1. Most of them don't appeal to me.
2. Some of them aren't repaints that are accurate to the movie
3. I want to focus on new molds first and foremost.
4. I don't want to double-dip on a toy that I already got from the same price if it's not heavily changed.
That said, I know some people may want to get the right options available, so I decided to make a list that goes over which are important and which aren't. I will only cover the ones that are not from the Hasbro China giveaways, but ones like the SDCC Bumblebees will be covered since you'd get to access them a bit easier than you normally would. Also, I won't be counting Crowbar since he's at least heavily retooled from Berserker than being a mere head swap. That said, let's cover the repaints and reuses in the Studio Series line!
Thundercracker: The first exclusive in the Studio Series was sadly Toys R Us's final exclusive Transformers toy in history; long story short, they went bankrupt and proceeded to shut down their stores in the US and parts of the world, leaving Thundercracker as a figure that was at times hard to come by and never released online.
As for the figure itself, it's a reuse of the Premier Edition of Nitro Zeus from The Last Knight, and while it was awkward at first that Thundercracker was a redeco from a mold that wasn't Starscream, you could say that Thundercracker was made to somewhat homage Cybertron Thundercracker when he was a different design from Starscream. I appreciate the use of the colors and unique head sculpt to make him different from Nitro Zeus, and in a way, better colored than he is overall. However, as a character that was never in the movies and because of how hard he has been to find, the only reasons I'd recommend this figure is because of the deco, the new head sculpt, and the fact that the mold is good.
Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
"Highway Freedom" Bumblebee: This is the second use of the Classic Camaro mold in the Studio Series line, and it has the stripes removed, the silver paint of the feet is missing, the stripes on the chest are not present, and the grill is black. The new additions here are both car parts that add a new look to the altmode and a sticker sheet to further make Bumblebee look different. This makes for a nice gift for relatives, who likely wouldn't know about Transformers but could see the appeal in this set, to give to their relatives as a gift. As for those that are more aware of the line, they could easily pass on this because it removes some paint apps, is pointless for those that have the original Bumblebee, and is inaccurate to the movies. The only reasons to get this include completions sake and the appeal of the customizability in this set.
Final ranking: ⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
DOTM Ratchet: In my review of the MV1 version of Ratchet, I felt that it was an alright figure that has a lot of room for improvements, such as the kibble and the paint. The same can still be said here. Sure, the face is painted, and the more prominent details of the altmode are still there, but there's still a massive amount of green, what should be the white of the altmode is now a moonish white than a normal white, and there are some paint apps that are now removed on this release. The only reasons to get this figure are the weapon, the movie accurate deco, and the mold still looking good with the proportions and height. Reasons not to buy it include how not much else is changed in terms of tooling and the lack of paint apps/weirdness with the deco.
Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Shadow Raider: I didn't expect a repaint of Lockdown to be made into a generic background character like this. The orange deco sure does look nice, and I appreciate the weapon and new head sculpt, but this is in no way a must-have for fans that want the more prominent characters. I'd recommend this for completionists, fans of the color orange, and the tooling being different, and others can pass because it's not movie-accurate and is pointless with Lockdown already existing.
Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Vol. 1 Retro Rock Garage Bumblebee: This is one of two gold Bumblebee repaints in the Studio Series line, which has Bumblebee take on a "gold" deco that commemorates the release of his solo film (as well as different stripe paint apps). Included are some cassettes that were repaints of the Japanese molds from Headmasters. The inclusion is neat, but Bumblebee himself isn't quite the star of the set. His deco is not only inaccurate to the movies but also looks really dull. The gold looks more brown than gold, and if it weren't for the silver paint, he'd be pretty bland to look at overall. I'd only recommend this for completionists and because of the cassettes.
Final ranking: ⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Vol. 2 Retro Pop Highway Bumblebee: Much like the previous Bumblebee, this is in a gold deco that comes with two Japanese cassettes that are reverse color swaps of each of the molds used in the previous set. Bumblebee's deco is not only gold but also has a new stripe pattern at the doors. The gold still looks browner here, too. Shame because I was hoping this would homage the G2 Bumblebee toy. Like I said, I'd only recommend this for completionists and because of the cassettes.
Final ranking: ⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
ROTF Starscream: This was a redeco that surprised me when I first saw it. Its tattoos aren't the only thing that makes this figure different, as Starscream has a better-painted head, new spots of paint that the original deco never had, and the buzzsaw looks rad on his arm. The only thing I don't like is how the black nosecone, face cover, and hinge are solid black than being cohesive with the deco. Still, it's worth having for fans with the movie-accurate deco, the accessory, the quality of the mold, and the improvements of the paint apps aside from the tattoos.
Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
KSI Sentry: Stinger being reused into the KSI Sentry seems a bit weird since the drones were also red and in different alt modes, but here we are. He's blue, has a new head, and has the added parts of the weapon that Stinger didn't have. Yeah, not much else can be described. The KSI Sentry is only good for completionists and the differences from Stinger, but the reuse itself, the back piece lacking the shurikens, and some differences still needed for this design make this repaint pointless.
Final ranking: ⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Bumblebee Then & Now 2-Pack: The final 2018 releases of the Studio Series line, we have repaints of both the VW Bumblebee and the TLK Bumblebee. The only differences include the rust details of the VW Beetle, and the TLK Camaro having more black paint. These differences aren't too prominent in the robot mode, but the lack of silver paint on Beewun's feet and the removed silver paint on the TLK's shoulders and shins are why these new paint apps are present. Also, I wish that TLK Bee has the proper right arm cannon and the hammer that the Movie the Best version got. We add more black paint but no modifications to the accessories? How embarrassing. This set's only worth getting for the completionists, those that want to get two Bumblebees in one go, and the "new" paint apps, though the detractors include the removed paint apps, new paint apps being barely noticeable, and how TLK Bee doesn't come with new parts to make him more accurate.
Final ranking: ⭐⭐ and a half out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Now that we went over the repaints themselves, let's see how they stack on each other and reveal who is the most necessary for anyone's Studio Series collection!
Highway Freedom Bumblebee/Vol. 1 Retro Rock Garage Bumblebee/Vol. 2 Retro Pop Highway Bumblebee/KSI Sentry: ⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Bumblebee Then & Now 2-Pack: ⭐⭐ and a half out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Thundercracker/DOTM Ratchet/Shadow Raider: ⭐⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
ROTF Starscream: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
With a tie between the Stickerbee set, the Goldbugs, and KSI Sentry, those are the least recommended repaints in the line by far. The two-pack is more recommended, but by only a margin if we're being honest. Thundercracker, DOTM Ratchet, and Shadow Raider are not bad yet they each have their own different detractors. The best repaint in this line is ROTF Starscream, and for good reason, too! With the tattoos, the smaller paint apps looking different from the original release, the buzzsaw, and the mold being of nice quality, he's a tremendous variant to buy in the line!
With that said, it's been great to take a look at the Studio Series 2018 lineup. For now, the line will take a break so we can go over some figures from different Transformers series. Don't worry, though. The Studio Series will return.
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