Big Bruiser Bee.

This guy’s existence made everyone rage hard in 2011. Bumblebee got a Leader Class figure and not Megatron? What’s wrong with you Hasblow?!

Leader Bumblebee was not a popular figure when he came out. He shelf-warmed hard and was put on clearance almost everywhere. Which is good for me because Leader Bumblebee is consistently the cheapest of the Bay Leader Class figures by a wide margin.

I got him complete with instructions for RM60 ($15). So let’s take a look at Leader Bumblebee!

Vehicle mode (Car mode)

Bumblebee is a really big Camaro. He’s based on his appearance in Dark Of The Moon so he looks different than the Battle Blades Bee and original Bay Bee in vehicle mode. It’s the black paint on the top of the car and the rims that’s most noticeable.

I wish Bumblebee had more painted detail in car mode. Like the missing paint is a lot more noticeable on a car this size. The window mesh, the door handles, gas cap and all the little things being painted would have been nice.

Aside from that though, he’s great! Everything pegs together nice and solid. The ground clearance is good which means he rolls very nicely.

Vehicle mode (Stealth Force mode)

Bumblebee is a battle ready Camaro in this mode. No, he isn’t a MASK vehicle. Most people would think this mode is silly and tacked on. And while that is true, it’s so absurd that I can’t help but love it.

Also, counting the weapons emplacement on the top and his cannon on the right side, he has 4 weapons. The numerous Mechtech ports allow you to tack on a bunch of weapons and make this mode absolute overkill.

Transformation

The transformation to Stealth Force mode is a bit more involved than you’d think but it’s still pretty simple.

That said, Bumblebee has a pretty complex transformation from vehicle to robot mode which is understandable since he’s a Leader figure. I am always impressed by how many different ways they can design a transformation for Bay Bumblebee. You’d figure they’d run the well dry but nope. New Bumblebee transformation.

Robot mode

Bumblebee roided out hard. Harder than Nitro Bee even. His chest and calves in particular are jacked. Unlike the car mode, there’s enough painted details here to bring out all the sculpting.

I must say, Bumblebee has a nicely done head. It even has light piping!

For posability, Bumblebee has a good amount of articulation but it’s kind of disappointing for a Leader figure. His head can swivel. His arms go in and out as well as rotate at the shoulder. He has bicep swivels and his elbows bend. His left hand can go in and out but not rotate. His legs go in and out as well as rotate at the hips. He bends at the knees and rotates below the knees. His feet can move backward and forward.

Gimmicks

Hasbro did something quite interesting for the time period to Leader Bumblebee. They left out the lights and sound action from Bumblebee and instead crammed it all into a transforming weapon pack. It transforms from “compact mode” to “blow everything up mode” by pushing the red lever up. This activates the iconic transformation sound. Pushing back on each of the 3 weapons causes a sound effect to trigger with flashing lights. The missile launchers flash orange while make missile noises and the laser flashes green while making laser noises.

Bumblebee does still have some tricks on him though. His head has the deployable battle mask. It looks good and is a nice touch. His arm cannon can also extend out. His forearm guard on the cannon arm can also come out like a shank or go in front of the cannon like a brass knuckle.

Toy or collectible?

Bumblebee here is a great toy for older kids.

Come on, kids love Bumblebee. This is a giant Bumblebee that comes with a weapon pack/jetpack that also basically has a third tank mode. I’m surprised kids didn’t eat him up.

I’m at a loss for whether an adult collector would want it. I can’t think of any sane collector who would pay for another Bay Bumblebee in their collection. That said Leader Bumblebee would make be an okay gift for an adult collector. It’s affordable to buy as a present and it is a good Transformer.

Closing

Objectively, Leader Bumblebee is a fine Transformer. It’s just he’s another Bumblebee and he’s grossly out of scale with everything else.

Still, he’s now super cheap for a figure of this size and quality. I suggest you find one and give him a shot.