Bumble Bee Thy Name

I picked up this Transformers Universe Classics series Bumblebee a couple months back. They are now starting to appear on toy aisles more prevalently, along with new representations of Brawn and Beachcomber in the same line-up. I only picked up Bumblebee on that trip, because he's one of my favorite Transformers of all time.



I love these little guys because they are small and cheap (about $4.99) and toys should be cheap. See, I'm a man of simple tastes. I like dynamite, and gunpowder... and toys. Do you know what all of these things have in common? They're cheap!

Sorry about that.

Also, in robot mode they come pretty close to their 80s cartoon likenesses.



For Bumblebee, that means he has a face. Although I have a preference for the original toy Bumblebee's look, it is fun to finally have a small transforming Bumblebee that looks like the cartoon we all grew up with; after only waiting 25 years!



Unfortunately Volkswagen refuses to license their image/likeness to "war toys" (I guess they are still sensitive about that whole WWII thing.)

So Hasbro had to wing it, and pretty much followed the look of their recent Transformers Classics Bumblebee vehicle mode.



From the rear it's a passable Beetle-esque vehicle...



From the front...not so much. Oh well, we can't have everything.



Here he is next to a Matchbox VW Beetle taxi which was released a couple years ago. As you can see Bumblebee is pretty close to 1:64 scale, which makes him a great versatile toy compatible with Transformers, die-cast cars, etc. etc.



On a side note, this is a pretty cool Matchbox Beetle. I got it a couple years ago so you won't find it in stores now, but I think a green/white version is currently available. Of course, the yellow one is more Bumblebee-ish, and therefore my favorite. I can see Bumblebee disguising himself as a taxi to spy on the Decepticons - he is their espionage expert after all!

And the Decepticons are just stupid enough to fall for it.



Here they are from the front. Beep Beep!



You look...familiar.

Flight of the Bumblebees

One of the best little Transformers ever is Bumblebee. He's undeniably a fan favorite character, who can resist a cute little yellow Beetle that transforms into a cute little robot?

Personally, I've always been fonder of his "brother" Cliffjumper. Probably because Cliffjumper was my first transformer ever...

...and because he was voiced by Casey Kasem. Just like Shaggy and Robin. And the American Top 40.

I remember getting Cliffjumper as a gift before the cartoon or commercials began (or at least before I saw any of them.)

I was in awe, a toy car that was also a toy robot! Two great tastes that taste great together! Pure, unadulterated genius!

I couldn't wait to get over to my cousin's house and start playing Hot Wheels. I was planning on whipping ol' CJ out and nonchalantly rolling him around like a regular toy car, only to suddenly transform him into a robot and blow my cousin's mind!

When I arrived at my cousin's house, I readied my plan. We grabbed our Hot Wheels cases and headed out to the sand box.

I pulled out my Cliffjumper...and to my chagrin my cousin pulled out HIS Cliffjumper!

DOH!

Bumblebee however proved to be a very elusive toy. I remember having a hard time trying to get him. People talk about toy hunting today as if it's tough, but in the days before the internet it was even tougher. You got what you saw on the shelves if and when you saw it, and that was that.

After years of searching, I finally got him on an out-of-state trip to Grandma's house. I think we were in a drug store or grocery store when I spotted his yellowy goodness, and I was elated.

Fortunately I also had a few bucks vacation spending money. Bumblebee was better than any lame souvenir I could have picked up, and that specific trip is now and forever etched upon my mind.

"...misty water colored memories..."

I always preferred Bumblebee's toy face over his cartoon face. He has a more robotic, Optimus Prime like look to him, and it's a nice contrast to Cliffjumper's more human face. There was a comic book published a few years back that approached the concept, showing this to be a battle mask, and that Bumblebee's human-like face is underneath. A similar concept was shown in the live action Transformers movie as well.

Even later in the line, Bumblebee was reformatted into Goldbug. These cars were a bit bigger and had a pullback feature.

The vehicles in this sub-set, called the Throttlebots, were very simplistic and had none of the charm of the earlier mini-cars.

Sadly the Throttlebot phase was not Bumblebee's finest hour. But maybe it wasn't his darkest hour either, depending upon your stance on mute Camaros.

So which do you prefer? Bumblebee as a mini-car VW, Bumblebee as the Throttlebot Goldbug, or Bumblebee as either of his movie Camaro incarnations (seventies and modern?)

