Review – Transformers Universe G1 Series Bumblebee

“Although small and physically weak, Bumblebee is one of the most fuel-efficient Autobots, able to function on miniscule amounts of Energon for twice as long as his next most-efficient comrade. His skills as a spy are impressive; his non-threatening appearance, visual acuity, and overall stealth make him an excellent infiltrator.”
— from More Than Meets the Eye Volume 1, The Transformers Official Guidebook

Ever since we first spotted the little guy in 1984 — earlier, for some of us who remember seeing weird-looking cars that turned into robots about a year before Transformers took off — Bumblebee has been a favorite with all of us (especially girls; he is a cute robot, after all). While this particular G1 Series design looks nothing like the classic Bumblebee in car mode, the robot mode is fairly close and his transformation process is also very close to the original design.

Transformers Universe G1 Series Bumblebee in Vehicle Mode

As I mentioned, the toy’s vehicle mode doesn’t exactly look like the classic version of the Bumblebee that we grew up with in the 80s. As a toy car, though, he works quite well, with all of the pieces snapping together neatly and holding tight (even as he speeds across the floor of my office). The wheels are a bit tight, and rub against the figure in places, so Bumblebee has a tendency to turn to the right as he rolls and he slows to a stop a lot faster than I would like. Still, the cats appear to like him in this mode so he gets their seal of approval even if I think he’s just okay and would have preferred better movement on the wheels and the classic design.

Transformers Universe G1 Series Bumblebee in Robot Mode

As I mentioned, and as you can see in the photo, this toy’s robot mode is an excellent approximation of the classic Bumblebee design (cartoon design, that is). This is even more impressive when you consider the fact that even though he was released after the movie there’s nothing of the movie design Bumblebee in the figure. This is a plus for me, since I don’t care for the movie Bumblebee’s design (especially his weird-looking face).

All of the joints are nice and tight, giving Bumblebee a fairly steady stance and some degree of poseability. Not a lot, mind you, but just enough so that he doesn’t look stiff and wooden when standing in robot mode (a significant improvement over the classic Bumblebee toy).

Closing Thoughts

If you’re looking for an inexpensive Bumblebee — I paid less than $5 for this one at Wal-Mart — you can’t beat this Bumblebee. Sure he’s tiny, standing just about 3″ in robot mode, but that just makes him a perfect accessory for your office desk or to stand on your computer. He’s not the best toy out there but he’ll work just fine.

For even more photos of Bumblebee take a look at www.seibertron.com.

Philip Reed remembers sitting in the garage playing with Star Wars toys in late 1983 (or maybe it was early 1984) when a friend came over with a little car that turned into a robot. Shortly after that he saw a larger van that turned into a robot that stood on a platform (it was gray) and then, after going to Disneyland in the summer of 1984, he had his first look at Optimus Prime. From there it went downhill.