Remember 10 years ago when fans were very hyped over a G1 Bumblebee that transformed into a Volkswagon Beetle and was a Masterpiece? And the fact that it was part of the huge beef people with Bumblebee toys being everywhere? I guess it is fine with it being a G1 version, and people probably don't have beef with Bumblebee saturation after the solo movie popped up. This fandom is strange. Anyways, it's been a decade since we got the first-ever Masterpiece Bumblebee, and the fact that a second version popped up 5 years later, it made me want to revisit this guy and see how much it holds up. Let's find out together as we look back on a 2014 figure!
Here we have Bumblebee in his vehicle mode. This remarkable recreation of the Type 1 Beetle, undoubtedly famous in plenty of 80s toys, stands out for not matching the cartoon model's super-deformed proportions. While characters like Sideswipe, Prowl, and Wheeljack were able to maintain proper vehicle accuracy and still match the cartoon models even before the + variants, Bumblebee was a case where the fandom would debate over whether or not TakaraTomy should have given this figure chibi proportions or not, even though that likely wasn't on their mind given they didn't make Masterpiece figures super cartoon-accurate until around the later area of the mid-2010s. Despite lacking rubber tires and die-cast, this nicely looks like one of those pull-back die-cast cars you'd find at Walgreens; the yellow coat of paint, despite being more appropriate for Movie Bumblebee, at least keeps the entire car from having inconsistent shades between any parts molded yellow and whatever isn't cast in yellow plastic. I also like that there is only one mirror on the driver seat, but the silver details picked out for the rims, handles, windshield wipers, hood emblem, and turn signal lights are greatly appreciated. We even have an Autobot insignia on the left side of the hood.
The overall alt mode, manages to look accurate to the real-world vehicle, though the doors having a split down the middle does ruin the look somewhat compared to the rest of the vehicle's panel-lines. At the very least, there is nothing else wrong with this vehicle.
In terms of weapon storage, a figure this small can still manage to hide both the blaster and the spare wheel underneath, with the former surprisingly staying in place better than I expected.
The back can either display the license plate as it is or utilize the spare tire, with the look on the left looking somewhat like a weird smiley Hitler if you see the taillights as the eyes, the bumper as the mouth, and the plate as the mustache. If you think that's offensive, blame Thew for doing the Hitler comparisons twice. I bet a Volkswagen employee that somehow watched Thew's videos cringed at the reminder of the car's origins going back to Nazi Germany.
For a Beetle comparison, here we have him next to his Earthrise/WFC Netflix counterpart. They both have the same general proportions one would expect, but that may stem from Hasbro choosing the MPM figure as a base for their Deluxe counterpart, from the obvious shade of yellow and shape to the figure already transforming similarly to the Masterpiece version. Even little things, like the logo, the mirror, and the wipers, are all brought over. The rims and the headlights are different, but that may be from how the figure is designed. I would bring in the MPM version of Beetlebee, but I thought this was a logical comparison if you think about how Hasbro may have used this Masterpiece as a template for the engineering of Earthrise Cliffjumper. The Deluxe was scaled back for the price point and size decrease, but it did mean Hasbro can go back and make CJ into Bumblebee again with matching details.
Transformation is nearly the same as with Earthrise Bumblebee, though being made for a different budget in mind did mean it has unique quirks of its own, mostly with the ability to switch the panel on the roof to have an Autobot insignia, the taillights stuck on the back of the forearms, the hands folding out, and the back piece rotating in place rather than coming off due to partsforming necessities. A waist rotation was not needed, leaving the front windshield facing down as it should. The resulting robot mode is a mostly successful design that TakaraTomy made when it comes to achieving the cartoon accuracy Masterpiece figures were made for. The proportions generally match how they did in the cartoon, though the feet and torso are slightly bigger while the backpack may not be seen as entirely cartoon accurate. I think Takara did a great with tackling the proportions and overall design of G1 Bumblebee properly, though I know some fans will criticize how it isn't 1:1. I personally think the biggest issue would be how ugly the panel on the chest kind of looks with the noticeable seams on what is normally a smooth surface. G1 Bumblebee's quirk was that the Autobot insignia would disappear whenever he turned into his vehicle mode.
His head sculpt looks accurate to the character, and I'm sure many fans were squealing in seeing a G1-accurate head that wasn't given slight deviations like with Classics or Thrilling 30 in addition to the purists not liking how he looked in the movies, Animated, or Prime. Personally, I think the head is almost there to looking like the G1 model, but the cartoon was so inconsistent with itself at times that this is perfectly fine for me. Articulation consists of a ball joint and neck hinge, ball jointed shoulders, bicep rotation, single jointed elbows, waist rotation, universal hips, thigh rotation, knees that bend 90 degrees, and ankles that pivot. Look closely at the action pose pic, and his head has an alternate face plates where he's smiling. It's not that noticeable of a different expression compared to other Masterpiece figures with alternate faces, but it did began that aforementioned trend of making these figures come with alternate face options that are more in line with imports like Figuarts and MAFEX where most anime or game characters had swappable faces for different expressions. Though Starscream has his expressions integrated in the helmet while Grimlock's visor and dino eyes had either red or blue options and both versions of Hot Rod had visors, this was the first figure that kicked off the trend we'd see for future Masterpiece figures such as Ultra Magnus, Ironhide, Megatron, and all Beast Wars characters.
