General Information:
Release Date: June 2010
Price Point: $9.99 (varies depending on retailer)
Retailer: General (Toys R Us, Target, Wal-Mart etc.)
Accessories: None

Images:

• On Card
• Card Scan
• Official Photo (Vehicle Mode)*
• Official Photo (Robot Mode)*
• Vehicle Mode
• Vehicle Mode (Side)
• Vehicle Mode (Back)
• Vehicle Mode (Forward view)
• Vehicle Mode (Angle view)
• Vehicle Mode (Rear view)
• Robot Mode
• Robot Mode (Side)
• Robot Mode (Back)
• Robot Mode (Close up)
• Robot Mode (Focus on head)
• Robot Mode (Angle view)
• Robot Mode (Posed)

*Images and text from Hasbrotoyshop.com:
Speed, stealth and power are the three words by which BUMBLEBEE lives his life. His vehicle mode is built to be as fast as possible, while he trains constantly in robot mode to be silent and strong. He may not be the biggest AUTOBOT there is, but he’s definitely one of the best.

Spring into action with this quick conversion vehicle-to-robot hero! With just the press of a button, this mighty BUMBLEBEE figure changes from Camaro concept car vehicle mode to robot mode through super speedy spring-loaded action. Convert him back to vehicle mode and push the button to convert him to robot mode again and again as the robot battles rage on! Ages 4 and up.

It has become accepted over the past few years that Transformers need to be marketed to several age ranges, not just the standard "7-12 year old" crowed. Over the years, simplified Transformers have taken on many forms including the now defunct "Go-Go-Gobots" line as well as the Fast Action Battlers. This year introduces an old name with a new concept into the mix, aimed at a younger audience. Activators, a term used for simplified, but show accurate versions of characters from "Animated" now has been recycled for use as a sub-line of Movie based figures. Among the first of these releases is Bumblebee, based upon his movie appearances.

Robot Mode:
Unlike their "Animated" counterparts, the new generation of Activators are larger and feature a different design aesthetic. Instead of being say, Scout Class versions of the larger figures, this figure is almost the size of a deluxe, standing at almost five inches and almost as wide as the deluxe Cannon Bumblebee sitting on my desk. Despite the size however, the proportions of this figure are clearly meant to make it much more "kid friendly" looking. Whereas on most Bumblebee toys his chest sticks out a bit like the old G1 characters of old, on this figure the chest is shrunken down quite a bit to look more like flat armor against his body. In proportion to the torso, the robot head is huge, and while his arms are relatively thin, his legs are fairly big and chunky. The color sch

I don't want words like "chunky" or "huge" to give the impression that this is not a detailed figure. Indeed, I would say the detail level on this sculpt rivals those of some deluxe figures. Take the head sculpt for instance. While larger in proportion to the body than most Transformers figures, this head sculpt is not exaggerated in any way. It has the primary Bumblebee details including the round eyes, central crest, his antennae and the circular mouth piece. The chest panel may be close against the main body, but it has the overlapping details from the movie model including the Chevrolet symbol in the center. Bumblebee does not include any weapons, but the designers wanted to be sure the 'bee was armed, so mounted onto the car section on his back are two circular details that resemble the cannons from Cannon Bumblebee. Other cool details include gears on his elbows and the insides of his legs as well as wires running along the inside of the door panels on his arms. There is no lack of detail here at all and being larger than the first line of Activators definitely offers a wider canvas for the sculptors to work on.

Bumblebee is cast in yellow, black and silver plastic. Yellow dominates this mode, and what I find interesting putting him next to other Bumblebee figures is the shade seems to have much more of an orange tinge to it. The silver parts are used for parts like the thighs, inner legs and forearms. Black plastic is used for the wheels found on his legs. Paint applications are done in orange, silver, blue, black and yellow. Silver is used to paint a lot of mechanical bits including the section between his chest and waist and the ankles. Silver is also found on the robot head, painting in the details on the face. Orange is used for the armor that starts at the knees and goes down to his ankles while the Chevrolet logo is painted yellow. Black paint is found mostly on the chest, used to paint the headlight and fog light details as well as the area around the Chevrolet symbol and the car grille. His eyes are painted light blue, taking inspiration for the appearance of his eyes in the CGI model.

There are thirteen points of articulation on this figure in robot mode. This includes ball joints on his shoulders as well as head and knee articulation. Each point of articulation is useful and contributes to the playability and appearance of the figure.

Sure Bumblebee's robot mode kind of has a cutesy look, but it is definitely well sculpted and well articulated, scoring it some fantastic points in my book.

Transformation to Vehicle Mode:

1. Straighten out the arms and legs.
2. Swing up the forearms against the upper arms.
3. Swing each of the front foot pieces up.
4. Connect the two lower legs together.
5. Swing the front section of the car forward, then push that section in and lock all the pieces together.

Vehicle Mode:
In his Camaro mode, Bumblebee manages to look just thick and "chunky" enough to give away that he is meant to be for younger kids, but it does not subtract anything from the appearance of the vehicle. The vehicle still has tons of detail including the raised air intake on the hood, the grille on the front (along with requisite Chevrolet symbol) and even the door handles on the sides of each door. The rear section has exhaust pipes sculpted into it on either side of his feet. On the top of the vehicle is a round button with a sculpted Autobot symbol inside. There are some nice line details in the circle. To begin his transformation process you would press this button, and then shift the other parts around as needed. When you press the button the forward part of the vehicle shifts forward and his arms pop out on the sides.

Bumblebee is mostly yellow in this form, with only a bit of the silver plastic peeking out at the top of his hood. The wheels are all black but that is not the last you've seen of that color! Black is also used for the racing stripes that start near the headlights and then runs back all the way to the rear of the vehicle. The Autobot symbol on the top is cast in grey with red paint on top and red paint used for the Autobot symbol. The windows on the vehicle are painted blue, echoing the color scheme of other incarnations of Bumblebee.

Final Thoughts:
Activators Bumblebee is a really cool figures. The combination of G1 and Fast Action Battler elemnts have combined into one cool figure. This figure is mostly meant for younger fans, so older collectors may skip it. Recommended for younger fans or those into more "cute" interpretations of characters.