If Transformers Reactivate is going to take forever to pop up, we can at least remind ourselves of the existence of the two dual-packs featuring a Voyager and a Deluxe with better budget and engineering than the average offerings. Optimus Prime and Soundwave managed to be a great set, and it makes me curious about how Bumblebee and Starscream will turn out as well. The fact that the Seeker himself is now wearing blue eyes while the scout is depicted as the robot revived by the humans makes me wonder what Reactivate's story has to offer. Time will tell, so let's see how this set turns out!
Here we have both Starscream and Bumblebee in their vehicle modes. While Starscream is more or less similar to his usual self like with Optimus, Bumblebee is a radical departure from the altmodes he usually possesses. The former turns into a more modern fighter jet with some interesting color break-up that is noticeably asymmetrical in the wings at least, while the latter is an off-road buggy armored up for a post-apocalyptic battle against the Legion. Starscream's added black for the boosters, the left wing, and the front of the fuselage results in a rather Ramjet-like appearance in some areas. You could remove the blue and alter the color scheme to make this into a weird Bumblebee movie Blitzwing homage if you really want. As for why some parts of the figure are asymmetrical, it's due to the character design going through some immediate patchwork as the humans salvage whatever parts remain while resurrecting Starscream. A similar thing is present with Bumblebee, but it's not as noticeable in vehicle mode. I feel that both vehicle modes are as strong here as with the other set, though Starscream would probably stand out the most given his patchwork detailing. As we'll get to in a moment, it's not just painted details but there are a couple of sculpted parts that are fairly subtle if you look closely.
Here we have the newer figure next to the more familiar Earthrise Voyager (though this is the SS86 version). It's certainly not the same F-15 jet fighter that people are more than familiar with, but I don't think it has the same versatility that this new jet design has. At the very least, the bottom of the jet isn't anywhere near as blocky, though the arms are still noticeable underneath Reactivate Starscream. They both have their null rays attached underneath the wings, though they look more refined on the original Voyager.
And here we have Bumblebee next to his Netflix counterpart. Certainly, a huge contrast going from a bug to a buggy, though I doubt that a regular Volkswagen Beetle would do as well in a post-apocalyptic world as the newer version does. You could argue it is a loose homage to the Beetle's appearance, with the similar circular headlights, the black bumper, and the Autobot insignia on the front (though it has no color break-up like with numerous Armada toys back then). Also, the submachine guns can be attached to the front for some added firepower, no doubt something we'll see in gameplay if it does come out.
One detail I like about Bumblebee's vehicle mode has to be the back section's boosters, featuring some nice gunmetal gray paint apps as well as a small Autobot insignia whose solid color blocking makes more sense than on the front of the buggy.
Starscream's transformation is fairly reminiscent of previous Starscreams in the past: flip the wings up, hinge the arms into place, extend the legs, and put the null rays onto the forearms. The resulting robot mode is possibly reminiscent of his leaner Evergreen design instead of the usual blocky look from G1. Notably, I'm not super interested in how Hasbro tries so hard to make the Evergreen aesthetics a thing for almost every piece of media since 2017, but at least here, it could work as a more redeemed Starscream who is past his days after seeing the human race bring him back to life with scraps found from his fellow Seekers. Here, you can better see how the left shoulder, left hip, left thigh, and left forearm are noticeably colored black, with some of these parts having distinct tooling from the right side instead of being merely painted on. I don't know how this will affect any future repaints, but I like the extra mile to showcase how much care was put into the toy design, even if there are two flaws present in the toy: the back of the legs not really locking in place since they're easy to snap back into the jet mode tabs, and the ankles not being strong enough to withstand the back heavy wings.
His head sculpt is stylized differently from other Screamers in G1 history, but the thing that stands out to me the most would be the blue eyes, which might be a hint of the former backstabber's change of heart in the game? We'll see how things will go for the other Decepticons in Reactivate...if it comes out, that is. Starscream's articulation consists of a ball-jointed neck, shoulder rotation, outward arm movement, bicep rotation, hinged elbows, slight wrist curling due to transformation, a waist swivel, universal joints for the hips, thigh rotation, knee hinges, and ankles that hinge as well as pivot.
Here he is next to his usual self, now donning the Coronation gear from the 86 movie. I wouldn't want to get into too many philosophical themes because trying too hard is a common thing for people on Twitter or Tumblr, but I can easily say that the Reactivate version is not only taller than the Earthrise mold, but he is also skinnier by comparison. Keep in mind that the Earthrise Seeker mold is of average height for a Voyager, so seeing the newer figure has a higher part count and more involved engineering makes for an impressive feat. Then again, he isn't borrowing the transformation scheme of a then-nearly 15-year-old Deluxe.
As for Bumblebee, his transformation is a little more like how his movie counterpart works. The front section becomes the chest, the doors go on the back as wings, the legs are made up from the back of the altmode, and the roof becomes a backpack. It is a rather annoying transformation given how certain parts have to be done in a specific order, and I really hate how the headlights and windshield need to scrape through the opening of the roof during transformation, where the paint could easily scratch off like on one of Starscream's wings. The resulting robot mode is my favorite design out of the Reactivate characters so far since it isn't yet another G1/Evergreen rehash all over again. It kind of reminds me of how Bee looked in Rise of the Beasts with the offroad extremities and similar robot design traits. I love how the shoulders look like they're made from the front of the altmode, as well as how the wheels tab into each other within the back of the feet. Honestly, this feels like an Earth-mode version of what WFC Bumblebee would have turned into if you consider how that design feels more futuristic and combat-ready. I also like how the weapon storage has the guns within the back of his forearms, almost makes me want to animate them flipping into his hands.
His head sculpt is also a more futuristic version of that usual G1 Bumblebee look, having less of a friendly expression to go with his more angular and badass flare present within this toy. Sadly, the articulation is where the figure falls flat in some areas. The head is on a ball joint like before, and the shoulders are on similar universal joints like with Starscream; the elbows, however, are on ball joints, and there is no articulation for the hand whatsoever, intentionally or not. There is also no waist swivel while the hips are on ball joints that nearly reach 90 degrees due to the waist, but the thighs and knees work fine. The ankles are ball-jointed, meaning they don't pivot as much as on other toys. The figure still looks awesome, especially compared to other G1 Bumblebees, but the range on some of his joints is disappointing since Soundwave turned out fine.
Here he is next to his more traditional counterpart. and I honestly like how much taller he turned out compared to the Netflix toy. Sure, that one was small because it was cartoon-accurate, but I like seeing a Deluxe that is as tall as the ones we used to have in the pre-2012 Generations and ROTF/HFTD days. Honestly, if you put this Bumblebee in those lines, I feel he would fit right in. Netflix Bee, while still neat, looks more like a Scout Class guy by comparison.
Overall, this set is a bit weaker than the first, especially given Starscream's slight stability issues as well as Bumblebee's somewhat limited leg articulation combined with the somewhat frustrating backpack transformation. Even with those issues, getting this set is never a bad idea if you're someone who wants to get more unique iterations of these two in your collection. For all we know, Hasbro will always make their next CHUG Bee and Screamer slightly more Sunbow-accurate than the last one to encourage fans to quadruple dip; having a set like this, even if the game they're from will likely be canceled, is always a treat for how radical and different they are from the Generations line's current offerings.
Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
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