On the Prowl...

Transformers Universe Classics Prowl that is.


I finally found this guy today. He is part of the re-launch of Transformers Classics, which was out a couple years ago and re-introduced classic G1 characters in all new designs that remained true to their original flavor, and especially to their cartoon likenesses.

Prowl here rocks. He's my "must have" of the current release (which also includes Sunstreaker and Tankor. I look forward to picking up a Sunstreaker soon!) I never had Prowl as a kid, but always loved and respected his character on the cartoon.


This "Universe" series is great. There's plenty of articulation, making the toys true "action figures" in their robot modes, as opposed to the near statue quality of most G1 Transformers. The transformations are clean and have little excess "kibble." In fact, Prowl here is designed so well even his shoulder cannons just tuck right under his windshield. The originals are famous for lost parts because usually those "extra" bits were removable components. Even Universe Prowl's pistol folds in half and tucks into his undercarriage in vehicle mode making it hard to lose or misplace. Brilliant.


Here's a "not ready for G1 players" lineup shot. Universe Prowl, Action Master Bumblebee, and Energon Downshift (aka Wheeljack.) Good times.


In vehicle mode, Prowl is still an homage/update from his G1 Datsun form.


He looks like a Nissan Z, the current iteration of the Datsun 240z that G1 Prowl and Bluestreak and Smokescreen and a couple others were based on.


Sadly, it wasn't until this photo that I noticed the off-center faction symbol. Hey Hasbro, you don't have to pay homage to my poor decal attachment skills of the eighties. Sheesh.

You can also see on the passenger headlight/fender where the paint app is a bit off, making it appear that there is a large gap. I suggest you look these over in the stores thoroughly before getting them home. I'll live, but some toy collectors are more anal than me.


He looks good coming and going. Of course, this is how you want to see a Highway Patrol vehicle. Going in the opposite direction, that is.


These Universe Classics retail in the ten dollar range. More are planned, including Ironhide (yippee) and Hound (double yippee!)

"Autobots, Transform and roll out!"

Lightning strikes, version 2.0

If you saw the Masters of the Universe haul I made a couple weeks back, you're not going to believe this. Even if you didn't see the haul I made a couple weeks back you're not going to believe this. I still have trouble believing it, and it happened to me last Saturday.

I got up early to go to a local church parking lot swap meet last Saturday. I walk up and about two vendors into it I see a tupperware box of Transformers. I start digging. When I come up for air, this is what I have in my sweaty palms:




A near complete Trypticon, Grimlock, G2 Bumblebee, G2 Hubcap(?), a couple non-transforming Transformers (including Bumblebee) and a truck (more on them later,) a G2 Sideswipe...


Oh yeah...and that little known, barely seen, poorly acted and easily forgotten background character named Megatron.



Holee Shiznickles! A G1 Megatron! No way!

WAY!

I was shaking when I pulled this guy out of the box. I actually first found a baggie with his add on parts in it, and thought that was all I'd find. I dug to the bottom and there he was in his chrome and black goodness. I'm still in shock.

While digging, I asked "how much" and was told the little guys were a dollar and the big guys were two dollars. Yeah, I was having a hard time playing it cool as you can imagine.




I only had eight dollars on me, and asked if I could have all this for eight bucks. She first said "ten," then said "sure, eight bucks is fine."




I am not sure, but the lady selling these may have been the same lady who sold the MOTU stuff. I wasn't exactly focused on her either time. Aliens could have landed...on Bigfoot...and I wouldn't have noticed. But you can count on me hitting all the local swap meets I can from now on.



And does anyone know what these guys are? They don't transform, but are "Transformers" - that's Bumblebee, and the other guy has a Decepticon symbol, and looks like his alt mode should be a pistol, but isn't anyone I'm familiar with. You can see a truck that is certainly part of the series behind them (it has the Autobot symbol on it.) It folds out on the back and sides to turn into a jet...it reminds me a little of M.A.S.K. and I know I've seen these in magazines or online somewhere (they may be a foreign only release) but I can't recall anything about them at the moment. I'll update when I find out more.

UPDATE: The figures are from the short-lived Action Masters series from 1990. Treadshot is the badguy's name. The truck behind them is part of the Micromasters series (also from 1990) and it appears I am missing the rear half of it.