Toys : Transformers Movie Deluxe Class Bumblebee 2008 Camaro

In association with Amazon.com

Rating:

- Great toy, but the transformation from Autobot back to a car is quite difficult
I am writing this review on behalf of my 9-1/2 year old son who simply loves Transformers. After saving up enough of his allowance money, he insisted on getting this particular Autobot Transformer.

He felt that the transformation from the Camaro concept car to Autobot was a piece of cake. The transformation back to Camaro concept car, however, was a different story.

The instructions were no help since they only showed how to transform from the car to Autobot (i.e. no reverse instructions). He eventually figured it out, and can now do it in about 3-5 minutes, but it was no walk in the park. After reading the other reviews, we definitely feel your pain. But don't lose hope. It can be done!! Once you've accomplished it, you feel like you can climb Mt. Everest. It's a real confidence builder, especially for young boys (and some old ones too). Below is some helpful advice:

1) The toy is built to be handled roughly (within reason), so don't be afraid to twist (by hand), push, and pull the various parts of the toy.

2) From Autobot mode, my son believes that the toy is easier to convert back to a car if you separate the top of the Autobot (torso up) from the bottom of the Autobot (pelvis down). Simply, pull them apart. The front of the car is definitely more challenging than the back, but after a while you'll get the hang of it.

3) If all else fails, go to www.youtube.com and type "Bumblebee Transformers, concept car". I thought of this after the fact, but this might be helpful to a few people out there who are at their wits' end. A couple of the videos are pretty informative and take you through the transformation process (step by step). Parents may want to preview the videos before their kids do. Some of the videos are more age appropriate than others.

Could our good friends at Hasbro have made the process easier (i.e. include a good set of reverse instructions)? You bet!! However, the challenge for my son was a lesson in patience, determination, and ultimately conquest. He didn't give up, even after dear old dad called it quits. I was proud of him.

LS

Rating:

- its now what I expected
I bought this product for my godson, well initially for my godson then found a bigger Bumblebee and bought it for him so i kept the smaller, which is this one, for myself. The car is small and does transform to Bumblebee (well somewhat) , but i guess i am too old for this toys since I cant figure out how to properly transform them to Bumblebee and back to car.

Rating:

- Good toy
This toy is very cool but the head keeps falling off! My kid has to be very careful when playing with it and is always worried that Bumblebee might lose his head! But it is cool though, we just need the bigger one now!

Rating:

- Bumblebee rocks
This is a very nice Bumblebee. His robot mode looks quite nice and he comes with a plasma cannon that converts to a blade. He transforms into a yellow 2009 Chevrolet Camaro that sports black racing stripes. I personally love the vehicle mode. You should not pay more than $20 for Bumblebee, his retail price is ten dollars. Though I have not had durability issues the joints seem a little loose and the figure seems rather fragile, so I would not recommend for young or rough children. He looks great on the shelf in both robot and car mode. He has great articulation and can do several poses. He is overall a very nice figure and if you have a choice between 1974 camaro and 2009 camaro definitley pick the 2009 model.

Rating:

- Wow, a lot of stupid reviews here.
Interesting. Most of the transformer reviews seem to be from a somewhat informed collector's perspective. Most of these seem to be from people who bought this model for their five year old kid and who thought they were going to get Ultimate Bumblebee (who retails for 80 bucks) because the price was marked up. Ten seconds of research would have given them the information to avoid such a mistake, but these people feel justified in railing against Amazon for charging extra for a product in high demand.

I'd agree with anybody that they shouldn't be buying these new transformers for young children. They are for kids who are at least 10, and for adult collectors. And from an adult collector perspective, it's a superb toy. It does have a complicated transformation, and what you get is a toy that looks stunning in both modes. And while many of the transformers have done a respectable job imitating the vastly more complex movie models, this one takes first prize, moreso than what I've seen of Ultimate Bumblebee.

So yes, the toy is in high demand, and you should either expect to spend a long time tracking one down, as I did, or fork over the cash for the quick fix. I was lucky enough to find a re-issue at Target yesterday, stocked by the cash registers instead of in the toy aisle. And I paid 9.99 for it.

So I recommend less cry-baby behavior from dimwit parents and some sense in realizing who these models are really designed for and why they're in high demand. Blame the manufacturers for claiming they're for younger kids, blame yourselves for buying without thinking, but don't blame Amazon, fer chrissakes.

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