Toy Review: Transformers Timelines Bumblebee (Hearts of Steel) (Deluxe)

Review:  #898

Name:  Bumblebee

Brand:  Transformers

Allegiance:  Autobot

Line:  Timelines

Year of Release:  2025

Size Class:  Deluxe

Mold Status:  new

PACKAGING:

Similar to the Optimus Prime / Starscream two-pack, Bumblebee comes with Megatron, and they're in a very nice box with a great looking piece of artwork on the cover.

Take the cover sleeve off and the figures are packaged in a book like packaging, that can open up with windows, so you display them like that if you didn't want to take them out.

VEHICLE MODE:

Based on the Hearts of Steel design which had a steampunk theme, Bumblebee transforms into a yellow and black tank engine.

It looks very good even from the back, and the color scheme really helps invoke his namesake.

The only negative is that he is quite small, even for a contemporary Deluxe.  The figure is so compacted in vehicle mode that he is super short.

There is a bit of an scale issue when you compare the alternate modes with his packmate Megatron, but the Hearts of Steel figures, if you have all four, will look great together.

The wheels can roll on a flat surface, but the black bars don't, they're just for show.

There's an Autobot insignia at the front, and even the cow catcher is painted, this is perhaps the most surprising thing, given that Bumblebee didn't shy away from having a lot of paint applications.

Viewing from the bottom, you can see just how compact this figure is.  There is no unused space, and both robot weapons store underneath, which is neat.

A great train mode, even if the size is questionably small.

TRANSFORMATION:

Bumblebee has a more complex transformation compared to Bumblebee, and he is more fiddly than Optimus given his smaller size.  It can get frustrating at certain points as pieces may get in the way of each other, or you might need to grip a small small to put it out. . The front and bottom of the train become the legs, and this is the easy part.  The back is the chest piece, and the arms from underneath that.  The shoulder pads are from the front of the train.  Getting the torso and shoulder pads out can be fiddly.

ROBOT MODE:

For such a compact train mode, Bumblebee manages to expand significantly and the robot mode looks very good.

He doesn't have much kibble on his, the shoulder pads adds character to the design.

The head sculpt is good, although the head looks a bit small compared to his chest, which proportionally dominates the whole figure.

He is still quite small in robot mode though, shorter than your typical Deluxe.

He's much much smaller than Megatron, and the shortest out of the four Hearts of Steel figures.  Although the set as a whole looks fantastic together.

Articulation is good, with joints for his head, shoulders, elbows, waist, hips, knees and ankles.

Bumblebee comes with two weapons, a hammer and a gun.

Both of them can be held in his hands, although the gun is small sized.

Something a bit surprising is that there are not dedicated places for you to store those weapons on robot mode if you don't want him to hold it.

Due to his smaller size, and where his knee joints are located, getting his legs to where you want when posing can be annoying too.

While there are some proportion issues, given his chest is so big, this is still a nice robot mode.

OVERALL:

There aren't really any real duds in the Hearts of Steel figures, and while Bumblebee may not be the best one, he is still a very solid figure.

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Little Kitty, Big City (PC)

Little Kitty, Big City is an adventure game where you play as a cat. The premise is that you’re an indoor cat living in an apartment. The apartment is on a high level from the ground. Unfortunately, you get a shock and accidentally fall to the ground. Now, you need to find a way back up by exploring the city and talking to others for help.

The moveset is limited. You can jump and are able to adjust the height to a certain degree. Although you cannot really jump that high. You can also use your paws to knock things around or over, and you can cause quite a bit of mischief this time. As a cat, you’re free to explore the various small areas, which are usually cordoned off by water or high fences. As in any city, there are a lot of people walking around and you can nuzzle up to them, or be a bit evil and knock them over, before stealing whatever they are holding.

The explorable area gets bigger as you play. The early areas are small, but there are a lot of nooks and crannies that reveal yet another small explorable area. You don’t have as much freedom as you would hope, as there are still many places where you’d think you should be able to go but can’t. The only new ability you’ll gain is climbing, and even that is very limited to the stamina you have.

The way the game is structured is that it doesn’t hold your hand nor give much of a tutorial. You’re let loose to try things out. You’re supposed to do various mini sidequests where you help others along the way. These are usually fetch quests, finding one of the many collectibles that are scattered around the city. The game can therefore feel a bit aimless as a result. The goal is to explore enough to find the items that give you the stamina required to climb back up home.

