High Octane Bumblebee : Transformers 4 – Age of Extinction

Bumblebee, one of the very least character which appears in all 4 movies of Transformers (beside Optimus Prime), has again made his appearance in Transformers toyline. Not surprisingly that he has again appeared in 2 versions for this chapter: the High Octane Bumblebee and the newer 2014 Camaro Bumblebee which the previous will be reviewed today!

A small additional prologue: Bumblebee has always been the sleek muscle sport car in the movie. This isn’t the first round that classic muscle Camaro has been introduced in the movie. Before that we already have seen the Camaro 1974 appearing in the 1st movie. Now, he has indeed made a comeback with a bulkier Camaro SS 1967 in the earlier part of the Age of Extinction movie.

(A) Alternate Mode – Camaro SS 1967
First impression on the High Octane Bumblebee: light, matte and small. Light, as light as the Lockdown figure which is being reviewed earlier, with thinner and not-much-solid plastic being used. It does give a feel of KO-ness despite being an official product.

Matte: As different from the rest of the AoE deluxes with typical glossy plastic being used, he is all wrapped up with matte finishing which gives the premium unique feel.

Small: Believe me, he is small. Size is comparable to the deluxe Lockdown and much smaller than his predecessor of the same class. We have a small comparison below with his older self.

Something of a relief which we see in the new AoE line of toys is their improved color applications. High Octane Bumblebee enjoys the same treatment with decent paint apps to highlight the details. To put it simpler, you see a straight line as a straight line with lesser-to-none jagged outline.

Details such as the “SS” wording and Autobot emblem can be seen clearly painted. Other than that, you will only see black as the dominant color composition. No part of the wheels is being painted.

Majority of the orange paint works is being done on the spoiler. No backlight color treatment is being done as well. It’s just so black. But then again, it is exactly like what in the movie to stay as discreet to human as possible.

(B) Robot Mode
In robot mode we can see more orange color being introduced to brighten up the High Octane Bumblebee. He has an unusual longer leg proportion as compared to his upper body.

You might have noticed by now there’s a cannon being stuck to the right arm of him. Yes, stuck as in non-removable unless risk of breaking it apart. However, it doesn’t really affect the transformation as it can be safely concealed in the alt mode. Truly an annoying and awkward design but then again you can stop worrying where to store the weapon in both modes.

Off to the side profile with large back kibble. Fortunately it doesn’t contribute much of the weight to pull down the already light-weighted figure. Thanks to the fairly large feet to keep him stand upright.

There is no Autobot insignia to be seen in robot mode.

For those light piping lovers, you will be disappointed with him as his eyes are painted in cyan instead of the typical light pipping implementation. The head sculpture is quite ‘standard’ which we normally seen in previous version of him.

Articulation Mapping
Interesting enough, he has multiple ratchet joints that enhance stability and pose-ability.

(C) Transformation
Transformation is quite intermediate which takes much of the effort transforming the front section of the vehicle.

(D) Gimmicks

(E) Comparison
Here’s a very simple comparison with the Bumblebee from the first Transformers movie. Notice how the size has been shrunk over the years and different movie adaptation. Cost savings?

(F) Gallery of Goodies

(G) Conclusion
Although we are not a fan of the robot mode, we do put our affection in his alt mode. Plastic quality and gimmick is nothing to shout about (and mostly condemn). Apart from being the sole matte-plastic deluxe figure around for Age of Extinction toys which we are really particular of. Besides that, it is just another Bumblebee figure which people choose to skip, unless, you are into collecting muscle sport car Transformers.

My PCR for him: 6.5/10
What I like – Alt mode; matte finishing with nice paint works.
What I dislike?– Arm Cannon gimmick; no light pipping; weird proportion; light/cheap plastic; much smaller size.

Until then, enjoy hunting and hauling!

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