Toys : Transformers Movie Deluxe Class Bumblebee 2008 Camaro

In association with Amazon.com

Rating:

- not easy to transform
Without the instructions it's almost impossible to transform the toy. And even with the instructions it's not that easy. An adult has to make it. They should be easier in order to start having fun with it.
My boy still loved it.

Rating:

- Badly Designed
My son was very excited about getting the "Bumble bee" and had asked for it for some time. The only place I could find it was at Amazon. Quick shipping and the item had arrived.

It looked nice and my son started to play with it. However, once he "transformed" the car into the robot, it was quite difficult to turn it back into the car again; he couldn't do it, his older brother and his mother couldn't figure it out. Typically I end up helping others figure things out, but felt quite helpless turning the robot back into the car. Yes, I finally did it after 5 hours of trial and error. The pieces don't fit together well and it is very easy to turn the wrong way and break small pieces. In any case I will be in quite an agony once my son transforms it back into robot and asks me to turn it back into the car again :-(

Rating:

- For Those Of You Having Problems W/Assembly:YOU TUBE!
YOU TUBE is your best source- just type in the name of the transformer in the search box, and there you have it! Probably the easiest instructions (and a good review too) you can get. Nice quality toy, can convert it in less than a minute now, kinda like a simplified rubics cube,(think of it as kind of a cool puzzle). My 4 year old son loves it(although he needs daddy's help to convert it). ALSO DONT PAY ANY MORE THAN $10 FOR THIS TOY!! Patience will be rewarded- right now there out of stock at the Hasbro site but there supposed to back in in march. I found several at the Toys R Us store.

Rating:

- Transformers Bumblebee
The toy is sort of difficult to transform from the car to Bumblebee and vice versa. My son is pretty rough and he ends up breaking it apart a lot and then we have to put it back together. But it looks really cool and overall he seems to be satisfied.

Rating:

- Movie Bumblebee... quite complex
First, before I begin reviewing this actual item, I want to comment on the price, and actually what this item is.
This is the Deluxe sized Bumblebee. He's just over five inches long in car mode, and stands about 5 1/2 inches tall in robot mode. So he is not the Ultimate class Bumblebee. Nor does this figure have electronics.
And the standard retail price for this figure is $9.99. If you're spending $20 or $30, you're paying too much (unless you're looking to buy this figure at some future point where it's out of production). But as of 2008, he should still be able to be found in stores if you look hard enough.
So, about this figure; the designers attempted to make a very movie accurate figure indeed. His car mode is modeled after the as of this writing, still un-produced Chevy 2008 Concept Camaro. The details are pretty darn good, everything down to the Chevy symbol on the front grill.
The robot mode too is quite good. Although not a 100% reproduction of his movie self, this figure comes pretty darn close, even closer than the Ultimate class figure.
He looks good in both modes, and has a pretty good amount of posability as a robot. He even includes a cannon which looks a great deal like the on in the movie, although this one can be split open to reveal an energy blade.
The tricky thing about this figure is the transformation process. It is very complex. I wouldn't usually expect a figure twice his size to be this complex. But somehow they figured how to make Deluxe Bumblebee incredibly complex. Parts move in ways you may not be expecting them to. Those who like to transform without instructions the first time will almost certainly need them. I'm used to Transformers, but this one gave even me some problems. He even has what's refered to as an "Automorph" feature, which means by moving something while transforming, another part is designed to move as well. Here, you're required to move the front section of the hood down, while the rest of the hood (which the arms are attatched to) moved up.
This actually gave me enough trouble the first time that I wound up breaking some of the plastic gears used for this mechanism (and I'm quite careful with Transformers). I had to disassemble him to get him to transform right again. And I'm positive many more will have such problems, if not worse.
Over all, I think he's a neat little figure, but you need to be patient. But he might be too tough for some. If you can get over transforming him, he should be plenty of fun (as far as Transformers are concerned anyway).

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