There are a few quality-of-life features, such as fast travel points even though the map isn’t too big. There is a pretty artstyle where it’s simplistic, bright and colorful. It suits the tone of the game well. The movement unfortunately remains restricted and limited at times. Given you’re a cat, you’d think you will be a bit quicker, elegant, and nimbler. The humor is subtle, where the animals give flack to the cat.

At its core, the main appeal of the game is playing as a cat. None of the game mechanics, nor the story, are innovative. In fact, the gameplay design can be described as generic and only saved by the appeal of the cat. It’s a short game, taking around two to three hours to complete the ultimate objective of reaching the apartment. All the side content is available by the time you finish the game, and you’re free to finish off the content at your own pace afterwards.

Overall, Little Kitty, Big City is a relaxing game, which is a bit too short to be able to fully get yourself into. The content can be uninspiring but playing as a cat is fun and novel at first. The climbing and jumping mechanics can be awkward, oftentimes you will accidentally jump off something you didn’t want to. It’s a good game to play in between longer serious games, although the pricing is a tad bit high for what you get.

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Toy Review: Transformers Timelines Megatron (Hearts of Steel) (Deluxe)

Review:  #897

Name:  Megatron

Brand:  Transformers

Allegiance:  Decepticon

Line:  Timelines

Year of Release:  2025

Size Class:  Deluxe

Mold Status:  new

PACKAGING:

Similar to the Optimus Prime / Starscream two-pack, Megatron comes with Bumblebee, and they're in a very nice box with a great looking piece of artwork on the cover.

Take the cover sleeve off and the figures are packaged in a book like packaging, that can open up with windows, so you display them like that if you didn't want to take them out.

ALTERNATE MODE:

Based on an unused design, Megatron transformed into a wheeled cannon, and has a medieval feel to him (the Hearts of Steel theme that this was based upon was kind of a cyberpunk theme).

While Megatron looks great from the front, the back isn't as good, as his folded up robot legs are there and looks somewhat awkward, but does mean he is super stable.

He is an okay size for a Deluxe, but he does feel quite light, and thanks to what must be a lot of hollow parts, which cheapens his feel despite the uniqueness of the design.

A quick shot with Bumblebee, and there is clearly a scale issue, especially with Bumblebee being so tiny himself.

The two big wheels roll, and there are actually two more small plastic wheels on the bottom of the back, so the whole cannon can roll on a flat surface, which is pretty cool (they could have just made him completely static to save costs).

The cannon itself doesn't have any articulation so it can only ever face straight forward.  There are two small guns on either side of the wheels.

Looking down from above, you can see most of the robot, the back being the legs, and the middle the torso.  The hips are completely visible.

This is such a unique mode for a Transformer that you cannot hate it.

TRANSFORMATION:

As you can guess from the alternate mode, Megatron has a simple transformation.  The legs just unfold from behind.  The arms are from the side.  Remove the cannon and you can then flip out the head.

ROBOT MODE:

Despite the simple transformation, the robot mode looks pretty sharp, and the wheels as giant shoulder pads work so well thanks to each of the individual spikes being painted silver.

The only annoying kibble that he has are the semi-circular grey things on the outside of his forearms (which are used to hide the robot fists in cannon mode).

The head sculpt is classic Megatron.

He is taller than the usual Deluxe in robot mode, and the shoulder pads gives him the illusion of being bulkier than he truly is.

His only weapon in robot mode is the cannon.

The cannon is plugged on top of his forearm.  He's not actually holding it in his hand even though it might look like it from a few angles.

Compared to Bumblebee, Megatron's much bigger, but he is also simpler in engineering.

With all four of the Hearts of Steel figures, they look so well together, and it is still amazing that these figures were even made since they're so niche and different.

Articulation is good, he has joints for his head, shoulders, elbows, waist, hips, knees and ankles.

His legs are quite long, so he can look lanky.  Just like in cannon mode, he can feel overly light and cheap for his size.

The shoulder pads are jointed so that they can get out of the way when posing the arms.

The grey used here is a tad bit on the lighter side and too close to "Hasbro grey", thankfully it's limited in use.

A good looking robot mode whose design may not be as unique as the cannon, but still more unique than most Transformers.

OVERALL:

If you're even marginally interested in the design, the Megatron is a good figure to get.  Even if you're not sure what Hearts of Steel is, the alternate mode and the design is so unique, that he is worth getting.  He's like a breath of fresh air being different to the typical Transformers we get nowadays.

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For other Transformers reviews, have a look at this page and this page.

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(As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases)