Review: #459
Name: War Hammer Bumblebee
Brand: Transformers
Allegiance: Autobot
Line: Movie the Best
Year of Release: 2018
Size Class: Deluxe
Mold Status: repaint of the new mold The Last Knight Bumblebee
PACKAGING:
As part of the Movie the Best line, Bumblebee comes in alternate mode in a windowed box.
The box has a few movie scenes and of course a flattering stock image of the figure.
VEHICLE MODE:
Bumblebee transforms into a 2017 Concept Camaro and he looks fantastic in this mode, with plenty of paint applications (all the black is paint).
The designer bothered to paint the tail lights as well as some other details black, which is great.
Above is a comparison against Generations Titans Return Hot Rod. Bumblebee is narrower but is taller too.
The war hammer accessory can split in half and peg onto the spoiler (it's a tight fit so there's danger of paint scraping). The blaster on the other hand, cannot be stored in this mode.
This is a fantastic vehicle that looks stunning.
TRANSFORMATION:
Bumblebee has a interesting transformation that's different to previous Deluxes while not being too hard. As expected, most of the car shell folds up into this torso (so he is a massive shellformer), while the rear of the vehicle splits to become his legs, with the back ending up as his calves.
ROBOT MODE:
Bumblebee's robot mode looks great and best thing is that the chest is not fake kibble.
This figure tries to be as accurate to the design as possible, including the four-piece door wings. The car kibble is minimized by having it partially folded into his torso.
The headsculpt is Bumblebee as per normal, nothing special here and he doesn't have a flip down mask.
A quick comparison against Age of Extinction Bumblebee which shows how much better proportioned this version is.
Size-wise, Bumblebee is shorter than your average Deluxe.
Articulation is bog standard. He has joints for shoulders, elbows, hips, knees and ankles. His waist does not turn due to transformation requirements.
The ankles are quite loose due to transformation and it can be annoying as Bumblebee can and will keel over backwards if you do not balance him just right.
Bumblebee comes with two weapons, a blaster and the war hammer he used against Optimus in the movie.
The hammer can be held in either hand and looks pretty menacing.
Bumblebee has just about enough articulation to hold it with both hands.
When not in use, the hammer can store on his back.
The abundance of unpainted grey plastic lets down the robot a bit. Most of the budget for paint was used for vehicle mode.
His blaster can only be used if you detach his hand and then attach this one. This feels like a lazy way to incorporate this weapon, especially when it means you will always have a spare arm somewhere.
When not in use, the blaster can peg onto his blaster, in the exact same spot as his hammer so you cannot store both at the same time.
The elbow is a swivel joint so pulling it on and off to attach the weapon will weaken it over time and eventually break it since it requires a significant amount of force.
This is a great robot mode and one of the most well proportioned Bumblebee toys out there.
OVERALL:
War Hammer Bumblebee is a fantastic mold and one of the best Deluxe Bumblebees we've gotten. Whether the hammer accessory is worth the extra premium or not is another story (as the paint isn't significantly better than Premier Edition of the mold). Nevertheless, this mode is recommended.
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