By Gary Symons
TLL Editor in Chief
There’s more than meets the eye with LEGO’s latest creation, a replica of the Transformers character Bumblebee that easily … well … transforms.
Released amid the franchise’s 40th anniversary year, the LEGO Icons Transformers Bumblebee set maintains the same scale as the LEGO TRANSFORMERS Optimus Prime set, originally revealed in 2022, standing 10.5 inches tall in robot mode.
The difference is that this set has a remarkable ability to easily and seamlessly transition between its robot mode and its car mode, without the need for any disassembly. The 950-piece set is a marvel of engineering and design, giving fans a highly detailed model of the popular Transformer character who has been a fan favorite since the 1980s.
LEGO says it wanted to give fans a companion to the earlier Optimum Prime set that really improved on the playability factor, so its designers worked for months to come up with a design that allows the Bumblebee figure to transform in seconds, much like the Hasbro toys and, of course, the robots in the series and films.
Bumblebee features articulated joints, an ion blaster, and a jetpack, and is accompanied by a display plaque, and an integrated LEGO Builder app for digital instructions and versatile display options.
The LEGO® Icons TRANSFORMERS Bumblebee set is available for LEGO Insider members starting July 1, at www.LEGO.com/Bumblebee and LEGO Stores, and will be open to sales to the general public starting July 4. Retail prices are set at €89.99 / £79.99/ $89.99.