solid play value, and only costs $5. The past few legion class Optimus toys have been reuses of the ROTF mold and this is an upgrade. It's a welcome change and I can only hope the recolors of it are as many as the prior mold. The toy has a pleasant amount of articulation and a simple transformation. The metallic blue paint is a really nice touch. Just a great toy.

What the heck did I do this weekend?

 

Enjoyed another peaceful weekend. Friday morning before coming home from work, I stopped by Walmart and scored Devastator leaving only the G1 reissue Minibots left to acquire. Kinda hoping they do more later, but at the same time don't look forward to trying to buy them before they sell out. Saturday I stopped to get groceries and breakfast on the way home as later that night the Mrs and me went to see The Nun at a later evening showing.

Before leaving and after some sleep, I caught up with my DVR. Cyberverse was excellent this week. I really enjoy this show and it's getting better each week. Usually a cartoons first episodes are the worst and the first episodes weren't bad! At this rate I wonder if the series end will be amazing. I enjoyed seeing Shockwaves little drones, making me wonder if the toy's eventual repaint will be a troop builder of those. Makes me think of that old BotCon idea of using the Megabolt Megatron mold as a bug like army for Cryotec.

Ninja Steel was decent, the 'lesson' of this weeks show was decent, just felt like it needed a little more something. Basically, Calvin gets a job as a mechanic and quits school. Decides to go back to school after helping fix the Lion Fire Megazord with Mick, with Mick showing him what to do. Though the message is solid and boy I liked this weeks monster, it felt a little uneven on the lesson part.

The Nun was great. We enjoy the Conjuring movies as a whole and this one was pretty top notch. Maybe not perfect, but pretty close. I really liked the setting, pretty much what I wish Universal would have done with Dark Universe. Here we had basically an updated 'old timey' spooky movie in a castle that had substance AND style. Action packed with scares, this was a great movie. I like The Conjuring moves as a whole, but I didn't like the Annabelle moves as much as the main movies while I feel this one might actually be better than the main movies. Just an overall good horror movie.

Afterwards we went to the nearby Walmart to check out it's Halloween section and I picked up the rest of the Bumblebee Speed/Legion series wave 1. It's funny, these toys are $5 again while the Last Knight ones jumped up to 8-9$ last year. Weird. We got some Steak and Shake and came home. Great night. Sunday was spent similar to last weeks, more work in my toy room and just a nice day at home. I learned of a new smaller Authentics Grimlock being found, so this morning I looked without luck for one this morning while doing some errands. One day little Grimlock... one day.

Red Bugs

Ever since I got my Studio Series Bumblebee this past Sunday, I've been really wanting a red version of him. Not Cliffjumper, not Stinger (ok, maybe Stinger), but the red Bumblebee from various reasons in G1. I've always liked the way the classic BB looked in red and looking at my new VW Bee... man that sculpt would just really pop en rojo. I could probably take the Speed Series incarnation instead. I guess it doesn't matter, but man I just really dig the way movie Bee looks in this VW form. I could see some really neat exclusive with mock Brazilian packaging. Or really, just a play off those rando G1 cards with a red BB inside.

While I can hear folks complaining about the amount of Bumblebee toys already... Look, I'm just thinking about myself here.