Robosen’s self-transforming Bumblebee is finally giving Optimus Prime some backup
Robosen’s partnership with Hasbro continues with a new Bumblebee self-transforming robot toy launching this summer. Powered by 31 servo motors, Bumblebee transforms from a bright yellow bot to a classic Beetle with a scaled-down design officially licensed by Volkswagen that can be driven using a smartphone and Robosen’s app. They even brought back Dan Gilvezan, who voiced Bumblebee in the ‘80s Transformers cartoon, to record over 200 lines of new dialogue.
Robosen’s Bumblebee is available for preorder through the company’s online store for $949, which is a limited time 30-day discount on its full $1,299 price tag. That’s slightly more expensive than Robosen’s $1,200 Megatron that launched last April, but much cheaper than its self-transforming Grimlock Dinobot that debuted in 2023 for $1,700.
Standing almost 15-inches tall in robot mode, Bumblebee responds to 48 voice commands but can also be controlled through Robosen’s mobile app over Bluetooth which includes a simplified block-based programming language letting you create long animated sequences.
Bumblebee shuffles along on two feet using a “new and more fluid bipedal walking algorithm,” according to Hasbro, and features a custom-designed rear axle servo-motor and steering mechanism for improved maneuverability in vehicle mode.
If you’ve got deep pockets, all four of Robosen’s Transformers toys can interact with each other and play out battle sequences, reacting to blaster hits and punches from other bots all while exchanging one-liners.
This isn’t Robosen’s first Bumblebee toy. In 2023, just ahead of the Grimlock reveal, the company released a cheaper $399 version of Bumblebee that offered similar features to this new version, including walking on two feet, but without the ability to transform into a Beetle.