In the spring of 2014, Transformers moved into the marketing blitz phase of Age of Extinction, the fourth live-action movie. The first waves of product to hit the shelves represented the main characters from the film, such as High Octane Bumblebee, a modified 1967 Chevrolet Camaro SS.
Origins
High Octane Bumblebee’s name is an homage to G1 Bumblebee, but beyond that he bears little resemblance. The vintage Camaro alternate mode is a reference to Movie 1 Bumblebee, who transforms into a beat-up 1976 Camaro.
Description
Bumblebee transforms into a realistic 1967 Camaro SS, modified with modern racing-inspired wheels, a matte black paint job, stripes and badging, fender flares, and a front air dam. He sports clear windows, painted wheel rims, and a full-body paint job (a rare addition to a Hasbro toy), in order to represent the black primer look. Many of the robot parts are visible through the clear windows, however, and the paint work of most samples will have some dust or marks in it from the factory.
Due to the similar layout of Bumblebee’s robot mode to his previous Movie Deluxe Class toys, his transformation is remarkably similar in its pattern, despite sharing no parts. The rear of the car folds out to form his legs, placing the fender by his hip and the bumper behind his thigh. The doors form “wings” on Bumblebee’s shoulders, and his arms unfold from the cockpit of the car, his shoulders attaching in the front fender well. Two diagonally-hinged flaps open to reveal his head in the center of the hood. The front bumper and grill split and angle slightly to decorate Bumblebee’s chest.
The robot mode is very thin, owing in part to the leaner look of his alternate mode. His narrow arms end in open-fingered hands. He bears much of his car’s bodywork as a backpack, including the roof, windshield, doors, hood, front wheels, and arguably the trunk. His robot parts have virtually no paint applications not needed for the car, leaving him mostly in his gray and yellow base plastics. In robot mode, he has a small pressure-launched missile that can fire from his right arm. In car mode, it stores with the missile in place.
Collector Notes
Bumblebee’s design is generally thin and lithe, a bad omen for the durability of the toy. Added to the fact that much of Bumblebee’s bodywork is made of clear plastic, which is generally more brittle, care should be taken when handling or storing him.
Variants
High Octane Bumblebee does not have any production variants.
Availability
High Octane Bumblebee was available in 2014, as part of the first wave of Generations Deluxe Class toys.
Redecos & Retools
High Octane Bumblebee’s mold has not been re-used.
