Rating:  -
Took forever to transform--thought we were going to break it. Have only gotten it back into car form the right way one or two times in 4 months. Head always breaks off. He is 5 years old and doesn't play with it hardly at all. Liked it for the first couple days and was too frustrated to bother with it anymore. Know what he uses most? The age 3 McDonald's transformer happy meal toy. This is just way too complicated even for mom and dad to transform. For the last 4 months it's just looked like a jumbled car wreck.
Rating:  -
This is the alternate color scheme to Bumblebee, but besides that is the same. The Cliffjumper transformer is also identical other than the color. In response to the reviews that say this is difficult to transform and that is why it is awful, I would say that yes, it is difficult at first, but once you do it a few times, it's easy.
I bought this one for my five year old and spent at least 10 minutes pouring over the directions while transforming him from a robot back to a car (more difficult than the car to a robot). The second time, it took me about 5 minutes and the third time, I discovered the trick to it and from then on I could do it in just a minute or two.
It's kind of hard to put it into words, but the best way to do it is to start with the legs and make sure they are lined of and snapped in to form the rear of the car. Then, make sure the arms are in the right position (pulled all the way out and straight at his sides) and pull back the compartment right under the back of his head. Now you should be able to pull of the front end of the car. You shouldn't have to force it, if it doesn't go easily, then readjust the arms until it does. Now that you've gotten it this far, push the arms in and line up the top of the car and snap it all in place. The doors actually have a small peg that make them snap in tight. Like I said, it's difficult to put this into words, but with a little experience and some effort, you'll pick it up soon enough.
For the durability argument... yes, I agree, the parts do pop off from time to time if you (or your 5 year old :) are rough with it. But, the easily snap back in. Even after re-attaching his head and arms dozens of times (my 5 year old is rougher than most on his toys I suspect), the joints are still solid and everything still transforms very tightly.
Bottom line, no, a five year old probably can't transform this. However, with a little patience, an adult can do it easily enough. If I had to do it all over again, I'd still buy this toy for my son. He loves it and plays with it every day..... and I must admit, I enjoy transforming it upon request. It's kind of like a robot Rubik's Cube.
Rating:  -
This is a Bumblebee with alternate colors than in the movie. It is very easy to transform back and forth. It is very durable, except when you pull up on a black plate on the chest, the head pops off. I don't know if it's supposed to do this, but the head is very easy to reattach and other than that is very easy to play with. The packaging says "for ages 5 and up". It should be 9 and up, seeing as it is very accurate to all of the transforming elements of Bumblebee in the movie, though not quite as complex as the Ultimate Bumblebee, which should be for 12 and up. The sword/cannon stores between the legs in car mode (I know, weird!) which makes it more realistic because it's not attached on the outside of the car. In robot mode, it stands about 6.5 inches tall, and in car mode, it's about 5.5 inches long. This is a great toy, and I recommend it to all of you Transformers fans with low budgets, because it's a really great deal for $10
Rating:  -
After purchasing this toy, I have spend the better part of an hour to NOT transform this toy. The transformation instructions are not very details, and the front end of the car simply refuses to cooperate.
They simply do not make them like they used to. The head breaks off, and the front and back end seperate with only a little pressure. I suppose this disassembly prevents breaking because you can simply reattach the pieces but it makes the toy feel cheap.
My 6 year old nephew was extremely frustrated with this toy. You buy a toy to bring happiness to a child. This toy does the exact opposite and I recommend against purchasing this.
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