Those who got their copy from Amazon Japan get a bonus battle mask based on the G1 toy. I half-expected it to have a black visor but the blue goes well with it. This was sadly not included for the US version.
Here we have Bumblebee next to his Netflix counterpart with added chest insignia courtesy of yours truly. Though the two have very different sculpts and scales, one can assume that a lot of engineering from the Masterpiece figure inspired the Netflix Deluxe, at least when we had Earthrise Cliffjumper as the first character to use said engineering. The size difference means that Earthrise/SS86 Cliffjumper is not going to fit in that well with the scale of the Masterpiece line unless you use all WFC/Legacy Minibots.
And here we have Spike in his Exosuit. After a canceled Brave-Goukin version of the character was stuck in prototype stages, this was our first official take on the Exosuit both Spike and Daniel wore in the 1986 movie. If it was a different kind of franchise, I could see this being the hot toy seller with the concept of making a human character fight alongside the Autobots and having kids feel like a superhero with equal footing thanks to this clunky mech suit with a penguin-diving mode. This altmode manages to look like how it did in the series, which is basically a more nothing mode than any Cybertronian mode. We have seen people joke about how Megatron's many Cybertronian modes looked or how weird The Fallen and Shockwave with tank modes looked in TFP and DOTM, but they at least have the excuse of being Cybertronian. This looks more like some stupid gimmick design you'd find in any other 80s cartoon-driven toyline. At least the wheels spin, and I appreciate that Spike (or Daniel) can move his head up and thus face forward.
This Exosuit isn't the first to be featured in my website, but it did lead to both the Buzzworthy Bumblebee and Studio Series Core Class versions. The smaller figure isn't exactly comparing apples to apples, but I do like that the SS86 version has a size similar to what came before it. The color layout is different and transformation steps are different between both figures, but it may have to do with Hasbro's assembly of SS86 not being 1:1 with the Masterpiece. As of now, the altmode goes to the MP.
The transformation is on-par with a Scout Class from the days of Cybertron or ROTF, though it's mostly with how little steps one would normally forget like the fold-away wheels on the forearms and ankles are present. I wish the shoulders could tab in better, but the resulting Exosuit mode looks accurate to the show. With there being a direct reference material that isn't constantly altered by weird animation perspectives or constant studio swaps, the translation from cartoon to plastic is spot-on. If I were to line up the mini figure that came with MP-10 or even the ones that came with MP-44/45 Prime and Bee, they'd at least fit within the torso of the robot where Spike could use different methods of controlling the limbs like a mech rather than directly wearing them. Think of it as something similar to a Hulkbuster armor or how the Jaegers were piloted in Pacific Rim.
The head sculpt is just as under-detailed and blank as one could expect from Spike at this rate. Also he has a metal bolt on his head, almost looking like a tracking device. The helmet is removable, and as much as I don't care for this half of the set, I was at least willing to hold off until I got a spare dome. Apart from the neck hinge, the limited articulation he has includes outward arm movement, ball-jointed elbows stuck in a right angle, ball-jointed hips that have decent range for kicking and splitting, and knees that bend more in the wrong way than they do proper.
For a size comparison, he slightly towers over the SS86 figure and both obviously make the tiny Buzzworthy one look like a Titan Master. The SS86 version's likely not as show-accurate, but I like the proportions and articulation better on the newer figure than on the original MP version. The better shoulder rotation, hip movement, knee bends, and elbow bends, combined with the added neck rotation (with a slightly better head) and blast effects for both modes, make the Core Class better thought out than the original MP version.
Going back to Bumblebee as far as reuses are concerned, the G2 version replaces the Exosuit with a jetpack and include the toy-accurate faceplate as the default one. I like how we have a G2 insignia this time around, though you can leave the chest blank like on the toy itself.
And we surprisingly got Cliffjumper, I mean, a red Bumblebee to match those red variants from the G1 line. To be honest, I expected we would have a red-deco of Bee rather than have a proper CJ since Porsche's license has been out of reach for the Transformers brand, and even when it finally owned it, the priority was solely for Mirage in Rise of the Beasts. Amusing how the live-action character who many thought should have been Jazz got a Porsche but not G1 Jazz (and by extension, CJ) in the Masterpiece line.
The Masterpiece line would see another Bumblebee pop up 5 years later, with MP-45 boasting better cartoon-accuracy for both modes, a more accurate gun, three alternate faceplates and slightly better articulation. Spike is in his Season 1/2 look. While I appreciate what Takara's doing, thr kibble management is awful, and I'm not a big fan of the baby face look to the head sculpt. Surprising no one, the figure received no repaints, though this was to have been retooled into Cliffjumper had Takara been granted the Porsche license.
Overall, this set may not be super cartoon-accurate, and the scale may favor one mode over the other, but there is still something appreciative about the first version of MP-21 Bumblebee, from the recognition of being the first licensed Beetle version of himself to paving way for future trends in MP figures with alternate faceplates representing expressions or toy-accuracy, and the engineering likely being an inspiration for Earthrise Cliffjumper/Netflix Bumblebee. What he lacks in that Masterpiece Quality, he makes up for in terms of playability and ease of access. Spike kind of sucks, though.
Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
