A look at the transformation design of "Transformers: Prime - Beast Hunters" Deluxe Class Bumblebee after spotlighting its vehicle mode in the previous posting.
The crossbow and blasters need to be detached first.
(Left) The door-mounted missiles are rotated upward.
(Right) The doors are opened.
A peek inside the car. ^^ There seems to be enough room to accommodate two mini figures as the driver and passenger. ^^
The gears next to the door hinges are part of the figure's auto-transform gimmick. ^^
The roof is detached from the rear section of the car.
The rear section of the car, along with the bottom frame are rotated downward for 90 degrees.
The rear bumper, along with the feet are rotated downward.
The legs are separated from one another.
The ankle hinges are separated from the bumper blocks, so they can be positioned independently to get the right balancing point for the figure to stand properly, which can be a potentially troublesome step. ^^;
The "Gerwalk" mode of Bumblebee. XD
Like the legs, the arms are rotated downward.
Using its double-hinge joint, the large roof piece is folded to the back.
There's no tab or lock to secure the roof's position behind the main body, so it's more or less just "hanging" there. XD
Bumblebee's auto-transform feature: by bending the front fenders backward, the chest automatically splits open, which also reveals the head in the process. ^^
The shoulder armor needs to be tilted upwards until it's locked in place with its own joint.
All done for Bumblebee's transformation. ^^
The transformation design is tremendously simple for Bumblebee, and it's made even simpler with the auto-transform gimmick of the chest area. ^^ Apart from needing to rotate the missiles on the doors at the beginning of the entire sequence, I imagine everything else is the same as that of the "Robots in Disguise" Deluxe Class version, which this figure's design is based off. The simplicity is understandable for a Deluxe Class figure, but at the same time, it also makes "First Edition" Deluxe Class Cliffjumper seems like a rarity for its much more complex transformation design. ^^ Even though I haven't review it, but I believe that comment would be true for Arcee from the same line as well. ^^
On second thought, maybe Bumblebee is the real rarity in the whole series for its simpler-than-usual transformation design. ^^
More images of an Eagleshot Bow equipped Bumblebee: ^^
Closeups on the details:
[Head]
[Body]
[Arms & wings]
[Eagleshot Bow]
[Legs]
Like its vehicle mode, the weapons can be removed to show the Bumblebee in "plain" form:
The fierce look of this new version of Bumblebee can be seen more easily in robot mode. ^^ The vertically positioned missiles, shoulder spikes, and horned head are more than enough to compensate for the rear bumper spikes that are now hidden behind the legs. On the other hand, this Bumblebee has a very "interesting" color combination for its eyes - orange eyes with light blue pupils, which look nothing like those friendly robotic eyes of the character in the show. ^^; They are perhaps another designated weapon for Bumblebee - Creepy Stare of Doom. XD
On a separate note, with its bulky upper body, super thin waist, and large chunky legs, Bumblebee has a very "Transformers: Animated" look in its overall design. ^^ Such design pattern can be seen on Optimus Prime as well, but it's certainly more obvious on Bumblebee, especially with its one-piece abdomen and waist design. ^^
Details wise, tons of molded details that are hidden in vehicle mode can be seen in robot mode, which is a pleasant surprise to me. ^^ I commented in the previous posting that details may not be an important point considered by the designers for this Deluxe Class series because of its targeted customers' age group, but those tiny molded pipes and other details behind the roof, and intricate fake wheel details on the inside of either legs would most certainly disagree with my assessments there. ^^ Those details are very well done to say the least, and they look very crisp and clear as well, so it's really hard to tell if they are just inherited from the same parts on the "Robots in Disguise" Deluxe Class version, or are actually newly added details for this new toy. ^^ Either way, I really like how they look on Bumblebee. ^^
On the flip side, it seems that the orange camouflage pattern is more obvious beneath the roof, and behind the right door, both which are locations that can't really be seen clearly in robot mode. ^^; A real irony this is, and I believe the reversed effect is most ideal for the pattern's display. Then again, I assume this is just an unfortunate case of uneven color mixture during the figure's production, and shouldn't be a consistent issue on all Bumblebee figures. ^^
A look at Bumblebee's articulation design, and some of its action poses next. ^^
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