Transformers Age of Extinction High Octane Bumblebee (Studio Series/Buzzworthy) review

2014 me thought differently from my current self. I was so optimistic with anything Transformers related just because I was under the mindset of thinking that we were long past the budget cuts of 2012/3 and the fact that it was the 30th anniversary of the Transformers brand. One piece of media, Age of Extinction, was released in 2014 and making lots of money, and while most people go angry soyjak towards it, I first thought it was a very exciting movie back then but nowadays think it's a fun film but not as cohesive as the original trilogy (also leading to the even messier TLK and the mediocre Bumblebee movie). The toyline holds up kinda poorly when it comes to the color inaccuracies and how most of the line was scaled back by budget cuts (Deluxes and especially Leaders), and one of them unexpectedly returned in Studio Series after last being seen in a 3-pack back in 2017. Let's see how High Octane Bumblebee holds up.

Here is Bumblebee in his vehicle mode. As a 1967 Chevy Camaro SS, this vehicle mode makes use out of black paint applied all throughout the car for a matte consistency that feels sleek compared to the plastic used for the tires. The yellow looks pretty well-applied on the vehicle mode and doesn't look either weirdly tinted or faint all around, but there is of unintentional yellow added on the hood. The windows are not tinted for some reason, which does expose the yellow kibble for the robot mode.

In general, the vehicle does look solid enough to fit in with the Studio Series line, though it remains the best aspect of this figure as we're about to get to during the rest of the review. There may be some weird alignment with the roof and the windows, but I think it has to do with the weird tolerances with the toy at this current state.

For a Bumblebee-themed size-comparison, here he is next to Clunker Bumblebee and my custom-painted AOE Camaro Concept Bumblebee. The latter is noticeably slightly bigger, though it may be the width making it look like it's bigger than the others. I will say that the plastic quality of both Clunkerbee and Camaro Concept Bee is better than High Octane Bumblebee; it's hard to describe it in a text review, with it feeling thinner than the other two toys in terms of plastic quality. At least Clunkerbee had more intricate engineering while AOE Bumblebee sacrificed somewhat complex engineering for a more sturdy figure in terms of how it looks.

And here is Bumblebee with two other AOE cars, in the form of Stinger and Shadow Raider. It's able to fit in in terms of scale with both of the other figures in the line, though once again, the two figures being brought in for comparison have better plastic quality than the rest of the toy in question.

Transformation is the same as it's been for all other Bumblebee figures made since 2007, using the more refined method that was introduced back in Hunt for the Decepticons. But while the Battle Blade and DOTM figures managed to be pretty solid for their time, High Octane Bumblebee looks like a cheaper version of what those figures had back then. It's not a terrible transformation, even if it's dated compared to what Bumblebee got afterwards, it results in a robot mode that's not too great. Bumblebee's robot mode looks terrible by comparison to the vehicle mode, with a torso that's cluttered yet hollow at the same time, a backpack is not too great with how clunky it looks, the arms are stubby and are juxtaposed with the lanky legs, with the ankles that make the shins float from the clown feet and the wheels that stick, and the back of the lower legs have the vehicle kibble stick out much more than other Bumblebee toys did. There was no need to make Bumblebee's robot mode this terrible-looking already, but the yellow on the pelvis, thighs, and torso frame make Bumblebee feel more like a knockoff that is drowned by both the HasTak designers being tired of doing the same style of Bumblebee toys with no new tricks while also being compromised by the budget cuts that arose in 2012.

Head sculpt is very odd to look at. It's kinda like the style of Bumblebee head sculpts we got after AOE, and the gunmetal is cool since it captures the coloring he has in the movies, but the yellow plastic does not look good with it, and the painted eyes combined with the clear lightpiping don't make for a logical execution of Hasbro's way of making figures back in this time period. Like, why have a part for it if it's going to be painted over?! His articulation is par for the course with other Bumblebees before and after it for the most part, but while the ball joint acts fairly normal, everything else doesn't really work. The shoulders have these faux ratchets that are too stiff for the slightly looser hinges meant for transformation, the elbows are also on the same faux ratchets that are going to make the arm guards shake off from how tight they are (why they come off is beyond me), the hips have normal front and back movement as well as in and out movement for the faux ratchets, and the knees have normal hinges. Oh, the toy has a pressure launch missile that revolves around a ball locking it in while pressing on it from behind launches it; this is a decent alternative to the spring-loaded missiles, but why does it have to look like its integration on him is an afterthought? Also, no waist swivel nor wrist hinges.

For a size comparison, you can tell his height is better matched up with the Camaro Concept AOE Bumblebee released in the same year, but while Clunkerbee is the more refined figure of the trio for its engineering and better accuracy taken from the TLK Deluxe, which was using inspiration from the MPM figure released earlier, 2014 Bee manages to be the better toy of the two AOE figures due to its plastic quality being better, the engineering not having any budget issues that make it feel like a knockoff, and the transformation at least manages to be creative for once with it not doing the same schtick we've seen from 2007 to the first half of 2014. Sure, it had a backpack, the ankles are still lanky, the feet are clownshoe-esque, and the weapon's kinda puny, but at least more thought and effort were put in that figure than in the entirety of High Octane Bumblebee.

And for another size with different figures in the line, here he is with the other recently obtained figures in the Studio Series line. He's taller than Stinger yet shorter than Crankcase, Shadow Raider, and DOTM Ratchet. He also doesn't feel like a Studio Series toy either. Okay, Ratchet doesn't because he's similar to the DOTM Deluxe, but at least that toy manages to be better engineered than HOBee. Plus, DOTM Ratchet has a few things to compensate its lower plastic quality while HOBee doesn't add anything new.

So as you can tell, there are two Stingers because one is my original copy from 2018 and the other is the Buzzworthy variant because it was released with Bumblebee in a 2-pack that High Octane Bumblebee was included in. I can't really say this toy is great, and while I did get it both out of curiosity after not owning it for nearly a decade, and the fact that I wanted to wait for a proper HOBee release thanks to its number, and while it is appreciative that they wanted to fill a gap for the line to represent the character design, the fact that it's a straight re-release of a figure that wasn't as well-engineered doesn't sit right with me. I know Hasbro is less likely to want to make new molds dedicated to the characters from the first 5 movies these days, nowadays focusing on Bumblebee and SS86, I see this as the equivalent to the Leader Class Coronation Starscream figure, which makes sense given how both figures lack any synergy with other Studio Series figures released in the line. I guess Hasbro made Coronation Screamer as pristine and perfect as they can just by adding some fingers and gear, they couldn't even improve on the looks of this guy. Shame because I do think the HO Bee design is underrated yet this figure sucks.

Final ranking: ⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