2024 marks the 40th anniversary of the Transformers franchise, with a number of new toys being released and revealed. Among them is a new colorway for Bumblebee that shows the iconic Autobot shining brighter than ever.
Via TFW2005, as featured in the Kodanasha Fanbook 2024, this toy takes an existing figure and gives it a gorgeous new color scheme. Transformed and transparent, the figure gives the character a more classic look. This is also just one of many brand new Transformers toys produced to celebrate the history of the line.
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Upcoming Magazine Reveals a “Shining” Look at Transformers’ Bumblebee
As seen in the preview for the upcoming Kodansha Fanbook, the new Bumblebee “Shining Thunder Ver.” figure is sure to shine as a part of any collection. It’s meant to represent the original Generation 1 Bumblebee, with the accompanying illustration showing Bumblebee and Optimus Prime in their classic forms. Other illustrations feature them in a much more “chibi” and hyper-deformed design, along with other characters like Hot Rod/Rodimus Prime, two versions of Megatron, and Optimus Primal.
The Bumblebee figure itself is an obvious repaint of the Transformers: Buzzworthy Bumblebee Core Class G1 Bumblebee. Despite being a tiny figure, his bright color scheme, which looks almost like gold, should make him a big find in the toy aisles. His alternate mode is a car of an unspecified model, apparently a real licensed Volkswagen Beetle. In robot mode, however, he looks more like the G1 and wields a small gun. There are conflicting reports about the release date, with some reporting July 19, 2024 as the release date for the figure or magazine. Likewise, the price has yet to be confirmed.
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Transformers' epic 40th anniversary has seen a slew of new franchise releases
From both Hasbro and Takara, the Transformers franchise is seeing a lot of attention in its 40th year. Many of these are part of the Transformers: Legacy toy line, which recreates the designs of various G1-style robot disguises that have endured. Others are from other lines or from other companies, and they represent a variety of Autobots, Decepticons, and other Transformers. One of these is a Cliffjumper statue—a red repaint of Bumblebee—in the form of an anime-style woman. It's part of the Transformers: Bishojo line, and is one of many products that take classic characters and reinterpret them for modern consumers.
Bumblebee remains one of the most beloved characters in the Transformers franchise, and not just based on his original version. His radically different version from the Michael Bay action films brought him back into the spotlight, although he did so with a very different alternate mode: a Chevy Camaro. Those films also left Bumblebee without the ability to speak and had to communicate via radio. However, Travis Knight's solo Bumblebee movie brought back his classic VW mode.
Transformers
Transformers is a media franchise produced by the American toy company Hasbro and the Japanese toy company Takara Tomy. It primarily revolves around the heroic Autobots and the villainous Decepticons, two warring factions of alien robots that can transform into other forms, such as vehicles and animals.
First movie Transformers
Cast Peter Cullen, Wil Wheaton, Shia LaBeouf, Megan Fox, Luna Lauren Velez, Dominique Fishback
Source: TFW2005