LEGO‘s second official, actual-transforming Transformers set is suggested for those 18 and up, which may seem odd for such a kid-oriented character, one soon sees why. Nowadays, Hasbro Transformers are often so complicated that they design some parts to pop off, rather than break if they’re stressed too much. Now imagine that, but the part that pops off might break into 50 pieces. It takes delicacy to do some of the building here, and definite delicacy to transform it. It’s not that it’s that hard, but that too much force in the wrong place will set you back a bit.
Bumblebee’s pieces come in ten bags, and you can opt for either the thick instruction booklet or the LEGO building app to guide the construction. I find the app better for aging eyesight, as it allows 3D rotation to be absolutely sure where the piece is going. That said, the booklet is also worth a look, as it adds little trivia tidbits along the way, like so…
The biggest difference between LEGO and most of its competitors is that while they tend to work from the outside in, LEGO engineers from the inside out. That’s especially true for a design like this one that requires multiple internal joints and pivot points. Unless you naturally have an engineering mind, you might have no idea which part of the set you’re building first, and there’s a joy to the discovery once you reach the outer layer and that “aha” moment hits.
Unfearful Symmetry
Because Bumblebee is a mostly symmetrical character, there is a bit of the frustration of doing one build, and then having to copy it in reverse — however, the instructions do try to mitigate this as best they can, and eventually, once you figure out the pattern and your available pieces, you can anticipate and build both sides at once. Unless that feels like cheating.
I encountered the most trouble trying to attach the legs to the feet. The clicky joint pieces do require a bit of force, and in one case it was enough to shatter a foot when misdirected, forcing some back-tracking. It wasn’t that bad, all things considered, but take care.
Initially, you build the car form. It’s not the smoothest on the outside, but it’s pretty close.
Scaling the Heights
As far as minifig scale goes, regular minifigs look like children next to it, and it’s not possible for them to sit inside, though you can cheat a bit if you take the windshield part off.
When he’s a robot, they can sit on his shoulders and not look too off, depending on how big you think Bumblebee should be. The entire back of the car is very loosely hinged so as to flip up and reveal his head when needed; holding the car upside down or at an angle will make it open completely up immediately.
The transformation is one that will feel reasonably familiar to Transformers fans but far more delicate. First, though, you take off the windshield, which folds at an angle and attaches to the back spare tire to make his “wings.” Then angle open the sides, unfold the legs and feet, and the next few steps will be obvious. His shoulders don’t have a huge range of motion — they’re angled but not ball-jointed. The gun can be held by his fingers, but it also clips onto a small bar right under it for extra security. He’s slightly forward-heavy, but it doesn’t take long to find a sweet spot.
Just be sure to do so verrry carefully. It’s not hard to lose a piece or two, especially around the waist area, and have to look up just how it goes back in because it might not seem to fit where it’s supposed to.
Buggin’
Typically, I display Transformers in their robot modes. This Bee, however, looks better as a car and feels sturdier — it is one dense bug. The robot mode is very cleverly done, and interesting, but without creating a dedicated stand I would fear for its solidity and balance on a shelf, long-term. It’s sturdily put together, so that may be an irrational fear. Nevertheless, it persists.
Another note for display purposes — the set provides extra plain yellow tiles to swap out for the Autobot logo ones if you want him to truly be in disguise. A nice touch, but mine feels no shame about his affiliation! There are also two different options for his license plate,
Overall, it’s an easier build than one might suspect — it taxed my fingers less than Venomized Groot, and unlike the old Kre-O Transformers, it doesn’t require a full-on rebuild to transform. I missed out on Optimus, and certainly hope they do a Megatron, and enjoyed the little details like the bumper stickers and the hidden bees (one on the back of its info placard).
Take a look through the images below to see the progression of the build and more:
