Transformers 2007 Screen Battles Final Stand (Longarm w/Bumblebee) review

In the 2007 Transformers movie, Bumblebee lost his legs while helping Ironhide prevent Starscream's missile from damaging the surrounding area. Though there was very little he can do by that point, Mikaela was able to step forward and hook him onto a tow truck for his safety; yet, with a seemingly high chance of the Decepticons winning, the two came up with a new strategy: she'll drive, he shoots. That was later immortalized into the Final Stand set from the Screen Battles wave, where a Deluxe figure comes with minifigures of the humans based on a specific encounter that took place during the movie. In this case, the Autobot figure known as Longarm, based mostly on the tie-in game, was used to represent the same on-screen tow truck that inspired his altmode. Let's see if this set is still worth picking up even without the nostalgia goggles.

Here we have Longarm in his vehicle mode. This tow truck isn't exactly like the one Mikaela drove in the movie, with the toy resembling a Ford F-350 rather than an older GMC Topkick. What I can say is that my copy has some Reprolabels applied by the previous owner, and while they are meant to go over the originally inaccurate Orson's Towing stickers and any other paint apps that weren't 1:1 with the proper, they are see through either by design or from age. I may peel off any redundant ones. Still, the many paint apps kept on this figure is a decent amount for this alt mode, and while not accurate, you know what this is supposed to resemble since it's likely more iconic than anything from Earthspark or One. Inside the driver's seat is a non-removable figurine of Mikaela Banes, which means that she will always be stuck like this even in robot mode unless you want to cover the windows up or disassemble the toy to remove her.

As for the Bumblebee figurine, it depicts him with his lower legs blown off and only poseable at 5 points. Not much to expect from a dude who was severely injured from Starscream's attack, but it does the job fine. Paint apps and sculpted details are good for something at this scale (apart from the barely legible Chevy badge and a dot instead of an Autobot insignia), with the head better matching the CG model more than the old Deluxe toys. Makes me want to do a swap if that were ever possible. The sculpt is based on the Robot Replicas version of Bumblebee yet no parts were reused. That being said, the proportions on the left hand match the rest of the figure far less than it should, but even weirder is that Hasbro did not include any door wings for the back.

Hooking Bee onto the tow truck is pretty simple, and he thankfully won't slip out that easily. While the truck proportions aren't 1:1, it is still in decent scale with the CG model and the physical prop we get of Bee in some close ups.

Transformation is somewhat involved, but still not to the later movie levels of complexity as Hasbro designers started learning how to translate the Bayverse's realism. While closer to how the robots in Cybertron looked with some movie influences, this isn't too far off from the on-screen cast. When I bring up Cybertron, I refer to how chunky the figure remains, not being quite as alien or broken up as Ironhide, for example. We also have part of the altmode staying attached on the right arm. The only bit of Automorph we get on this toy is on the light bar. The resulting robot mode is a boxier version of the CG model from the tie-ins game. Not that it's a bad thing, but he ends up looking squat in comparison to what he is based on. Makes me wonder if his proportions would be different if he turned into the actual truck. The whole crane section becoming an arm cannon is very close to what some prior TF figures did, though it is stuck on his right hand with no proper way of taking it off unless you unscrew it. If there was one other thing I would change, it would have to be the door wings going back more, as they sort of get in the way of the shoulder articulation. Honestly, he may not be as refined as most a Studio Series figures were when it comes to engineering, but it isn't a horribly dated toy.

His head sculpt is closer to a version of G1 Hoist's head rather than either Autobot or Decepticon head used in the 2007 movie game. See, depending on the faction you're playing, Dropkick, along with every NPC drone you fight against, is either an Autobot with a Dropkick-esque head (the pickup truck one, not the dude from the Bumblebee movie) or a camera lens head based on Swindle's. This head was designed by Alex Kubalsky, an former TakaraTomy designer from Australia, didn't get enough of the Activision reference material for a good while and had to make up a few Hoist influences for the toy. Once he got them he tweaked the toy slightly without using either drone head. Anyways, the articulation consists of a ball and hinge combo for the neck, ball joints for the shoulders, wrists, and hips, double jointed elbows, and hinged knees and ankles. There is a slight bit of rotation in the torso but it rarely works.

If you want to leave him without his weapon permastuck, you can unscrew it off via the back of his left hand, but be warned that it depends on that screw to keep it in place.

This is what the figure looks like by itself, mostly using the Orson's Towing decals and slightly fewer decals that even before the stickers were on. The interior also had no Mikaela inside, so this option is your best choice if you want him to not have a human inside him 24/7.

This figure also came in a 2-pack with Bumblebee, though a fairly pristine one in his Classic Camaro form. Only available in the UK.

The last use of regular Longarm specifically came in a 4-pack with 3 ROTF characters: Breakaway, Sideways, and Rampage. As the only 2007 mold in the set, the aesthetic and engineering differences stand out between him and the ROTF trio.

As for the sole repaint, this is an actual Hoist that came in a 2-pack with a G1-themed Mixmaster. Ironically, that figure came with a retooled head to go with his paint job. If you want this mold to.b a bit more Geewunish and are not triggered he won't fit in with your Bumblebee movie characters, he works.

For a size comparison, here he is next to a modern Voyager in the form of Brawl. While the sizes fluctuates over the years, I think he might fit in decently with your Studio Series collection. While not as dynamic as their designs, on top of him just being a truck in the movie, the scene that inspired this set at least should be enough to get fans interested in this toy along with the nostalgia for better days. Get this at a reasonable price if you see it.

Here's an idea for Hasbro to do: make a new version of the Longarm design for the Gamer Edition subline instead of doing more G1 stuff so we can get a bit of Bayverse rep that isn't from the movies themselves. Either that or end the Gamer Edition subline because the WFC and Devastation figures are mostly being as mediocre compared to the games they're based on.

Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